Just a Couple of Kids, After All... - Parts 4-6

by Sue Penkivech


This story is mine.  Really, all mine.  Well, all the characters belong to Marvel, and I got part of the idea from a story by Mel (thanks, Mel!), but please don¡¦t sue me, it wouldn¡¦t be worth it.  Thanks to Luba, too for the beta read and encouragement!

This story takes place not long after the High Evolutionary de-mutantized everyone, but Hank and Bobby (obviously) are not in Genosha. I don¡¦t KNOW that Bobby and Kitty have never met, but I¡¦m assuming they haven¡¦t, or that, if they have, it was either in the middle of a battle or at Scott and Jean¡¦s wedding and they didn¡¦t really notice.


Part 4

Kitty Pryde walked down the corridor from Kurt¡¦s room rubbing her nose, his laughter still ringing in her ears.  ¡¦I really, really hate doing that,¡¦ she muttered to herself, glancing at her hand to make sure her nose wasn¡¦t bleeding.  ¡¦It¡¦s been months!  And I still walk into things whenever I get distracted!¡¦

Distracted was an understatement, she mused.  Why, why was she getting so preoccupied about a simple compliment?  ¡¦He probably didn¡¦t mean anything by it, anyway,¡¦ she told herself firmly.  ¡¦Katherine Pryde, get your act together.  You¡¦re acting as if you were still fourteen years old.   Just because he¡¦s about the best looking guy you¡¦ve seen with the X-Men since Doug, has a great sense of humor, actually spent time in the real world, and doesn¡¦t make you feel like you¡¦re putting your foot in your mouth every two seconds -- oh, who am I fooling anyway?  I like him.  So, what am I going to do about it?¡¦

Kitty was still considering her options when she turned the corner.  The next thing she knew, she was more or less sitting on the floor, looking at an equally bemused Bobby Drake.

¡¦We have got to stop meeting like this!¡¦ he said with a grin as he stood up and reached down to help her up.  ¡¦What will people say?¡¦

¡¦They¡¦ll say, ¡¦Kitty¡¦s a klutz,¡¦ that¡¦s what¡¦, she replied as he pulled her to her feet.  ¡¦And they¡¦ll be right, too,¡¦ she added, smiling.  She noticed suddenly that his hand was warm, that his grip on hers was strong but not pressing, and felt a brief surge of disappointment as he let go.  ¡¦I just cannot get used to this!  Before --¡¦ she glanced up at him, and saw him nod.  The whole former-mutant community now shared a new meaning for the word ¡¦before¡¦. ¡¦Before, when I got distracted, I turned intangible.  Annoying, sometimes, but at least I wasn¡¦t knocking anyone out.¡¦

¡¦Might have been a bit disconcerting to the people you walked through, though,¡¦ Bobby commented, his eyes half closed and his thumb and finger stroking his chin as if he were seriously considering it.  ¡¦Nah, I¡¦d much rather have a gorgeous girl knock me off my feet than go right through me.  I¡¦m used to them looking through me, you understand, but walking right through?  No, I think that would be too much for my already low self-esteem.  At least I know I¡¦ve got your attention!¡¦

¡¦Oh, you don¡¦t have to worry about that,¡¦ Kitty answered smiling, then winced a bit as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

¡¦Hey, are you okay?¡¦ Bobby asked, his grin changing instantly to a look of concern.  ¡¦Maybe we should take you to see Hank?  I¡¦m so sorry -- here I am joking and you¡¦re hurt¡¦¡¦

¡¦No, really, I¡¦m ok -- I just twisted my ankle a bit.  Don¡¦t worry,¡¦ she added, seeing that he still appeared upset.  ¡¦I do this like, three or four times a day, at least.  Not people usually -- just walls, desks, you name it.  You¡¦d think, after being Wolverine¡¦s sparring partner for so long, that I¡¦d be used to bruises!¡¦

¡¦Still, you should really get off your foot, at least for a bit.  How about a coffee?  There¡¦s probably still some left from breakfast, or I can make a pot?  It¡¦s the least I can do, after all,¡¦ he pleaded.  ¡¦Come on, you wouldn¡¦t want me to spend the rest of the day moping around feeling guilty when you could have me as your willing slave instead, would you?¡¦ 

Kitty laughed, thought briefly about the coffee she¡¦d just had with Kurt, and dismissed the thought at once.  ¡¦No, I couldn¡¦t be responsible for that,¡¦ she agreed.  ¡¦After all, who knows what you¡¦d walk into if you were that distracted!¡¦

¡¦See?  I knew you¡¦d come around.  Now, here,¡¦ he said, putting his arm around her.  As Kitty leaned into him, she decided that perhaps walking into people wasn¡¦t so bad after all.

(Two cups of coffee later¡¦)

¡¦¡¦so there we were, watching Hank give his first lecture on superhumans on the university lecture circuit, when out pops this guy dressed in a frog costume.  I mean, a frog costume, can you believe it?  While he¡¦s still trying to convince us we should let him join the Defenders, we¡¦re attacked by another guy dressed up like a walrus.  Had about the IQ of one, I¡¦ll give him that¡¦¡¦

Kitty grinned, half-listening to Bobby¡¦s story and half watching him tell it.  He used his whole body when he talked, she decided, ducking a bit to avoid his arm as he demonstrated the flight of the walrus-guy through a wall.  It was a nice body, too, she mused.  Slim without being skinny, not muscle-bound like so many of the X-Men.  She hadn¡¦t liked the latter since Piotr; maybe he¡¦d turned her off to really big men.  While Bobby was taller than she was, he wasn¡¦t so tall that she got a kink in her neck looking up at him.  ¡¦Just about perfect,¡¦ she decided, remembering how his arm had felt around her back, imagining she could she still felt the residual heat.  ¡¦Funny, you¡¦d never think a guy named Iceman would be so warm.  Not that I¡¦m complaining¡¦¡¦

¡¦Hey, Earth to Kitty¡¦¡¦ she heard, and blinked her eyes as Bobby waved his hand in front of them.  ¡¦Am I boring you?  I¡¦m sorry -- sometimes I get carried away.¡¦  He wasn¡¦t laughing, now -- instead, he looked despondent, and Kitty felt a sharp pain of remorse.

