"How was she fed?" Dr. Kavita Rao demanded, the brown eyes behind her rectangular glasses wide with skepticism. It was as if the fact that Kitty was alive was not proof enough that she had survived the experience, but given the lack of acknowledgement the doctor awarded the brunette and the way she spoke as if she wasn't standing within two feet of her, in easy earshot, maybe she really was ignoring the evidence.

She had been called in two days after Kitty had woken up, after Hank and everyone else's best efforts to explain her continued intangibility had failed. For one of the so-called leading experts in the mutant genetics, Kitty thought her contribution so far had been pretty lousy. But, then again, her opinion may have been swayed by the fact that she still held Dr. Rao accountable for what had been done to Illyana whilst everyone had thought she was dead.

"She wasn't. She had no food or water, produced no waste matter, and neither her hair or fingernails grew. We still aren't entirely sure whether she continued to breathe throughout the three months," Hank explained. Kitty couldn't tell if the way he was rubbing the space between his eyebrows was in frustration with Kavita, or over the fact that they still didn't have an answer.

Kitty could sympathise with both of those possibilities. For the last three days she had been moved back and forth between the tube she stood in now, and the stasis chamber that she had spent the last three months in, and still no one was any closer to explaining what exactly had happened to her, and why she wasn't able to solidify. It probably didn't help that they couldn't run any tests on her while she was phased. They couldn't take any blood samples or check her pulse or even take her temperature. They had tried cutting off a piece of her hair using magickally-altered scissors in order to examine if there were any changes in her DNA, but that had proved completely inconclusive. She disrupted any CT scans she was run through, or else the magick used to keep her inside the scanner did, and the X-rays had shown not a single bone—as if she really was a ghost.

She was getting tired of watching and listening to the scientists beat their heads together over all the hows. She just wanted to be solid again.

"What about her heart? Was it beating? Were there any eye movements? Did she make any sounds?" Dr. Rao's questions were as relentless as those all the others had asked, but Kitty supposed that apart from the team of S.W.O.R.D. scientists Brand had sent, she was the only one who had any right to ask them. Everyone else, Hank, Reed, Tony, had been there. They already had all the study notes, and yet they had been just as fruitless in their attempt to find an answer that held up.

"We had no way to measure her heart rate, and no one noticed any movements or sounds. Given that she's unable to make any verbal sounds now, I'm inclined to believe that that is a consequence of her intangibility. As sound is produced by the oscillations of vocal cords and vibrations through a connecting medium, it's likely that in this state, Kitty's vocal cords simply have no effect on the air, resulting in us being unable to hear her as much as her being unable to speak."

"But she can hear us, correct? So the vibration we cause are still able to affect the bones, hairs and fluid in her ears," Kavita pointed out.

Hank grimaced, "That is something I have no explanation for, other than to suggest that there is a kind of one-way mirror effect happening, where Kitty is affected by the world but unable to affect it herself, which makes little sense if she is wholly intangible."

Kavita seemed as satisfied as she could be with that, at least. It wasn't the main problem, after all, though a better reason may have been able to shed more light on the predicament. She was only contemplative for a few seconds before she put her theory forward, one that Kitty had heard countless times before, from numerous mouths.

"Considering the events Katherine experienced prior to succumbing to the coma-like state you're describing, I would propose that it was the result of an acquired brain injury. That could have occurred from the excessive use of her powers, or from the pain you reported she experienced when she passed through any material on Breakworld, which may have been doing damage to her body—and brain—at a cellular level. That damage could also be effecting her control over her mutation now. As we can't run any further tests, it is impossible to tell whether this is the correct explanation. And it still fails to explain how she is alive today when she had no sustenance to speak of while in that state."

Hank was like a voice recording, the way he rattled off his reply to that.

"I admit that before Kitty awoke, I was unsure of whether she was alive at all anymore, or if she ever had been. But now that she has regained consciousness and nevertheless appears healthy while still not experiencing hunger or dehydration, I believe her sustained... existence, for lack of a better word, is more to do, again, with her intangibility. It appears that she is able to sustain herself, somehow."

Kitty really wished they would move on from the how she was alive to the how to fix her already. It had only been three days and she was already tired of the no-eating, no-drinking, no-sleeping, no-talking, no-touching routine. She was quickly discovering that with those restrictions in place, there wasn't much else to do in a day, and even more day to not do anything in. But while Hank may have been right about her feeling no hunger, that didn't mean she had no desire to eat. Putting anything in her mouth would be better than doing nothing.

The tube they had her in wasn't even interesting. It was glass all the way around, magickally reinforced so she could neither walk out or fall though, and it was so tall and narrow that her shoulders bumped against it whenever she so much as shifted her weight. Kitty thought they could that least have set up a television screen for her, like they did on the back of car seats, or even propped one up in front of the tube. At least that way she could have tuned out the useless drabble and caught up on the TV she had missed.

