The Audi arrived so quickly, it left Rachel wondering if Kurt had learned to teleport entire cars. She'd been able to explain away her magical phone call to Daniel by way of a dedicated emergency frequency. Her personal assistant had mentioned she might should get one. Especially after what happened to her uncle. But, she reminded the ditz that if that ever became the case...she never get the chance to use it. In truth, if Daniel weren't here, she might not have called for help at all. Authorities might have just found her frozen corpse curled up in the back seat tomorrow morning.
Well, enough for the pity party, she had company. She forced a smile as the car pulled up and parked slightly ahead of them. A handsome, dark haired, man stepped out. So, he's all humaned-up tonight. She thought, sourly. But, then with all the ill sentiment against mutants lately, she didn't honestly blame him. The natives were restless. No need to make yourself a target if you didn't have to.
She started to open her car door, only to have him beat her to it. He was a gentleman to the bitter end. She took a deep breath and got out. There was a lump in her throat that threaten to choke her into lightheadedness. It was the first time she's seen him since she'd packed her bags and left.
"Thanks for coming, Kurt." She said, with an uncomfortable sincerity. "I know you gave me that communicator for emerg-" She was going to tell him again that he could have just called her service for her, but stopped short at Kurt's shocked, wide-eyed stare.
"What?"
Without even thinking, the stunned mutant reached out in the freezing cold and touched her hair. As long as he had known her, even back to their childhood, Rachel's hair had been long and dark and beautiful. How many times had he buried his head in that softness as they made love? Felt it tickle his face when they laid down to sleep? Watched it sway in a breeze or swing playfully from a careless pony tail?
"Your hair...." he faltered, touching the painfully short locks.
For a moment, Rachel stood frozen by the warmth of his hand, her eyes fixed to his. Then, self consciously, she diverted her eyes to the ground and stroked down her severely cropped hair, so short it didn't even cover the acid burned scar on the back of her neck. "Yeah...I cut it short..." she stumbled around for a good reason why. The two were locked in an awkward moment. They were started out of it by the blaring horn of a lone driver as he barreled past them in the tunnel.
Kurt switched to X-Man mode. "This could very well be an emergency. Your car mysteriously stalls in the tunnels in the dead of the night. Makes you a sitting duck, don't you think?." He motioned her out from the behind the car door she'd been using as a shield.
It was hard to tell if he was moving so quickly because he was trying to limit the amount of time they spent in the sub freezing cold or the amount of time he had to spend in her company. "Get in the car, please." He pulled her by the arm, gently but firmly. All the while looking around, warily.
Rachel concurred. She was tired and her feet hurt. "We can either leave our stuff here or Daniel can help you transfer it." she volunteered him as she sat down.
"Daniel?" He was obviously confused, looking over his shoulder. He watched the other man getting out of the passenger side of Rachel's car. Kurt tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his scowl.
Daniel, oblivious to the scrutiny grabbed Rachel's purse and laptop out of the back and trotted towards them. "I guess you already called shot gun?" He smiled tersely as he struggled to get his tall frame into the back of the two seater. He resembled something approaching a human pretzel as he tried to fit into a space much too small for him.
Shutting the passenger door, Kurt hopped to his side and quickly got in. If the possibility of attack wasn't enough to get him moving, the bitter cold was. He hadn't felt cold like this since he'd last been in Germany. He spared a glance over at his estranged wife. Since their honeymoon in the Alps. He ground his teeth and urged the Audi forward, leaving the Bentley behind to her fate. As soon as they were out of the tunnels and cell reception was recovered, Rachel called her car service and they promised to pick it up right away.
The conversation was almost nonexistent as the trio made their way into Brooklyn. Daniel could feel the tension and unease between the two in the front seat. Surely, this Kurt Wagner had to be a friend of Rachel's for him to come rescue them. But, the two had barely spoken a word to each other since they'd gotten in the car. He sighed. There wasn't much about Rachel that made sense, anymore. Why should her friendships?
