Welcome to Friendly Fire! For those of you who have come to FF through Cheating Heart or Long Way Home, we appreciate your loyal readership! To our new readers, we're glad to have you aboard! This fic is the longest and most conceptually diverse fic James and Marina have ever written. It details life and the bumpy road it takes to find happiness.

Please read and review! We want to hear from you!

Marina & James

It really wasn't supposed to happen like this, Kitty thought, as she wiped the tears burning down her cheeks. This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, she was turning twenty-four and Piotr had once said that if they were still together when she was twenty-four, they'd start seriously thinking about marriage. Well he'd thought about it alright...and he'd decided he wanted to see what else was out there in the world, to find his place. And maybe that place didn't include Kitty Pryde. As a matter of fact, he was sure it didn't...that's why he had taken off without another word, packing his suitcase, clearing his toiletries out of the bathroom they had shared for over four years and hopping the first flight to Russia.

Kitty and Jubilee always gossiped about who would get married first and, while Kitty never wanted to hurt her friend's feelings, they'd both believed that she would be marrying Piotr long before Jubilee found her soul mate. But that was before Piotr left and Jubilee began seeing Bobby. It was funny how well Bobby Drake fit with Jubilee's firecracker persona...he was mellow and calm, she was everything but. They just fit...much like Kitty and Piotr had fit. Emphasis on the 'had'.

That chapter was over and done now, though. Wiping her face, Kitty pushed aside the pint of ice cream she had been nursing and leaned against the pillow on her bed. She was a big girl, she could handle herself. Not only was she an adult, she was a powerful mutant in her own right. She could walk through walls and many substances of varying densities; everything was going her way, except she was twenty-four and boyfriendless, alone on her birthday, and had no tears left to cry. Sighing, she picked up the picture of her and Piotr smiling together on the beach...grabbing it, she hurled it across the room, glass smashing against the plaster walls. "Good riddance..." She said softly, her voice ragged and scratchy. It was time to turn the page; it was the dawn of a new era.

Gabriel Summers was considered one of the most powerful mutants alive. He could do virtually anything energy related with little to no effort. But he was only human and he was still a guy. When girls were troubled, Gabe felt lost about what to do; it so much easier with his wife Laura. They understood each other, they knew what the other was thinking and feeling with just a look or the way they carried themselves. But this was different; this was his long time friend Kitty Pride. He'd stopped by the mansion with Owen to visit everyone for the afternoon. Jubilee had wanted to play with the little guy, and he was certain that Bobby was with her, trying in vain to corrupt the three year old. They always tried, but Owen always knew better than to do what Aunt Jubes and Uncle Bobby said. The first and only time he'd listened to them it had resulted in him getting in trouble and being put in time out. He still hadn't forgiven them completely. Thankfully, Logan had agreed to supervise Jubes and Bobby with Owen. After all, the little guy was his only grandson.

When Gabe had dropped Owen off, Jubes had pulled him aside and told him about Kitty and Piotr. Gabe had to fight the urge to track Piotr down and beat the man senseless—then again, he obviously didn't have any sense to begin with. Remy, Logan, and Gabriel had talked to the Russian mutant when he had first started dating Kitty a couple years ago; they had told him in no uncertain terms to treat her right or he'd pay the price. Well to Gabe, dumping her and leaving without another word to go to Russia was not treating her right. He'd have to have a serious talk with that guy one of these days.

Gabe sighed and headed up the stairs to the room that Kitty had been staying in, he suspected with Piotr. The door was partially open, so he walked up to it and knocked softly, causing it to open a little more. He could see Kitty inside and nearly winced when he heard the sound of breaking glass. Must have been that picture frame he'd seen before with the photo of her and Colossus at the beach, "Hey Kitty, do you mind if I come in?"

