Present Day

New York

The room was still dusky from the last traces of nighttime when Victor's weight depressed the mattress on either side of her body, his hands planted against the plush comforter. Kitty gave him a singular look before moving to burrow deeper into her cocoon of blankets.

"Baby."

She rolled over, curls springing up from beneath the blanket as Victor pressed the comforter below her chin.

"What time is it."

"Six thirty."

"What's wrong?" She frowned, blue eyes blinking back sleep at his expression.

"Emma Frost is downstairs."

Kitty sat up, knocking her head against Victor's shoulder in the process.

"What is she doing here?"

Images of Mystique dredged to mind.

"She's looking for you."

Kitty stared up at him, "Me?"

"Get dressed," he said quietly. "It sounds important."

"How did she know where to find us."

The muscles in Victor's jaw ticked, his mouth tightening into a thin line, "I'm not sure."

Kitty shifted the pile of blankets aside, her feet connecting with the woven carpet beneath the bed.

"I'll be right down."

In under two minutes Kitty appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Emma stood at the far end of the living room. Bracketed by the window at her back. Her hair was coiled like a low lying snake at the nape of her neck, her coat buttoned to her chin, revealing slim ankles and pumps.

"Kitty."

Kitty fought the urge to tug at the hem of her sweater, feeling impish in her bare feet and bed head.

"How did you find us."

Emma tilted her head, "We share a gene. I'll always be able to locate you."

Kitty felt a fissure of fear at her words. Victor let out a low growl, stepping closer, protective instincts prickling.

"Victor-"

"I need to talk to Kitty alone," Emma said decidedly, moving closer, eyes on Victor. "Please."

Victor opened his mouth to refuse but Kitty put a hand to his shirtfront, "It's alright."

He hesitated, gazing between the two women, before finally relenting, "I'll be right outside."

"Thank you," Emma said as he brushed past her, muttering a singular warning. He closed the door behind him, boots stomping down the porch steps. Emma faced Kitty, expression placid, "I'm not here to harm you."

"I imagine you would have done it by now if you were," Kitty replied. "So, what are you doing here."

"I'm here to talk about Sinister."

Kitty frowned, the coincidence was not lost on her.

"What's happened?"

"Nothing as of yet. He remains safely in captivity," Emma replied.

"Then-"

"But I know of a plan to break him out."

Kitty sat down in the nearest kitchen chair, gesturing for Emma to do the same. Emma reached up, unbuttoning her jacket to reveal a velvety cream dress and dazzling emerald pendant. She caught Kitty's expression, matching her dismay with a minx-like smile.

Kitty glanced down at herself, and then shot her a wry look, "I look like an unmade bed."

"Victor seems to enjoy it."

Kitty watched Emma maneuver herself into the chair across the table from her, her shoulders straight as an arrow, hands folded neatly in front of her. She was every bit the ice queen her reputation suggested her to be.

"Tell me about Sinister."

Emma withdrew a carefully folded rectangle of papers from the depths of her coat. She laid them out across the table between them. Kitty laid a finger to the creamy paper, frowning at the swirling script, "Is this ink?"

"By law all proposals brought to the inner circle are to be hand written."

Kitty's eyes flicked upwards, "This is about the Hellfire Club."

"Yes."

"What are you planning."

Emma shook her head, "Not me, Sebastian."

"Shaw?" Kitty said. "I thought he couldn't move without you."

Emma's expression tightened, "So did I."

Kitty sat back in her chair, "Tell me everything I need to know."

"Read the document."

"I will, once you've explained what's going on."

Emma sighed, unaccustomed to bargaining.

As she opened her mouth to speak, Kitty held up a hand, "First, you can tell me how you got involved in Sinister's experiments last year."

If she hadn't been paying attention, Kitty would have entirely missed the flicker of fear in Emma's eyes at the sound of Sinister's name.

"Stryker's men raided the Club."

Kitty's brow shot skyward.

"He was looking for me," Emma continued, holding back a shiver of revulsion at the memory. "My, or should I say our, powers are unique."

Kitty ignored the urge to squirm under Emma's maternal stare. Understanding, with certain clarity, that their shared powers meant more than a simple telepathic bond, but something much deeper.

"You were the only one he took?"

Emma nodded, "I was only at the facility a week or so before you arrived."

The memory washed over Kitty, bartering Emma's safety for an astral projection of herself.

"Victor couldn't believe you helped me," Kitty commented quietly. "When I told him you had shared your powers with me, he-"

"I wouldn't have shared my powers with just any mutant," Emma interrupted, her tone bordering on prim.

Kitty let out a low laugh, "You would have done anything I asked if it meant you were safe from Sinister."

Emma shook her head, "Dying would have been preferable to transferring my powers to a lesser mutant."

Kitty moved out of her chair, filling the kettle on the stove with water.

"I don't understand why you're here, Emma."

