THE KNIGHT AND THE MAIDEN
CHAPTER 8
For Jeremy Harper
Kitty was lying next to him, nestled close. Her head rested in the crook of his neck and his arms were wrapped around her, moving with the slow, methodical rise and fall of her chest. The sun shone down against his back, his large body shielding most of Kitty's lithe frame from the harsh early morning light, save only a few rays which spilled over his broad shoulders and onto her tousled hair, making it glitter a golden hue. Impatient for his fiancee to wake up, Piotr tilted his head down, placing soft kisses from her shoulders up to the nape of her neck. He looked back at her face to see if she was awake, but her eyes stayed closed and her peaceful breathing remained steady. He bent down again, this time moving his kisses higher, starting at the side of her chin and working his way up to the end of her jaw line.
"Mmm," she sighed. Peter moved to stare at her face. Her eyes were still shut, but her breathing had quickened and a playful smile lit up her face. He grinned in return, his hands reaching to caress her arm as he simultaneously lowered his head to kiss her ear. At the same moment Kitty moved to sit up, her forehead colliding with his face.
"Sorry!" she apologized, holding in a giggle as she noticed Piotr covering his mouth and the bottom of his nose with his hand. "Are you ok?" she asked, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
"By noze," he groaned. "Id hurts."
A bemused laugh bubbled out of her. "Awww," she fussed. "Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?"
Peter removed his hand from his face and stared at her in bewilderment. "Of course, Katya. How else would it heal?"
Kitty cupped her hands around his face, tilting it towards her so she could reach the tip of his nose with her lips, and pressed down gently. "Better?"
"Nyet," he sighed, giving a solemn shake of his head. "It hurts here, too," Peter explained, pointing to his mouth. Keeping her hands against his face, she reached up again to give him a small, tender kiss. "Still hurts," he complained as soon as their lips parted. Kitty moved back and gave him another kiss, this time longer and more intense. "Again," he insisted as she began to move away.
Kitty pursed her lips and stared at him. "You're gonna milk this for all it's worth, aren't you?"
His face broke into a smile, his sapphire blue eyes shining with affection. "Without a doubt."
"Good," she grinned, moving in to kiss him again.
"You missed the training session. Again."
Scott Summers was standing at the bottom of the stairs. His expression was cross and his posture tense, with his arms folded sternly across his chest as he stood in front of Kitty, Peter, and Illyana, blocking their path as they tried to make their way to the swimming pool. "You were supposed to be there at six sharp, Kitty. This is the third session you missed this week!"
"I was busy," she said defensively as she stopped on the last stair, the added height making her nearly eye level with her team's captain.
"Doing what?" he asked. Kitty blushed a pale pink, stealing a glance at Peter before ducking her head in an attempt to hide her smile."The Danger Room is free," Scott continued. "Take an hour to go practice. That's an order." She nodded in response. "Look Kitty," he said, his voice losing the hard edge, "I know you have other things on your mind, with the wedding and all, but you still have a job to do. We all do, ok?"
"Yeah, ok," Kitty told him apologetically. "Scott?" she asked as he began to stride away. "Sorry for skipping out on practice."
Cyclops gave her a small smile. "It's already forgotten. Just don't let it show on the next mission."
"Lucky he's not my team leader," Piotr whispered as soon as Scott was out if earshot. "Storm is much more lenient." Kitty slapped him on the arm.
"Don't gloat," she admonished.
"Does this mean were not going swimming?" Illyana piped in, sounding more than a little disappointed.
"No munchkin, Daddy can still take you," Kitty told her, reaching up to tousle her long, blonde hair as she stepped off the stairs and into the hall. "I be back in an hour."
With skilled deftness she jumped, executing a perfect flip before landing steadily on the other end of the rail. This was one of Kitty's favorite scenarios, one she had programmed into the Danger Room years ago. The design was based on the old metal balance beam no more than half a foot off the ground in a park her parents used to take her to in Deerfield, back when she was only a child. She had loved the balance beam for it's simplicity; just one straight path, easy to follow. No choices, no surprises. Just follow the bar down one way until the end, pivot, and come back the other.
She jumped down and pulled off her shoes before remounting the beam, basking in the solitude and finding comfort in the repetition of her movement. Kitty continued this exercise in stability for half an hour, unwinding, letting her mind flow free, indulging in a flip or a cartwheel here and there She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of the metal against the flat of her foot, and smiled.