Kitty nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of his knock. Scrambling to hide the empty ice cream container, the entire box of tissues she'd gone through, and trying to pick up the pieces of glass, she barely even realized she had cut herself and was bleeding all over the rug until it started dripping onto her shirt. Swearing violently, she grasped her finger, red blood dripping down her arm. "Gabe I..." She leaned back against the bed, "Oh who am I kidding!" Sniffling again, she grabbed a tissue from another box she'd opened and dabbed at her eyes. "I'm a mess. I don't want you to see me right now."

Gabe sighed and pushed the door open anyway. "Too late, you know! Come on Kitty, we've been friends for how long? I've seen you at your worst...and you've seen me at my worst. You really think I'm going to..." He was cut off when he saw the red of her blood. Pointing to it, Gabe stepped into the room and grabbed a tissue. "You're bleeding. Come on, let's get you patched up." He gently took her arm in his hands, folded up the tissue a little, and pressed it to the cut to slow the bleeding.

Sniffling, she shook her head, letting him grasp her bleeding finger. "Oh Gabe, I don't know what to do! I've been with Piotr since I was nineteen!" She was shaking under the weight of her sadness, "I've been with him for over four years. I thought we would last forever!" Forever didn't mean anything to Piotr though...she didn't mean anything to him either it seemed. "Thanks," Sitting back against the bed she sighed, "Gabriel, do you remember when I asked you how you knew that Laura was the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with?" She knew he would...it had been Owen's first birthday party; she and Piotr had just celebrated their first anniversary and things seemed to be going splendidly. "You told me you just felt it in your soul, you knew she was the only one who could ever fill that place inside you." Looking down again, she shook her head, "I thought that's what I had with Piotr but now…I'm not so sure."

Gabriel nodded his head. He remembered the event in question all too well. For Owen's first birthday, and Kitty and Piotr's first anniversary, the Summers' had taken them all to Giovanni's. It had been a pleasant evening. "Well, that's the tricky thing about it. It might feel right to one person but to the other it's just a passing fling." He sighed and grabbed another tissue to clean up the blood that had run down her hand. "Maybe this was for the best. Maybe he wasn't the one and if you stayed with him any longer, you would have missed the person you're really supposed to spend the rest of your life with. It might be a blessing in disguise." But that still didn't excuse the way Piotr had gone about the business of leaving her. "You want me to hop over there and show him why he should treat women right?" The smile on his face disarmed the threat a little, but there was little to doubt that if she said yes, Gabe would make good on his promise. "I can be there and back in about an hour."

Chuckling meekly, Kitty just shook her head. "Let him be. If he doesn't want me then...fine. I'll find someone else." Easier said than done; she'd been in a relationship for so many years, she barely remembered how to date! "And that's easy for you to say, you've already found your soul mate. How is Laura, by the way?" The feral woman had her hands full with Owen and she had confided in Kitty that she and Gabriel were trying to get pregnant again. No, of course they weren't trying to catch up with Belle and Remy who had their sixth child early last spring, a little boy who was the spitting image of Remy. The LeBeaus were done (supposedly) but Laura and Gabriel still wanted one or two more. Piotr and she had talked about children...she was almost positive it was one of the reasons he left her. Kitty, at twenty-four, had made herself very clear: she did not want to have children at the moment. She had a lot of years left to enjoy herself without needing to get pregnant right away. What was the rush? Piotr, however, had wanted to have children immediately. Maybe it was fate that it had worked out this way...maybe she was meant for something more, something better. Or maybe she was going to die bitter and alone.

Gabriel sighed and enveloped Kitty in a hug. Even if at one time the girls had meant their hugs in a different way, he had still enjoyed being a man that they could confide in and trust with their problems. Of course any intentions of being with him died after he and Laura had gotten together…at least for Kitty. Jubilee couldn't get it through her head that he was taken at first and there seemed to be no hope for her. However, she was with Bobby now and so far, she seemed extremely happy with where their relationship was going. "Laura is doing just fine. She's at home making dinner right now. We invited her to come for the visit but she wanted to get started and have a little alone time to catch up on her shows. She's really taken to that Days of Our Lives show."

