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Chapter 10: "Cross-Examination"
"So, where are they?" Kitty said as she marched into the kitchen of the mansion, taking nearly everyone there by surprise. "I'm here to remove those bracelet inhibitors Mojo slapped on them," she added when no one seemed to know what to say to her question, looking between Kate and Jubilee expectantly — since they were the two closest to the door.
Kate was sitting on the counter, drinking her coffee and talking to Jubilee, but at the unexpectedly sudden entrance from Kitty, she looked up in honest confusion. "Um ... those things came off, like, a week ago. Forge figured it out. Didn't you know?"
"Oh," Jubilee said melting theatrically as she smacked a hand to her forehead. "I knew there was something I forgot to tell you. Sorry about that, Kitty." There was hardly any pause before she immediately dove into her next statement: "Oh, hey! Good news, Logan's making dinner tonight, so you should totally stick around for your troubles."
Kate narrowed her eyes and looked between the two older X-Men, absolutely sure that Jubilee hadn't just "forgotten" to tell Kitty about the bracelets, though what they were really up to was beyond her — for the moment.
"That depends on what he's doing," Kitty said as she took a seat at the counter. "Is it a fish night or venison?"
"Annie can't have the fish," Jubilee answered. "So do the math." Kitty grinned and nodded before she fixed Kate with a look — and Kate got the sinking feeling she suddenly knew exactly why Kitty was there.
"And how are you and the Amazing Nightcrawler doing these days?" Kitty asked.
"Going up to Alaska for the second dating anniversary in a couple weeks," Kate said easily. "Kurt won a bet, so he picked the spot."
"What was the bet?" Kitty asked, leaning over the counter toward her.
"He bet that he'd be the one to spot it when K said yes to Logan. You know. The official engagement," Kate said, leaning toward Kitty with a wide grin.
"Ah," she said, nodding slowly. "And Kurt spotted it. But ... there are no improvements on that front for you two?"
Kate tipped her head to the side and just slowly shook her head 'no.' She really didn't want to get into it with Kitty, especially this soon after the Mojo thing when she was more focused on feeling less icky than on anything else.
"I figured you seeing that K didn't die from agreeing to marry the man that loves her might have inspired some faith."
"Hey." Kate leveled a finger at Kitty. "I'm not getting married to anybody because you threatened me into it."
"What was my threat?" Kitty asked with narrowed eyes.
Kate just met her gaze for a moment. "He listens to you, Kitty," she said in a quiet tone, as if it should have been obvious that one of Kurt's dearest friends pushing something she wasn't sure she was ready for was a threat in itself.
Kitty shook her head. "Just ... you know what? You're right. I should find out if he'd even want to before I jump to conclusions." She switched to a softer smile. "Besides, I'm not here to give you a hard time. Sorry. I'm just a little - irritated and could totally use some chocolate."
Kate looked surprised at the total switch before she gestured to the fridge. "There's chocolate ice cream. I keep us in stock."
"Not before dinner," Kitty said. "That would be a terrible mistake."
"Suit yourself," Kate said as she hopped down from the counter. "I'm just… going to go check on the bamfs."
"Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where I can find K would you?" Kitty called after her.
"She likes to leave for a ride while Logan's cooking," Kate said, though she didn't say anything further, not about to throw K under the bus if Kitty was in a mood like this. "She'll be back in time for dinner."
"Is that equine or Milwaukee?" Kitty asked.
"She likes both, but, you know, there's no horses here," Kate said with a grin. "Though Storm was saying just yesterday maybe we should get some and try to rope K into teaching riding classes."
"It's been years since we've had horses," Jubilee said thoughtfully.
"I own a few if we wanted to use them," Kate put in. "We've been up there a few times — me and K and the boys." She shrugged up to her ear and turned back to the door. "Anyway, I'm gonna go find Kurt and the little imps. But I'll see you two at dinner," she said before she slipped out of the kitchen and away from the conversation.
"Nice talking to you," Kitty called out before Jubilee joined her, the two of them with their heads together and whispering, plotting out the main reason for Kitty's visit — getting to the bottom of the problem with K and Logan and getting them to actually set a date instead of letting K string along their favorite person in the world. Though Kitty wasn't opposed to grilling Kate, too, seeing as it was obvious to her that Kurt wanted to settle down with a family in his life.