Without warning the balance beam disappeared and she stumbled onto the ground, landing on all fours. Hearing a noise behind her, Kitty whirled her head around to find herself facing a large olive colored creature with a high forehead and a scaly insect-like body, complete with glowing yellow eyes. It hissed at her, barring its razor sharp teeth before turning to swing it's horned tail towards her. Kitty phased through the creature's attack, solidifying as soon as it's appendage had passed through her. Before she could even inhale she was thrown off her feet as another one appeared and slammed into her body from behind. Ignoring the pain in her arm she phased again, letting herself sink into the ground just as the second attacker pounced on her. Kitty ran, still intangible, underneath the floor. She resurfaced on the other side of the creatures, then air walking her way up through the observation window and into the Control Room.
"What was that for?" she demanded, glaring at Wolverine. Her teammate was standing in front of the controls, arms crossed sternly in front of his chest. His gaze was focused on creatures wandering around the Danger Room, hissing and clawing as they searched for their prey. With a shake of his head Logan reached and pushed the controls, making Kitty's attacker's fade away as the balance beam reappeared.
"That ain't much of a challenge, least not for you," he told her, motioning to the image below.
"What's wrong with wanting to do something the easy way every once in a while?" she asked, still irritated with him for interrupting her session.
"Nothin. Just takin' the easy route has a way of screwin' you over in the long run, pun'kin," he told her calmly, grabbing her arm to look at fresh gash on her right bicep.
"You couldn't have left the safety controls on?" she grumble, jerking her arm away from him.
"No safety controls in real life," Wolverine told her bluntly. "When I had those things attack you, you're mind wasn't on the game. That'll cost you on a mission," he warned, his face softening as he looked at her. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."
"I can handle a mission," she guaranteed earnestly. Her old friend stared at her, searching for truth in her eyes. Kitty stood up a little straighter and held his gaze along with her breath, relaxing only after she saw a faint satisfied smile playing at the corner of his lips.
"Good, 'cause we leave for one in ten minutes. And One-Eye will probably have a heart attack if you're late."
Peter was sitting out by the pool, his legs spread out on the lounge chair. One ocean-blue eye was focused on examining his flaws in the work he held before him while the other kept watch over Illyana as she splashed around in the twinkling water.
Two soft hands slid lightly over both sides of his face, blocking his vision. "Guess who?" he heard Kitty whisper, her breath warm as it tickled his ear.
"Katya! You're early," he exclaimed, jumping at the sound of her voice. Immediately, he turned his sketchbook around and threw it on to the ground. Kitty lifted her hands from his eyes and pursed her lips, giving a tiny frown to Peter as he turned to look at her over his shoulder. "And you're leaving," he realized, noticing she was still wearing her uniform.
"And you're hiding something," she stated flatly, staring with dull disappointment at the drawing pad lying face down on the cement.
"No, it's just that I did not wish to upset you again, as I did last night," he explained, picking up his work and handing it to her. Kitty stared down at Peter's drawing, the same one he had started the night before, only now more detailed and nearly complete. "Your face is the shape my hand is most comfortable with," he continued, "and despite what you believe, Katya, I find you to be very beautiful."
Kitty sat on the edge of the lounger next to him, letting her chin drop into her cupped hands. "I'm sorry Peter," she sighed. "You know how I get. I over think things, and then little things become big things, and big things become huge things, and things that shouldn't even be things at all become these giant, all-encompassing...and I'll stop now, because I have to be at the hanger in three minutes, and I don't want to waste all my time babbling about nothing when I could be kissing you goodbye."
"If you insist," he grinned lasciviously, his arms reaching out to gently lead her hands towards him. Peter placed them on his shoulders then grabbed the metal frame of the her lounger, dragging it across the cement until it was only a few inches away from him. Kitty hands moved up from his shoulders, curling around his neck, her eyes fluttering closed as her lips parted against his. Peter kissed her with a burst of tenderness and passion, his hand running up and down her back. "Are you sure you only have three minutes?" he murmured, kissing her on the side of her face above her cheekbone.
"Yeah," Kitty sighed, "I-"
"-Mommy!" Illyana called out, waving furiously from the spot she was standing at near the edge of the deep end of the pool.
