Chapter 4 - Totally Busted

There had been an early snowstorm a couple days before Thanksgiving, and most of the kids at the school were sure to take advantage of the fun weather for a snowball fight and some winter fun.

It had been especially entertaining when Kaleb had suggested to Chloe that they both should be team captains - he must have known she couldn't resist the challenge. The two of them had been hilarious to watch, because Chloe took the game seriously and Kaleb seemed to think the snowball battle was the perfect excuse to 'port around and tease Chloe.

"You're going to make your team lose," Chloe accused him after he had teleported behind their fort and ended up getting totally swamped by Zoe.

Kaleb grinned up at her, still brushing the snow out of his fur. "I picked good teammates," he defended.

Chloe rolled her eyes at him and then shoved a handful of snow down the back of his shirt, which prompted a yelp and a full-body shiver. "Give up yet?"

"You are mean," Kaleb accused her. "And the worst part is that you know you're mean!"

"You're the one who likes it," Zoe pointed out. "Or you wouldn't keep coming over here."

Kaleb grinned crookedly up at the girls. "What are you talking about?" he asked with a falsely innocent tone. "I'm just playing distraction for my team."

Almost on cue, several of the kids on Kaleb's side rushed over the side of the fort, and the snowball fight turned into instead a huge whitewashing battle. "Cute boy distraction," Kari laughed delightedly.

"Evil, evil genius," Chloe accused Kaleb, and he grinned even wider.

"Oh yeah. Totally. It has to come out sometimes."

Logan and K were in a good mood, seeing as his birthday was right around the corner, and they'd managed to set things up so that they could take a few days off and disappear alone- though no one outside of Scott knew as much on staff.

Not yet anyhow. But the promise of disappearing and acting a little freer had them fooling around more in the little hidey holes that both of them had discovered over the years hidden around the estate. They were slipping back into the house through the hangar to get out of the snow when both of them froze. It was clear, scent-wise, that they weren't the only ones taking advantage of the early blizzard, and as soon as the giggles began and the troublemakers started to climb out of the spaceship, Logan had decided he wasn't going to let it pass.

"Hold it," he called out, loud and clear.

Both Sying and Penny froze, though Sying was the faster one to recover as he turned Logan's way. "Hey, Grandpa Wolvie."

"Don't gimmie that crap," Logan half growled. "You're too young to be this stupid." He gestured for both of them to head inside. "I can't let it slide, kiddo."

Sying looked honestly surprised by that, and Penny looked like the world was crashing down because they both knew they were in a heap of trouble. "But… I thought you knew already," Sying said.

"I did," Logan said with a nod. "But I hadn't caught on to where you two were being stupid. Showering before you left the ship was a nice touch, by the way."

Both of the teenagers still looked like deer in the headlights as they glanced at each other and then at Logan. "She likes me," Penny offered quietly, gesturing to the ship.

Logan gave her a dry look, and K took Penny by the elbow. "Come on; we're gonna have to sit down and talk about this. Officially."

Sying watched the two ladies head off with still-wide eyes before he turned back to Logan. "I'm not too young," he defended. "I'm old enough to be taking college courses."

"If you feel like you gotta sneak around, you're too young."

Sying crossed his arms. "Yeah, because you and Grammy K definitely don't hide away either."

Logan shook his head. "Do you really think that's why we go play around outside? Cause I promise you, kiddo. We ain't hidin' it."

Sying kept his arms crossed. "No, I'm just saying, it's like taking her home, isn't it? For me?" he argued.

Logan chuckled. "Cute angle. We'll see what the judge has to say about it."

Sying lost a little of his defiant look. "Oh, come on!"

"You just compared your teenage teenie bopper drama to a longstanding marriage. I'm not hearin' it."

"That's not - I was just trying to point out-"

"Keep in mind that Scott's asked us to take it elsewhere. Repeatedly. To keep it away from the impressionable kids. You? You're hidin' it." Logan shook his head at the kid. He was trying so hard … and barking up the entirely wrong tree.

"But I like her," Sying burst out.

"Then why're you treatin' it like a dirty little secret?"

"I … I'm not?"

Logan gave him a look and shook his head slowly as he pushed open the door to his office, where Jubilee was sitting and waiting for him. "Hey punkin'," Logan called out.

