Chapter 9: "Sisters Invasion"

It was mid-morning on Thanksgiving Day, and Kurt was in the enviable position of lead storyteller as far as the kids at Xaviers were concerned. He had every single one of the kids cuddled up around him as he told them the fable of the first-ever Thanksgiving.

"And when the Pilgrims landed in this new world," Kurt explained to his captivated audience, "they saw how beautiful it was, and they were so thankful to have made it this far."

"My papa came here from further away," Krissy whispered under her breath to Charlie, who shushed her and looked supremely upset that Krissy was interrupting the sanctity of storytime.

"And they were greeted by the people who already lived in America," Kurt added, though he was sure to skew Krissy's little headband on her head.

"And they brought food," Chance added helpfully, and the other kids were pretty sure he was doing that mostly for the look his sister gave him for interrupting.

"Yes, they did," Kurt said with a warm smile. "They brought a special treat called maize. And they showed the Pilgrims the food and the warmth of America." As all the kids nodded their heads at the story, he leaned in close to them. "That's the important thing to remember about this story, little ones: these Pilgrims came from so far away, and they had such a long journey. But they came here to find hope. And that is what you must always remember. Your home, here, is where hope and love will always wait for you. So we say our thanks every year. Even those of us that aren't strictly American," he added with a little chuckle.

When his words were greeted by that same chorus of nodding heads, he smiled at his little audience. "So, I want you to think of something that you are thankful for today. Can you do that? We can all share with each other."

The little ones all began to nod their heads in unison, eyes bright and focused on him. But it was Chance who burst out with, "I'm thankful for everybody! All my family and my friends — because they are all here and not gone away."

Charlie giggled and patted her brother's arm as she said with a little, crooked smile, "I'm thankful for little brothers."

"And little sisters!" Krissy burst out, holding Kari's hand and looking supremely satisfied.

"Sissers!" was the almost immediate agreement from Kari.

Gerry grinned at the two little elflings before he settled his shoulders importantly. "I'm thankful for doctors and people who help put hurt people back together," he said. "I'm gonna be one someday," he added to Krissy, who giggled and nodded.

Elin waited a little while until Kurt looked her way, and she just grinned and said very clearly, "Cupcake kisses." Then, she broke out into giggles that were echoed by most of the other little ones, though Charlie didn't look nearly as amused as the rest of them did, even if her brother looked delighted.

"Ooh I'm thankful for cookies!" Sying called out happily.

"And Mommy," Cody put in. "Mommy cookies."

"Elf," James muttered with a crooked smile as he snuggled up with Krissy and Kari.

"He loves them," Elin said in a whisper to Kurt with wide eyes.

"I think they love him very much too," Kurt whispered back with a little smile.

She grinned his way and threw her arms around his neck. "Snuggles?"

He smiled and swept her up for a kiss on the temple. "Yes. I am very, very grateful for snuggles," he replied with a little laugh — though of course, the kids seemed to take that as a cue to dogpile on him. Very soon, Kurt was entirely pinned down by a small army of giggling kids — and bamfs, who thought it was a grand idea to pile on their big brother.

K and Logan came out of his office a short while later, half stumbling, laughing quietly, and rather … involved.

"If you need a little something to warm up with, office is open to you," Logan muttered Kurt's way.

Kurt grinned at him from where he was still pinned on the floor. "When I have so many little cuddlers?" he teased. "Maybe later."

"Suit yourself," he replied, though the two little ferals didn't really look back as they headed off to find a quiet corner. They were just getting a bit distracted when the doorbell rang and Kate very clearly made it known that she thought one of them should have gotten it as she crossed the room to answer the door.

"Am I terribly early?" Lisbet asked when Kate opened the door with a wary smile, even though Wade was certainly enthusiastic on saying hello to her, picking her up and spinning her around with an almost girlish giggle.

Kate high-fived Wade, of course, then looked toward Lisbet. "We're all headed down to dinner in just a bit," she said before she turned her attention back to Wade. "You missed the part where Kurt was telling stories. Eleanor would have enjoyed it. I heard there was an Elfish snuggle pile."

"There should always be an Elfish snuggle pile," Wade said sagely before he turned his attention to where Kurt and the kids were. "Bamfmaster! Why didn't anyone tell me when the dogpile was? I am so there." He started toward them at a jog —clearly ready to just dive in with them.

Krissy giggled and shook her finger at Wade with one hand on her hips. "No, you too big! You squish the little kids!"

"But then who can I cuddle?" Wade asked, doing his best to look dejected.