"Hi Blondie!" Kitty waved back cheerfully.
"Watch me!" the young Russian yelled as she raised her arms in preparation to jump, checking to make sure Peter and Kitty were looking before diving into the water with a splash.
"-Have a mission," Kitty said, finishing her earlier sentence.
"What kind?" he asked apprehensively.
"Just- Wow! That was really cool, Illyana," Kitty said as she resurfaced.
"Very impressive," Peter agreed, pleased to see the little girl's face break into a huge, triumphant smile as she climbed out of the pool. As soon as her feet were on the wet pavement she broke into a run, hurrying back to her diving spot. "Illyana!" Peter bellowed, his voice a mix of fear and anger. Kitty's hand immediately went to his knee, squeezing it comfortingly. "But she could fall," he explained, his eyes still full of worry and remorse. "And I think I have scared her."
"It's alright. She's fine," Kitty soothed. "Don't run!" Shadowcat instructed as the little girl stared at them wide-eyed, unsure of what she had done wrong.
Illyana nodded, relieved that she wasn't in trouble. "Watch me again!" she yelled animatedly.
"Ok, but don't run," Kitty reminded before she jumped back in the water. "Just some crisis situation in Boston. I think Cyke mostly wants us there for damage control." Kitty said, quickly answering his earlier question. "Very cool, munchkin! Even better than the first one," she complimented, frowning as Illyana raced to the other side of the water.
" Illyana! If you run near the pool again, swim time will be over ! " Piotr warned firmly in Russian. The blonde child frowned, but slowed her pace, walking over near the pool steps to grab her diving sticks, a pout marring her face.
"It's ok, she stopped," Kitty reassured him, her hand still resting on his knee. "And I should be back late," she continued distractedly, going back to their previous conversation as they both stared ahead, watching Illyana to make sure she followed the rules. "Will you be ok for dinner?"
"I can-" he started.
"-Look at this!" Illyana shouted energetically, the earlier reprimand already forgotten. She threw the multi-colored diving sticks into the water, letting them sink to the bottom of the deep end. After they had settled on the pool floor she looked over at Kitty and Peter, making sure their attention was still focused on her.
"We're watching!" Peter assured, watching her dive in. "I can" he repeated, "fend for myself. And for the little one. Be safe."
"Always am," she promised, kissing him lightly on the mouth. "I love you. No pizza," she ordered, pointing her index finger at him in mock warning.
"All right," he conceded with a groan, grabbing her finger to pull her closer for a longer kiss. "Love you, too."
The sound of breaking water turned their attention to the pool as Illyana popped back up. "I got all of them!" she crowed, her voice full of pride as she swam to the edge of the pool and placed the diving sticks on the water covered cement. Kitty smiled at her exuberance, picking up a lone diving stick that had managed to roll away from the rest. Illyana had moved to the rim of the pool, holding onto it as she splashed her legs back and forth, watching her mother walk closer.
"Are you sure you're not a fish?" Kitty teased as she returned the stick to the pile.
"Unh-Unh, I'm a person," she said matter-of-factly, breathing heavy as she continued to thrash her legs about in the water.
"If you say so," she said with a laugh, enjoying the moment before her expression sobered. "Sweetie, I have to go, but I'll be home soon." A worried frown creased Illyana's face and she stopped kicking, her eyes-downcast, refusing to look at Kitty. "Take care of Daddy, ok?" she asked gently.
The blonde Russian nodded, a solemn, determined look replacing the frown on her face. "Ok," she agreed, inwardly pleased to be trusted with such a serious responsibility.
"Good girl. Love you, munchkin," she told her, placing an affectionate kiss on top of her wet head.
"Love you," she repeated back, holding her arms out. Kitty bent down and let her wrap them around her neck, reaching out to grab her waist and pull her out of the pool. Illyana clung tightly to the brown haired woman, burying her head against her stomach. Kitty hugged the little girl back, not caring that her uniform was getting soaked by the dripping wet child. With one last squeeze, she released her daughter, feeling familiar tears forming in her eyes that always accompanied the hollow feeling she felt every time her job called for her to leave her family. Illyana grabbed onto her hand, gripping it with all her might as Kitty led her over to Peter.