Kitty smiled softly, how ridiculous! Laura Kinney watching soaps on television while cooking dinner? He must be trying to cheer her up. Although, Kitty knew in her heart she should've been more broken up about Piotr leaving her. Sure, she had shed tears, finished an entire pint of ice cream, and thrown a picture at the wall. But it almost felt like he was out of her system...could four years really be flushed out of a person's system in just a few short hours? "It was nice of your to stop by...don't tell me you came just to see me. I will be very angry if you came here for that reason!"

Gabe chuckled and raised his hands defensively. "No, we came because Jubes and Bobby wanted another shot at corrupting Owen. Not to mention Grandpa Logan wanted some time with his grandson. So, here we are. Jubes pulled me aside when we got here and told me about Piotr." Gabe looked over at the pint box that had held the ice cream, which looked like she had tried to hide it. "You know, I heard that girls had the whole 'eat ice cream and cry' phase but I never believed it until now."

Kitty rolled her eyes, "You are such a man." She picked up the ice cream container and hurled it into the trash, laughing as it went in on the first shot. "Three points," She cheered and then sighed again. Why was she laughing and joking? There was nothing to smile or laugh about; she was single again, twenty-four, and had no romantic prospects lined up for the future. "Thanks for coming to check on me and keeping me company...but I don't need a babysitter. You go spend time with Laura, you guys deserve it. I'm just going to watch sad movies and pig out on ice cream..." It was in that moment that Professor Xavier spoke into her mind telling her he'd like to speak with her as soon as possible. "And I've got to speak with the professor. I think he has a mission for me."

Gabriel smiled cheerfully and got up. He pulled Kitty into another hug but didn't release her right away, "Be careful. I remember when he sent me on a mission right after Scott died… I wasn't in the right frame of mind. And I think we all remember how that mission ended for me." He still had a small scar from the self-cauterization he'd done to close the bullet holes. Laura had convinced him to laser off some of the scar tissue with his powers and he'd gotten most of it; there was only a little left on his leg before there'd be no trace left. "You keep your mind on the game, not on Piotr. If you end up like I did, I don't think I'll be able to stop Laura and me from tracking down Piotr and making him pay."

Hugging him back tightly, she sighed, "I'll be fine. I don't think this has anything to do with Weapon X. Especially now that the entire organization is cracked from the inside thanks to you, Remy, Kurt, and Josh." He nodded and didn't waste much time in telling her to call if she needed anything before hurrying down to check in on his son and then get back to his wife. If they wanted a second child, they had to get working! Closing the door again, Kitty loosely tied her dark brown hair in a loose bun. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she groaned loudly; she looked like death warmed over! Oh well, it was just the professor...what did he care if she looked like a drowned cat?

Professor Charles Xavier was having a very interesting day. Early last week he'd sent Wolverine and Iceman on a mission (one of Bobby's probationary ones to ascertain whether or not he was ready to be a full fledged X-Man) to capture the mutant known as Peter Wisdom. Xavier had heard of the man, a brilliant mutant from England who was so ahead of his classes that, at the age of sixteen, he'd been drafted into the British Secret Agent Program. Of course, those were merely rumors; all that information was highly classified. But it was not just a rumor that the man had easily become head of his academy and been enlisted into the black ops group known as Black Aire, operating under the codename Wisdom. For the last ten or so years, he'd served them admirably and had turned down countless promotions to a desk job because he wanted to stay in the field.

What perplexed Xavier was that two years earlier the man had disappeared off the face of the earth. The information his sources supplied reported that Peter Wisdom had a falling out with his superiors, causes unknown. He'd supposedly gone rogue after that; every government in the world had tried tracking him down in the hopes of recruiting the man. It was no wonder he'd stayed hidden, until recently that was. Early last year, people started dying and in a manner that was all too analogous of Peter Wisdom's signature style.

