A/N - okay, yeah, it's been a year since I updated this (and some change) and sure, I had to re-read it to remember where I was going to even edit this up, but ... hey. Not making any promises on when the next chapter might come out. Road to hell and all that. Anyhow ... Thanks to those that bothered to review.
Chapter 13 - The Ol' Switcheroo
"Can you remind me again how you talked me into letting you onto my servers?" Tony asked over K's shoulder as she started really getting to work.
"Sure. Just after you remind me how you talked me into joining your boys club," K answered, then looked up at him and leaned back enough that he had to readjust how he was standing behind her so he wasn't entirely wrapped around her as he looked at the work she was up to.
"I thought that was a matter of you couldn't resist …"
"Same answer, different circumstance," she decided, which had Tony smiling crookedly and chuckling to himself as he reached around her for the keyboard … and started helping her with a few shortcuts that would streamline her online espionage.
"True enough," he agreed. "And now I feel like I have to keep my teammates safe, so … walk me through what we're doing."
K smirked to herself, but didn't try to stop him as he got caught up in the task at hand. It was, honestly, the first time she'd really even half-played along with him without putting him in his place, but the truth of it was that the man was making rapid progress for her, all while writing programming on the fly to make any future digging she did effortless. She wasn't about to argue with him on it when he was in the zone. For an instant, she thought he might work better if she got out from between him and the computer, but when she looked his way to see the half-smile and the pure focus … K was very sure that moving away from him just then would throw him off entirely. She wasn't sure if it was a matter of he was just into it, or if he did better with a woman practically in his lap. She wouldn't have been surprised at either.
She stayed still as long as she thought was reasonable for most people to sit still, then she waited just a bit longer before she subtly shifted how she was seated, which was enough to draw Tony's attention for a moment. "Comfy?" he asked.
"I'm okay," she said. "Are you?"
"If I answer that honestly, you'll probably hit me," Tony reasoned. "And if I lie, you'll probably hit me."
"You are smart," she teased, then had to start chuckling at him when his response was to shift his arms closer to box her in a little more - trying to get her to push back.
When she didn't, he laughed in sheer disbelief and made a point to rush through the last bit of his coding. He knew better than to push his luck, too. "That coding shift wasn't that exciting," Tony told her. "It wasn't even much of a change, more of a change of channel - so I adjusted it so you can sift through all of their channels including the dozen or so ones that don't show up as belonging anywhere at all. They're trying to be more sneaky, so … for you, I'll keep my eyes on them. Just to make sure they don't get the drop on anyone."
"Great," she said in a sigh. "So … have you had time to think about the other thing I asked you about?"
Tony frowned. "Cap?" K nodded. "To be honest, I've been dealing with a lot of company issues lately."
"So you haven't been around," K surmised.
"Not really, no," Tony admitted. "Work has been … work. But someone's gotta fund this crew."
"Too bad you haven't been able to enjoy it lately."
"Yeah, well … building this school is taking a lot more time than anyone was anticipating, and though Cap was pushing for things to move faster, with the regulations in place in California, it's taking longer than he wants. In fact … I'd almost say he had a hissy fit when I didn't meet up to his deadline."
K frowned to herself as she thought it over. That … did not sound like Steve at all, even if Tony was exaggerating. "Is that where he is now?"
"The school?" Tony asked, then shook his head in answer. "No. He's on some kind of quiet run for SHIELD overseas. I didn't get the full breakdown, and I'm too busy to deal with it anyhow."
"But you're not too busy to indulge my request for a security upgrade."
Tony smiled crookedly. "Didn't I tell you there were perks to joining up?"
"Yeah," she replied slowly. "But you haven't told me what the other side to this is yet."
"Well, for starters, I want you to go to California with me."
"Mister Stark," K said in her best breathless, scandalized tone. "I am a married woman."
"Didn't stop you last time," he said without missing a beat. "And I'm not talking about a long stay. Just long enough to look over the new school with me. Maybe … give me your impression on all things related to said school and those that are having the most impact on shaping it."
K watched him for a moment or two. "What aren't you telling me?"