¡¦Oh, no, Bobby -- no, really!¡¦ she stammered, as she could see he didn¡¦t believe her.  ¡¦No, my mind just wandered for a second -- I really should get to work, although I¡¦d much prefer to sit around here all day.¡¦

¡¦Work?  Are you late -- I could give you a ride if you need one,¡¦ Bobby replied quickly.  ¡¦I¡¦m sorry, I didn¡¦t know -- most of the guys around here don¡¦t have jobs per se, so I just assumed¡¦¡¦

¡¦Neither do I, though I¡¦ve got some resumes out there.  No, I¡¦ve just got some work to do on the security system - it's acquired an intermittent glitch that¡¦s got me worried.  I¡¦ve been playing around with it in my spare time, but I had a paper due yesterday morning so I haven¡¦t worked on it for a few days.¡¦

¡¦That¡¦s right -- Hank said you were a real computer whiz.  Think you could take a look at my laptop later?  I installed an upgrade to my accounting software and now my modem keeps trying to dial out.¡¦

Kitty wasn¡¦t sure, but she suspected that there was absolutely nothing wrong with Bobby¡¦s laptop; he had that look on his face that she was beginning to associate with him thinking up mischief.  ¡¦Well, maybe there¡¦s nothing wrong with it now, but I bet there will be later,¡¦ she mused.  ¡¦Gotta give him credit if he can manage it, though -- most of the people around here wouldn¡¦t have a clue how to deliberately make their modem auto-dial randomly.  I wonder if he¡¦ll pull it off?¡¦

¡¦Sure.  This¡¦ll probably only take a couple of hours -- you want to meet around three o¡¦clock?¡¦ she replied, trying to sound casual while thinking about whether or not she could realistically do her homework while she troubleshot the computer system so that she wouldn¡¦t have to deal with it later.

¡¦Three it is.  Want to meet in the library?  Or did you have somewhere else in mind?¡¦ he asked. 

Kitty bit back the answer she wanted to give, and said, ¡¦The library¡¦s fine.  I¡¦ll see you at three.¡¦  She got up from the table, tested her weight on her ankle and found that it no longer hurt and walked up to the door.  Very deliberately, she opened it before walking through, and was rewarded by the sound of hands clapping behind her.

¡¦This is not good.  This is really not good.¡¦

Kitty stared at the screen in front of her, her visual basic text book abandoned.  The evidence was all there, but it was hard to believe nonetheless.

¡¦I really should have kept more on top of things,¡¦ she told herself firmly.  ¡¦I knew the systems were in a shambles after the fire -- I should have taken some time off from classes and got them repaired sooner.¡¦  She reminded herself that Jean had been unequivocally opposed to her taking a leave of absence from her studies, had in fact insisted that they be her first priority.

¡¦Yeah, and Jean understands computers, right?  No, Pryde, you¡¦ve got no one to blame but yourself.¡¦

¡¦I¡¦ll have to notify everyone immediately¡¦, she decided, and got up from the chair she¡¦d been sitting on.  As she opened the door, she saw Bobby, his hand poised as if to knock.

¡¦I didn¡¦t mean to interrupt you,¡¦ he said, lowering his hand,  ¡¦I just wanted to let you know that if you were busy we could always do the laptop another time.  She glanced briefly at her watch, and saw that the digital display was blinking 4:15.

¡¦Aww shit -- Bobby, I¡¦m really sorry, I didn¡¦t realize how late it was.  But I am going to have to take a rain check -- we¡¦ve got a biigg problem here.¡¦

¡¦Anything I can do?¡¦ he asked, falling into step with her as she hurried down the hall.

¡¦Yeah, see who you can round up for a meeting.  I¡¦ll go tell Jean myself -- in case you didn¡¦t know, she¡¦s pretty much running things these days.  Tell them to meet in the briefing room in fifteen minutes, ok?¡¦

¡¦Your wish is my command, milady.  Want to give me a heads-up as to what the meeting¡¦s about?¡¦ he asked, and she could see the concern in his eyes.

¡¦Well¡¦¡¦ she stopped and turned to look up at him.  Something about him was so reassuring, and she found that she couldn¡¦t wait for the meeting, she had to tell someone.  Had to calm down and get things straight in her mind before she presented the info to the others, to Jean -- they¡¦d all had so much faith in her abilities¡¦

¡¦We¡¦ve been hacked.¡¦

¡¦Huh?¡¦

¡¦The legacy virus info, the mission logs, damn, probably even those damned Xavier protocols.  Someone¡¦s been into all of it.  Shit,¡¦ she added, as she ran her hand up her forehead and through her hair, ¡¦someone¡¦s downloaded all of it.  I am such a fuckin¡¦ idiot!¡¦

¡¦Kitty¡¦¡¦

¡¦Don¡¦t you dare tell me it¡¦s not my fault!¡¦ she yelled, stomping her foot.  ¡¦I knew we had system problems.  I knew there was a glitch in the security system.  Glitch, huh -- actually, there was no security system.  Whoever it was shut the whole works down, and put in a subroutine that made things look as if it was running.  After making it glitch intermittently first -- that¡¦s my favorite part -- so that we wouldn¡¦t suspect anything.  So I wouldn¡¦t suspect anything.  And now¡¦¡¦ she trailed off, shaking her head.

¡¦Kitty.¡¦ she heard again.  Bobby¡¦s warm hand lifted her chin so that she was facing him.  ¡¦It¡¦ll be ok.  Believe me.¡¦  He put his arms around her, and she found herself pressed against his chest, his fingers stroking her hair gently as the tears ran down her face.

¡¦Just trust me, it¡¦ll be ok,¡¦ he repeated quietly, and somehow, she found herself believing him.

Part 5

 ¡¦I just don¡¦t understand this- how could anyone get into our computer system?¡¦

Kitty sighed, and began to explain the situation -- again -- to the assembled X-Men.