As Jubilee had suggested, Kitty ended up staying for dinner — and Logan treated the whole group of them to a serious meal of venison and potatoes that left everybody nice and full and content as the dinner conversation started to split into little groups as usual as the meal wound down.
"So," Kitty said as she looked up at K. "I've been meaning to ask, but I figured it would be something better said in person — when's the big day?"
"No idea," K replied easily. "I'll let you know. Don't worry." She barely looked Kitty's way as she answered the question, looking totally at ease, and her lack of anxiety had Kitty sitting back in her chair.
Kitty frowned for a moment then turned to Jubilee with a shrug. So much for the subtle approach.
"It's just been so busy around here lately," Annie said with a smile and a shrug as she cut in to try to explain. "This summer was particularly packed full of danger for these four over here, but then, I've heard that's always the case." She tipped her head at Logan and Kurt in particular.
"Kinda comes with the job description," Logan told her gently.
"Heaven knows I know that — family I come from. But it does seem to come in waves, doesn't it?" Annie said thoughtfully before a small smile flitted over her face. "But good things come in waves, too. Two weddings and a proposal in just the last year that Scott and I have been married — it does seem to be the time for it."
"Yeah, it does," Kitty said. "Too bad we don't have any more lined up yet." She didn't even try to hide the look she was giving Kurt and Kate.
"How are things with that space … gigolo or whatever you call him that you've been with for ... how long has that been?" K asked suddenly with her eyes narrowed slightly. "Should be considering things at your age."
At that, Kitty flushed a bright red. "He's — we're—"
"Then maybe don't push anyone else until you figure out your own love life," K said when it was clear Kitty didn't have an answer. "You're projecting and It's rude to push."
Dinner was just ending anyhow, so it wasn't that big of a deal when K gave Kitty as kind of a smile as she knew how and then gave Logan a lingering kiss before she turned to Kate. "Do you mind taking a walk with me? Storm was asking about horseback riding lessons, and I haven't looked in the barn to see if it's even possible this fall."
Kate nodded quickly and followed K's lead, giving Kurt a quick kiss as well before she all but skipped out of the room after her friend, glad for the reprieve on the questioning front.
As soon as they were out of the mansion, Kate slipped her arm through K's and gave her a bit of a side hug. "Where were you at Jubilee's wedding? I could have used your help," she breathed out, not wanting to admit that Kitty scared her even though she knew K could probably scent it.
"I believe I was dancing with your Elf — or … at least, I was entertaining him. He was laughing himself sick after he teleported us about half a dozen times and I couldn't stand up without his help. Rude," K said with a shake of her head.
"As he keeps reminding me when he annoys me — he is half-demon," Kate pointed out with a chuckle.
"He just found it so amusing that I get more dizzy than Logan," K laughed.
"Well, he was already in a good mood. He loves officiating," Kate said, shrugging her shoulders. "You were just the cherry on the cake, my friend."
"Always glad to be of service," K said before they reached the barn. "How hard is his head spinning right now?" She pulled open the barn door and watched Kate's expression as they stepped inside.
Kate giggled a little bit. "You should see him. This morning was particularly hilarious, because he switched decisions halfway through his — oh, what, twelfth version of his best man speech? Scrapped it and started writing opening remarks before he changed his mind again."
"He should slow down," K said seriously. "It's not happening any time soon."
"Maybe, but every time I tell him that, he just gives me this look." Kate deepened her voice and put on a passable imitation of Kurt's accent. "I just want to make sure I have this perfect — it may take some time anyway, and I want to get it right."
K let out a sigh and made a point to look at the dusty stalls as she weighed it out. "I told Logan the same thing," she said. "I am in no rush at all. Scott's kids could be starting school before I'll even consider it."
"So why'd you say yes?" Kate asked, genuinely curious. "If you don't want to marry him?"
"I didn't say I didn't want to. I just don't want to right now." She waved her hand and scrunched her brow. "I have avoided this entirely forever. I just don't trust the marriage thing. Too close to needing permission or ... ownership."
"That's… way old-fashioned," Kate said with a bit of a frown. "But, considering the man in question, I get the point. You're wrong, but I get the point."
"I can remember before women were allowed to vote," K told her quietly. "Permission is an issue for me. And he's older than I am."
