No one moved for a long time right after Kitty left. Out o' th' corner o' my eye, Ah could see Jacques an' Rochelle standin' at th' shadowed edges o' th' patio. Ah knew then that they were probably more interested than anybody. Because Ah'd met Jean-Luc an' Ah knew Remy. All those things they pride themselves on, thieves' instincts, aren't instinctual at all. They're carefully learned an' forcefully taught. If Remy got 'em from Jean-Luc, well, Jean-Luc'd gotten 'em from somewhere too, right? Just because Ah liked Jacques an' Rochelle didn't mean Ah was insensible ta what they both were.
"Where's Kitty?" Rochelle asked sweetly, settin' down bowls o' ice cream in front o' us. Wondered if anyone else'd seen how long they'd both been standin' there. Ah dipped my spoon into my bowl half-heartedly. Coconut.
We all looked at each other anxiously, except for Nita, who was starin' a little too hard into her dish, eatin' her ice cream grimly as if it were a chore. "It's my fault," she mumbled. John half reached his hand out, like he wanted ta touch her, but pulled it back in at th' last minute. "She wanted to hear about my work. I got carried away. I guess I touched a nerve." When she finally raised her face enough so Ah could see, her dark eyes were dimmed with regret. Ah believed she truly was sorry, even if what she'd said before had been too hasty.
Seemed ta me that there were about eight different things goin' on at once an' Ah didn't understand any of 'em. Ah stood. "Ah'm gonna go see if Kitty's okay."
She wasn't in th' room. Ah found her down at th' water. She'd taken her shoes off an' waded in up to her calves. Ah toed my own shoes off but stayed on shore. "Wanna talk 'bout it?"
Kitty pressed her lips together briefly in frustration. "There's nothing to talk about." Ah eyed her. "Really! I shouldn't have yelled at Nita like that. It's not like she said mutants are evil or anything. I can't believe I went off like that. God. I feel like the worst person in the world."
"There's always Hitler," Ah soothed. "You're not quite there yet." She smiled softly. "Ah mean, we went through a lot with th' FOH. A lot o' nasty stuff. Talk like that just brings some of it back."
"I know, but I don't think that's really it. Like, I feel...I dunno. It's stupid."
"Is it John?" Ah asked, as gently as Ah knew how.
"God, no." Kitty swung her hand hard through th' water. It splashed everywhere.
"Okay." There was a part o' me that didn't believe her, but there was a bigger part that told me Kitty trusted me enough not ta lie 'bout somethin' like that. If th' thing with John was still eatin' her, she'd say for sure.
"I guess I'm, like, not used to all this fresh air." She laughed brightly, soundin' like she always did, an' th' tight place in my chest eased a little.
"Mebbe it's a good idea if you an' John sit down an' have a talk. It'd be a shame ta let th' vacation go ta waste."
"Yeah, I guess." Kitty wrinkled her nose a little. "It's just that I thought everything was done, y'know? Like, why does everything just come back and bite you in the ass?"
"Because it'd be really fuckin' weird if it didn't, right?" Ah held out my hand. "If ya'd come outta th' water for two seconds, Ah thought we could go take a look at that cave Rochelle was tellin' us about before." It was only somethin' she'd mentioned in passing while she led us ta our cottage and Ah didn't even know if it was possible ta go down inside, but it was th' first thing that popped ta mind. A distraction.
Kitty smiled again an' grabbed my hand. Ah tugged, pushin' up into th' air at th' same time. We flew backwards, landin' in th' scrub o' vegetation at th' edge o' the beach.
"One way ta avoid gettin' sand on your feet, love," John observed. Remy was beside him. Apart from a little stoop ta John's posture, it coulda been th' same old guy. Ah guessed Kitty wasn't th' only one who'd gotten a pep talk. Shot Remy a quizzical look an' he raised his fingertips slightly, which Ah understood ta mean he'd tell me all 'bout it later.
"T'ought we'd do some exploring," he offered.
Kitty slid me a look. "Great minds, you guys. D'you, like, practice this in your spare time?"
"Don't need it. Not the pod people," John added innocently. Ah flicked his elbow. "Ow. Christ." He put on his best sulkin' face.
"Baby," Kitty teased. John looked at her, startled, but th' look faded quickly, dissolvin' into a crooked grin.