¡¦They came in through the firewall.  While it¡¦s locked up pretty tight, we do have it setup to accommodate the VPN connection from Muir Island, and some RAS connections for X-Men who are elsewhere.  As far as I can tell, they inserted a virus that captured the exact settings of the Muir Island security setup, then they duped it.  This should not, I might add, have been possible, so we may be dealing with technology we¡¦ve never encountered before.¡¦

¡¦What about the Shi¡¦ar technology?  Shouldn¡¦t that have kept them out?¡¦

Bobby saw Kitty take another deep breath before continuing.  He felt sorry for her, and part of him wanted to rush to the front of the room, where she was very competently leading a discussion of the current problem, and either tell everyone to shut up or to take her away from it all.  ¡¦Like she¡¦d appreciate that,¡¦ he told himself.  ¡¦No, she made it quite clear that she wanted to handle this herself."

She had, too.  While he thought that he may have -- possibly -- helped her calm down a bit, she¡¦d refused his offer to let the others know what had happened.  ¡¦I screwed up,¡¦ she insisted, ¡¦not you.  I¡¦m the one who has to tell them.  Besides -- no offense -- I don¡¦t know that you could explain it.  I know I can.¡¦

He couldn¡¦t, he had to admit.  And even if he could have, no one would have believed him, anyway.  Not Bobby Drake, practical joker and slacker, extraordinaire.  He couldn¡¦t believe how competent Kitty appeared, fielding questions from her teammates who, for the most part, barely knew how to send e-mail.  The same questions.  Over and over again.

¡¦But who was it?  Why can¡¦t you tell?¡¦

Another deep breath.  Despite himself, he had to admire the view when she inhaled like that.  He¡¦d lost track, but he thought that had been deep breath number 42.

¡¦I don¡¦t know yet, not with any certainty.  As I said, we¡¦re not dealing with Microsoft technology here.  I have a subroutine running even now that is attempting to trace the invader back to its point of origin, but it¡¦ll be a few hours before it has any results.¡¦

¡¦Will that work?  I don¡¦t understand how you let this happen,¡¦ Warren asked bitingly.  ¡¦I knew we should have brought in some professionals¡¦¡¦

¡¦Well, Warren, if you and your lady-love hadn¡¦t taken off on an extended vacation and not let anyone know how to reach you, maybe we¡¦d have had the necessary wherewithal to pay for professionals¡¦or more importantly, repairs to the mansion¡¦, replied Kurt. 

¡¦Why you¡¦¡¦

¡¦Thank you, Kitty,¡¦ said Jean, standing up tiredly and addressing the others in the room.  ¡¦I appreciate your bringing this to our attention.  One last question -- to your knowledge, has any of the data been lost?¡¦

¡¦That¡¦s the interesting thing, Jean.  It doesn¡¦t appear that anything was damaged.  Just copied.  It¡¦s as if someone wanted to learn as much as possible about us without harming anything.¡¦

¡¦Or perhaps they are just trying to prepare themselves for a physical attack.  The Xavier protocols were designed for that, correct?  I have never understood why the Professor created them, and I don¡¦t understand why they weren¡¦t destroyed when discovered.¡¦  This came from Peter Rasputin, who, Bobby noted, had been the principal whiner throughout the meeting.

It was Jean¡¦s turn to take a deep breath.  ¡¦I understand your concerns, Peter, and I share them.  However, given the current situation, there are items of greater importance than even the Xavier protocols.  Given that they were created to provide information on how to destroy us as mutants, and given that they were not kept up-to-date in any case, and given that none of us now have our mutant abilities, they would be of limited use to anyone.  Or at least,¡¦ she added, holding up her hand as Peter began to object, ¡¦of no more use than our accounting records, which contain our names and code-names.¡¦ 

¡¦Ah, so someone finally knows that I was once the swashbuckling Nightcrawler,¡¦ Kurt inserted in an attempt at levity.  ¡¦While they may die of jealousy, I don¡¦t see how it would really affect me at this time.¡¦

¡¦Kurt, everyone in Britain knew you were the swashbuckling Nightcrawler,¡¦ Rogue teased.  She and Remy had pulled into the driveway just as Bobby had been rounding up everyone on repair detail for the meeting.  ¡¦I¡¦m just glad the Professor never put my real name in the database -- if I can¡¦t handle mah friends knowing it, I certainly don¡¦t want mah enemies to.¡¦

¡¦Gonna share it with me, one of these days, chere?¡¦ Remy asked, elbowing her in the side.

¡¦Don¡¦t hold your breath, Cajun.¡¦

Hank cleared his throat loudly, and said, ¡¦Returning the meeting to a more serious note, I believe you are mistaken, Kurt, and you as well, Jean.  While you are undoubtedly correct in pointing out that the revelation of our identities in view of our now-defunct mutant abilities is of somewhat less urgency than it would have been only months ago, I believe it could be of vital importance in the future.  We have no way of knowing, after all, whether or not our mutant powers will be restored at some juncture.  If that should occur, the loss of this data to entities unknown could be critical.  The Legacy research could also be deadly, if it fell into the wrong hands, as it presumedly has.¡¦

¡¦What about e-mail?¡¦ Rogue asked abruptly.

¡¦What about it?¡¦  Kitty replied, puzzled.

¡¦Whoever broke in -- can they read our e-mail?¡¦

¡¦I suppose¡¦¡¦

¡¦Aww, shit.¡¦

¡¦Oh no, chere -- don¡¦t tell me you didn¡¦t delete any of them e-mail I sent you?¡¦

¡¦You can delete e-mail?¡¦

Jean cleared her throat to get everyone¡¦s attention.  ¡¦As I was saying, a bigger concern is that we might as well consider our private identities public knowledge.  Until we know for certain who hacked into our systems, we need to be prepared for anyone with a grudge against the X-Men to take this opportunity for revenge.  We also need to be concerned about possible criminal charges for some of our prior activities.  The Professor was working with someone in Washington to clear those up, but I don¡¦t know for certain how far along he was in the process, and his contacts there aren¡¦t answering my calls.¡¦

¡¦So what¡¦da we do now?¡¦ Rogue asked.

¡¦Kitty, you¡¦ll continue to monitor the situation on the computer side, right?¡¦ Jean asked.

¡¦Of course,¡¦ Kitty replied, sounding surprised.  Given their earlier discussion, and some of the remarks her teammates had made, Bobby thought she probably was.  She¡¦d fully expected them to toss her out of the mansion.  As if everyone here hadn¡¦t made mistakes of their own.  Him especially.