"Are you finished, Snowflake?" Piotr asked, holding up her towel. Illyana nodded mutely, reaching out with her free hand to grab it from him. Peter moved the towel higher, just above her reach. "Are you sure?" he inquired. Illyana glanced sideways at the pool, staring at it longingly. "I don't know," she said quietly, looking up at Kitty.
"It's alright. You don't have to leave just 'cause I do," Kitty assured her. Illyana looked over at Peter, who nodded his agreement.
"You don't mind?" she asked in a small voice, a touch of hopefulness shining through.
"Go have fun," Kitty encouraged.
"Don't worry Snowflake, I will take care of you," Peter added earnestly. Kitty placed her hand on his back and smiled lovingly at him.
"But who will take care of Mommy?" she questioned, her eyes still full of worry.
"Don't worry, kiddo," Shadowcat said lightly. "This is one mission I can promise, with absolute certainty, that I won't get in any trouble at all."
"Promise?" Illyana asked warily.
"Pinkie swear," she guaranteed, holding out her finger. The little blonde girl grabbed it, giving into a smile as Kitty shook their locked fingers up and down vigorously.
"To be precise Katya, you might get in some trouble," Peter added, holding up his wrist. "You're five minutes late."
"Great, Scott's gonna kill me! Will you alright?" she asked Illyana. The child nodded, putting on a brave face. "That's my Little Snowflake. Love you," she said again, giving her one last hug. "Love you, too," Kitty added, giving Piotr a final kiss. "Bye," she called out, rushing towards the house. "Remember, no pizza!"
Kitty ran towards the lower level elevator, nearly crashing into Rogue and Rachel in the foyer. Rachel was wearing a pink bathing suit and carrying a towel. Rogue stayed dressed in her normal long sleeved clothes, trailing a few steps behind.
"You guys going out to the pool?" Kitty asked, surprised to see the two of them together.
"Yeah," Rachel said, looking a bit peeved with her company.
"Illyana's out there. You two can play," she suggested.
"I know."
"Course you do."
"See how I shaded the cheeks? It makes her smile look like it lights up her whole face," Piotr explained, showing his portrait of Kitty to Illyana. The little girl sat snuggled up to her father and took the sketchpad from his hands."But I still can not seem to get the eyes the way they should be."
"I think she looks pretty."
"Would you like to try one of your own?" he offered, turning to a blank page.
She pushed the paper back towards him. "My drawings are never as good as yours," she pouted.
Colossus smirked. "You believe your's are bad? You should see Mommy's." Illyana giggled innocently, her nose crinkling as she laughed. "Oh, hello Rachel," he said, noticing the red head standing next to them, watching them laugh with a doleful expression on her face. "Why don't the two of you go play," he encouraged, taking the drawing pad back from Illyana's tiny hands as the two girls went off to the pool.
"Hey there, Petey," Rouge said, taking the seat next to him.
Colossus did a double take, surprised to see his teammate still at the mansion. "Are you not going on the mission, Rogue?"
"Nope. Got roped into babysitting duty. Lucky me," she muttered, putting on a pair of black sunglasses.
"Are you sure you should not be going?" he pressed. "What if they need someone with your abilities?"
"They took Cannonball with 'em this time, and there's always Beast. And even if they didn't, Kit can handle herself. You don't need to worry," Rogue assured him.
"I know. But I will anyhow."
She pulled her shades down the bridge of her nose and looked over at him, taking note of the disquieted expression on his face. and "It bugs ya, don't it? Not fightin' next ta her."
"No. It nearly kills me." Peter sat quietly for a moment. "But it has to be this way. If something were to happen to her team, or to my own, at least one of us will still be left. Illyana will not have to be alone." He held up the sketchpad in his hands and started at the drawing. "It is a terrible thing you know, to be alone." Peter shook his head and looked over at the two girls splashing about in the water. "Is that not the reason Scott did not take you on his team today? For Rachel's sake?"
"Hmph. Are you kiddin, Petey? That girl would rather spend the resta her life in a pit fulla vipers than with me. But you remember what this mission is. Remember, how Scott was afraid it was gonna end up bein' high profile? He wanted to take the heroes of the Blue Team. Not..." she trailed off, glad that her sunglasses were shielding her eyes. "Ah'd have liked to have gone to Boston, though. Ah have a lot of memories there."