Jubilee grinned up at him and then tipped her head to the side when she saw Sying. "Hey, what's up? I thought this was a birthday thing!"

"It was; things change," Logan said, closing the door behind the group of them. "You'll never guess where I found him hidden away with his little girlfriend. Alone. Guilty."

Jubilee glared toward Sying, who shrank back a bit with his shoulders up, which really only confirmed it. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Kinda sunk my mood too," Logan told her, filling his seat when she popped out of it.

"I like her a lot," Sying tried to defend himself. "And we work on my ship all the time."

Logan let out a little laugh at that but didn't elaborate on it at all while Jubilee fumed. "Not anymore you won't," Jubilee promised.

"But Mom!"

"But nothing," Jubilee said. "You're fifteen."

"That's how old Uncles Billy and Teddy were when they got together!" he argued. "And I'm older than that anyway."

"Not on this planet," Jubilee said, narrowing her eyes at him as Noh came sliding through the door, obviously rushing in response to Jubilee's projected message.

Sying put his hands on his hips as he found himself outnumbered. "Fine!" he said, matching his mom's expression. "I won't sneak around anymore - I'll just carry her off!"

Logan cringed and got up from his chair. "Take all the time you need, Jubes," he said low as he passed her by. "Good luck."

Sying was pretty worn out after more or less playing pack mule for Annie and his mom all day to prepare for the big Thanksgiving feast and the Christmas decorating after that and the birthday party they were hitting James and Logan with in between… he'd been the go-fer for pretty much two days now, and he was starting to think his mom was just making stuff up for him to do at this point just so he'd be too busy to see Penny - who was in trouble with her own parents at home for the holidays anyway, so he wasn't going to run off to find her either.

He was still kind of sore about the whole thing, too, because it wasn't like he was the only one his age messing around. And he liked Penny. Unlike some people he could mention. At least they were actually interested in each other, and it wasn't like he was taking advantage or anything. She was the one who pushed more than he did.

So he was kind of in a bad mood just lying out on the couch and generally pouting, sure that his parents and grandparents were overreacting and that they wouldn't have been this freaked out if it was someone else. There were plenty of other kids doing the exact same thing.

But when Elin came down to the living room, he tipped his head a bit her way and took his headphones out. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied before she dropped into the seat nearest him. "Want to get some sushi? Kurt said he'd pick some up if I asked nicely."

"That's the only way I can get sushi, considering how grounded I am," he grumped.

"You and me both," she said with a sad little smile. "Though I'm not technically grounded. Just … overly busy. Team practices, lessons with Kitty and Rachel, private lessons with Dad … ugh."

"Must be nice," Sying said.

"Which part?" she asked. "The lessons or the practice, or the total lack of a social life?"

"The attention," Sying said grumpily. "Feels like they only care when you're in a crisis, then get you in trouble when you try to be a normal kid."

"They always care," she said. "You're just mad because your mom is all hot under the collar."

"I thought the whole point was to find someone I cared about and then I get there and now she's mad," Sying said. "I was better off when it was just … unrequited with Krissy."

"I don't think so," she said, shaking her head for a moment before she shifted how she was sitting so she could rest her head on her crossed arms at the side of the couch. "You've been having fun at least, and I think Penny's been good for you."

"She has been. That's the whole point," Sying complained.

"I can't even really get too grumpy with you," she said.

"Yeah, because you haven't been caught yet."

"You think they don't know?" Elin challenged.

"They knew with me too. I didn't get in trouble until I was caught. Just wait. They'll turn on you," Sying grumped.

"Of course they would," Elin said. "But right now the only reason I'm off the hook is because I'm taking lessons from Rachel."

Sying just rolled his eyes and sat further back in the couch. "I just don't get it," he grumbled. "They have no room to talk. What makes them think we were gonna do any different."

"They hoped we'd do different," Elin said. She let out a little sigh and shifted closer to him to lean on his shoulder. "Rachel thinks I'm still stuck on what happened with Azazel."

"And Sinister," Sying said.

"Yeah, that too," she agreed. "But she's focused on the first one more. She's a little mad that I never talked to her - or … anyone, really. And I guess she got a hold of James a little bit when he was in Chicago full time - though the little punk never said a word."