¡¦Hank, would you be willing to give Kitty a hand?¡¦ Jean asked, but just as Hank began to reply, Bobby heard his own voice saying, ¡¦I will.¡¦

Everyone turned to look at him. ¡¦Bobby, I know you mean well,¡¦ said Jean, ¡¦but Hank has considerably¡¦¡¦

¡¦Bobster, you¡¦re jokin¡¦ right?¡¦ asked Rogue.  ¡¦Putting up nude pictures of Betsy on your web site hardly qualifies you for¡¦¡¦

¡¦What?¡¦ interjected Betsy.  ¡¦You remove those immediately!"

¡¦Drake, what are you thinking?  You, work on the mansion¡¦s security system?  It¡¦s not bad enough her incompetence got us into this situation, now you¡¦re going to ¡¦help¡¦?  And what are you doing with nude pictures of Betsy?¡¦ asked Warren furiously.

¡¦Hold on a minute,¡¦ Kitty said angrily, just as a real debate broke out and Bobby felt as if he was going to dissolve into the floor.  ¡¦I could use another pair of hands.  For all Hank¡¦s genius,¡¦ and Hank tipped an imaginary hat, ¡¦he¡¦s a computer user, not an engineer.¡¦

¡¦True, fair Shadowcat.  You are as wise as you are lovely and competent,¡¦ Hank replied, casting a glare at Warren.

¡¦If Bobby¡¦s willing, I¡¦d like him to help.  The fact that he has put up a web site means he knows more about computers than most of the people here, no offense meant.¡¦

¡¦And none taken, Kitty,¡¦ Jean replied, still looking dazed, Bobby thought, by the idea that Bobby may have actually touched a computer for something other than role playing games.  ¡¦You and Bobby work on the computer side of things, then.  Betsy, you and¡¦¡¦

¡¦Me,¡¦ Logan inserted, walking into the room.  He was looking much the worse for wear, Bobby saw, but he still felt a shiver up his spine at the thought of Logan¡¦s reaction to his interest in Kitty.

¡¦That is, darlin¡¦,¡¦ he directed toward Jean, ¡¦assuming you were going to ask her to setup some extra security.  Just in case.¡¦  The whole room fell silent.

¡¦Are you sure you¡¦re up to it?¡¦ Jean asked, worriedly.  Bobby wondered what was wrong with Logan that no one had clued him in on.

¡¦Always ready for a scrap, you know that, Red.¡¦

¡¦All right, then.  Betsy, you and Logan work out a plan for securing the grounds.  Hank, please check the other security equipment to ensure it hasn¡¦t been tampered with.  The rest of you, consider yourselves on call.  And keep me posted with any updates.  Meeting adjourned.  Logan, come with me for a moment, please.¡¦  At that, Jean stood up and left the room, Logan following.

Everyone else began to file out, talking amongst themselves.  Betsy cast Bobby a dirty look as she walked past, Warren glared, Hank winked at him and grinned but said nothing, but Rogue stopped for a moment, laying her hand on his arm.

¡¦Ah¡¦m sorry, Bobby.  That was outta line, but I was just joking.  Didn¡¦t think the others¡¦d chime in.  Come find me later, ok?  We¡¦ll have us a good catch up talk.¡¦

¡¦Sure thing, Rogue,¡¦ Bobby replied, but his heart wasn¡¦t in it.  They were right, all of them.  This was a critical job.  What was he doing volunteering for it?  ¡¦I¡¦d have been better off,¡¦ he thought wryly, ¡¦offering to bring up coffee and donuts.  More my speed, after all.¡¦

¡¦Bobby?¡¦ He pulled himself out of his self-doubt to see who was addressing him, and was surprised to see it was Kitty.

¡¦Hi, Kit.¡¦

¡¦I just wanted to say thank you,¡¦ she said quietly.  ¡¦I mean, for your support -- I don¡¦t think I could have made it through this without you.  Every time I looked out at everyone, you were there, and you looked so confident, I felt like I could get through this.¡¦

¡¦Hey, anytime,¡¦ Bobby replied, feeling like a heel, his self-doubts growing by the minute.  Him, confident?  She¡¦d been so self-assured up there.  So confident.  Everything that he wasn¡¦t.  Who was he fooling, thinking she¡¦d be interested in him?  ¡¦Look, I know you really don¡¦t need my help -- maybe Hank would be a better¡¦¡¦

¡¦No.¡¦

¡¦Huh?¡¦  He¡¦d been prepared for her to accept his withdrawal graciously, relieved that she¡¦d get some knowledgeable assistance.  He looked at her, and she smiled, though he could see her eyes were clouded.

¡¦I said no, and I meant it.  You offered to help, and I need all the help I can get.  Besides, no one treats one of my friends like that.  Not even my other teammates.¡¦

¡¦I don¡¦t understand¡¦¡¦ Bobby said.

¡¦Look at you,¡¦ Kitty replied, angrily.  He looked at her, instead, and saw that the anger wasn¡¦t directed at him.  ¡¦They do that to me all the time, too.  Just a kid, after all.  We¡¦re not, though, and they¡¦ve got to accept that.  Bobby, when I explained what happened to you, you knew what I meant.  Ok, Hank did too, but Hank understands damn near everything.  I had to explain it to Jean twice before we even came down to the meeting, and I¡¦m not sure anyone else followed more than half.¡¦

¡¦I need you, Bobby.  I need your help, but I also need,¡¦ she paused a moment, as if considering her next words. ¡¦I need your support.  I need to know that someone thinks I can make this right.  They don¡¦t,¡¦ she waved her hand dismissively at the department X-Men.  "Oh, Kurt does, sure -- we¡¦ve worked together enough that he knows what I can do.  The rest?  Hardly.  But you do.  I¡¦m not sure why, but you do.¡¦

¡¦I know you can,¡¦ Bobby replied, a lump in his throat. 

¡¦And I know you can, too.  So, let¡¦s prove it to the rest of them, ok?  I don¡¦t know about you, but I¡¦m tired of being treated like a kid.¡¦

¡¦It¡¦s a deal,¡¦ Bobby said, and draped his arm around her shoulders.  ¡¦So, where do we start?¡¦

Part 6

 Kitty walked with Bobby, his arm still around her shoulders, down the hallway to the stairs that led down to the room that housed the mansion¡¦s computer systems.  She was still angry -- angry with herself for allowing the systems to be hacked, angry with the others for not being able to understand the problem without having it explained twenty plus times, angry about Piotr¡¦s snide comments.  ¡¦As if,¡¦ she thought to herself with a sniff, ¡¦he¡¦s trying to get revenge on me for not taking him back by undermining everything I say.  What a guy!¡¦ Reflecting that even in the days she idolized him, he¡¦d been petty and insecure, she went back to mentally listing the things she was angry about.