Kurt drove the car through the gathering patches of ice with expert ease. His anger rose every time he looked in the rear view mirror and saw Rachel's male companion. He had foolishly hung onto the hope that maybe there was some chance they could work things out. Some chance that she would come back to him. But, looking at the handsome human in the back again, it would seem that Rachel was getting along just fine without him.
His eyes darted towards the passenger beside him. Even with her ultra short hair, she was feminine and beautiful. But there was a hardness to her now. It had been a shock to see her so different...so changed.
Kurt started to feel guilty. Maybe he was just being selfish. She had tried; she had tried so hard for him...for their family. Maybe he owed it to them both to just let go. Let her be happy. Try to find some measure of happiness himself. His hand unconsciously moved to his crucifix hiddened under his shirt, suddenly as heavy as a millstone around his neck.
Rachel sat still as street lights illuminated the interior of the car. She wanted to kick her shoes off and rub her aching feet, but instead, she kept herself under tight control, her hands clasped together. She stole glances at Kurt, trying to size up his demeanor. She couldn't help but notice he was angry, but she had no idea why. If he hadn't wanted to come get her, he could have called her car service. Hell, she'd offered that right up front. Asked him to just relay a message for her. But, he'd insisted on coming all the way down here himself. Now, what? Was he angry about that? It made no sense.
Then her eyes drifted back towards him, almost shyly. Maybe, he just wanted to see her, again... Maybe, they could work things out? Maybe...maybe, he could find it in his heart to forgive her and she could go home??
No.
Rachel let her gaze drop down to her hands sitting in lap. Of course, he'd forgive her. It seemed impossible for that man to hold a grudge. The real problem was that she couldn't forgive herself. She made her bed. Now, she was determined to lie in it. No one should have to take her back after the things she'd said to him.
Six months ago
Standing in their bedroom, watching Kurt get ready, Rachel couldn't help but speak the same words she always did. "Be careful." The two stood in the quiet of their on-campus apartment. Kurt turned and stood toe to toe with her.
He'd already told her that this was a cake walk. Just a meeting with officials. More of an information gathering trip than anything. But, Rachel's incarceration had left her with an almost phobic aversion to leaving the safety of the mansion. Gracie, who was down for her nap at the moment, had never even been off the campus grounds. He would never have left the school either, if it had been up to his wife.
With a comforting smile, he push a stray lock of hair out of her face. "I'll be back before dark." He promised. He stared a moment longer, then leaned down as she tilted her head up. Their lips touched purposefully. Drawing her into his arms, he deepened his kiss, his tongue silently begging entrance into her mouth.
With a moan, Rachel parted her lips and shuddered as Kurt explored her. Drawing away from her for a moment, his eyes drifted to their bed. "I have a little time before I have to leave." he offered, suggestively pressing her against him, letting her feel the hard need in him that just kissing her caused.
For a moment, he thought she might say no, then her smile grew wide.
"Well, then..." She cleared her throat, pushing him down on the bed. "let me give you a good send off."
In an urgent, but unhurried fashion, they disrobed and, for a moment, just held each other tight. Then, Rachel wrapped her legs around him, drawing him into her, burying her face in the crook of his neck. The two clung to each other as they made love, sighs and gasps escaping between them. They moved together, harder and faster, until their release came and the lovers shuddered and fell against the bed, whispering words of love to each other in their own separate tongues.
Holding each other close, they were quiet for several minutes. Kurt finally spoke.
"You know, if I had more send offs like this, I'd probably go on more missions." Kurt chuckled, rolling on his back and pulling Rachel's naked form on top of his. She lay straddled over him with her head resting on his chest; her eyes closed as she listened to his beating heart start to slow down to a decent rhythm.
"Hmmm...." she mumbled against him. "You're not helping your case here, Blue." she smiled as he rubbed his hands over her, feeling every slender curve. The tip of his spaded tail, slid down her bare spine sending delicious shivers all the way up to the base of her skull.