A TV would have been a nice way to keep her thoughts occupied, too. All too often did they turn to what-ifs—the main one being, what if she was stuck this way for good? She didn't want to think about what her life would be like if that was the case. It had been bad enough when she was younger, when Moira had had to keep her from deteriorating to the point where she would cease to exist at all. The techniques Dr. McTaggert had used then hadn't worked this time, and neither had the molecular reintegration device that Reed and Dr. Doom had used to return her to solidity then either.

Kitty didn't know what was worse, the prospect of her atoms slowly drifting apart until she was no more, or the idea of living the rest of her life—possibly longer, because how would she ever die?—unable to touch or speak. Three days of that had already been enough. She supposed the fact that she wasn't dead yet, even after three months, was a good sign, but it could only console her so much.

She didn't want to die. And she didn't want Illyana—or anyone—to feel obligated to stay with her for the rest of her days if she could never be what she had been before.

Thinking about those two roads stretched out before her, as she had done last night, had revealed to her one other thing she could do. She could cry. It was a decent way to relieve the frustration that came from being so completely helpless, and the loneliness that resulted in only being able to use wild, exaggerated gestures to communicate. But it also only exacerbated those feelings, and when she was done, she only had her hands to use to wipe her face.

Now, she tried her best to clamp down on those thoughts whenever they stirred within her, but given how much time she had on her hands, they nevertheless remained unfortunately frequent.

When she tuned back in, Hank and Kavita were still talking, and it was all things she had heard before. If it was brain damage or she had simply forgotten how, the only way for her to regain solidity was to train—which was completely impossible unless training involved her sitting in her stasis chamber and thinking really hard about being solid, and she had done enough of that already. No one could force her to become solid, given that no telepath could enter her head; and her brain damage, if it existed, couldn't be healed unless she was able to be touched. No one had been able to come up with anything else, apart from the space-suit like get up that Tony and Reed were working on, which would merely act like a skin-tight version of the tube she was currently in, and which would theoretically allow her to speak.

Kitty would believe that when it happened.


In the lab down the hall from where Kitty was being held, Illyana stood front and center with the suit that had been specially designed for Kitty's current predicament. Her eyes were aglow with a bright blue that matched the light emitting from her fingertips as she ran them down the suit. She started at the neck and down the arms, then around the torso and back, to the legs and feet. The fibers of the outfit glittered like electricity moving through a circuit, the only physical indicator that her enchantment spell worked even though she herself had no use for a visual cue. She could feel the magickal energies radiating from it and it didn't matter if anyone else could tell or not, not even Tony and Reed.

They may have been some of Earth's greatest scientific minds, but she would always be their superior when it came to magick; they had no right or place to question her. In way of helping Kitty's actual condition, they were useless. All of theirs and the other's attempts to not only bring Kitty out of her coma, but restore her to solidity as well, had failed. She may not have made this suit herself, but it was her enchantment that was going to make it functional and she knew Kitty would be glad to have it.

She knew her lover was growing increasingly frustrated with being unable to speak or touch things or even leave the containment tube or the stasis chamber and by the abyss, Illyana was tired of it, too. Not because she wanted to be able to speak with her, to finally hear her voice again and to touch her without using her armor, but because she didn't want to see Kitty like that anymore. She wanted her to be truly happy again, wanted her to be able to recover, and for Illyana to be able to finally show her their daughter.

There were multiple reasons why she hadn't done it yet. First of all, she wanted to do it while the two were alone together, where she could properly explain the entire situation. Although Magik knew she could have very easily brought the infant up to the infirmary and done it there, she also knew that revealing Nadya to Kitty while she couldn't hold her would only upset her. It was getting difficult trying to explain why she had to constantly leave and come back when there were no S.W.O.R.D. agents on Utopia and no real reason why Illyana had to be in her cell. More than that, she hated having to effectively lie to her lover about it. She didn't think Kitty would hold it against her, but it didn't make her anymore comfortable with it. Not about something this big and this life-changing.

Still, she couldn't deny that the idea of seeing a smile on Kitty's face when she met Nadya beat the hell out seeing the disheartened frown that would come with the brunette being unable to hold her. It was worth the wait and almost, almost worth withholding the truth. Even if, within the suit, Kitty wouldn't be able to feel how soft and warm her skin was, or smell that deliciously clean scent that she had come to realize babies had—they weren't always stinky. She would at least be able to feel her weight in her arms, and that had to be better than nothing.

With the suit finished and enchanted, there was no reason for her to wait any longer. Gripping it tightly in her hands, she turned to the door. The trip down the hall to Tony and Reed was delightfully short and when the pressure-locked doors whooshed open before her, she didn't even bother to fully step into the room.