Sying let out a sigh. "I'm the wrong person to talk to about this, Elin. I know what happens when you don't face it. I mean. You remember how bad it was for me."

"Yeah, I know. But I'm just … I'm trying to tell you that they're not mad about what you did? More about how you did it. And yes, I am so beyond toast if I get caught."

"Yeah, I tried to tell Mom I'd stop sneaking around and that went about as well as the char marks on the wall would lead you to believe," Sying said dryly.

"You know, I heard about that - and I'm 99% sure it was the way you phrased it that set her off?"

Sying let out a long breath. "Yeah. Well." He turned to face her with one eyebrow raised. "At least I like Penny."

"True," she conceded, not arguing the point in the least. "Though to be honest … in some ways that kind of makes my argument a lot harder to explain to someone who hasn't been there."

"Yeah, I know, I've heard it," Sying said. "It's … not very smart but… I'd be lying if I said things didn't get better when I started dating Penny." He paused. "I just… I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I just want you to find a Penny."

"I know," Elin said. "But … it is legitimately hard to find anyone that is even interested, let alone a Lucky Penny that is wonderful too."

"Yeah, I know." Sying finally gave her a little smirk. "Not everyone can be as gorgeous as me," he teased.

"SO very true," she agreed. "You leave us trolls in the dust."

"And it helps to have a frisky spaceship," Sying couldn't help but grin.

"And I have nothing but skirts to help me," she said with a shrug. "Hopeless, lost cause."

Sying grinned and sat up on his elbows a bit. "Honestly, Elin, you've got the family magnetism. You'd be surprised how many guys I've had to smack for wandering eyes on yours and Sadie's behalfs."

"Yeah, and like the family history suggests, we always attract the wrong attention."

"You'll get there," he assured her.

"Right. Probably just have to wait to break the century mark," she replied.

"Don't do that - I want to at least be around when it happens."

"Then you better figure out a way to live forever."

"Nah, that's overrated," Sying said with a wave. "Makes people move. Too. slow," he added, this time grinning her way outright.

"Then I guess you'll have to quickly learn how to live with disappointment on my behalf."

"If you keep settling, I will."

"We have plenty of time," she argued. "I'm not settling. I'm just … killing time."

"Whatever you say," Sying said, waving a hand her way before he put his headphones back in. "Just remember I love you and want you to be happy."

"Same," she said. "And I'll go ahead and speak for my parents too - they want the same."

Sying let out an incredibly long sigh but finally nodded. "Yeah… I know."

Logan and K had gone out for Logan's birthday, and while Scott had known about it and was fine with it, it had been almost a week now, and in addition to the fact that they needed to come back for the school and finals season, the fact of the matter was that Peter had reached out to warn Scott about some increased chatter about countries trying to sabotage each other's weapons programs, which was amping up the demand for more mutants again.

This thing seemed to come in waves - one organization would start posturing and the rest went like dominoes - and with kids going home for the holidays in the middle of this kind of heat, Scott needed everyone back so they could make sure those kids actually got home for the holidays.

He doubted Logan would answer if he called, so he simply picked up his phone to text K. I need you both back here.

It was a long break before her response came back. Why.

Because SHIELD's picking up more chatter on those 'weapons' programs and I don't want to lose a kid over the holidays just because these guys want an 'edge.' Scott replied frankly.

There was another long pause. But your edge is sleeping so peacefully.

Yeah, okay. That's nice. When are you expecting to be here.

Hadn't set a date.

It's been almost a week. I'd say it's time to come back. He paused and then sent another one: Annie's worked up too. Finals.

Give me a direction, big guy. I'll make a loop on my way in. K's response was quick. Take your mind off of one of those things.

There's a push between Pakistan and India, he said. Which always ends well. And we've got a few international kids headed home that way.

So … Someone will be back in a couple days. Someone else will be a little longer.

Scott shook his head lightly. "Not what I meant," he said aloud to himself, though he knew K was going to go ahead regardless. And he had asked her to tell him when she went out for this kind of run. If you don't get back by finals I'll let you know which kids are headed that way, he said at last.

Don't have to. I know which ones go that way.