"Something doesn't feel right and I want the best gut-check I know to take a look at things. What's to tell?" She gave him a look of sheer disbelief - until he clarified. "Logan would be my guy to ask, but he's been more and more reluctant to say anything against his old war buddy."
"You say that just like Scott."
Tony cringed, but soldiered on. "Even Hawkeye's having some trouble telling him he's being a pain, but that's due in large part to him and Natasha on a big push overseas."
"Doesn't sound too unusual."
"Until you factor in that up until very recently, Natasha and Clint rarely got to share missions. They'd have to ask for it - and even then, they didn't always get what they were asking for."
K frowned and spun in her chair back to the computer with a determined frown.
"Yeah, that was my first thought too," Tony said, gesturing to where K was already digging in to SHIELD. "If there's something up there, it's not on record. It's with the management."
K let out a slow breath. "So you want me to go with you so we can talk."
"While Steve is still on his mission," Tony agreed.
"Let me call Logan. He wants to stay back from the actual school as much as possible once you get it going, so he's been hanging back from going with Steve there."
"Alright. If I wander too far, I'll be in my lab when you get things figured out. Just … come on in. I'll make sure my AI lets you through," Tony said before he headed off, leaving K to make her phone calls.
It was mid-day, during the week, so she knew Logan was going to be waiting for his History class to start - drinking coffee and trying to mind his own business, so that call wouldn't be hard to manage. It would, however, set Logan up to stay home with their kids since they were now making an active effort not to ask the Summers' for any babysitting help for the time being. And with Logan on the outs with most, if not all of his team in Westchester, the options were slim on who could watch the three Howlett kids.
And yet …
No, K thought to herself as Logan picked up on the other end of the line. The kids kept Logan centered. If she asked him to hand them off so he could join them, not only would it open him up to inviting more stupidity between him and his team, but it would throw a monkey wrench into whatever it was that Tony thought they had to go across the country to talk about. "I've got the new programs installing remotely from the tower," she started to say. "But he wants to take a day or so to chat. So … I am going to see what he's come up with. Sounds like something's wonky with the school, or personnel, or something."
"A day, huh?" Logan asked dryly.
"Yeah. Think you can survive with your own kids for that long, stud?" K had to tease.
"If I say yes, does that mean you'll reconsider your timeline on the next one?"
K was entirely unable to stop the throaty, almost amused chuckle. "Pretty sure we have to figure out what our long term plan is first."
"Thought that was me, you, an' a cabin in the woods."
K smiled to herself. "Yeah, that sounds like my kind of proposal," she replied, smiling to herself when she heard him chuckling on the other end of the line. It was that kind of reaction that was throwing her off - even over the phone. And he sounded like he was in a genuinely good mood.
"Keep your eyes open," Logan warned. "As good as Stark is, I don't entirely trust him."
"I know, sweetheart. Neither do I, but … you wanted me on this team nearly as badly as he did. You knew I'd have to deal with him more if and when that happened."
"I know. Let me know when you're ready to turn in your ID and run away into the tundra."
"If you're going to phrase it like that, you probably just need to pack up what we need and meet me there."
Again, Logan chuckled to himself and K smiled widely. She could hear his class converging ahead of the bell. "Yeah, love you too, troubles. See you when you get back. We'll just be keepin' to ourselves."
"Try not to interview replacements for me."
"Not even possible."
"Good answer. Love you - I'll check in soon." K hung up only after he did, and spent just a moment trying to compose herself from the quietly sedate smile that had crept across her features uninvited. She needed to get it together. Head in the game - not … mentally picturing scenarios that involved the two of them tucked away in the woods where no one would ever find them to bother them.
"You need another minute or two just staring at the phone?" Tony asked from the doorway where he had just then stopped to lean in.
"Yes. At least," K replied as she turned toward Tony.
"Another phone call?"
"Better he hear it from me than second hand from Logan," K said, pausing with a frown. "Especially for how much those two have been sniping back and forth."
"I don't understand why he's so sensitive," Tony said casually, though that had K turning his way fully as she dialed her phone.