¡¦Warren,¡¦ she thought.  What an ass.  ¡¦¡¦I knew we should have brought in some professionals¡¦ -- as if he¡¦d been here when the mansion got burned.  As if he even gave a second thought to the computer system.   I¡¦m not sure he even knew we have a computer system.  Shit, it¡¦s bad enough he bashed me, he barely knows me, but I always heard he and Bobby were friends.¡¦

That was the heart of it, she decided, glancing at the tall man beside her, who looked as if he were making a list of his own.  For all she¡¦d just met him yesterday -- yesterday! - she had very warm feelings for Bobby Drake.  There was something about him that just made her want to protect him.  While she put up with a lot from the older residents of the mansion herself, frequently biting her lip and thinking longingly of the days back in England with Excalibur, no one treated one of her friends like that and got away with it.

She didn¡¦t understand Warren¡¦s attitude, or that of the others who¡¦d been on the same track.  Sure, Bobby was a self-admitted practical joker.  He told a great joke, too.  But Hank was nearly as bad, and everyone took Hank seriously when he wanted them to.

Oh well.  They¡¦d show Warren, and Peter, and everyone else.  She slid her arm around Bobby¡¦s waist, and was rewarded by a quick squeeze of her shoulder.

¡¦We¡¦ll show them all,¡¦ she thought again, and paused to open the door to the computer room.

Four hours later, she was no longer quite so sure.

¡¦I don¡¦t get it,¡¦ she complained to Bobby, who had his feet kicked up on the desk and a stack of printouts on top of his legs while he ran his finger down a column of text on the top form.  ¡¦The routines I set in place can¡¦t trace the route.  Or at least, they trace it part way, but it¡¦s clear they don¡¦t originate from there.¡¦

¡¦How do you know?¡¦ Bobby asked, raising his eyes from the printout, where he was trying to determine which systems had been accessed and which hadn¡¦t.

¡¦Because, I -- oh, damn, I don¡¦t know,¡¦ Kitty replied, rubbing her hand through her bangs.  ¡¦I am soooo tired, this isn¡¦t making a whole lot of sense any more.¡¦

¡¦So let¡¦s take a break.¡¦

¡¦What?¡¦ Kitty, replied, her eyes staring at the last printout in front of her as if the characters were going to rearrange themselves into the answer.

¡¦A break?  You know, where you get up, walk around, get a soda¡¦you¡¦ve heard of the concept, right?¡¦  Bobby replied.  He¡¦d apparently worked himself through the internal debate he¡¦d been having earlier, because he sounded much more like himself, Kitty decided.  And a break did sound good¡¦

¡¦No, go ahead,¡¦ she decided.  ¡¦I want to run through this one more time.  Maybe if I change the parameters here?¡¦ she continued, pointing at the screen.  Bobby put the printouts on the desk, and stood over her shoulder to look where she was pointing.  He shook his head.

¡¦If you change those, you¡¦ll run the same trace we ran four back, remember?  Come on; let¡¦s get out of here for a bit.  If it¡¦ll make you feel better, we can take the printouts with us.  Maybe something will jump out of the stack.¡¦  He leaned over to pick up the stack in front of her, and unearthed the textbooks she¡¦d brought along earlier to study.

¡¦Russian lit?¡¦

¡¦Yeah, had to fulfill my humanities requirements.¡¦  Kitty replied, still engrossed in the data on the screen.

¡¦It makes more sense in the original than the translation,¡¦ he said absently, now thumbing through her Visual Basic book.  ¡¦Hey, can I borrow this when your class is done?¡¦ he asked.

¡¦What? Yeah, sure -- what do you mean, it makes more sense in the original than the translation?¡¦

¡¦They always leave something out when they translate, and it changes the meaning.  What version of the software do you need to run the tutorials?¡¦

¡¦6.0.  I can get you a copy, if you need one.  But¡¦¡¦ she spun around, and looked at him for the first time in hours.  ¡¦You can read Russian?¡¦

¡¦Yeah, the Prof taught me so I could read stories to the munchkin.  I¡¦ve got the software already, but the ¡¦Learn Visual Basic in 7 Days¡¦ book I bought online isn¡¦t all that great.  Is this one any good?¡¦ he asked.

¡¦Illyana?¡¦

¡¦Yeah,¡¦ Bobby replied, looking sheepish.  ¡¦I felt sorry for her -- she seemed so lonely, and I used to go sit with her, but she didn¡¦t understand what I was saying.  I suggested the Prof teach her English instead of teaching me Russian -- I mean, instant brain dump -- but he said he¡¦d never been able to enter her mind, even when she was here before.  What was up with that, anyway?  I mean, there were all kinds of stories floating around about her, but I never got it straight.  You were here then, right?  Clue me in.¡¦

When Kitty shook her head, he pulled a chair in front of her and sat down on it backwards, resting his elbows on its back.

¡¦Kit?  Are you okay?¡¦ he asked, and she looked up from the floor that she¡¦d been staring at without seeing. 

¡¦Did I say something wrong?¡¦

¡¦No, that¡¦s not it,¡¦ Kitty replied.  ¡¦I was just thinking, I guess.¡¦

¡¦About the system?  You¡¦ll figure it out, you just need a break,¡¦ Bobby said, rubbing her shoulder.  She tipped her head onto his hand, and felt him stroke her hair.

¡¦Yeah, I know, it¡¦s just a pain.  And I hate taking breaks, I feel like I¡¦m giving up.  No, I was thinking about Illyana.  It was nice of you to read to her; she loved being told stories.  I used to make up fairy tales for her, with all the X-Men as characters.  Tell me, did you like her?¡¦ Kitty asked.

¡¦Sure, she was a cute kid.  Had a goofy sense of humor, too,¡¦ he reflected.  ¡¦She had this blue doll that looked like Nightcrawler, and she kept hopping it around going ¡¦bamf, bamf, bamf¡¦.  It took me two days of wading through a Russian dictionary before I figured out she was trying to make the sound affect Nightcrawler did when he teleported.  You did know her, then? 