Kate stopped and considered her for a moment before she just nodded. "Yeah, okay. That makes sense. I mean — for back then — but for you and him…." She shrugged. "Yeah. If he ever starts treating you that way, you'll tell me so I can hit him, right? You know, girl power and all that?"
"I won't need anyone to hit him for me," she said with a smirk. "I can do that just fine myself if need be."
"Yeah, but I'd like in on it too," Kate said, grinning.
K gave her a dry sort of smirk before she shrugged Kate's way. "What about you? You told me a little. But not how it applies to this one. Do you want to keep him?"
"For as long as he's interested, yeah," Kate said honestly, her voice growing a little quieter as she thought of it thanks to the honest terror right down to her bones that she was actually starting to get frustrated by.
"So if that ends up being fifty, sixty years? You okay not being married to him that far down the road?" K asked.
Kate scuffed the ground with one foot. "Maybe somewhere in there I'd like to… maybe. But he'll probably get tired before that."
"Have you seen the way he looks at you?" K asked, one eyebrow raised. "He's just waiting for you to be okay with the idea. He's in it for the long haul."
"K, I've been to about twenty weddings for girls I went to school with, and do you know how long they last?" Kate asked suddenly, this time without the frustrating hesitation to her tone.
"And did those guys treat them like he treats you?"
"Some of them did. Right up until the vows. And then — bye bye trust fund."
"I know the type," K said with a nod. "And, as stated on record — I can smell a lie. That boy? Doesn't lie. He doesn't deceive. He just doesn't. Not to his friends anyhow. Still think he's going to screw you over for money? Ask him to sign a prenup. I bet he'd do it in a heartbeat. Doubt he'd even read it."
Kate rubbed the back of her neck for a moment. "I don't… It's not that I think he'd do that."
"I get it," K said, relaxing her shoulders a bit more and looking totally calm. "Really. I do. Believe me — out of everyone here — I get it. But if you really wanna keep him? Paper him. Skip the wedding if that's the scary part, but give him a piece of paper to feel all warm and fuzzy over."
Kate was quiet for a bit as she looked at the ground before, finally, she looked up at K with a bit of a smirk. "I thought you were supposed to be protecting me from the cross-examination."
"Oh, I am," K said. "I'm not cross-examining you. Consider me your defense lawyer. I have at least one other client that'll vouch for me in that realm. But when it's you and me? I'm going to give you what I think."
"Fair enough," Kate admitted. She pushed back her bangs and then let out a breath. "So... if it's just you and me? Logan's a good friend, and he's never once treated me like other people — even freaking Captain America — have treated me. I doubt he'd treat you like a possession. Just my opinion."
"And just between you and me? In that regard, you're probably right. But for us? 'Till death' can be a lot longer than it can be for everyone else. I gotta be a little less nervous about the end result."
Kate snorted out a bit of a laugh and shook her head. "It's kinda not fair that your reasons are so much better than mine. Just so you know."
"I've had a long time to build my reasons up," K told her. "I am vintage, sweetheart."
Kate laughed and threaded her arm through K's. "I love vintage," she said with a grin.
"You know ... I have some … originals you might be interested in. Hidden away at my little cottage. I think you might appreciate them, my little fashion queen."
Kate broke into a huge smile. "Next time we need a girls' getaway, that is so happening."
"I only have one designer I ever liked — and it's all custom sized for me, or it was. But ... you can see what might be useable for you. Couple inches won't matter on some of it."
"Oh, no, I'm not going to touch it. I just need to see... " Kate had a wide grin on. "You're looking at the girl who designed her entire team's look."
"You're going to want to touch it," K told her with a smile. "Silk, all of it from Paris in the '30's. Custom from Madame Coco."
Kate's eyes were wide. "You're kidding me."
"Only designer I ever liked," K said. "She smoked like a chimney and was sassy as all get out."
"You can't tell, because I'm trying to play it cool, but I've never been this jealous in my life," Kate said, the grin somehow getting even wider than before and threatening to split her face.
"Well I guess we need a reason to go to the cottage then," K said. "Even if we don't bring the boys. I'll show you how to do your hair right."
As soon as the door had closed behind K and Kate on their way to the stables, Kitty turned to Kurt and let out a huff. "You got a minute? I really need to talk to you. Alone."