Government officials in America, who were pro-mutant registration act, had suddenly turned up dead from knife wounds and sporting burn marks around the wounds. That, coupled with the fact that no evidence was ever found, suggested to Xavier—and Scotland Yard, the American F.B.I and C.I.A—that Peter Wisdom was behind it all. So, Xavier took it upon himself to bring the elusive man to justice.

It had taken Bobby and Logan almost the entire next week to track the man down; thanks, in no small part, to Logan's heightened senses. Otherwise, they may have never found him camping out in a rundown motel on the outskirts of upper New York. Pete Wisdom had not gone down quietly and Logan had taken it upon himself to knock the man out (and he'd been out for several days). Now, Peter Wisdom sat in a holding cell at the mansion with a power dampening collar around his neck. Xavier expected him to be upset and volatile… or at least make some decent death threats. However, the prisoner merely sat on his supplied cot and remained silent as he scrutinized the aging mutant before him with unreadable eyes. But Xavier could not keep watch him forever and too many others would be at risk should he break out and get that collar off. Hence, Charles had sent for Kitty.

With her power to be intangible, she could phase before one of Pete's hot knives could get her or phase right out of the cell so no door need ever to be opened to access him. So, now the two men sat and watched each other, waiting for Kitty to arrive before the questioning got underway. Xavier needed to find out the man's involvement, and he needed to know fast.

Kitty hadn't realized that her mission was actually sitting downstairs in a holding cell. She had taken her sweet time washing her face clear of makeup and—while she still looked as if she had been crying for days—she felt worlds better. Then, she went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Why, it was almost twenty minutes before she made her way down to meet with Professor Charles Xavier! After all, he had said at her earliest convenience...

Well, this was certainly not convenient in the slightest. Professor X greeted her warmly, explaining that she had a very important assignment. Kitty had been proud, her first solo mission as a fledgling X-woman! She had been crushed when he told her it was an on-site babysitting...whoops, she meant guarding assignment. Folding her arms over her chest, she frowned markedly, "So, I'm supposed to watch this Peter guy all day, every day, to make sure he doesn't escape..." She bit her lip gently as she tried not to frown, "I don't mind, of course...but don't you have contracted guards, cameras, and things like that to keep prisoners where they're supposed to be? The only thing I have over the other guards around here is I can walk through the cell wall without opening the door...surely your normal guards could handle subduing him if that's the problem."

Or maybe they couldn't...it seemed that Peter Wisdom had a rap sheet longer than the British social security roster. Right behind the solid drab wall was a killer, a man accused of horrendous crimes. But the point was that he was too strong and too smart for the normal procedures...Professor Xavier needed a person with the strength and resourcefulness to match him blow for blow. And right now, the only person for the job was Kitty. Sighing finally, she smiled...what else did she have to do with her life? Mope about Piotr? That just didn't sound like a bright future. "Alright, I'll do it..."

Charles thanked Kitty profusely and looked over at Peter, "Now, Mr. Wisdom, this is Katherine Pride. She will be your guard for the duration of your stay. Please, try to be nice to her." Peter did nothing more than shift his eyes to look at the girl and then look back at Xavier. "Very well, I'll leave you to it." Turning away from the cell Xavier smiled warmly at Kitty. "Thank you, Kitty. Remember, be on guard. The door stays closed. If anyone needs to go in, phase them inside so he doesn't get the chance to escape. And keep an eye on that collar. He has skillful hands and that could end up on the ground in moments. If that happens, you need to be prepared to phase so he doesn't hurt you."

With that Charles turned his chair around to leave the holding area. As soon as he was gone, Pete's dark eyes turned to watch Kitty, as she was the only one in the room. His head cocked a little to one side while he studied her. The gaze traveled over her body, taking her all in. It was very obvious Peter Wisdom was sizing her up, finding her strengths and weaknesses by watching the way she moved and held herself. For the first time since he'd been brought to the mansion, Pete spoke in his usual cocky British tone, "Well, aren' you a pretty little thing."