"Sure you do," she said as she picked the phone up to her ear, though that had Tony frowning deeply at her - his expression one of sheer confusion. "Hey brown eyes," K said, then pointedly turned away from Tony. "I'm taking a short field trip with Tony. I'll be back before my next riding class, I'm sure."
Scott's sigh was one that he'd tried just a moment too late to stop, and she knew he was tempering his reaction as much as humanly possible just from that. "O-kay," he said slowly.
"I'm looking for answers," she said gently. "And something is up with them, too. It's not just you, and it's not everyone here that I've seen so far. Maybe it is, but …"
"You going to tell me what you're thinking?"
"When and if I get a better picture of things."
"That's not a good enough answer, K."
"Then it's a shame that's the only one I have. I'm really only planning on a day or two, but if something goes sideways, you'll know. If I had a class in the next few days, I wouldn't consider it. So just … relax. Logan's got the kids covered."
"On his own?"
"Scott. They are his kids," K said dryly. "He can handle them. In the meantime, you can focus on your own thing without worrying about what stupidity he's up to since he'll be taking care of his children."
"Fine. I want to know what the story is out there," Scott said and K had to use every bit of her patience not to groan.
"I'll check in, Scott," she said as patiently as she knew how. He was getting that edge to his tone that drove her nuts.
"How are the old ball and chains doing?" Tony asked after she hung up the phone.
"No comment," she said, then sighed heavily, and bounced to her feet. "Let's get rolling."
"Are we taking conventional methods or did you want to just … climb on and swoon all the way to California?"
"Conventional methods. Don't want you to crash us the second I wrap my legs around your waist," she shot back as they headed for the hangar.
"Sweetheart, you are seriously underestimating my abilities."
She almost rolled her eyes, but couldn't help the tease. "Same."
Tony missed a step and swore to himself as he rushed along, both of them ready to dig into their intel outside of the tower, and to illustrate how much the two of them were on the same page, as K buckled in, Tony set his drones loose in the jet to sweep for bugs.
She watched him for a moment, taking in the honestly worried expression on his face. It was something she had never seen from him before, and the fact that he wasn't even attempting to hide his concern from her had K convinced something was very wrong with their little band of heroes … maybe both of them.
Logan was falling even further into the mindset of leaving … permanently. He'd successfully implemented the mental blocks to keep nosy telepaths out, and was focusing on his kids. Abbey was once again doing all she could to prove how grown up she was, especially compared to her younger siblings, who were playing on the floor of their father's office.
Logan had just a few papers to get through, though he was immensely distracted by the kids. Not so much by Abbey's seriousness, but more so by Rose assigning colors to her teddy bears and James, who had made up his own set of papers to grade and was grumbling to himself as he failed each and every paper.
Logan covered his mouth to hide the smile since there was no way he could fight that one. The boy was something else - though the girls certainly had moments of their own.
He'd just given up the notion of finishing his work just then, instead deciding to watch the kids play for a few minutes when there was a knock on the door, light and swift - and that on its own was enough to tip Logan off as to who it was. "Lil' busy, Slim."
"I'm sure you are," Scott said from the other side of the door, then opened it anyhow. "This'll only take a few minut-"
"UNCLE SCOOT!" James shouted as he got to his feet then positively barreled into Scott, full bore.
Scott caught him, but only after James had crashed into his legs and set Scott back a step. "Hey bud, what are you doing in your dad's office?"
"I'm helpin' him grade papers!" James said brightly, then rushed over to retrieve a few of his drawings and shove them at Scott so he could see his work. "See? I'm doin' real good, too!"
Scott was smiling in spite of his previous mood as he crouched down to look at the drawings with James - getting himself mobbed by Rose in the process. But the quick snuggles really hadn't prepared him for the drawings that James had made of angry, sulking, and crying students with their failing papers. "Wow," Scott said, trying not to break down laughing at the little guy. "That … is accurate."
James grinned brilliantly then squirmed away from Scott to climb up and sit with his dad instead. "You wanted somethin', Slim?" Logan asked as he rearranged James and pulled over a few clean sheets of paper for the little guy.
"Yeah, actually." He let out a breath, sure that he was going to start a fight. It always seemed to be a fight lately. "Are you planning on hitting a few more runs with the team, or are you backing off our roster?"