¡¦You could say that,¡¦ Kitty replied, smiling despite herself, remembering the original ¡¦Bamfs¡¦.  ¡¦It¡¦s a long story¡¦¡¦

¡¦Then let¡¦s take a long break.  Come on,¡¦ he added, as she started to object once again.  ¡¦Go change, and we¡¦ll run over to Harry¡¦s.   We¡¦ll both think clearer if we get out of here for a bit.¡¦

Kitty looked down at her toner-streaked top, took one more look around the computer room at the stacks of printouts they¡¦d generated and her abandoned homework, and stood up.  ¡¦You win,¡¦ she said.  ¡¦Last one to the door buys the first round.¡¦

***

Hank saw Bobby and Kitty exit the computer room arm in arm, and smiled.  He¡¦d been bringing in some coffee, knowing Kitty was as bad as he himself when it came to breaks, but he was glad Bobby had managed to pull her away.  He seemed to have the knack of that, Hank mused.  Bobby was usually the only one who could dislodge him from the lab once he was immured in it.  He thought briefly about joining them and getting an update on the situation, then shook his head.  There were times, he decided, that three was definitely a crowd.

When Bobby got to the door, he found Kitty already there.

¡¦Wow,¡¦ he said, as his eyes ran up and down her slender frame, and she blushed.

She¡¦d changed out of her toner-splashed sweater and sweats into a pair of form-fitting stone washed jeans and black leotard.  She¡¦d pulled her hair back into a pony-tail, too, he noticed, and decided he liked the way it accented her cheekbones.  Her eyes didn¡¦t look quite as shadowed as they had in the computer room, either.  He¡¦d decided not to bring the subject of Illyana up again -- apparently there was something there she didn¡¦t want to discuss, and he wanted her to relax, not get more stressed out.

He¡¦d calmed down himself while they¡¦d worked, giving himself a good lecture about inferiority complexes.  So Warren thought he was incompetent.  So what?  Warren didn¡¦t have such a great record himself, what with becoming Apocalypse¡¦s angel of death and all.

¡¦Your car or mine?¡¦ he found himself asking, and was rewarded by a surprised smile from Kitty.  Women never expected that question, he¡¦d found, but he really had no problem with her driving if she wanted to.  Besides, her car was probably cleaner than his was.

¡¦Umm, yours,¡¦ she said, grinning.  ¡¦Mine kinda got totaled after the fire -- part of the roof fell on it.¡¦

Bobby let out a burst of laughter, and seeing the puzzled look on Kitty¡¦s face, explained, ¡¦When I pulled in, I thought about parking right by the mansion to see if that could happen to mine. But so far, no luck.  Sorry about the mess,¡¦ he added, as he opened her car door.  She seemed unfazed as she got in, just pushed the junk on the floor over with one foot.

¡¦So, how have you been getting to classes?¡¦ he asked, as he got in on the driver¡¦s side. 

¡¦Well, believe it or not, Logan let me borrow his motorcycle,¡¦ she said proudly, and he whistled.  Logan was well known for not letting anybody borrow his bike.

¡¦Maybe you should have driven after all,¡¦ he joked.

¡¦Can¡¦t.  He made me promise not to take any passengers until he had time to check me out on it,¡¦ she answered apologetically.

¡¦Oh well, that¡¦s cool -- the car has an advantage over a motorcycle anyway.¡¦

¡¦What¡¦s that?¡¦ she asked, puzzled.

¡¦A killer sound system.¡¦  He fiddled around under his seat and pulled out a CD, which he put in the stereo.  Soon Smash Mouth¡¦s version of ¡¦I¡¦m a Believer¡¦ was blasting from the speakers, threatening to rattle the car apart.  ¡¦Oops, sorry -- I tend to blast it a bit,¡¦ he said as he turned down the volume.   The car obligingly backfired, and they both laughed.  ¡¦Ok, ok, more than a bit; keep your opinions to yourself,¡¦ he added, patting the dash.

¡¦The Shrek soundtrack?¡¦ she asked, as she grabbed the case of his lap.  As he opened his mouth to offer to put in something else, she said excitedly, ¡¦I love this movie!  Have you seen it?¡¦

¡¦Oh yeah, Hank and I rented it as soon as it came out,¡¦ he replied, grinning.  ¡¦I had a blast imitating the guy who was buying the fairy tale creatures, pretending I¡¦d offered a reward for Hank.¡¦

¡¦Kurt bought it, but we¡¦ve watched it so many times it was worth it.  Jubilee and I even got Logan to sit through it once, though he decided we were both nuts.  Hey, can we skip to ¡¦Best Years of our Lives¡¦?¡¦

¡¦Be my guest.¡¦  As Kitty fiddled with the keys, Bobby reflected that, even if it turned out they had nothing else in common, at least Kit had great taste in movies and music.  He wondered if she liked Red Dwarf, too.  Suddenly, he couldn¡¦t resist, and started singing along with the stereo.

¡¦I get such a thrill when you look in my eyes

My heart skips a beat, girl, I feel so alive,

Please tell me baby, if all this is true,

Cause deep down inside, all I wanted was you.

Kitty was laughing, but as Bobby began tapping the beat on the steering wheel, she joined in for the refrain.

Oh oh oh oh, makes me want to dance

Oh oh oh oh, it¡¦s a new romance

Oh oh oh oh, I look into your eyes

Oh oh oh oh, best years of our lives.¡¦

They were both laughing as the next verse started, and Bobby stopped singing.  ¡¦I don¡¦t know the rest of the words,¡¦ he said, shrugging.  He glanced over at Kitty, who was swaying in her seat in time to the music, a smile on her face, and grinned.

¡¦Hey, you like to dance?¡¦ he asked suddenly.

¡¦Sure, why?¡¦ she asked, still nodding her head with the beat.

¡¦Just thinking -- once the current crisis is averted, you want to go out clubbing some time?  We could hit some places I know in New York¡¦¡¦ he cut off as he realized Kitty was staring at him.  ¡¦It was just an idea¡¦¡¦

¡¦You like to dance?¡¦ she asked.