Kitty had never felt more exposed in her life. She had bent over to pick up a scrap of paper off the floor only to find the assassin's eyes trained on her behind. She must've blushed a hundred shades of red when he spoke, anger and embarrassment quickly overtaking her. "I'll thank you to keep quiet, Wisdom. I may have gotten stuck babysitting you but I'm not going to put up with your antics." Okay so maybe he could overpower her in a matter of minutes but Kitty had some tricks up her sleeve. She realized—much to her dismay—that the room was sparsely furnished and she had nowhere to sit. On one side of the room there was a chair and a table, two feet away there was the bed...and in the corner was door that led to a tiny metal toilet and sink. Her choice was to either sit on the bed or lay out on the floor. And it was just her luck that she back ached from all the crying she had done that afternoon, she chose the bed. "So, you must've pissed off a lot of people to end up here." Turning over on the bed, she looked at him. "Am I right?"

Pete ran a hand over his jaw as she spoke to him. She's got a fire in her, I'll give her that much. Pete smirked at her question and leaned back so his body was resting against the wall. "I didn't do a thing. I was set up. Come on, love, I'm a world class assassin. If I kill someone, I take credit for it. That's how I keep me reputation." He was getting angry thinking about it. When he finally broke out of here, he'd find who it was that set him up. They'd pay dearly for besmirching his good name. Oh yes, revenge would be sweet.

"First of all, let's get one thing straight… I am not nor shall ever be your love." The word brought up a wealth of bad feelings; Piotr claimed to 'love' her. He'd had all of her, every piece of her she had to give. And then he'd thrown it away, squandered it on swine. "Second, it's futile to argue on this one. If you're innocent, your name will be cleared...but I don't think the professor would keep your down here if he thought you were innocent." But what was the harm in listening to him? After all, they were going to be holed up in here for days, maybe weeks...god, even months depending on how serious the charges became. "Alright then, Wisdom...let's hear your rock solid alibi."

Rock solid alibi? A man like him never had one. If he was ever tracked to a single location so that they could say he didn't do it, then that meant he wasn't doing a good enough job of hiding. "I don' have one. I'm a killer, a spy. I have governments all over the world trying to get their hands on me for intelligence. If I don't stay hidden, then I get caught. And getting caught..." He motioned to the cell around him, "Well that ruins me good name. I profess me innocence, the killings were very much me style, but not me. It's a very good copy cat but not good enough. Clothes were burned on the victims, I don't burn clothes. That means the blades were in too long and I never waste energy. I might need it to escape."

Oh great, like that was comforting. "Well that's why you're in the cell...because you can't prove that you didn't do it." But there was something about the cocky attitude that was telling her he was telling her the truth. Damned if she'd believe it though, this guy was a self-proclaimed killer...then again, so was BellaDonna. "Now if you don't mind, it's been a long day. Let's just be quiet for a while..." The professor had told her that she needn't entertain Mister Wisdom, that she could do whatever she wanted down there...he had books aplenty, a television, and the kitchen was available to him at all times at merely the press of a button. "As for escape," She yawned despite herself, "I wouldn't chance it here. There are a lot worse cells you could find yourself in."

Peter nodded in agreement at that statement; there were a lot worse cells. But none of those organizations would ever find him. These guys had gotten lucky. "I wouldn't ever be in another cell. I have a feeling that the only reason I'm even in here is because that stocky guy with the hard right cross tracked me. He can track me, that means he's good… damned good."

So much for peace and quiet...the man didn't seem to understand the simplest directives. "Uh-huh, yep...Wolverine is good, he can smell you probably from his room upstairs." Looking up at the clock on the wall she groaned inwardly. It wasn't even six in the evening and she was feeling dead tired. The professor had told her she could take breaks to sleep, in which other guards could watch him for a while...but this was her assignment and she meant to prove herself. "Listen, Wisdom...or, would you prefer Peter?" Sighing, she sat up on the bed, "What do you say we make a truce, right now? I don't have anything against you; you're merely an assignment, a way to prove myself. So let's be friends, okay?"

