I don't own the X-Men. They, and any major characters in this story, belong to Marvel, though they don't deserve them. I'm making no money off of this, either - blah, blah, blah, standard disclaimer stuff.
Thanks go out to Luba for the beta read and encouragement, to Derrick for the info on diagnosing concussions, and to everyone who's been so great about providing feedback!
Just a Couple of Kids, After All…
Chapter 17
Kitty heard a voice asking her something, but it wasn't penetrating her sleep deprived brain.
"Kitty c'mon – we're here."
"Huh?"
"At the mansion? Remember – you live there?"
"Don't wanta wake up," she mumbled, turning over and peering at Bobby through cracked open eyes.
"Ok, sleep here in the car if you want – I'm going to go find a bed," he replied, laughing.
"Me too?" she asked hopefully.
"Nah, you want to sleep in the car, remember?"
"Oh yeah," she replied, turning back over and closing her eyes again.
"Come on," Bobby said, getting out of the car. The next thing she knew, she was being lifted out of the car and carried up the sidewalk to the front door of the mansion.
"Huh? – Bobby, what are you doing?" she asked, shaken to half-consciousness by the abrupt motion.
"Taking you to bed – you'll get a kink in your neck sleeping like that," he replied disapprovingly.
"Hmmm, you say the sweetest things," she answered, and curled against his body.
"You're just saying that because I'm not making you walk," he replied, smiling down at her.
"Nope – I'm saying that because you're comfy," she countered, snuggling closer against him.
"Well, how often does a guy get a compliment like that?" he asked of no one in particular. Kitty giggled but didn't reply. "Hey, quit wiggling, I almost dropped you!" he added, as he tried to open the door one handed. She laughed harder as he tried to grab the door knob, but after several unsuccessful attempts he finally got it open and, sticking his tongue out at her, carried her into the mansion.
He began to regret coming back immediately.
"Drake! What the hell happened to Kit?" Logan demanded, and Bobby could tell from the way he was holding his hands that if he still had claws they'd be "snikt-ing" right at him.
"Nothing, Logan," Kitty reassured him as Bobby set her down. "I fell asleep in the car, and he was trying to carry me in."
"Oh. Sorry, Icicle – I'm kinda on edge today," Logan muttered.
"Not a prob," Bobby replied, shaken. He'd known from the beginning that Kitty came complete with her own potentially-homicidal guardian, but he'd thought, given Logan's prior approval, that the guy might ask questions first and act later if at all. Which, strictly speaking, he had, but it hadn't been quite what Bobby had in mind.
"You kids have a good time?" Logan asked distractedly.
"You could say that," Kitty replied, casting a smile at Bobby, who returned it.
"Good. See ya both later," he answered, and began to walk out of the room.
"Hey, Logan!" Kitty called, and Bobby saw him stop and turn around.
"What, darlin'? I'm kinda busy…"
"Any idea where we can find Jean?"
"Office."
"Thanks!"
As Logan walked out of the room, Bobby turned to her. "Are we going to go see her right away? I really think we should get you down to the med lab…"
He saw Kitty rub at her head and wince. "I agree. But now we know where she is, so if we go a different way we won't have to worry about running into her, right?"
Bobby took a step back, and looked at her admiringly. "You never cease to amaze me. Devious, on top of everything else! Come on, let's go see Hank."
Kitty laughed as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Neither of them noticed the figure standing on the landing at the top of the stairs, staring down at them.
"Pray tell, Katherine, what has my seemingly careless but occasionally amusing companion been doing to you?" Hank asked, as he tsk-ed over the bump on her head.
"No, really Hank – Ouch! – it wasn't Bobby's fault. I hit my head on a railing…" Kitty answered.
"Some time ago, to judge by appearances. Were you rendered unconscious by the occurrence?"
"No. Well, I don't think so – I think I was rendered unconscious first, and then hit my head, but things are kind of fuzzy," Kitty admitted.
Hank looked up at her over the top of his glasses, and shook his head.
"Well, we'd be best off to perform some diagnostics." As Kitty began to protest, he cut her off and said, "Now, I realize that you insist there is nothing seriously wrong, but I'm sure Bobby would feel better if we had definitive data to support that assumption. I would, as well. A CAT scan, no pun intended, should determine with certainty the extent of your injury, while reassuring me that your drowsiness is induced by sleep deprivation rather than otherwise."