"The suit is done," she told them, but when both men eagerly stood from their seats, she simply shook her head. Tony opened his mouth to protest, but before even a sound could leave his lips, Illyana quickly interjected with. "No. I'll take it to her. There's no need for you to come with me."

And she was pleasantly surprised when they relented without any further arguments. It was just as well, too, because with this huge step forward for Kitty being just within her reach now, she didn't much feel like sticking around to fight with them. They would argue, she would send them somewhere they wouldn't want to be, and then she'd have to listen to everyone's yelling about how she "isn't supposed to do that" and she just didn't have time for that. It was better this way, with them staying quiet and letting her do what she wanted to do.

Walking down the hall, she could see that the infirmary room where Kitty had been residing for the last few months was empty save for the woman in question. The doors parted to allowed her inside and she barely managed to get two steps in before she raised the suit up for Kitty to see, a grin spreading across her face.

Kitty was sitting in the bottom of her containment tube, where Hank and Kavita had left her while they went to the lab. But at the sound of the infirmary doors opening, she lifted her gaze from the floor. Just seeing the excited look Illyana wore lit up her own features. She climbed to her feet, her palms pressed eagerly against the glass as her girlfriend walked towards her.

"Step back," Illyana told her, motioning with a simple forward tilt of her head. She pressed the button just off to the side of tube and after a few moments' delay, the lock released and the glass door slid open. With a deep breath through her nose, her Eldritch armor formed over her body like it did every time she came to see her lover here and she took a step closer to the small, enclosed chamber. She propped her foot up on the bottom of the door's threshold, the suit held securely in both of her hands, "I'll help you put it on."

As much as she didn't want to get her hopes up that the suit would work, Kitty was already itching to try it—just in case it did. She didn't waste any time reaching for it, and when her hand closed around the material as solidly as any other piece of clothing she would normally handle, the relief she felt was profound. It swelled in her chest as she took it from Illyana's hands, lifting it up herself, holding it against her body to make sure it would fit.

The fabric didn't feel much different from how her uniform felt, if a little thicker. Other than the fact that it would help her be solid, theoretically, her favorite part was the color—yellow and black, just like her uniform. She didn't know whose idea that had been, but she was grateful for it nonetheless. The arms were long, not ending until they formed gloves, just like the legs went straight into boots, with the feet made of tougher rubber. What looked like a hood-come-pull-over-mask hung from the neck, and there was a heaviness around the collar, a metal device she guessed would help give rise to her voice. Cautious, she made sure not to touch that with any part of her body, in case she shorted out whatever electrical device was going to make it work.

Once her appraisal was done, Kitty raised her gaze to meet Illyana's again, her smile even bigger this time. She gestured at the stasis chamber behind the blonde and it didn't take a genius to figure out what Kitty wanted. So, Illyana took no time to reach out to her girlfriend with both of her arms, bracing herself for the added weight.

Kitty didn't resist as Illyana lifted her up, her suit clutched tightly in one hand when she wrapped them around her lover's neck. Her legs lifted too, wrapping around Illyana's waist for added support. Carefully, Magik carried her across the room to the stasis chamber they'd kept Kitty in while she'd been unconscious. She hoisted her up until she could put her feet down on the floor of it and then she, too, climbed up into it.

Kitty caught herself before she could try and verbally organise their efforts. Instead, she had to make do with gestures and hoping they knew each other well enough by now that Illyana would understand. Holding the suit up by its shoulders, she held it out to her girlfriend. The Russian took it, holding it up at roughly the same height at which Kitty stood, intently watching for the next cue.

For now, that was all Kitty needed from her. She pulled the zipper down in one fluid motion, rested one hand on Illyana's armored shoulder, and tried to step in to the suit. It was clear almost immediately that it wasn't going to be that easy. She was still wearing the same uniform she had worn on Breakworld, boots and all, and there was no way they were going to fit inside the suit.

With a silent huff of irritation, she stepped back, thinking it might be better if she not only took her shoes off, but the rest of her uniform as well. She had been wearing it for far too long already, and though it was comfortable enough, the opportunity to get out of it was appealing.

Abruptly, Kitty sat down on her ass, bending her knees so she could yank her boots off one at a time. Her feet seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. But, as soon as she put them down, she realised with a start that she wouldn't be able to put them back on—she couldn't even touch them. Somewhat dismayed but not completely put out, she pushed herself back up her her feet to rid herself of the rest of her uniform.

Despite the fact that any of her teammates—or even Tony or Reed—could walk in to the infirmary and see her stripping down to her underwear at any moment, Kitty was more concerned about where Illyana's gaze was. As she shrugged the spandex from her shoulders, she was hyperaware of their proximity, and found herself absolutely powerless to stop the self-conscious blush that lit up her cheeks and spread out across her collarbone.