Krissy laughed delightedly and rushed over to him to all but tackle him in her best snuggle. "I cuddle you!" she promised him, with Kari not far behind just wanting to be where her big sister was.

"Promise?" Wade asked as they started to pull on him to get him to the floor. When the girls nodded, it was all he was waiting for before he crumpled, making all kinds of noise as they 'defeated' him in combat. He was carrying on about biting off kneecaps — to the kids' delight — when Lisbet walked the rest of the way into the room to observe and also to give her sister a bit of flack for being too wrapped up in her husband rather than cooking or playing with the little ones.

"With this many mouths to feed, don't you think you should at least be helping?" Lisbet asked, the disapproval clear in her tone, though before she could get too much further in razzing K, the ever-intrepid Chance came over with his head tipped to the side and Charlie's hand in his. It was clear the little Summers girl could just tell K was unhappy with the line of questioning her sister had dove into.

Charlie climbed up into K's lap to give her a kiss as soon as Logan slid her into the seat next to him on the couch. And Chance had apparently been assigned by his sister to Lisbet, because he tugged on the hem of her skirt. "My mom is making dinner," he said in a proud tone.

"Well at least someone—"

"Nobody else is allowed in the kitchen," Chance continued with a sharp, stubborn sort of nod. "Just Mommy."

Lisbet raised an eyebrow at that but let out a little, "Oh?" She glanced over at Logan and K with Charlie and had to smirk a bit. No longer wondering why K was taking the opportunity to assault her husband. Free time.

"Well," Charlie allowed, "Leslie Ann is helping, but only 'cause she growed the green beans."

At the twins' apparent insistence on setting her straight, Lisbet clearly didn't have much of a leg to stand on for teasing her sister, and she knew it — not when the little ones clearly loved K and Annie didn't want anyone else in the kitchen.

"She's a Southerner," K explained. "And cooking for a crowd was always your thing, not mine."

Lisbet had to agree as she settled into the seat on the couch next to her sister, more than happy to get the two ferals cornered for questions. She still had so so many about everything between them — and all the years she'd missed K — and to her relief, it looked as though Logan … was actually helping her. He kept a decent grip on his wife so she couldn't slip away, though that backfired when Wade came to squeeze in on Lisbet's opposite side.

"I see you're makin' nice with the in-laws," Wade said in a cheerful tone — there was no mistaking the smile in his voice as he reached past both women to grab a hold of Logan's arm. "Good to see. Good to see."

"Wilson..." Logan started to say, but Lisbet was quick to cut him off.

"He adores the two of you — talks about you all the time," she said with a smile and a look that was so much like K's when she was being perfectly reasonable that Logan had to just sit back and let the comment pass. K, however, was waiting for him to counter the commentary. But when it never came… she stared at him in disbelief.

He gave her a long kiss and Charlie let out a giggle when they heard Noh a few rooms over continuing Kurt's storytime.

The two ferals shared a look, and before Logan could snatch his wife up to disappear back into the office where the booze was, Lisbet got started with her line of questions. It was benign enough that neither of the men in attendance seemed bothered much. Lisbet was asking all about her family life, her kids, her grandkids, her adopted space boys… It was all stuff K wouldn't have minded too terribly to talk about if not for the fact that Lisbet seemed to find a way to ask all her questions as if they were accusations for holding out on her for so long.

And when Lisbet wasn't asking accusatory questions, Wade was interjecting his own questions to his 'brother' that were borderline not safe for any audiences.

So both K and Logan were in a grumpy mood already by the time Annie sent Leslie Ann out to tell everyone that dinner was ready — which was a direct contrast to how Kate seemed to be doing. The resident Hawkeye looked almost hopeful as she kept glancing at the door; her sister still hadn't come, and it was clear Kate was hoping Susan had just chickened out.

But as everyone took their seats at the dinner table — with the kids sitting at their own little table and with Storm wisely seating Wade and Lisbet on the opposite side of the table from K and Logan — there was a knock at the front door, and Kate visibly wilted.

When Kurt saw the expression on her face as she stood up to go get the door, he teleported in front of her and pulled her into a warm kiss first and foremost and then took her hand to teleport her to the entryway. "Remember: she is trying to mend fences," he whispered in her ear before he took the slightest of steps aside, just so that it would be easier for Kate to greet her sister without a half-demon at her side. No matter how much Kate insisted it was Susan's problem and not his, Kurt couldn't help but want to make things easier in any way he could.

Susan stood there in the doorway for a moment with an obvious frown on her face even after the door had opened, but as Kurt watched, he could see Kate almost melt with relief when Susan didn't immediately burst out with anything horrible and instead asked, "Can I come in?"