¡¦Yeah¡¦is that a problem?¡¦ he replied, confused by her reaction.  Maybe it was a bit early in the game to be asking her out to New York, but he¡¦d gotten the impression that she wouldn¡¦t be opposed¡¦

She laughed.  ¡¦Not a problem, no.  I just can¡¦t think of the last time someone asked me out dancing.  Out drinking, sure, Pete and I --¡¦

¡¦Pete? You mean Peter?¡¦  Bobby wondered if he had misread the relationship between Peter and Kitty; he¡¦d heard it was long over, and they certainly didn¡¦t seem on good terms at the meeting, but you never knew.

¡¦Oh god, no,¡¦ she answered, putting her hand over her eyes and shaking her head as if trying to block out the image of going anywhere with Peter.  Bobby silently let out a sigh of relief.  ¡¦No, Pete Wisdom.  We dated for a while when we were both with Excalibur.  We used to go out to this pub on the mainland once in a while, and once or twice to London, but I couldn¡¦t have dragged him on a dance floor if his life depended on it.¡¦  She winced at her own choice of words, and Bobby tried to place where he¡¦d heard the name before.  Hank had mentioned something about him and X-Force over the phone last month; well, he didn¡¦t want to get into discussions about ex-boyfriends anyway.

¡¦Well, you¡¦re being asked now, so how about it?¡¦ Bobby asked, returning to the original subject.  He¡¦d remember later, he thought, or he¡¦d ask Hank.  The important thing was, not only was she not with Peter, but it sounded as if she wasn¡¦t dating anyone else right now either.  When Hank didn¡¦t mention it, he¡¦d assumed she wasn¡¦t, but Hank could be pretty dense sometimes.  ¡¦You can check with Rogue, if you want, but I don¡¦t think I¡¦m too awful a dancer¡¦¡¦

¡¦Rogue?¡¦ Kitty questioned, glancing at him with a mischievous look on her face.  ¡¦Then the rumors are --¡¦

¡¦Totally false,¡¦ he assured her.  ¡¦Rogue and I are friends.  She likes to go clubbing, but she doesn¡¦t like to go by herself -- or she didn¡¦t, maybe that¡¦s changed now that she doesn¡¦t have to worry about anyone touching her.  She and Gambit weren¡¦t on speaking terms, so she used to recruit me to go with her once in a while.  But you¡¦re stalling,¡¦ he joked.

¡¦No, I¡¦m not, I mean, I¡¦d love to,¡¦ she answered, flustered.  He wished he could see her face; it was too dark to tell for sure, but he thought she was blushing.

¡¦Then it¡¦s a date,¡¦ he stated, and turned the car into the parking lot at Harry¡¦s.

***

¡¦You asked about Illyana,¡¦ Kitty said, as she set her empty glass down on the table.  True to his word, Bobby¡¦d bought the first round of drinks, expressing surprise when Harry didn¡¦t ask to see her I.D. 

She¡¦d explained that one; when she¡¦d inquired about getting her British driver¡¦s license, she was told she¡¦d need to bring in her passport as a form of ID.  Since she didn¡¦t really have one, having been brought to Muir rather unofficially, she¡¦d forged herself one for the occasion, upping her age two years in the process just to thumb her nose at everyone who kept insisting she was a kid.  She knew Harry had his suspicions, but he was willing to take it at face value as long as she didn¡¦t abuse the privilege.  She made sure she didn¡¦t; she¡¦d gotten too used to being treated as a legal adult in Britain to be exposed as underage here.

The beer had relaxed her, and she decided Bobby had had the right idea about taking a break.  The urgency of the computer security breach had quieted to a dull annoyance in the back of her mind, where her subconscious, she knew, was still working on the problem.  Sometimes that worked, though, so she refused to feel guilty, although there had been a moment when Betsy and Warren had entered the bar when she¡¦d been prepared for a confrontation.  She¡¦d seen them by the door, Warren talking angrily and gesturing in their direction, but Betsy had pulled him off to the pool tables in back, and she¡¦d breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked at Bobby now, who was waiting for her to continue, and decided that she wanted to explain about Illyana.  Since she¡¦d died, everyone had tried to avoid talking about her with Kitty; to spare her feelings, no doubt.  But first and foremost, Illyana had been her best friend, an important part of her life, one Kitty didn¡¦t want to forget.  She took a deep breath and began.

¡¦I was thirteen when I first met Illyana.  She was seven then, and she¡¦d been kidnapped by Arcade.  We rescued her, and brought her back with us.¡¦

¡¦She was seven then?¡¦ Bobby asked, confused.  ¡¦She didn¡¦t seem any older than that when I met her.¡¦

¡¦Well, here¡¦s where the story gets interesting,¡¦ Kitty explained.  ¡¦Shortly after we rescued her, she was kidnapped by Belasco, a servant of the old gods, and transported to Limbo.  We tried to save her, but I lost my grip on her hand for a second.  When I regained it and pulled her through the portal, Illyana was about fourteen years old instead of seven.¡¦

¡¦What?  How¡¦d that happen?¡¦ Bobby asked.

¡¦I¡¦m not entirely sure.  Illyana never wanted to talk about the details; they gave her nightmares, but apparently she lived those seven years as Belasco¡¦s apprentice before escaping.  Time works different in Limbo, and Illyana¡¦s mutant power was to control the ¡¦stepping disks¡¦ that she could use to teleport through space and time.  I¡¦m guessing that when she escaped, she used one of them to teleport to the exact moment I lost my grip on her hand, grabbed hold, and let me pull her through.

¡¦Illyana was my roommate, and my best friend for nearly two years, until I was injured during the Morlock Massacre and sent to Muir to recuperate.  She¡¦d joined the New Mutants, but she was never close with any of them.  No, that¡¦s not true, she and Dani were kind of friends, I guess, but most of them were afraid of her.  I guess I never really forgave them for that.¡¦

¡¦Afraid of her?  Why?¡¦  Kitty could tell Bobby was really interested in what she was saying, and she appreciated it.  This was a bit harder to explain than she¡¦d thought; emotion aside, temporal anomalies gave her a headache.