"Fine, let's get on with it, then," Kitty grumbled. Hank hummed to himself as he began setting up the equipment.
"Ready?" he asked flippantly. Kitty nodded, and he gestured for her to get onto the table.
"This won't hurt a bit," he assured her.
"I know that," she said, grimacing. "I just always feel claustrophobic with that thing over my head."
"Always?" Bobby asked, confused. He turned to Hank, as the latter started the test. "Does she do this often?"
Hank chuckled. "Katherine has an unfortunate propensity for practicing martial arts with Logan. The choice of a man with an adamantium skeleton as a sparring partner has resulted in several such examinations, all fortunately negative."
Once the test had begun, Hank turned to Bobby. "It would seem that you two spent experienced a rather eventful evening for a pair who allegedly went to enjoy the musical ambiance of a drinking establishment in New York. Would it be of any purpose to ask you to elaborate further at this time?" he asked, trying to distract Bobby from his obvious obsession with Kitty's injury.
"After we're done with this, ok Hank? I don't think I can concentrate," Bobby said.
"Of course, Robert." They stood silent while the test ran its course, and Hank surreptitiously watched the emotions running across Bobby's face. He smiled. While he'd never considered Kitty as a potential girlfriend for Bobby, he approved wholeheartedly and hoped things would work out for them.
"Ah, the test is complete." He helped Kitty sit up on the table, and was unsurprised when Bobby sat down on it next to her. He was somewhat more surprised to see Kitty lean over against his shoulder and take his hand. Apparently the attraction was mutual. He breathed a sigh of relief, considering Bobby's history of unrequited love interests, and examined the results of the CAT scan.
"Well, while there does seem to be some subcutaneous inflammation and discoloration of the exterior dermal layer, it would appear that –"
"Cut to the chase already, Hank," Bobby said irritably. "Is she going to be ok or not?"
"He means I've got a bump and a bruise, Bobby," Kitty said reassuringly as Hank chuckled at his friend's discomfort.
"Why didn't you just say so?" Bobby glared.
"Why, I was experiencing a – what did you call it the other day? Oh yes, a multisyllabic attack. I really must explore the parameters of such a condition; perhaps it would be worthy of an article in the New England Journal of Medicine."
"Which no one except you would be able to understand," Bobby replied, relief apparent in his face.
Hank shook his head. "Robert, if it were not for presumably beneficial influence of your new companion, I fear I would have to write you off as a lost cause. Kitty, do you think there's hope for him?"
"Oh, I think so," she replied, giving Bobby's hand a squeeze. "Maybe not linguistically, but in other areas…"
"Hey, I think I've been insulted," Bobby grumbled.
"Let me know when you're sure," Kitty deadpanned, then turned to grin at him.
"Fight nice, children," Hank said, rolling his eyes and passing Kitty a pill and a cup of water. "In any case…Kitty, you should be fine, given some rest and some ibuprofen. Try to avoid reinjuring the same area, please, and take it easy for the next couple of days. Bobby, if you don't mind me making a suggestion, you might wish to escort Ms. Pryde to her room and remain with her to ensure that her physician's orders are carried out."
"Sounds like a nice prescription, Hank, but we need to call a meeting," Kitty answered, yawning.
Hank shook his head firmly. Despite the lack of concussion, Kitty had experienced head trauma and was suffering from total exhaustion. Bobby appeared to be in a similar state, and he was concerned about them both. Whatever had happened it had certainly taken its toll on the two. "By no means. Kitty, I repeat, you need some rest. Moreover, I suspect that Bobby does as well, and he won't if you don't. If you wish to schedule a meeting, I will do so on your behalf at an appropriate time this evening, or, preferably, tomorrow morning."
"Too late," Bobby replied, shaking his head. "This is important, Hank."
"Perhaps, my friend, if you would be so kind as to explain the urgency, I would endeavor to obtain an earlier time slot."
Bobby and Kitty began to describe their experiences of the past 24 hours, while Hank stood by, amazed by what he was hearing. When they finished, he shook his head.
"Let me attempt to summarize. What I am hearing is that these people, who term themselves the Neo, have 1) invaded and downloaded our computer system, 2) lured you to their place of operations, 3) assaulted and imprisoned you both, and as a result you've invited them to lunch tomorrow?"
"Well, when you put it THAT way, it sounds like a bad thing," Bobby grumbled.
