A/N: Special thanks to MoonlightPhoenix3, Lucas'sgirl, SperryDee, Independent Fire & Roguestar for your reviews of the last chapter.
(And yes MP3, I'll use 'Cahoots' at some point before I finish this story, I promise!)
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Streaking across the Pacific Ocean towards the Arctic Circle, a modified Blackbird spy plane shuttled its passengers towards a small village in the Ust-Ordynski farming region of Siberia. Professor Charles Xavier sat at its helm, but as advanced as the plane looked, one might think that it could quite possible fly itself. The other three occupants of the plane, Theresa Cassidy, Peter Rasputin, and Katherine Pryde, all sat in the cabin area engaged in conversation amongst themselves.
"Geez, Siryn, can't you sit still for a minute?" Kitty said to Theresa, who was exploring the cabin area of the Blackbird.
"Well, excuse me. I can't help it if I'm a wee bit curious about what's actually inside of here." Theresa replied as she sat back down in her seat, "Just because yuir a big shot X-Man that gets to fly this thing and have already had the grand tour before, don't assume the rest of us 'X-babies' have. Yeah, we know about the names you've been callin' us."
"Kitty, it looks like you and Jubilee are going to have to spend another whole weekend coming up with secret nicknames for the New Mutants." Peter smirked, as he continued drawing on a sketchpad that he had brought with him.
Kitty then turned her attention from Theresa to Peter, who was sitting in the seat next to her.
"I don't believe it, the Tin Man actually made a joke. I guess I'd better write the date and time down, for posterity's sake." Kitty said as she lightly jabbed Peter in the arm with her fist. Peter just smiled and kept his eyes on the small canvas he was working with. This made Kitty curious about his current creation.
"So, what're you drawing?" Kitty asked him.
"This? I'm just putting down some random ideas that came to mind." Peter replied.
"Mind if I look?" Kitty asked.
"I don't know. They're not really good enough for public show, these sketches are just ones that I do for myself." Peter told her.
"You don't have to worry about how good they are, your artwork is always so beautiful." Kitty complimented him.
"I'm glad that you think so." Peter responded.
As they were talking, Professor Xavier telepathically called out to his students.
"Peter, please come to the cockpit for a moment. I have some questions that I need to ask you about your village."
"Yes, Professor." Peter mentally responded as he laid his sketchpad down on his seat and headed towards the front of the plane.
After Peter had left, Theresa started to tease Kitty about her feelings for Peter.
"Ohhh, Peter, you draaww so divinely." Theresa said in a mocking voice, "You're so big and strong and artistic and I'm sooo in love with you."
"God, I can't believe you're so immature!" Kitty yelled at Theresa, "That's why we call you babies, just for the way you're acting right now."
"I'm not immature, I'm just pointing out how obvious it is to everybody about how you two feel about each other." Theresa said with a grin. She then went over to Peter's seat and started thumbing through his sketchpad.
"So, what's your point 'Song-Bird'?" Kitty asked.
"My point is, are you two a couple or not?" Theresa asked her.
"We haven't really talked about it officially." Kitty answered, as she realized that Theresa was looking through Peter's sketches, "Hey, put that down!"
"Oh, don't be such a worry-wort. I just want to see what he's been drawing all of this time, I'm not gonna be messing anything up." Theresa said as she continued to look at the drawings, "Ye do have a point though, Peter is an awfully good artist. Here's a rose, and a lake, ooh a rainbow, look here's a forest, and…Now, this is interesting!" Theresa exclaimed as she stopped on one particular sketch.
"What?" Kitty asked curiously.
"Take a look for yuirself." Theresa said as she handed her the sketchpad.
Kitty took the pad and was totally stunned as she looked at a portrait of herself that Peter had drawn. In it, Kitty was wearing a Victorian-era dress and she was looking out through a window, with the sun's rays reflecting off of the glass. The inscription at the bottom of the page said, "My Beautiful Katya." For a few minutes, Kitty just sat and gazed at the artwork that she held before her.
"This is incredible. It's so beautiful, I can't believe that this is supposed to be me." Kitty said as she admired it. But all of a sudden, she quickly closed the sketchpad.
"Here, put this back on the seat, just the way you found it." Kitty ordered Theresa.
"What's the matter?" Theresa asked her.
"Don't you get it? Peter expresses himself with art, the same way a poet would with words. Going through this sketchbook is just like reading his private journal. If he finds out I was snooping through it, especially after he said he didn't really want anyone to see it, he may never forgive me." Kitty told Theresa, "You have to promise me that you won't tell him that we looked at it."
"Of course I promise, I would'nae do anything to hurt Peter intentionally." Theresa swore to Kitty. "I'll always be grateful for the way he risked his own safety, just to save me when those soldiers attacked us."
Just as the two girls were sitting back down in their seats, Peter returned to the rear of the plane.
"So what'd the Professor want?" Kitty asked as he sat down.
"To find out where the easiest area would be to land the Blackbird. I told him that most of the area is farmland, and that he could set us down on a flat area near Lake Baikal close to my home." Peter answered.
Peter then turned his attention towards Theresa.
"The Professor wanted me to ask if you had ever sat in the cockpit of the Blackbird before?" Peter asked Theresa.
"He knows that I haven't. He could have just asked me that with his mind." Theresa replied.