And despite everything, despite all the mean things Susan had said and all the trouble she'd caused, Kate ended up wrapping her big sister in a warm hug that lasted longer than she'd meant it to — especially because she hadn't even meant to hug her in the first place. But it had been ages since she'd seen Susan, and the last time they'd been in the same space had been on good terms. They hadn't actually seen each other since their feud started.

But Susan was still her big sister, and all at once, Kate simply melted into her. "Missed you, Susie," she muttered. It took Susan so entirely off-guard that she didn't have any response but to hug Kate back.

Kurt watched the reunion with a soft smile that somehow still stayed on his face as he offered his hand to Susan once the two Bishop sisters broke apart, despite the obvious disdainful glare that Susan gave him. "Guten abend," he said politely, the smile only slipping slightly when Susan didn't take the proffered hand.

Kate frowned at her sister for a long moment before she let out a sigh. "Susan, this is Kurt. My husband," she said pointedly.

"I know," was the simple response before, grudgingly, she finally tipped her head at him. "I'm Susan."

"It's nice to meet you in person," Kurt said, and though his smile was genuine, Kate could see that his tail was still — not at all relaxed.

"I'm sure." Susan regarded Kurt warily and didn't take a step closer to him, keeping Kate between herself and Kurt. "Well. Let's just…."

"Dinner's ready," Kate supplied for her, and Susan looked relieved to hear it. "We were all sitting down when you got here."

"All?" Susan repeated.

"My team and their families," Kate said with a nod. "And some of the kids who don't have places to go. Come on; I'll introduce you."

"Oh, I don't—"

"Come on. It's way past time for you to meet my family."

But Susan stopped at that and pulled her hand free of Kate's. "Kate, I am your family. I'm the last one."

Kate turned to face her sister, her eyebrows up at her hairline. Neither of them realized it, but with Susan's dyed-black-and-red hair and Kate's black-with-purple-highlights as she grayed… they looked almost exactly alike as both of them gave each other clear once-overs.

"That's not how marriage works, Suze," Kate said at last, quietly.

"Oh, right. Are we counting spouses now?" Susan shook her head like she simply couldn't believe the idea. "Are you going to start inviting any of our ex-step-moms to stuff? Where's Heather, then?"

"That's not the same."

"Isn't it? Katie, do you even remember my second husband's name?" Susan shot back with a bite to her tone that had both Kate and Kurt a bit surprised.

"I thought it was Jim?"

Susan paused and then nodded. "Yeah."

"He was a jerk, Susan. You can do better," Kate said softly.

Susan looked like she was ready to retort with something like 'so can you,' the way she was drawing herself up, but Kate's soft tone had disarmed her. For a long moment, she just stared at her little sister before, at last, she waved her off. "Whatever, Katie. Are we doing this stupid dinner thing or not?"

Kate sighed and nodded before she led her big sister to the gathered group in the dining room — though faced with that many mutants in one place, it was clear that Susan didn't know what to do with herself, her entire body tense as Kate half pulled her into a seat.

K and Logan shared a look, and with a nearly inaudible whistle, both of them looked toward Lisbet, who had one eyebrow raised in question. "Inte tillförlitlig?" Lisbet asked, not surprised in the least when both Logan and K confirmed it.

"Goddag yxskaft," K said very clearly, though Logan frowned at the expression and gave her a look that clearly read he had no idea what the hell she was talking about, even as Lisbet giggled and nodded. "I'll explain later," K promised before she gave her husband a kiss, though it just opened the door for the two sisters to begin very quickly chatting in Swedish, leaving both of their men a bit lost in translation.

Scott was seated a little ways from the Wagners and Susan, and he was giving Susan an appraising look, though it really spoke to how hammered Susan had been when they last saw each other that she looked at him and frowned, clearly not placing him. He shook his head and kept his comment to himself — though clearly not entirely, because Rachel Summers had to hide the little snicker behind her hand at whatever her dad was very clearly thinking.

Thankfully, by that time, most of the group had already dug into the meal and were in their own little groups chatting away. Storm had managed to intervene and was monopolizing most of Lisbet's attention with a curious question about her literature tastes, so K and Logan were even in better moods talking and not-so-subtly stealing kisses with their heads together. So there wasn't too much attention on the newcomer, and Susan seemed to be genuinely relieved by it.

"I didn't realize there would be… so many," she muttered to Kate, looking like she was terrified sitting at a table with so many 'terrorists' in one place.