He laughed at her retort. She could hear the smooth rumble from inside his rib cage as her ear was pressed against it. Slowly, she felt herself being displaced back onto the bed as she gave a disgruntled sigh.
"I know. You're going to be late." She concurred, now staring up at him. God, he was handsome. Not the traditional handsome you saw in magazines, but his own brand of good looks. She loved the way his pitch black hair waved over his forehead and almost hid his pointed ears. The way his teeth seemed impossibly white against his dark blue lips when he smiled his trademark grin, exposing his slightly fanged canines. But, she loved his eyes the most. Even without irises, his eyes were incredibly expressive. Large and round when he was surprised. Narrowed to gleaming slits when his was angry. They even seemed brighter or dimmer, depending on his mood.
Kurt closed those eyes as he leaned down to kiss her once more....twice more. By the third kiss, he almost decided to go Awol and blow off the mission all together, especially when he felt his wife's legs starting to wrap around him again. Balling his hands into determined fists, he pulled away. If he didn't leave now, he wasn't going to leave at all.
After reluctantly getting dressed, the two made their way into the living room. Kurt took her hand and kissed it tenderly. He held it fast as he felt it trembling slightly.
Damn them.
The serum he'd been given had worked its way out of his system with no ill side affects. But, in humans, the massive dosages required to maintain effectiveness had eroded the neural synapses in Rachel's extremities, causing the nerve endings to misfire, making her hands shake. All the testing so far indicated that the damage was irreversible. Kurt would, eventually, recover from what they'd done to him. Rachel would be reminded of it daily for the rest of her life.
Rachel heard the stealthed sound of the Blackbird doing a vertical take off when Lumi knocked on her front door. She had Gracie on the changing table so just called out for her aunt to let herself in. The first thing Lumi heard was her great niece's cold.
"How long as Gracie had that cough?" Lumi asked, her old eyes narrowing with concern. After letting out another tiny cough, Gracie giggled up at her aunt and mother, wriggling wildly and her tail coiling mischievously.
Rachel reached under the changing table for a clean diaper. She was starting to wish she'd bought stock in Pampers as well as Donivan Enterprises. "A few days. I think it's just allergies." She reasoned, not wanting to be one of these mothers who fell apart every time her baby sniffled.
Lumi gave a testy sigh. There was nothing wrong in being worried about your child. "We'll make her some licorice tea. That always worked for Kurt."
Rachel chuckled. It was a little known piece of trivia that Kurt hated licorice. She wondered idly if that was the reason why. "Sorry, Lumi. Kurt made it a house rule. No licorice." She chuckled as she carried Gracie out into the living room.
Unswayed, the old gypsy followed, holding the infant's pacifier in her hand. Gracie eyed it wantingly. "Do you want this, little one?" She waved it in her gnarled hands. Gracie made a discontented sound as she clutched her hands towards the prize.
Rachel sat on the sofa and held Gracie upright on her lap. "I think you're going to have to get it yourself, baby girl." she laughed as Lumi also sat and held it just out of reach.
With impressive speed for a four month old, Gracie's tail lashed out and snagged the pacifier with ease. And, an almost smug expression washed over her content face as the pacifier was shoved into her tiny mouth and she started making little, muffled cooing sounds.
"I don't think Kurt was able to do that until he was six months old." Lumi smiled, obviously impressed. "You might just be a child prodigy." Her compliments were cut short by another rounds of coughs causing Gracie to spit out her pacifier. She cried in frustration over her loss. Rachel handed Gracie to Lumi and, picking up the pacifier, went to wash it off.
Lumi frowned. "I will have Joe take us to town to get some licorice tea, while you are at your appointment." Her tone bore no argument.
Rachel felt her pulse jump as she turned off the faucet. "Why don't I just pick some up while I'm out?" She countered. A cold anxiousness crawl up her spine.
"Nonsense, Rachel." Lumi soothed her worried niece. "I have to go pick up a few things anyway. And, who knows when you're going to be back." She took Gracie out of her mother's arms. "Besides the sooner we get that tea, the sooner our little one will start feeling better."