"The Professor could have, but he wanted me to surprise you. He said that you can sit in the co-pilot's seat for the rest of the trip. But, you have to promise not to touch any of the controls unless he gives you his permission to." Peter told her.
"All right!" Theresa said excitedly as she threw out her response with a high-pitched sonic shriek, causing Peter and Kitty to cover their ears. She also caused some of the instrument panels to temporarily short out, but Theresa hardly seemed to notice as she headed to the front of the plane.
"Guess she's excited, huh." Kitty said as she looked at Peter, who had resumed his sketching.
"It certainly sounds that way." Peter replied.
"Well, wake me when we land. I'm gonna catch up on a few Z's." Kitty said to Peter as she curled up in the chair that she was sitting in.
As Kitty drifted off to sleep, Peter grabbed his coat that was lying on an unoccupied seat, and placed it over her. After watching Kitty fall fast asleep in her chair, Peter went back to working in his notepad.
After a few more hours had passed, the Blackbird entered Russian airspace. The plane lowered its altitude and flew below the military's radar array. Finally, it landed at its destination near Lake Baikal in Siberia, late in the afternoon. As the occupants departed the plane, Theresa saw that the Professor wasn't riding in his usual wheelchair.
"Professor, when did you get that?" Theresa asked him.
"I designed this quite some time ago. It allows me better mobility on unpaved terrain, but around the mansion it seems that I rarely have use for it." Professor X replied.
As Theresa and Professor Xavier continued to talk, Kitty and Peter emerged from the Blackbird with some of their luggage.
"I wish that I could be of more help in carrying those." Professor Xavier told his students, giving them a rare glimpse into his frustration at his physical limitations.
"There's no need to apologize, Professor. As Colossus, it's no problem for me to bring everything." Peter said as he took off his coat and changed into his armored form.
"Don't worry sir, we can handle things." Kitty added.
"Thank you, Kitty." Professor Xavier said as he replied to their words of understanding, "Take this, Theresa and myself will let the Rasputins know that we have arrived."
Professor X handed Kitty a small remote device that controlled the ramp and other security features of the Blackbird.
"We will be along shortly." Colossus said as he went back up the ramp into the Blackbird.
"Then we will see you at the house." Professor Xavier told them.
"Bye guys." Theresa said as she and the Professor departed.
Kitty waited outside as Peter gathered the remaining items from the Blackbird, wondering if he could really manage to carry them all at once?
"Peter, I know you're like ten Mr. Universes all rolled into one, but can you really handle all of those things?" Kitty asked him.
"This is nothing. In the Danger Room, the Professor has tried to gauge the upper limits of my strength. He believes my ultimate potential to be considerably more than this." Colossus answered.
"How strong are you?" Kitty asked him.
"We don't know. The equipment that he was using to test me gave out at 15 tons." Colossus revealed.
Kitty looked at him in astonishment, trying to fathom his answer in real world terms.
"I guess it really doesn't matter then?" Kitty said.
"It is information that I will eventually want to learn, but for now, I suppose it doesn't." Colossus said as he carried the last of the items from the inside of the Blackbird. He then stopped for a moment, "Lately, I have been more concerned with controlling my strength, so that I don't break something or hurt somebody in my armored form."
"Sounds like me and my phasing power." Kitty said.
"What do you mean?" Colossus asked her.
"Well, like now for instance. I'm partially phasing myself so that I don't really feel the cold air. The Professor thinks that there's alot more to my powers that we just haven't discovered yet." Kitty told him.
"It sounds like we both have much work to do then." Colossus said as he lifted the belongings together and placed them on his shoulder.
Kitty punched in the Blackbird's security codes on the remote, closing and sealing the entrance ramp. She then turned to Colossus.
"Do you think the Blackbird will be all right, out here in the woods?"
"I don't see why not. There is nothing out here but trees and the occasional forest animal." Colossus told her.
"Well, let's get going." Kitty said as she picked up Peter's coat and they started towards his house.
As they walked, Kitty marveled at Peter's homeland. The beautiful scenery seemed to go on for miles, with no end in sight. It was easy to understand how he could miss such a majestic place. As they neared the house, they heard a voice quickly running towards them.
"Piotr Nikoleivitch!" The young voice called out.
Running towards them was Peter's nine-year old sister, Illyana Rasputin.
"Is that your sister? She's so adorable." Kitty complimented.
"Yes, she is." Colossus replied as he laid their luggage and equipment down. He then changed back to his human form, so that he could give a hug to the little sister that he hadn't seen in a few years.
"I have missed you so." Illyana said to Peter as she jumped up to hug him.
"And I you. You have grown so much." Peter replied as he kissed her on the cheek.
"It's a good thing the Professor gave all of us X-Men a telepathic crash course in languages around the world, or else I'd have no idea what you two were saying." Kitty told them as she handed Peter his coat.
"Who is that?" Illyana asked Peter.
"This is my friend, Katya." Peter told her.
"Hello." Illyana said to Kitty. Illyana then turned her attention back to her brother.
"I have so much to tell you." Illyana said. She began to talk non-stop, telling Peter everything that she had wanted to say to him while he had been gone.
"Slow down. You will have time to tell me everything once we get to house." Peter said as he put Illyana back down on the ground and then converted back to Colossus. He then picked up their belongings and the trio continued towards the house.
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Next chapter: Jubilee and Doug go to the big concert, and Jubilee runs into the last person she'd expect to see there…