"I guess you were used to a much smaller family gathering, hon?" Annie asked with a sweet smile as she leaned over to pass Susan some of the food. It was obvious that she was trying to be nice, and Kate appreciated the effort, though Susan looked mortally offended by being called 'hon' by anyone at the school.

"No, we used to have huge parties at the house. Not family, just ... parties," Susan said with a bit of a snooty tone, though she took the potatoes and scooped some out onto her plate all the same.

"Families're better," Kate muttered, which got Susan to glance her way for a moment and glare at Kate as if it was a betrayal.

"They should be," she muttered.

"Hey. You're here, aren't you?" Kate shot back.

"Took you long enough."

Kate's eyes flashed. "Now, listen—" But before she could really get started, Kurt's tail had wrapped around her wrist to pull back the pointed finger she was about to stick in her sister's face, and she glanced over to look at Kurt, who quietly shook his head.

"This is a family gathering," he told her quietly, and she let out all her breath.

"Sie nervt mich," Kate whispered under her breath, though that only got Kurt to give her a little kiss on the temple.

"Can you two not do that while I'm around?" Susan asked, frowning at the obvious display of affection ... or possibly at the fact that Kurt's tail was around her sister's wrist ... or possibly at the German. It was hard to tell what she was mad at in that moment, with so many things to choose from.

"Yeah, no. No, we can't," Kate said with a glare her sister's way. "If you hate it that much, you can always just leave."

"I think I will," Susan said, starting to get up, though she was only partially standing when Kari came running into the dining room, tearing streaming down her cheeks, with Zoe hot on her heels looking ready to defend her best friend against … whatever it was that had her so upset.

Kari went straight to her dad, snuggling right into him and still crying as both Kurt and Kate shared looks. Kate immediately defused as she pressed a little kiss to Kari's forehead, trying to figure out what it was that had their little girl so upset, while Kurt held her close and muttered out comforting things in German — but that seemed to put Susan over the edge.

"What… what is that?" Susan asked, her voice shrill as she pointed a shaky finger at Kari. Her expression was somewhere between terror and pure loathing, and while Kate and Kurt were occupied with the very upset little one — and Zoe, who kept trying to help but didn't quite have the vocabulary to communicate what was wrong just yet outside of "Kari scared" — that wasn't the case for K, who had clearly had it with the older Bishop sister.

A hush fell over the table as everyone gathered was watching carefully to see how this was going to play out, but they should have known. The moment that Susan had screeched, the ferals in the room had stiffened — and Logan, K, and even Lisbet were all glaring Susans' way.

"That," K said in a tone filled with just as much loathing as Susan had been using, "is my goddaughter." She stood up quickly, and Logan didn't even try to stop her. K didn't give Susan any warning before she'd picked her up by the back of her jeans and bodily carried her out of the dining room, all goodwill gone the moment Susan had seen Kari.

Susan was shaking with rage and terror in K's hands, but that didn't slow K down in the least as she carried her past the others, through the entryway, and kicked open the front door, winding back to see how much distance she could get as she threw Susan out, literally.

"If you can't say anything nice," K said as she heaved her backward for the throw. "Shut the hell up, dumbom." With all her effort, K let Susan fly.

Susan made it about thirty yards before she landed in a snowbank. She stood up with a huff, dusting the snow off of her designer jacket, though she couldn't hold the glare at all with K growling low at her the way she was.

For all the stupidity she had caused thus far, Susan was at least smart enough to realize when it was time to turn tail, and she simply strode off down the driveway, her nose in the air as she muttered to herself about mutants the whole way.

K glared as she watched Susan leave, though when she turned back around, it was to find Logan smirking at her. "Nice air, sweetheart."

K took a couple steps forward and stole a kiss. "I would have gotten her further if she hadn't been wiggling so much," she said, and Logan grinned at her for that one.

"I guess we can break out the booze with the addict gone," Logan said with a little smile as he pulled her further into the house, half wrapped up with her as they went. "Might make the rest of this easier."

"Please," K said — and the two of them slipped off to his office to bring out the glögg that K had stashed there ... though Lisbet's entire attitude shifted when she smelled it.

"Papa's recipe?" she asked with wide eyes and a growing smile. K nodded and set her up with a mug before she sat down with her husband.

Just like that, the whole mood of the room shifted, and everyone started to loosen up just a bit — though they were all slightly more cautious after their last encounter with K's warm wine concoction.


Translations:

From Swedish:

Inte tillförlitlig? - not good/reliable

Goddag yxskaft - God damned ax shaft (stupid person)

Dumbom - roughly, an idiot

..

From German:

Sie nervt mich - She's getting on my nerves