"I very much doubt that is how Cyclops explained it," Peter argued sensibly.
"Nah," she agreed. "He said he thought it was best to keep me out of the public eye for awhile longer. Not that Ah can blame him," she continued, sounding faraway. "Ah killed someone."
Peter continued to stare ahead with dull, sorrowful blue eyes as he watched his little snowflake race Rachel across the pool, water flying everywhere. His posture had changed with Rogue's words. His broad shoulders fell limply at his sides and his head hung heavy in disgrace. With his giant form the Russian mutant reminded her of Atlas, tired and weary from bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders for far too long. Rogue looked away, unsure of how to approach the subject.
"You know Ah talked to Kitty about, you know, all this." Her comment was met with silence. "Peter? You still here?"
"What is it you wish me to say, Rogue?" he asked brusquely
"Ah...Ah don't know. Nothin', Ah guess," she responded. "Did you know Gambit was here?" she asked a moment later.
"At the mansion? No, I was unaware of that," the dark haired Russian murmered absentmindedly, his attention still focused on the water. His head snapped toward her, realizing the possible problems this could lead to. Piotr studied her face, seeing the worry on her face even with her eyes shielded by her sunglasses. "We need to get him away from here!" he demanded.
"It's ok, Peter," Rogue assured him quietly. "Ah talked to him last night. He knew, but I got him to think I had been lying to him to try to keep him away. It got him to leave. Besides, it's what was best for him," she said, her voice full of resignation. The southerner gaze turned to the spot her friend had previously been staring at and watched the two girls play. "And for her," she added.
"Spaceeba, Rogue. For all that you have done."
She forced a smile. "No prob. Ah get it, you know. If Ah had the chance to turn back time, to not have killed Carol...Ah just get it." Peter didn't respond. "You still not gonna say anything? You remember the time, after you left Genosha and came back to Westchester, when Ah came in your room and tried to convince ya to call Kitty? Ya came so close to tellin' me everything then, Peter, an' then at the last second you just shut me out. Ah don't expect you to open up ta me, but Kitty, she needs ta know why you did all those things. If y'all don't work through that, this is gonna fall apart."
"Nyet!" he yelled, loud enough to draw Rachel and Illyana's attention. No," he repeated, his voice dropping to a quieter level. "There is nothing to work through. I have not done anything except love Katya and Illyana. And I will continue to love them, and protect them. I will never allow anyone to hurt them, that I promised Katya. I wont fail her. I know how lucky I am. To be here with her, to be a family...it is far more than I deserve."
Piotr stopped talking and started ahead, his face completly stoic. It wasn't until Illyana left the pool and ran towards him that he showed a spark of life.
"I'm hungry," she announced, wrapping her towel around her and slipping her feet into her yellow flip flops.
"Alright Snowflake, le't get some lunch." He grinned mischievously. "How does pizza sound?"
"It sounds like you're going to get in a lot of trouble."
"You have a point. Lets settle for peanut butter sandwiches."
Sorry this is so late, I had terrible writer's block. The next chapter should be up in about two weeks. Anyway, here's a preview of the nest few chapters:
Chapter 9- We find out what Kitty's mission is and a little more about what's going on in Piotr's head. Plus, a whole group of guest stars.
Chapter 10- One word: Romy
And for all the Kiotr fans, you should really read "Deathless" by Jeremy Harper in the Comics section. It's a great, well written story that I know you'll all enjoy. Thank you so much for all your reviews, they really help when I'm in a writer's block stage like this.
Amokitty-Thank you so much for your review! Ironically, I'm also not to keen on Evolution stories compared to comic canon, but I think Evo is much easier to write, since I don't have to worry about 40 years of continuity getting in the way. I'm glad you think it reads more like a comic, in this fics prequel I was trying to phase out a lot of the more annoying cartoon elements, like Kitty's valley girl accent and Lance. I'm also very pleased to know you like the characterization of the rest of the cast. I was a little worried about Scott, since I never particularly cared for him until quite recently (I blame Whedon and Jeremy Harper for that change of heart) and I thought I was making him a little one dimensional then usual. As for whats in store for Kitty and Peter, well, I guess I can't ruin the surprise, can I?;) Thanks so much for your review!
