"Kitty? Would you like to go ice skating?"
"Now? Where?" Although Kitty loved the idea she was a bit dubious as to how it could be accomplished. "There's no rink around here and it s not cold enough to put any ice on a pond or anything."
Bobby smiled. "Leave that to me. Grab a jacket. And your skates."
A few minutes later found them at the fountain. Bobby smiled and reached down. He touched the water with one finger and the ice spread across the entire fountain, springing up to turn the water spraying from the top into beautiful and delicate lines of ice. He tested the thickness of the ice with one foot and nodded in approval.
Smiling happily Kitty quickly sat on the edge of the fountain and put her skates on. She looked quizzically at Bobby.
"You're not joining me?"
"Of course I am."
"But you don't have any skates."
Bobby grinned. He leaned over, bending his leg at the knee so the bottom of his shoe met his finger. He traced a line of ice along it and then repeated the action with the other foot.
"Why bring skates when I can make my own on the spot?" He stepped on to frozen surface and pushed off. Kitty laughed and joined him. In companionable silence they circled the fountain several times, skating easily.
Bobby grinned. He reached out and took Kitty's hand with his. They circled again a couple of time as he began to pull her faster. Kitty laughed in delight.
Unknown to either of them Rogue was looking out of the window of the rooms that she and Logan shared. A smile was on her face. That smile widened as a deep voice came from behind her.
"What are you looking at?"
"Bobby and Kitty ice skating together."
Logan joined her, his arms around her from behind.
"They're good kids," he said.
"I hope it works out between them," Rogue replied as she put her hands on top of his where they rested on her stomach.
"You're not jealous?" he teased.
"Of course not. Bobby and I were more friends than anything else. And I have YOU after all." She continued to study the scene below them. "I think they would be happy together."
Logan was quiet for a moment. He remembered; remembered the future that had been prevented by the now forgotten actions of several people, including the one he was holding right now. He remembered getting off the X-Plane with the Professor and Storm and Magneto. Waiting there for them had been the remainder of the X-Men. Most he hadn't really known but standing in the center were Bobby and Kitty. And they had been holding hands.
That simple position had told him everything he needed to know about what was going on between them. And he hadn't been the only one. He remembered the Professor smiling as he saw the same thing. They HAD been happy together. In the midst of all the death and terror of that world they had found a little refuge in each other. Maybe it could happen again. But if it did it would not need witnesses. He drew Rogue away from the window and closed the drapes.
Oblivious to the duo watching them the young pair continued their fun. Bobby slowed down only to spin Kitty around him. She laughed in delight, even when she stumbled slightly. Quickly Bobby caught her, pulling her against him to steady her, their arms around each other
She looked up at him, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, a motion that Bobby thought was amazingly graceful. Standing on her toes she lifted her face to his while he bent down. As naturally as anything had ever taken place in either of their lives their lips came together.
The kiss was warm and soft, sweet and gentle. But there was something that made it build, not wild passion but a feeling that somehow they were coming together. And not for the first time but returning to a place they had been for a long time. Then it hit them both
Bobby staggered. No longer was he seeing Kitty as she was now with laughter and warmth in her eyes as they kissed. He was elsewhere; they were elsewhere. He didn't know where. But it was dark and gloomy and there was an air of desperation surrounding them. He was touching Kitty's face as he heard himself say "I guess I'll see you in the next life", words that were filled with a feeling of loss and sorrow no matter how much he tried to make them light-hearted. Then he was kissing her there. The kiss had been soft but incredibly passionate. And incredibly sad. It felt like they were in the midst of a Greek tragedy that had only one ending.
Kitty collapsed; her legs suddenly unable to hold her up. There was pain, so much pain. Her arm especially burned and she could hear the dripping of a fluid into a bowl that she knew was her blood. But she couldn't give in; she HAD to continue doing... something, whatever task she had been set to do. But her strength was fading. She just wanted to rest, to let the world go away but she couldn't.
Then he was beside her, whispering urgently to her as though he had words only she was meant to hear. "Kitty I'm going to get help. I'm gonna bring back somebody to help you."
She turned her head. Pain was in his eyes too, the pain of knowing how much she hurt. It gave her strength to know that he cared that much about her. As much as she cared about him. She was glad he was going to get her help but that wasn't the most important thing. She whispered that important thing back.
"Please, just bring yourself back."
He kissed her with all the passion she could ever have hoped for from anyone
Then she was back to the fountain and the school and Bobby's arms were holding her up. There was a stunned look on his face that she was sure matched hers. She clung to him and he did his best to support her and they held each other until they both felt safe.
"What just happened?" Bobby croaked.
In spite of everything Kitty could not resist. "You kissed me you dummy."
"And I enjoyed it very much," he responded, his voice a little clearer. "Until..."
"Until you saw something?" Did he have the same vision?
"Saw something? I think I was there, somewhere else, somewhere dark. But it was with you and we kissed."
The two of them made their way to the edge of the fountain. Kitty took off her skates. To both of their amusement Bobby discovered that it was much easier making the ice form on his shoes than getting it off and he ended up walking back to the house in his stocking feet so they went to his room first. Both were too shaken to discuss the visions they had just experienced much but they said enough to agree on two major points. They seem to have found themselves in the same world but at different times and they had kissed in both.
"What now?"
"I'd say NOW we need to talk to the Professor."
They hardly realized it as it happened but by the time they reach the door of the Professor's office they were holding hands. It felt nice. It felt right. And the looks they exchanged let them see the other one felt that way as well.
The door was closed but a ribbon of light showed at the bottom. Bobby knocked.
"Come in."
The Professor sitting beside his desk. He wasn't alone. Logan was seated in a chair facing him. Come to think of it Logan had been spending a lot of time in here with the Professor and with the door closed in the last few days. Ever since they had experienced that strange feeling in fact. He held up a hand to Logan, as though telling him to hold on smiled at them. Realizing that something was wrong he rolled from behind his desk.
"What is it?"
(To be continued)