"Come on, Hank, we explained all of that. It's not like we invited Apocalypse here, though I think even that's happened before. These people just want to know what we're going to do about the High Evolutionary, that's all," Kitty said irritably.
"Perhaps, Katherine, but have you considered that they may have other motivations? You yourself indicated that they have no reason to trust mutantkind, and we certainly have no reason, given their behavior thus far, to trust them. Why didn't you contact Jean immediately? In fact, what made the two of you go there in the first place?" Hank demanded, realizing suddenly what could have happened to them if things had turned out badly. Kitty's head injury, though seemingly minor, could have easily been much more serious. Aside from exhaustion, Bobby appeared uninjured, but for the two of them to go into such a situation alone…
Seeing Kitty and Bobby's indignant faces, Hank regretted what he had said. It wasn't so much he truly believed Bobby and Kitty had done anything wrong; in fact, he thought they had done amazingly well, under the circumstances, but he wasn't sure the other X-Men would feel the same. He hoped they were prepared for the reaction they would likely get once the others assembled. He took a deep breath, and continued.
"I believe you had the best intentions when you embarked on this self-assigned mission, but I think it went beyond the scope you had anticipated."
"No shit," Bobby mumbled to Kitty, who rolled her eyes and nodded.
"Nonetheless," Hank added, holding up his hand, "I think you handled the entire situation very well, at least until you issued invitations on to the mansion without discussing it with anyone."
"We told you – she wouldn't let us leave until we set a time," Kitty protested.
Hank shook his head. "Come now, Katherine, surely she couldn't have been that unreasonable," he argued.
"Wait until you meet her, Hank, just wait," Bobby answered, holding up his hand to forestall a reply.
"Well, whatever the circumstances, I agree that a meeting will need to be held. Perhaps I could be allowed to schedule it on your behalf?" Hank asked, and he gestured towards Kitty, who was nodding off again. "Come on, Bobby, she needs some sleep, and so do you. I'll brief Jean, you two go get some rest, and appear at the meeting in a more conscious state."
"Let Kurt know we're back, too, ok?" Bobby answered, surrendering to the inevitable as he stood up and helped Kitty to her feet.
"Of course, my friend. I'm sorry about my reaction earlier," he added, laying a hand on Bobby's shoulder. "I'm afraid I've adopted the paranoia prevalent in this environment recently, and you caught me completely off guard. I'd suspected you were up to something, but this wasn't what I'd had in mind."
"It's ok, Hank," Bobby answered, but Hank sensed that he was irritated, at best. "We'll talk later – gotta get the lovely lady to bed."
"Her own or yours?" Hank quipped without thinking.
"None of your business," Bobby tossed back half heartedly. He began walking toward the door of the med lab, gesturing for a barely awake Kitty to precede him out.
"By the way, Robert my friend," Hank added, as Bobby moved to follow Kitty out the door.
"What?" Bobby asked without turning around.
"Congratulations."
"I can't believe Hank's reaction," Bobby was saying as he and Kitty rode the elevator up to the dorms.
"Why not?" she asked sleepily. "Actually, he reacted better than the others will."
"I know, I know – but hey, this is the Hankmeister we're talking about. I expected him to ask how many cups to set out for tea, not read us the riot act."
"He didn't, really," Kitty said soothingly as they stepped off the elevator.
"Well, maybe not, but it seemed like it. Hey, here's your room – why don't you go crawl into bed, get some sleep?"
"Hank said you were supposed to get some sleep too." Kitty countered, opening her door.
Bobby bowed to the inevitable without any real difficulty. "Alright – you win. I'll go to bed, too, ok?"
"Just stay here?" she asked, then looked embarrassed. He could see Lockheed, who had apparently been snoozing on her bed, raise his head and look up.
"Seriously?" She nodded, lying down on the bed and Bobby ducked as Lockheed abruptly took off and flew out the door. "Does your door have a lock?" he asked.
"Yeah, why?" she asked, raising her eyebrows, though her eyes remained closed.
He shook his head regretfully. "For no interruptions," he told her, turning the lock in the doorknob. "I don't know about you, but I'm wiped." He looked at Kitty who had curled up on her side, her hair spread across the pillow. "You too, I guess, and somehow I don't think you're faking it this time. Well, this isn't quite how I pictured sleeping with you, Kit, but it's probably the best I could do now, anyway." He removed his shoes and his jacket and, covering Kitty up with a blanket, lay down on the bed next to her. Within moments he was sound asleep.