Kurt tilted his head at her for a moment with one eyebrow raised high before he said, "Of course. I always have a minute for you, katzchen."
She gave him a warm smile, and in a moment, after a poof of blue smoke, the two of them were walking arm in arm in Ororo's gardens. "I may have been giving Kate a hard time," Kitty started out. "And it occurred to me that maybe I was picking too hard? And going about this the wrong way."
"It can be a delicate subject," Kurt said with a little nod, guessing already where she was going, considering the dinner conversation.
"Do you want to marry her?" Kitty asked outright as she turned his way to watch his reaction for herself. "I know you care for her, but do you actually want to?"
He smiled warmly at her for a moment and nodded. "I'd like nothing more ... but it does make things easier knowing where she stands," he admitted.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Kitty asked. "Doesn't she love you?"
"Yes," Kurt said, leaning forward a bit to look her squarely. "And I her."
"Then what does that mean, 'knowing where she stands'? She doesn't believe in marriage? Doesn't … what? What's the problem? I don't get it."
Kurt sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Katzchen," he said cajolingly. "You know as well as I do that — considering my father, I can't exactly…." He trailed off and shrugged, suddenly more uncomfortable. "And that is much less of an issue if she doesn't want to get married."
"Your father isn't stopping you from getting married," Kitty said. "And why wouldn't she want to marry you?"
Kurt laughed quietly. "One of her friends tried to explain it to me once. She talked in circles for half an hour, and I'm still not sure I understood it," he admitted. "But I think it was something about the fact that her father very likely killed her mother for a divorce? As I understand it."
"Oh," Kitty said, letting out a sigh. "She's one of those kids." She relaxed into him as she squeezed his arm. "Well, that just means she's not ready yet. I'll be nice. Now that I know."
"I'm sure she'll appreciate it," Kurt said, smiling quietly before he leaned over to kiss her forehead. "But I appreciate you looking out for my best interests."
For a moment, the two of them simply walked arm-in-arm together through the gardens after that, enjoying the time together as old friends, before Kitty came to a stop and turned Kurt's way. "Other matters are at hand now that I know what's going on with you and the lady Hawkeye," she said. "And I am fully enlisting your help in this one. K." Kitty paused to take a breath before she continued, leaning closer to him before she started in a much more hushed tone. "You know, Jubilee and I are under the impression that K has no intentions of actually marrying Logan, right?"
Kurt raised both eyebrows high. "What gives you that idea?" he asked, his tail switching behind him as it was clear the idea had him annoyed.
"She was ready to run at the first mention of anything even close to a wedding, and now? It's like she's figured out how to get everyone off her back. Nothing has changed. She doesn't even have a ring — and there is nothing that's different outside of the title. Or am I wrong?"
Kurt frowned for a moment. "No, you aren't wrong," he said softly, thinking about how the two ferals seemed perfectly content to more or less continue on as they were.
"So ... we need to get that woman to either do the right thing — or leave him alone."
Kurt nodded thoughtfully. "Do you two already have a plan for what you'd like me to do to help?" he asked with a slowly growing smile.
"We'd like for Logan to be happy. We don't want to chase off someone that could actually be good for him that he's fallen for. I mean, his record, Kurt. So, we really just want to try to get her to pick a stupid date. Any date. Think you can work that out? I tried to kick it off, but she just … she shot me down. And I'm pretty sure she knows Storm is trying to come up with more reasons to keep her here."
Kurt nodded. "I'll do what I can — for both her and Logan," he promised.
Kurt had stayed to see Kitty off, so when he got back to his room, Kate was already in her pajamas, brushing out her wet hair. She looked up when he came in, grinned, waved her fingers, and then went back to brushing her hair again, even though it was well brushed out, her gaze somewhere else as she was clearly thinking something over.
He changed as well and waited for her to finish washing her face before she climbed in beside him with a little smile and laid her head on his chest. "Hi there," she said as she rested her arm across his middle. "You been waiting long?"
He shook his head at her and kissed the top of her head. "Not very long," he told her. "I didn't want to interrupt whatever it was you were thinking about. You looked lost in it."
She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "You know how it is when you go chasing a train of thought," she said lightly.
"I don't suppose you were planning out how to get the barn set up for K's riding classes?" he asked carefully, and Kate looked surprised for a moment before she just shook her head.