There's a few from the other schools.

And I read just fine when I do my profiles on everyone.

Scott shook his head. I'll see you when you get back, he finally replied, deciding that was better than pointing out that there was no profile he was aware of on her end. She really was taking this whole thing seriously, which was great, but he wasn't getting the intel he needed not to waste his time if she already had it.

He'd talk to her about it when she got back. They had to get on the same page.

Scott didn't have to wait long before the news had picked up what K was up to - though obviously, they had no idea that she was the one behind it.

They were reporting that there had been unexplained 'incidents' in several locations, and while the news itself was that the places hit were the weapons programs that had been gaining ground lately, both governments were officially denying any such thing. In fact, they were denying that they had even been hit, claiming that this was a misinformation campaign being spread by the other country, that sort of thing.

"She's got a light touch,eh?" Logan said over his coffee, not looking up from the paper.

The real clincher, though, was that the news was reporting the mutants themselves had been the ones to take down the programs from inside - which was helped by the fact that several mutants, from both sides, were on camera describing the programs and what they had been through. Captivity, torture, brainwashing, the works - it was all there on camera, and the news was so thrilled with the inside peek that no one seemed to really be questioning how it got on camera.

"Have you peeked in on JJ's show yet?" Teddy asked as he and Billy sat down at the table with Logan. "He's going to work himself into a stroke on live television."

"Hey, the guy's a volcano. He's going to stick around until he can't anymore," Billy said easily. "And this is up his alley. Outrage. Human rights violations. Two nuclear powers even madder at each other. Fun times."

"Is that a warning or a joke - I really can't tell anymore," Scott said dryly.

Billy grinned his way. "Yeah, if they were going to escalate any further, I'd tell you, but no one can prove anything, and they both think it was their own people, so…" He tapped the side of his head by his eyes. "That's not where the trouble's going to come from anyway."

"And no, he won't tell me where it's coming from," Teddy said as he poured syrup over his waffles. "So don't ask."

"Figures," Logan muttered.

"I think if anyone pays attention, they'd know anyway," Billy defended. "Not like the big players are being quiet about it."

"As long as they keep falling apart from the inside, who cares?" Logan said.

"Oh, they're going to implode from their own poor decisions, yeah," Billy said. "A few of them will need help to really fall apart, but they're going to bring it on themselves with their own stupidity. It's not going to last."

"Hey, how come he gets a better explanation than I did?" Teddy teased.

"You just asked if the world was ending and then wanted to snuggle when I said 'not today."

"... Okay, yeah, fair point."

"I'm good, I'll wait for mine," Logan said with a crooked smirk.

Teddy and Billy grinned at each other and then both turned to look him over. "Tempting," Teddy said.

Logan couldn't help but chuckle to himself and shake his head at the two of them. "You're both cracked."

"Must be why we work so well together," Billy decided.

"I'm definitely less cracked than you," Teddy teased.

"Well, obviously. I need someone to keep me on steady ground."

"But you're cute when you float."

"You just like the view."

"Yeah, that's what I said, isn't it?"

"Touché."

"Not wrong," K sang out as she joined the group, looking fresh and well pulled together. "I brought some treats." She gave Logan a lingering kiss that left him smirking at her then headed off to grab some coffee. "Anything fun happen while I was out?"

"Wade started a betting pool on how much longer Volcano Jameson is going to be able to … breathe at this rate," Teddy told her.

K looked up at the screen and narrowed her eyes watching him rant for a moment. "Hard to say. Does the color ever fade? Off … camera, I mean."

"Kate says it's pretty permanent at this point," Teddy said.

"He's still got a few more years," Billy said, waving a hand.

"You are banned from all betting pools," Teddy shot back.

"Ah, but you are not," K pointed out, giving both of them a peck on the cheek on her way back to snuggle up into Logan's side.

"Yeah, you'd think Wade would catch on by now," Teddy said, nodding seriously.

"Has he let you in on the secret pool yet?" Logan asked, not looking up. "Because he's a lot more picky about that one."

"Which one's that?" Teddy asked.

"That's a no then," Logan said, settling in a little deeper in his chair with one arm around K.