Jeremy Harper- Thank you for all your support! It makes me very pleased to know you liked the last chapter. This one didn't have as much on Peter as I had planned, since I tried to cram way too much into one chapter in my outline. Anyway, the next chapter will pick up right where this one leaves off, so lots more Peter characterization is coming, although I get the feeling you have a pretty solid grasp on his state of mind already. As for Kitty being a s.f./fantasy fan, it's just one of those things that bugs me in the comics, that was such a huge part characterization in the early years, and one of the reasons I liked her. It's a shame, I can't remember when her character has been written well since towards the end of Excalibur, although there was one short scene in Uncanny 37? where she asked Peter if she had been as much of a pain in the neck as Marrow when she joined the X-Men, and Colossus just laughed and told her she had been a pain in areas much lower. Anyway, at least Whedon has a good handle on her. There was even a Harry Potter reference in Astonishing 1. Again, thank you for all your support and advice. I really appreciate it.
KittieKat8-Glad you liked the last chapter! Sorry this one took so long. You think Illyana should be saved? I don't know, I love happy endings, but that would give me one less way to torture the characters. I guess it's a toss up of what I could do with Illyana's character, although I have already picked if she lives or dies. You'll just have to keep reading to find out! ;)
ishandahalf- Fox really is the resident cute guy on Passions if Miguel is gone. Sigh. I guess they'll bring Paloma back to Harmony to make up for Pilar losing yet another child(although unlike Miguel, losing Antonio was a good thing. Probably one of the best moments in the history of the show). Of course, that's just what the show needs, another annoying, whining girl. She can spend all her time hanging out with Charity, Whitney, and Gwen, I'm sure they'll get along great. Oh, but I did manage to see most of the episode where TC found out about Eve, and Liz has definitly become most hateable female character in my opinion. What an evil witch she is. I guess Whitney must take after her aunt. Anyway, now you have to forgive me for two late updates and a major lack of romy. Im saving them for a little while down the road and we'll find out why he left again. And just because he left doesn't mean he can't come back (hint hint). Oh, and as for Rachel, there's some stuff to learn about her and Rogue, since they both have unrevealed reasons for not liking each other, Rogue's reason being quite recent. She did explain the future stuff, but how exactly it happened wont be revealed until Chapter 10 (the romy chapter), but the next one is all Piotr, and a few guest stars for comic relief.
epona04- Glad you liked it! The next chapter will have some heavier elements to it, but also a group of New guest stars to keep it from getting too angsty. Thanks so much for your slang-filled review :)
Lucas'sgirl- The romyness is coming! I have a feeling Remy will be making a few more appearances, though not until at least chapter 10, since chapter 9 will guest star a few new faces, all but one who never got to make Evo appearances. But I'm glad you like the Kiotrness. Stay tunned for romy!
DemonRogue13- Happy you liked it! This chapter hopefully made a little more sense about why Rogue would agree to help Kitty so quickly. Expect a lot more Rogue explanations down the line. She still has a few secrets. ;)
B-I know what you mean about 'Paper Flowers', I've been waiting for that one, too. Luckily I have 'Deathless' for my weekly Kiotr fix. And there are so many rumors about Colossus coming back in Astonishing. I even talked to someone who said he knew someone at marvel who told him some info on how, but you never know what's true online. I was so sure it was him until today when I heard official Marvel news that makes me think it's Jean who's coming back. But I still have hope for Piotr. I'm just waiting for the 25th. 'm really sorry to hear about your family medical problems, I know how much that can suck. I hope everything gets better for you soon.
The Uncanny R-Man- Happy to know my story's back to making sense, I know it was kind of confusing for awhile. I haven't spent much time online lately, mainly because when I do my computer shuts down after about five minutes, but I'm really looking forward to reading your comics Wolfsbane story, especially now that I've finally finished this chapter. I'm sure I'll like it as much as I like Dougie. :)
Dark-bat- Yay, my story got compared to truffles! That's one of my favorite foods, and so much better than casserole, especially any kind of casserole with ham in it. I can't eat ham. Makes me think of Wilbur from Charlotte's Web. Anyway, about the story, Piotr is in the 'past' along with Kitty and Rogue. Lots more Peter in the next chapter, actually it was supposed to be in this one according to my outline, but then this chapter would never end.
Thank you all so much for reviewing!