"Snookums?" he suggested, puttin' an arm around her waist. She phased through him and he stumbled forward. "Hate it when ya do that, darlin'."
"Your grandmother mentioned somethin' 'bout a cave," Ah said, strugglin' ta keep focused.
Remy drew his eyebrows together. "I don't remember..."
"They were probably afraid ya'd fall in," John said. He titled his head and squinted like he was thinkin' real hard. "There's a bright side ta everythin'."
Remy kicked him in th' ankle.
* * *
De cave wasn't much of what y'd be used to. Not'ing went so deep on de island, or echoed away into twisting corridors. Dere were narrow steps cut down into de rock, slippery wit' moisture. We scrambled down de close passage, bracing our hands against de walls t' keep from sliding. At de bottom, it was cool and dark. De sound of water dripping came in from everywhere. John flicked his lighter and twisted de flame free. We were in a space 'bout as big as our apartment, wit' a small pool on one side. Blossoms of lichen on de walls.
"Cool," Kitty breathed.
Rogue had wandered over t' de pool. Staring into it like she might find her future reflected dere. I joined her, touching her elbow. After everyt'ing, I still tried hard t' remind myself dat de contact wasn't a dream or a trick. Suppose dat's de nature of t'ieves. Always waiting for de rug t' come flying away from under our feet. A rain of other shoes from up high.
"Look at it," she pointed. Her breath on my face felt nice in de cold cave. "It's so clear. Ya can see all th' way down."
Looked and it made me dizzy. De water shifting everyt'ing. Always changing. "Y' can't tell how deep it is." Weak light made everyt'ing look gray.
"Ah bet it's cold." She slipped under my arm, resting her hand on my shoulder blade. "This place is...it's like we're not even on th' island anymore."
Didn't get de chance t' answer because of de two t'ings dat happened almost simultaneously: de light went out and someone came rocketing past us in de dark. Plunging into de pool. De water was even colder dan it looked.
"John, you jerk!" Kitty howled. Only dere was laughter in it.
"It's bloody Baltic in here!" John's voice drifted from below.
"John, ya jerk!" Rogue echoed.
"What? A man can't have a bit o' fun then?"
"Not when he's got de lighter in his pocket, podna (dude)."
Not'ing but silence for a long time. "Hell," John said quietly.
We laughed. Laughed so hard I had t' lean against Rogue for support. Was like everyt'ing had just been off, out of step, but right den it clicked back together. De tension disappeared. Like I've said, de cave wasn't so deep. Light filtered down de crude stairs from de surface. Could see shadows of leaves flickering on de wall. My eyes were already starting t' adjust. Enough so I could make out John's head bobbing on de surface. Another splash told me Kitty had joined him. Rogue tugged on my hand.
"C'mon."
Shook my head even though I wasn't sure she could see it. "Y' heard de man, chére. Bloody Baltic." Course, dat was right before I found myself tipping in. De water was a shock at first. Had t' struggle not t' gasp. End up wit' a lungful. My clothes ballooned around me and I couldn't tell which way was up. De bubbles my entrance made tickled against my face.
Someone grabbed me by my collar, dragging me up. Took a gulp of air.
"Ya okay?"
"Bad luck t' kill de boyfriend," I managed. More rattled dan I should've been. Been in worse situations, of course.
Rogue smoothed some hair from my face. "Sorry," she whispered.
Touched her shoulder t' let her know I was okay. Worked my shoes and socks off carefully, putting dem up on de side. Once y' got used to it, de temperature was refreshing. Felt like it looked: clear and clean. But I remembered what Nita said, dat y' couldn't always tell de purity of t'ings by looking.
Floated on my back for a bit. Could hear de others moving. Tiny splashes.
Hard t' say how long we stayed dere. Time moves different in de dark. Eventually, we scrambled out, graceless because de lip of rock was high. Heard de click of John's lighter. Didn't even make de tiniest spark.
"Hell," he said again. Could hear de rueful humor in his voice. He shook his head, spraying droplets of water all 'round.
Climbing out was easier dan climbing in. Closed my eyes t' allow dem to adjust t' de light. Even filtered through de leaves and branches it pierced. Even though it was sitting lower, casting long shadows.
"We should get back. Told Jacques and Rochelle we'd fix dinner," I said.