"Thus the name 'secret'," Billy said, shaking his head before he got up to put his dish in the sink and was sure to kiss K's cheek on the way past. "Thanks," he whispered.

"I don't know what for," she said. "Unless it's the baklava … super fresh."

"Take your pick," he said quietly enough that only she and Logan heard it. "The legacy, the lack of terrifying visions on my end…"

"As long as you keep picking," she said, smirking.

"Oh no," Billy said dryly. "Another slow once-over. How horrible."

Scott shook his head at them, though he waited until the group was dispersing before he pulled K aside. "The profiles you've got worked up for all the kids - what do they cover?"

She blinked at him for just a moment then frowned. "Everything. The basics about them and their families, who their friends are - eight degrees of separation down the line with everyone they are even halfway close to … what do you want?"

"That's all there is?" Scott asked in a tone that said he didn't believe it. "Just looking into their family tree?"

"Well, it's not just names and dates," she said with a smirk. "Political affiliations, criminal records, military involvement, psychological profiles … honestly. What are you looking for?"

"So you're trying to make sure none of them can be pressured."

She tipped her head to the side. "Partly. Everyone is pressured from somewhere. I just want to know all I can about them and where they're coming from. We've had a few issues with that and it irked me."

"I want copies."

"No copies," she said, shaking her head.

"Then I want access," Scott said. "I'm wasting resources trying to look out for these kids if you've already done the work I need to see."

"Scott, I'm trying to give you deniability. No one on the planet does background checks like this."

"K, if I need the deniability, it'll be because either you or I made a misstep, and we're screwed anyway," he pointed out.

"Well that's just not possible," she argued, crossing her arms.

"Exactly. So put me on the same page so I'm not finding about stuff like this after the fact and wasting my time," Scott said simply. "I don't need the protection."

"You do," she said. "But I can see your point anyhow."

Scott nodded once. "So. Where do we start? Paper or digital?"

"Paper for all the harder stuff," she said. "Digital for what was already readily available."

"Great. I've got to run a final this afternoon, but I'll see you after that."

With all the stress flying around, it was easy to forget that there was some seriously good news on the horizon - up until Miles and Kamala sent out texts to the X-Men and Avengers they were closest to with pictures of their newest addition to the family.

Little Nadiya had come slightly early, but she was still the sweetest thing anyone had seen in a long time. She was somehow completely bald, and she was under observation at the NICU for a possible heart flutter, but once she was given a clean bill of health, the celebrations began.

Kate even flew out to LA to congratulate her favorite author - and to shower her with baby gifts, since all of the things Miles and Kamala had kept from Bashir were for boys. And Kate was of the opinion that every baby girl needed to be coated in purple at all times.

"Really, Kate?" Kamala laughed when she saw Miles carrying in the huge box that Kate had brought with her - via bamf, since it was too heavy to transport by herself.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you think I was going to do anything halfway?" Kate asked, blinking innocently.

Kamala laughed. "Um, I've met you. No one thinks that, Kate."

"Oh, good," Kate said, smiling as she sat down next to Kamala so she could peer over her shoulder at the little girl. "Oh, Lord. Kurt's going to have a fit."

"Of course he is. She's perfect," Kamala said, kissing the top of Nadiya's head.

"She is," Kate agreed. "But he's going to see me all verklempt and assume that means he's getting his way and getting more little ones."

"Um, isn't your oldest chasing a boy all the way to Europe?"

"Yeah, I tried to tell him I have my hands full, but his response was that the whole senior team is dealing with this new weapons nonsense and he still manages to want another, so…"

"Um, that totally doesn't count," Kamala said, wrinkling her nose. "He doesn't have to do the work."

"See, that's what I tried to tell him."

"I can remind him if you need the help," Kamala offered - completely sincerely, too.

"Aww, I love you too," Kate said, squeezing Kamala's arm before she shrugged lightly and sighed. "We'll have to wait and see what happens with this weapons stuff before we can really do anything anyway. The way our luck runs, we'll be too busy for Kurt to get his hopes up for too long anyway."

"You know you've got me for backup for whatever you need," Kamala promised. "Baby stuff, weapons stuff…"

"You just focus on Nadiya," Kate said with a fond smile. "But thanks, Miss Marvel. You really are the best hero around."