Peter smiled mischievously at Kitty. "You can call me whatever you want…love." He was testing her now, pushing buttons, trying to get her to snap. It's what he'd been taught to do. If you were ever captured and you could agitate your guard, then there was a chance they could slip up or make a mistake in their angered state; and mistakes were how you got free. He had no intention of being here for very long. "You've really never done this before, have you? Let me clue you in to the proper guard/prisoner protocol. It's your job to watch me, my job to try and escape eventually. As long as you are my keeper...there is no friendship between us. You're my guard, I'm your prisoner. Don't try to blur the lines, yeah?"

Kitty stood up off the bed now, walking over to him. "I think we've already established I don't want to be called love, love." She retorted, "And I've seen enough prison movies to know that the big bad guard—that would be me,—only seems to make headway with the stupid, slimy prisoner—that's you,—when they actually try to get along. I can make your life hell, Peter. I don't want to do that...just a little cooperation would be nice." If he wanted to do it the hard way, fine, but Kitty was compassionate beyond reason, loving beyond measure...to see any human being holed up like this, it touched something inside of her. She was a terrible choice for prison guard...the professor must've been having an off day. "You can shove the lines up your pretty British ass for all I care..."

That was all Pete had been waiting for. She had approached him. In a heartbeat he was up and over her, almost so fast that it was hard to remember exactly that he had even moved, rather than appeared there. His hand shot over and grasped her, reaching for her shirt, grabbing a handful and pulling her against his body as he slammed her to the wall. "You obviously didn't see enough of those movies to know not to come too close." His cheeky grin was ever present, he had the upper hand, or so he thought. "Now, remember I don't need my powers to kill, I'm world class, love. I could take you out with two fingers to your pretty little neck. So how's about you open this door, remove the pretty necklace you gave me, and let me go, yeah?"

Kitty spat bitterly as he grabbed her, pressing her body against the wall. "Are you stupid?" She bit out, phasing easily out of his grasp and then back into the cell. Payback was a bitch and she was in the mood to do some serious damage. Grabbing his shoulders she spun him, slapping him across the face with a resounding crack, "How about you stop underestimating me!" She hit him again and then stalked the few feet away from him. "You just don't get it, do you? You're not getting out of here, the reason I'm on guard duty is because apparently I'm the only person in this place who has the powers to handle you. And the patience not to kill you..."

Pete had been completely taken by surprise when she had escaped him so...uniquely. He watched her move away; rubbing the spot she hit him. "Interesting, I see why they picked you to guard me." He smirked and moved back to the bed to sit down and watch her some more. He knew her power now… that was half the battle. After the way he'd been brought in, he highly doubted it would have been that easy to escape, he'd merely been testing the waters, "Very interesting indeed."

"Glad I could amuse you this evening, Peter. Now sit yourself down before I call Hank to tranquilize you...and don't think I won't, I've had enough of men for a lifetime and then some." Running her fingers through her dark hair, she shook her head. "Now do you want some dinner or not? I bet we even have some real British tea like your mum used to make," She mocked his accent, quite badly actually. "Or maybe you'd prefer to starve."

Pete smiled as she pushed him around. He'd let her have her way for now. Lull her into a false sense of security. He was a patient man, came with being an assassin. He could wait for the right moment to strike. Well, now was the time to play that waiting game. "Dinner would be lovely." And it was time to play nice.

Pressing the button to ring the kitchen, Kitty sighed as a voice answered her call. "Yes, this is Kitty Pryde...I'm stuck here with Peter Wisdom. Bring him something British; I don't know...bangers and mash. I'll have a cheeseburger, extra pickles, no onions, and fries, please." Who did she need to stay thin for now? She didn't have a boyfriend to impress. "Oh and the Brit would like some tea. I'd love a soda; whatever you've got on hand is fine…just make sure it doesn't have caffeine. I'm jittery enough as it is." Looking over at him, she folded her arms, "That good enough for you, Peter?"