"I — uh — don't actually know if she's going to do the class for sure or not. Maybe… we'll ask her if she's talked to Storm over coffee tomorrow?"
Kurt smiled her way for a moment. "I thought that's what you were helping her with in the barn?"
"Oh yeah…" Kate shrugged one shoulder. "Well, we went to the barn? But then the conversation sort of… got away from us. That was our bad."
"Sounds terribly interesting then," Kurt said, realizing that Kitty was probably right. K knew that Storm was trying to add reasons for her to stay, and like the marriage issue, she was tap dancing around it beautifully. "Anything you can share?"
Kate thought it over for a moment and then let out a sigh. "Well, she was telling me about how she was around before women had the right to vote. But on the other hand, she has some vintage dresses I'm totally stealing designs from."
"Why would you steal vintage designs?" he asked with a frown. "And did she mention how old she actually was?"
"No to the second question — and because I am made of vintage, honey," Kate said with a smile. "I'm an archer."
Kurt laughed a bit and kissed the top of her head. "That's all? What in the world had the conversation on the right to vote?"
Kate chewed the words over for a moment, not wanting to give too much away. "Um ... Kitty, actually. The whole dinner conversation. We were talking about how it was back then. You know. Women were property, that sort of thing," she tried to explain.
"You're going to have to walk me there a little bit. I'm clearly not following you," he said, letting out a sigh.
Kate shifted slightly beside him and just snuggled in a bit more as she thought over her answer. "Well, I mean, Kitty's been pushing K on setting a date, so I asked her what her thoughts were on marriage anyway? And she pointed out that she was around when marriage was more or less ownership, not … what it is now." She let out a sigh. "So she has a bit of an issue with the idea of possession in marriage, things like that."
Kurt suddenly got it a lot more than he had expected to. "That ... makes sense," he said as his body relaxed a bit. "But that's not how it is now. At all. And that's not how he is. Has she considered a date?"
"Not really," Kate said. "I think she wanted to be a little more… sure of what she was doing, she said. Like ... if she's going to spend the rest of her unnaturally long life with someone? She wants to be sure sure."
"She's being nervous," Kurt said with a little smile.
"Yeah, she kind of is," Kate admitted.
"We need to ease her mind then," Kurt said, grinning outright.
"You got any plans on how to do that, sneaky little Elf of mine?" Kate teased, seeing his expression.
"Not yet," he said, grinning wider. "But at least I know what the problem is."
Kate smirked at him for a moment. "Doing your best man duty, then?"
"I think she'll do it with a little … help." He looked down at her. "Do you know what she's been doing in her training time — outside of scaring the stuff out of Scott?"
"Pretty sure she queued up some stuff with Sabretooth," Kate said with a shrug. "At least, that's what she mentioned the other day."
"That's all she's doing," Kurt said. "She's making Logan coach her — but not help. She renamed his Sabretooth sim 'little bitch'. And she's learning how to fight him alone."
Kate laughed outright. "Well that's one way to get back at him," she chuckled.
"She's the only one who's wanted to take him on herself. Anyone else would be trying to hide behind Logan," Kurt said with a pleased smirk.
"That's a good sign for Logan," Kate pointed out. "Got himself a girlfriend who can keep up."
"Keep up, yes, that's what it is," Kurt laughed. "My little princess who slayed her own dragon." He kissed the top of her head again. "I'm only grateful that America didn't have access to any of the proof of what happened."
"Can you imagine?" Kate shook her head and laughed. "I'd never live it down. Neither would you, but oh man."
"I'm just imagining her laughter over how you two were supposed to be the pretty accessories and it was Logan and I that ended up mostly watching the show," Kurt grinned. "You girls put us to shame."
"You boys were just too slow," Kate agreed as she kissed his jaw. "The outfits were cute, though. I liked the pirate coat."
"I wasn't sure what yours was, to be honest," Kurt said.
"That's because K helped me get out of most of it while we were still in the brig. The corset just about killed me when I woke up. No oxygen."
"The third outfit was fun too," Kurt grinned.
"Oh yeah, that was when you started going shirtless," Kate laughed. "Good look for you, handsome."
He just laughed and kissed her into the pillows. "You were drugged. You can't remember that much."
"There was a fuzzy blue shirtless elf. What more could I possibly need to remember?" she teased him as she pulled him closer to kiss him right back.