"For one, to thank you for saving my life."

Kitty turned to meet her eyes, recognizing the admiration there, cheeks growing warm under the other woman's unspoken praise.

"I couldn't have done it without your help."

"You are an incredible mutant, Ms. Pryde."

Kitty took a breath, understanding that Emma hadn't driven into the mountains for small talk and tea.

"What do you want from me."

Emma leaned back in her chair, cool eyes assessing, "I need your help against Sebastian."

"You haven't told me what he's planning yet."

Emma indicated the paperwork spread out across the table, "It's all here for you to read. The short version is he plans to liberate Sinister."

Kitty bent her head, eyes scanning each heavy piece of parchment in front of her. After a few minutes she looked up. "Shaw is trying to turn the Club over to Sinister?"

"In essence, yes," Emma nodded. "There would be no King or Queen, only Sinister."

Kitty began sorting through the papers, looking for some clue, anything to give them a lead.

"We need to move quickly if we're going to stop him."

"We?" Kitty repeated, hands stilling against the table top, eyes lifting to meet Emma's determined stare.

"I told you, that's why I'm here."

"Why me?"

"Because I watched you defeat Sinister with your bare hands," Emma said, the memory tipping the corners of her mouth upwards. "You were magnificent."

"I was lucky," Kitty replied shortly.

"With your help, and the rest of the X-men behind us, we can stop Sebastian and keep Sinister behind bars."

Kitty was quiet, contemplative.

"What exactly do you need me to do?" She asked, resistant to the idea of going up against Stryker a second time, but resigned to the reality of the situation.

"I want to take over the Club together, as Queens." Emma filled Kitty's silence by adding, "I want you to rise as Black Queen to overthrow Sebastian."

Kitty's eyes widened, "Is that possible?"

Emma leaned back in her chair, "I checked the bi-laws, there's nothing to prohibit two Queens."

Kitty's expression remained frozen in surprise. Two Queens to rule the Hellfire Club was unheard of, even in her limited knowledge of the Club she knew that. And here Emma Frost was, asking her to break tradition, and become the Black Queen to rule the Club. In a million years, even with her best guess, Kitty could never have foreseen Emma's proposal, or her own pending involvement with the Club.

Emma pressed on, disregarding Kitty's wide eyed look, "With the Club under our control we should have the manpower to overthrow Sebastian before he does anything irreversible."

"But how-"

"Sebastian's proposal has already divided the Club, it's the perfect moment to call for a vote."

Kitty made a face, "You're putting a lot of faith in the inner circle."

"Sinister is a monster," Emma replied. "They'll see reason."

"And if they don't?" Kitty demanded.

"That's not an option," Emma replied stiffly.

Kitty sat back in her chair, releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"So, what?" She said, waving her hand at Shaw's proposal. "We write up a proposal to present?"

Emma shook her head, "It's much simpler than that. I announce our motion to replace Sebastian with you."

Kitty rubbed a hand across her face, her mind spinning at the suggestion Emma had laid before her. Kitty Pryde, the next Black Queen.

"And then what?"

"We make our appeal to the inner circle, and they vote."

"Would Shaw have a chance to refute us?"

Emma nodded, "He would be given a chance to speak."

"Then we need a back up plan," Kitty said.

"I step down as White Queen, and we rely on the X-men."

"We may have more help than you think," Kitty said quietly, reminded suddenly of MI-13's agents en route.

Emma's brow lifted, Kitty noticed without considerable wrinkle, "You're agreeing?"

Kitty stood up from her chair, gathering Shaw's proposal up into her arms, "Is there another way?"

"No," Emma said. "None that I've come up with."

"Then yes," Kitty replied. "I'm in."

Emma's shoulders visibly relaxed at her affirmation.

"I'll talk to the Professor and Logan. You need to start gathering supporters within the Club, specifically on the inner circle," Kitty said, thrusting the proposal into Emma's hands. Her mind spinning, as she tried to keep a mental track of the tasks she needed to accomplish to move Emma's plan forward.

Emma gathered up her belongings, moving towards the door, "I've already begun. Within the week I should have enough votes to overthrow Sebastian."

"When is the vote?"

Emma thought for a moment, as she slipped her coat over each shoulder, "Next week would be best."

Kitty nodded her agreement, "The sooner the better."

Emma's hand lifted to the doorknob.

"Emma."

She stopped, meeting Kitty's gaze.

"We do this as equals, or not at all. Do you understand."

Emma looked poised to argue but instead nodded her consent after a moment of silence, "Yes."

Kitty returned her nod, watching her pull open the door, letting in cool air and a splash of morning sunlight.

"I'll be in touch."

She disappeared without another word, the sound of her car crunching over the bed of leaves leading to the main road disappearing into the distance. Victor pushed open the back door, brow furrowed, "What's going on."

Kitty sat down heavily in the nearest kitchen chair, unsure where to begin.