Illyana wasn't as fussed about it, and even though an amused smile twinged at the corners of her lips, she didn't tease the other woman—though she did think about it—and instead chose to ignore the red hue her lover's skin had taken. "I can help you," she offered, her head tipping to the side to emphasize her question.

Slowly, almost shyly, Kitty lifted her face to Illyana. A grin crawled across her lips, and her eyebrows lifted as if to say "go on". The blonde hung the suit over her shoulder and turned her attention to Shadowcat's uniform. Armored fingers tugged the zipper as low as it could go, and then she grabbed the end of one sleeve and tugged to pull it down her arm.

Although it theoretically shouldn't have been any harder to get out of her uniform now than it usually was, Kitty was glad for the help. Having Illyana undress her, even if there wasn't anything sexual about it, was undoubtedly the most intimate they had been able to be since she had woken up. It made everything seem just a little more normal.

Kitty shook her arm out of the first sleeve, and managed to yank her other one out of the second, then she lifted both of her arms up as if to surrender the rest of the work to her lover. Illyana gladly took over from there, gripping onto the sides of the uniform that were already hanging loose around the brunette's waist. She slowly lowered herself down to her knees as she peeled the material over the curve of her ass and then down her legs until the uniform was in a pool at her feet. Yana tapped the side of the older girl's leg, a silent indicator for her to step out of it. With her hands on the blonde's shoulders, Kitty took the hint, sliding one foot out at a time until all she was left in was her underwear.

Illyana raised back up to her full height and pulled the suit from over her shoulder. She held it back down to Kitty, her eyebrows lifting as a way of silently letting her know that she'd continue to help if she needed it.

This time, when Kitty tried to step into the suit, she was much more successful. It was tight, but no more so than a pair of skinny jeans would be, and given that she was going to have to live in the thing, she was glad. The tighter it was, the closer she would conceivably be to actually touching people.

Once both her legs were in, she shimmied the material up her waist. The speaking device clunked against her body, and she winced, half expecting it to go right through her. But it didn't. Illyana had done a good job.

She managed to get it all the way on herself this time, and made sure she had comfortably arranged her underwear inside it—she didn't want to be walking around with a twisted bra strap, or worse, a wedgie, for the rest of however-long-she-had-to-wear-this-thing. When Kitty was done, save for the mask, she turned around to present the zipper at the back to Illyana. The blonde pinched it between her fingers and tugged it up, sealing her girlfriend inside of the suit.

She stepped away from her to give her more space to turn around then, a broad, toothy grin forming on her face, "How does it feel?"

Without the hood pulled up, the speaking device still hung somewhat loosely around her neck, and Kitty had to lift it up to position it in front of her mouth. She licked her lips and felt her stomach constrict with nerves. She wondered if she should say something more meaningful, given that these were the first words Illyana would hear from her for months, but Kitty's mind was suddenly blank, and all she could do was answer the question, "It's good."

Her voice was echoey and metallic because of the microphone she spoke through, but it was still her voice and it still made Illyana's chest swell with relief. She let out a soft, breathy laugh to go with the wide grin that tore across her face and lurched forward, wrapping her arms around her lover as tightly as she could, "I am so glad you're back."

Kitty had to squeeze her arm out from between their bodies so she could wrap both of them around Illyana, and she was conscious of the fact that she hadn't covered her face yet, but she still hugged the blonde back just as tightly. It didn't last long though, because she wanted the full deal.

She lifted the microphone up to her mouth again, "Get rid of your armor."

Smile still firmly in place, Illyana complied without a moment's hesitation. Her armor drew back from her fingers, up her arms and over her shoulders while simultaneously crawling up her legs and up over her waist, returning to its mysterious origin in a matter of seconds and Illyana much to her delight, she found that Kitty was still solid in her arms.

Kitty pulled back to give herself just enough room to pull the hood up over her head and position the mask over her face. Her hair stuck out on the sides, and she hoped Illyana would be able to magick her up an elastic later, but right now she couldn't care less. She closed the distance between their bodies again and tucked her head into the groove between her lover's neck and shoulder. Her voice cracked when, into the microphone now properly positioned at her neck, she said, "Better."

They stayed that way for a long time, simply soaking in each other's presence, in what it felt like to hold each other again. Even though Kitty had her voice back, there was no need for words, and they let a comfortable silence linger between them, interrupted only once by a choked sob that caught in the brunette's throat and made Illyana tighten her hold on her.

But eventually, without pulling away, the blonde spoke up. "Katya?" She started, as if there was really a need to get her attention first, "There is someone I want you to meet."