¡¦Well, it was those seven years she¡¦d spent as Belasco¡¦s apprentice, you see.  He¡¦d tried to corrupt her soul, and he¡¦d partially succeeded.  She told me once she¡¦d had to kill several alternate-reality version of the X-Men to survive.  I¡¦m not sure, but I think one of them was me.  It was something that she tried to keep quiet, but rumor got around.  In any case, whenever she used any of the magic she¡¦d learned from Belasco, a sword she¡¦d formed from part of her own soul would appear, and she was gradually being covered by more and more armor. Eventually, when she grew angry her body would begin to transform into that of a demon.

¡¦She was trying to fight Belasco¡¦s influence.  All she ever wanted was to fit in, to be a part of the team, to be a normal kid, but she didn¡¦t know how.  I guess we¡¦ll never know if she could have made it; after the X-Men faked their deaths in Dallas and she thought her brother¡¦d been killed she pretty much stopped trying.  And then came Inferno.¡¦

¡¦Hey, I was there.  That¡¦s when Madelyne tried to kill baby Christopher.¡¦

¡¦I was there, too, at least briefly.  Rachel -- you know about Rachel, right?¡¦  As Bobby nodded, Kitty continued.  ¡¦Rachel ¡¦heard¡¦ Christopher¡¦s cries, and took off to save him.  We came over and ended up saving Rachel, but then Meggan responded to the atmosphere and turned into the Goblin Princess -- well, that¡¦s a story for another time.  Anyway, Illyana sacrificed herself to seal the gateway between Limbo and Earth.  After it closed, they found her armor, but inside it was a seven-year-old version of Illyana, who had no memory of the past two years.  Whether it was an alternate-reality version of Illyana, or she¡¦d somehow managed to rescue herself before Belasco corrupted her, we never figured out.  Her soul sword came to me like it did whenever Illyana died, and that made everything even more mysterious.¡¦

¡¦Hold on, whenever she died?  Did she do it often?¡¦ Bobby tried to joke, but it came out flat.

¡¦Often enough; there was a lot going on at that time with the Beyonder, and strange things would happen, then un-happen.  But in any case, her sword came to me, and I left it in a stone in front of Excalibur¡¦s lighthouse for a long time.  It seemed like the safest place for it.¡¦

¡¦But for Illyana, it was like nothing had ever happened.  She barely remembered me; she¡¦d known me for only a couple of weeks after all, not counting the two years she¡¦d spent as a teenager.  Peter took her back to Russia, and I kept in touch, but there was no frame of reference.  I mean, I could remember all the things we did together; the gossiping, the pillow fights, sneaking down to the kitchen and raiding the fridge.  For her, they never happened.¡¦

¡¦Professor Xavier contacted me when they realized she was dying, and I got here as fast as I could.  Because, even though she didn¡¦t know it, she was the best friend I ever had¡¦¡¦ Kitty was crying by this point, looking down at the table, and she felt Bobby reach across the table and lay a hand on her shoulder.  ¡¦I think the hardest thing was that here she¡¦d had a second chance at the normal life she always wanted, and then she lost it to a stupid disease.¡¦

¡¦God, Kitty, I¡¦m sorry.  I mean, I didn¡¦t know or I wouldn¡¦t have brought it up¡¦¡¦ Bobby trailed off, and Kitty raised her head and rubbed her hand across her eyes.

¡¦No, really, I¡¦m glad you did,¡¦ she said, forcing a smile.  ¡¦You see, no one wants to talk about Illyana.  Her life, and her death, were both such tragedies.  But that¡¦s not how I want to remember her.  I want to remember how she faced down Magneto when he did things she didn¡¦t think were fair.  I want to remember how she used her magic to make Rahne a dress for the Hellfire Club dance, even though Rahne was terrified of her.  How she covered her half of the room with posters of Metal bands, except for one right over her bed which had a unicorn.  How she took my side when Peter broke up with me, even though she really loved her brother. 

¡¦I want to remember the fun we had; how we made a simulation of the Well of Souls in the Danger Room, and Kurt got sucked into a bunch of alternate realities, and how when we tried to get him back, he reappeared without his costume.  We never let him live that down!  I want to remember the snow ball fights, and how I tried to teach her baseball, and how mad she got when she couldn¡¦t hit the ball. 

¡¦I want to remember how she spent all day trying to get me to stop crying after Larry Bodine committed suicide.  How she convinced the New Mutants to rescue me when the Ice Queen was holding me prisoner, even though most of them hated my guts. 

¡¦I even want to remember how jealous I was of her, because that was a normal thing, too.  She was so beautiful, and wherever we went, all eyes would glaze right over me and turn to her.  But it wasn¡¦t like she was trying to show me up; it just happened.  I was jealous anyway, though,¡¦ she laughed.

¡¦I want to remember, and I wish everyone else did too.  I don¡¦t think the other New Mutants ever realized just how important being one of them was to Illyana.  Most of them couldn¡¦t see past her differences to realize that underneath, she was just like everyone else.  She was, though, and she was my best friend.¡¦ 

They sat silent at the table for a while, just holding hands, and then Bobby said,

¡¦You were special to her, too, you know.¡¦

¡¦What do you mean?¡¦ Kitty asked, surprised.

¡¦I didn¡¦t put two and two together until now, but she talked about you.  I told you I tried to keep her company when I could, and after the Professor gave me the Russian crash course, we¡¦d talk now and then.  Mostly I read her stories; I wasn¡¦t really sure what to talk to her about, but I remember the last time I came in she was all excited.  The Professor, she told me, had told her Katya was coming.  I didn¡¦t know who that was, but she told me all about her friend who sent her postcards from England, and who gave sent her her bamf doll for her birthday.  It was the happiest I¡¦d seen her, and I remember thinking that, whoever Katya was, I hoped she¡¦d get there in time.¡¦

¡¦I did,¡¦ Kitty said smiling, though tears ran down her cheeks.

¡¦Maybe it¡¦s small consolation; I know I can¡¦t imagine how I¡¦d feel if something happened to Hank and he didn¡¦t remember me.  I know she couldn¡¦t remember the things you can, all the things that made your friendship special.  But she remembered you were her friend.¡¦

Kitty leaned across the table, and kissed Bobby on the cheek.  As she sat back down, she said, ¡¦I guess that¡¦s enough.¡¦ 

The waitress came back around and asked if they wanted a refill, but they didn¡¦t hear her.


Back to the Index