We made our way back t' de road in silence. De sharp smell of crushed vegetation was everywhere. Grabbed de crook of Rogue's elbow t' slow her enough so dat I could link our fingers. In de sinking light, her face looked strong. De planes and hollows in carved relief. A surge of happiness filled me. Have t' collect good memories like little pebbles.
Behind us, Kitty cried out in alarm. Turned t' see John down on one knee in de middle of de road. One arm raised t' warn dat he didn't want help. Kitty's hands hovered over him, twitching forward insistently.
"Damn clumsy," I thought I heard him mutter. "I'll be fine. Tripped." He tried t' rise, den fell over completely onto his front. Kitty dropped t' her knees and rolled him over. His breathing was strange and hitched.
"Ah'll get help," Rogue whispered in my ear. I nodded. De force of her takeoff made de tree branches sway.
* * *
Misa1124: I have a feeling you're right on the money with Nita. I'm not trying to be mysterious, and really, she's not at the heart of the story or anything, but I like to keep some mystery for those who don't know who she is because they're not as familiar with that particular part of the Marvelverse. The everyday is the most challenging thing to me, because stuff can happen, but most of the time it doesn't. It's not realistic. Said the girl writing about superpowered teenagers...
Seven Sunningdale: Hooray! I'm always so nervous writing makeout scenes. Because, y'know, it's more of something you feel anyhow. Like, I wouldn't ever go: how would I describe this in excruciating detail. I'm glad you like the John/Kitty thing. I never really planned for them to get together, but I do think their relationship is kind of interesting. There's a moment in one of the other stories where John is kind of lamenting his lack of relationship, but in a very downplayed way. I think that's really one of the keys to what's going on with him. Not having much to do specifically with Kitty per se. Also, the poor boy's under the weather these days...
ishandahalf: Ted is my favorite. Guys in glasses with the dry humor. But, in truth, I love them all. They seem so NICE. If that's all an act, I don't want to know the truth. I pick out random stuff to obsess over too. It's the details that make things seem more real. At heart, Remy is way more traditional than he'd like to admit out loud. There's always going to be an obstacle. My question is: can they overcome it with a minimum of melodrama?
Caliente: Hey now, no self-deprication here. That's for me only. To my mind, Rogue and Remy are about as happy and functional as I can make them. I really do believe that their particular pairing doesn't have to be about the high drama all the time. Let's give John his drama. Was the cliffhanger mean? Maybe.
Star-of-Chaos: More on Nita to come, promise. As always, I strive to keep the angst levels at a minimum.
Aro: Thanks! (blushes) The accents have changed slightly since I started this series, a way long time ago. I think they used to be more intense. Practice practice practice, I suppose. I like Jacques and Rochelle too. Everyone deserves well-adjusted relatvies.
Randirogue: Dear. Sweet. Lord. I thought I'd never hear from you again! Dude, I totally have to start reading Callous again now that you're updating again. Whee! Um, and yup, I'm almost sure you've got Nita right. But, I mean, how could you not as one so knowledgable about all things Marvel? The John and Rogue stuff is backburnered for a bit (sorry!) but like I said up there, it all kind of ties in with John's lament on his lack of a relationship. Not totally, but in part. Which is cryptic, but as clear as I can be at the moment.
The Rogue Witch: But wasn't it fun anyway? I loved seeing everyone older. And Rogue with her Ms. Marvel powers! It made my dusty fangirl heart flutter wildly. But yeah. My John isn't really Evo's John and he is a bit more mature these days.
Letanica: I loooove mangoes, but you definitely have to wait until they ripen a lot before you eat them. My secret goal with the last chapter was to make people hungry. Like the way I get hungry every time I read Invisible Man and he's eating the hot yams with butter or the vanilla ice cream with sloe gin. Mmmmmmm. (drools) Oops, back now. For once (!) I completely know what's goin' on. Everything will come about in due time. I'm in the driver's seat with little regard for the safety of others. Rock!
Ruby-servantof-eli: There are a couple things wrong with Kitty, but she's mostly snapped out of it now. I won't tell you what those things are though. Mwahaha. It was hard for me to see Rogue in a bathing suit too, but since you can't swim in your clothes... I'm thinking your confusion will probably lessen a tad next chapter.