Logan held his gaze, his eyes narrowed for a moment. "I'm stickin' with the kids for now," Logan said. "But if you want the truth, yeah. I may just back out"
"Mind telling me why?" Scott asked, crossing his arms without thinking about how his body language might be shifting. "Or is it an Avengers thing?"
"Why the hell would you think that?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Scott shot back before he could censor himself, even with Jean in his mind telling him to slow down.
"I'm not doin' this right now," Logan said, drawing a line in the sand - and one that Scott couldn't cross with the kids watching the two of them like a tennis match.
"Fine." Scott's jaw was working overtime as he tried to school his expression. The three quiet kids were reason enough to calm down a little bit, even if he wanted to smash Logan through the wall. The rage building was pushing him closer to saying something he'd regret, only just being held back by Jean all but begging him to let it go for now.
And since she was pregnant, and he was trying hard to minimize her stress levels, he did back off a little. But he couldn't bring himself to ask Logan to stay. He couldn't force himself to admit to the man that he needed the back up, so instead, Scott spent just a few more moments with Rose before she kissed his cheek and slipped away to James - who had also slipped off of his father's lap.
The twins rushed to each other and clasped hands with their arms partially entwined in their own little way that was th dead giveaway that they were trying to support each other. But that left Scott standing there with no real exit. And the tension between the two men was only getting worse, leaning closer to a fight.
"Uncle Slim," Abbey said, drawing his attention. "Can I read Rachel a story? Please?"
Scott glanced at Logan, who nodded once - at least the two of them were still on the same page when it came to letting the kids be kids. "Absolutely," Scott said, then offered her his hand, which she happily took with a broad grin. He finally relaxed a little at the contact, though before he left, he had to make an offer to Logan to help with the kids, though he almost felt as if he was returning from an out of body experience. "I can take the twins, too. If they want to go."
Logan looked toward the twins, who were still bunched up with each other tightly. "You want to go with him?" Both James and Rose shared a look then nodded in unison. "Go on."
"Are you sure?" Scott said - not having expected Logan to go with it that easily.
"Not much for them to do in here anyhow," he said, then tipped his head. "Unless that's a problem."
"Of course not," Scott said, one hand on Rose's head protectively. "Rachel adores them."
"Because Mikey keeps tryin' to kiss her," Abbey said. "And he always has ketchup on his face. So she doesn't like being by him."
"Just like his mother," Logan muttered, but that started his kids to giggles as they ran circles around Scott, pulling on him to hurry up and go.
Had they not distracted him so cleanly, Scott likely would have been trying to figure out why he had felt so … odd for a moment. But he had a few kids to play with, and he was pretty sure he had a limited time to do that the way things were going.
The moment hadn't been lost on Logan either. He too had bee holding himself back as much as humanly possible. He didn't like to argue with Scott around the kids, so he did what he could to avoid it, but there wasn't one move that Scott had made that Logan didn't catch. He could see the guy wanted to duke it out, and he could see that he was holding himself back - but the fact of the matter was that Scott and the rest of his team had been clear they didn't want or need Logan around, so Logan wasn't too charitable when it felt like the play was to keep the leash tight.
But he knew the kids were going to miss this time, this kind of interaction, the games and the family feeling that they'd always had with the X-Men. So they better get what they could now.
"I don't get it," K said once she and Tony had combed through mountains of intel that hadn't been through the Avenger's filters.
"I'm disappointed," Tony said. "I was hoping you'd take a look at this mess, snap your fingers, and have all the answers without breaking a sweat. Give us a chance to have drinks by the beach…"
"We can do that if we have to," she said. "But … seriously. This building … I know you didn't okay this looking so clinical."
"Nope. Got overruled by a national treasure. Maybe he's waxing poetic about his time in Erskine's lab."
"If that was the case, I'd expect more Tesla coils and tube radios with 'Stark' branded on them," she said thickly.
"Touché."
K hummed to herself as her fingers flew across the keyboard and Tony adjusted the projections as it was clear which ones she was looking at. "Is that …" she narrowed her eyes as she leaned forward - it was just a blip in the coding that appeared every now and again. Nothing dangerous looking, but also nothing functional for their purposes. It was embedded into the files for the school that SHIELD had access to, so she was pretty sure that it was a spy thing, but it just looked … so small.