Pete smiled and nodded in an uncaring manner. "It's better than what they served during training, I'm sure." She was pretty, but she seemed to have an appetite like no thin girl he'd ever seen. A cheeseburger with extra toppings and fries? Did she normally eat like this? Or was this binge eating from something not so pleasant happening recently? If it was normal, then she had a hell of a metabolism. He'd have to observe more and file it away for later. All the information he could get was useful in some way. "So, Kitty...what brings a pretty girl like you to a place that goes after and captures dangerous men like me? You don't even look old enough to be out of your first year in university."

Kitty sat back in the chair then, crossing her legs. Peter Wisdom obviously had a knack for annoying the hell out of people...maybe that's how he killed his victims, he annoyed them to death. "I've been here ever since I was thirteen. I came here to harness my powers, to be with others much like myself...and I just never left. And I'm twenty-four, thank you very much; I'm not a child. I'm not pretty either, so you can just stop your flattery. It won't get you anywhere with me," A blush was staining her cheeks though; even the dim light of the cell didn't hide it.

Pete chuckled, "A pretty girl who doesn't think she's pretty?" He shook his head, "Whoever he was, must've treated you pretty poorly. Made you feel like the world was yours...then dumped you like a pile of rocks?" It was a rhetorical question, more of an observation. He didn't get to be a world class anything by fumbling around blind. He was good at observation and piecing things together. "But really, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure it wasn't your fault. He was obviously diluted to have you and then let you go. I'd have never done something like that. No, you got to appreciate all you have in life and he obviously didn't appreciate you." And hey, who was Peter wisdom to pass up another opportunity to rile her up and get under her skin? He'd be a fool to pass up the chance.

His words stung her, who was he to pass judgment on her? He didn't even know her! "Shut up, Peter!" She snapped, "You don't know anything about me or my ex-boyfriend...all I know is that giant bastard or not, he's still twice the man you'll ever be. At least he doesn't kill for sport or pleasure..." He struck a nerve, she was angry...but she wasn't out of control just yet. Striding over to the door, she sighed, "Look, I tried to be nice to you. I tried to listen to you. But I think it'd be better if we just forget it. You just shut up and we'll get along fine." The food came several minutes later and Kitty phased through the door to grab the tray. Looking down, she turned up her nose at the most disgusting thing on a plate she'd ever seen, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize that bangers and mash was sausage and mashed potatoes in gravy," She nearly grimaced at the sight. "You can share my cheeseburger if you want..." Why was she offering? Oh right, disgusting dinner... "I'll never be able to finish it all anyway."

Peter smirked as she nearly blew a gasket. It was amusing to see her so riled up. But he figured he'd better back off now before she attempted to kill him in his sleep. That would seriously hinder his escape planning. But then she hit a nerve, kill for sport and pleasure? And she was talking about pretending to know someone. "Take your own advice. You don't know me; you don't know why I do what I do. Don't pretend to comprehend my reasons or you may find yourself all too quickly on the wrong end of me sights." His eyes darkened a bit as he got angry with her but he kept a cool head, telling her off without raising his voice." He got up, took the small tray of bangers and mash, and sat back down. "This is fine by me."

Rolling her eyes, Kitty sat down on the opposite side of the room to ignore him. Maybe he was right...maybe she had been judging him exactly the same way she had called him out on judging her. Eating slowly but deliberately, she relished in the delicious burger and fries. Piotr was always the health freak, forcing her to eat tofu and salad instead of the junk she so craved. But Piotr was out of her life now...she had a new Peter to contend with and she promised herself this one would not be allowed to cause her half as much trouble.

Minutes ticked into hours as they finished eating and Kitty placed the tray back outside the room. While she read a magazine, he flipped through the stations...it was peaceful, quiet. Before long, he was dozing on the bed, and she was snoozing in the chair. Finally, the day was over...but who knew what tomorrow would bring?