"We can trace that back," Tony said once he saw what she was looking at. A moment later, he'd put his hands on her shoulders and gently shifted her out of the way so he could work. It only took a few moments for Tony to become entirely engrossed in his work, and K had nothing to do - and no real hope of keeping up with him when he was in the zone like this, so she stepped back and left him to it, with him muttering to himself - or his AI system as he worked.
"Ill just … order in, then," K suggested, thumbing over her shoulder as she walked backward.
"Please," Tony said, focused and looking concerned at what he saw.
She almost smiled … it was unusual to find something that caught his attention so thoroughly that didn't involve a short skirt, so K wasn't about to interrupt him. Instead, she turned and headed out of his lab and jogged up the stairs. She barely turned a corner when she had to stop herself from running face first into Happy. "Oop, just … going to feed the genius."
"Just be careful of what you give him," Happy replied, half teasing, though he was more than ready to step in to help, which really meant K had one less chore while taking care of the overgrown kid in the lab.
It also gave her time to dig into the details on the new school. Tony had been kind enough to set her up with access to the computer that held all of the information … from the site selection process, the back and forth negotiations with officials, crews, and even possible staff members communications. But what K was most focused on was how incredibly unlike the new school was to the Xavier Institute.
Where Charles had managed an upscale boarding school feel, the Avengers seemed to be leaning into an almost futuristic, clinical looking establishment. White and stainless steel seemed to be the order for the day - along with lots of mirrors and small labs. There was something very unsettling about it to her, not the least of which being the fact that it didn't have anything that looked like Tony had chosen it - which was weird since had Steve chosen it, she had expected something much more down to earth.
"I see you found the files," Pepper said as she pulled up a chair to take a seat with K.
"I did. What … I thought the fight was for something middle of the road?" K turned her way, waiting to hear what Pepper could tell her. The woman knew just about everything there was to know in that tower and around Tony, after all.
"Well … they were fighting over which way to lean, and then … I guess Steve just leaned into it hard. Went right by Tony's suggestion to something more …"
"Clinical."
"That's one disturbing way to put it, but yes."
K frowned, but wasn't sure where to take that. She was just starting to really think it over when the front door opened and the man himself stomped in looking ready for a fight. "Thought you were overseas," K said, ot at all expecting to see Steve.
"Had to regroup, but I'm glad you're here," he said. "Suit up, we can use your help."
K blinked at him twice, not moving right away like Steve was used to with everyone around him. "Wait. Why? Wouldn't you rather have Logan?"
"If I wanted Logan, I'd have asked Logan," Steve said. "Get moving. We're on a clock here."
"Damn you're pushy," she said, crossing her arms - and not prepared when Tony came up a few moments later to back him up.
"He's just like that. Come on, gorgeous. We were planning on a couple days anyhow. What difference does it make if it's here or overseas?" Tony said, smiling as he pulled at her hand.
"Clearly you two need to study geography to answer that question," she said, though by that time, Steve was already calling Logan and headed for the door. She barely caught it when Steve really didn't ask Logan either, instead falling back on just telling him they were going.
"Your sweetheart knows where you're headed," Tony said over her shoulder on the way out. "And I don't want to deal with him alone - let alone with his back up singers." He tipped his head toward where Natasha and Bucky were waiting, the had to push K forward when she leaned back into him.
"He gets back up singers - what do you think that makes me?" K hissed, though Tony was surprisingly good at moving her forward.
"I'm still kinda hoping for kickline," he teased. "Come on. You agreed to join up - part of that is kicking Hydra. Besides, I was under the impression that Cyclops was being territorial over Logan."
"This is not going to be any better," she argued, though she took her phone out to reach out to her husband at least.
She was so wrapped up in trying to figure out a way out of the scenario, she didn't even get a chance to consider why Tony had suddenly jumped on board. All she knew was that she was walking into something that was going to start a fight with Scott with the mood he was in. And there was enough of that going on between him and Logan already.
