Beep.... beep.... beep....
Steph slowly realized she was hearing the steady beeping of a machine monitor, and even slower still she managed to open her eyes, everything looked foggy and as if there were no definite lines anywhere.
"She's waking, doctor... should we contact her family?"
"Yes Jody, I think you'd better," said a male voice. "Miss Munroe? Miss Munroe, are you awake?"
"Urh," Steph grunted, slowly starting to recognize shapes and colors.
"Don't strain yourself," said the voice lightly. Steph realized a man was standing in front of her, dressed in a white coat and with his arms crossed in front of his lean, good natured face.
"What?" Steph said groggily.
"Careful now," the doctor replied. Steph looked around and found herself in a hospital room, the beeping machine was right near her bed.
"Where-?" The doctor answered her before she finished the sentence.
"Apparently the X Men's doctor was also injured when you got into trouble, so both of you were sent to our hospital instead."
"Hank!" Steph gasped, sitting upright so quickly she felt like she was going to tumble off the bed.
"Careful," the doctor said, a bit more severely. "You had quite a fight with someone young lady, you lost a bit too much blood for anyone's liking. But you're doing much better- I think you'll make a full recovery by tonight if you'll relax." Steph sat back down.
"How's Hank?" she demanded. Seeing the doctor's confused look she sighed. "Henry McCoy? Big blue guy, hard to miss- our doctor."
"Ah yes, him," the doctor said, smiling again.
"Well?" Steph said.
"Patience is a virtue young lady," the doctor said. "Your friend's been up for a while, actually he was released yesterday morning."
"Is he ok?" Steph asked. The doctor laughed.
"No, he's fatally injured so we decided to let him walk out the front doors," he said. Then he saw Steph's annoyed scowl. "He's fine, nothing but a nasty cut on his chest and some drugs, it looked like someone cut him open and took a peek at how he operates, no long term damage however." Steph opened her mouth to reply when somewhere outside she heard a loud squeal, and Ruhko's voice.
"Teffie!" Ruhko yelled from somewhere down the hall. Steph heard a familiar laugh follow the cry.
"Careful, child of the wolf, thou might break something expensive." The next second the door banged open and Ruhko flew through, narrowly missing the doctor as she jumped towards Steph, who's eyes widened.
"No, sorry!" the doctor said, grabbing her overalls in mid air, then swinging her slightly as he lowered her to the floor. Ruhko growled at him, then turned and rushed over to Steph, her eyes wide with alarm and relief.
"Teffie!" she said again. "Ya won't believe it, one o' the bad guards was the one who sent us back!"
"What?" Steph said, eyes narrowing. But Ruhko was interrupted by Hank coming in through the door, smiling broadly. Steph gasped when she saw him and made to get up, but Ruhko pushed her back down.
"Ya have t' stay in bed!" she scolded. Hank strode over and bent down, and Steph lunged forward and grabbed him into a tight hug, which he returned.
"Ah, my sweet Stephanie, I was worried," he said, stroking her hair. Finally they let go and Ruhko beamed at them.
"Cute," she said.
"Quiet you," Steph said, as Hank chuckled.
"How does thou fare, sweet warrior?" Hank asked.
"Dizzy, and confused, but alright," Steph shrugged. She looked up at Hank, her eyes shining with moisture. "I was scared Hank- I thought you had gone of an' died on me!" Hank stroked her cheek as he sat on the edge of her hospital bed.
"I would never leave you, Stephanie," he said. Their eyes locked for a moment before Ruhko threw her two cents in.
"Yuk- save it fer yer wedding vows bub." The doctor burst out laughing and Hank and Steph smiled, Steph playfully batting her sister on the shoulder.
"Quite you," she growled. Ruhko stuck out her tongue.
"Make me," she said. Hank arched his eyebrow at Steph.
"This is what the child has learned though her years of silence and solitude?" he asked. "And her language...."
"Reminds me of dad," Steph said, so softly even Hank barely heard her. His smile became sadder as he continued to stroke her cheek.
"C'mon Teffie, when're ya gonna quit layin' 'round n' get up?" Ruhko said impatiently, jumping from foot to foot, her curls bouncing around her head.
"This afternoon," the doctor said, checking his charts. "If you're feeling up to it, and rest. It seems you, Stephanie Munroe, are one of those patients who do not like to listen to their doctors. Am I correct?"
"Usually," Hank chuckled.
"Don't make me defy doctor's orders an' beat ya up for making fun o' me," Steph said, arching her eyebrow. Hank laughed and shook his head.
"Never, Stephanie, would I think of jesting to your expense," he said. Ruhko jumped up on his shoulders, latching onto his neck.
"Don't worry 'Teffie, I'll get 'im for ya!" she said.
"Thanks Ruk."
"Ouch! That is my only right ear, little wolf-pup!"
---
Steph did go home later that afternoon, helped by Hank and Ruhko, who decided she was going to bulldoze anyone in Steph's way to the side. Luckily not too many people wanted to get in the way of the over zealous nine-year-old, so the only complaints came from a nurse who almost tripped over the child.
Once back at the mansion Steph was greeted by the rest of the X Men, who all looked relieved and happier than they had been in a while.
"You know, we were just about to bust down there and grab you when you worked your charms on that guard," Bobby said confidently. Steph rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, sure," she said.
"I can't believe that guard actually freed you," Jubilee said. They all knew the story by heart now, from Ruhko proudly boasting that she had been about to kill all of the guards when one 'got scared' and sent them back, and Steph had heard it from Hank and Ruhko on the way back to the mansion.
"Yeah, well," Steph shrugged, then looked around and noticed that two faces were missing. "Hey- where's Kurt? And Kitty? They already run off to rescue us?" she grinned, but suddenly everything got quiet. Steph's smile faltered.
"Nothing else- nothing's happened to them has it?" she demanded, unable to keep the edge of panic out of her voice. Hank, who already had his hand on her shoulder, put his arm around her.
"They- sorta did run off," Bobby said. "After you three had gone missing, when the professor couldn't find you with Cerebro- gosh Steph, we all thought you guys were dead!"
"So where are they?" Steph asked. Xavier cleared his throat.
"They had a very hard time with the news that you three were probably gone as well," he said. "They left one night, we got a call the next afternoon, they're now over in Germany, and they don't plan on coming back." It took a moment for this news to register with Steph, who just stared at Charles for a moment.
"Germany?" she repeated. "Germany? What are they doin' in Germany? What can they do there?" Scott cleared his throat.
"They have decided to start a mutant group similar to the X Men," he said. "Kurt will be the leader and he and Kitty are looking into recruiting other mutants."
"They go bye-bye," Bucky confirmed, looking up at Steph. Steph sighed.
"I suppose even when they know we're not dead, they'll stay over there?" she said. Charles shook her head. "And they didn't even take Mark with them?!" she shook her head and laughed with everyone else, but the laughter ended very quickly.
"What do you make of this, sweet Stephanie?" Hank asked, gently squeezing her shoulder.
"I think I want to go to bed," she yawned a very fake yawn and tried to smile. "It's good seeing all of ya again... later." She turned and walked out, and Hank followed. Once out of the earshot of the others he shot Steph a look.
"What?" she said. Hank shook his head and looked forward again, taking her hand in his and trying to smile, but Steph could tell something was on his mind. She let it go until just before he turned to leave her at her door. "Wait," she said.
"Yes, my fairest friend?" Hank asked, having to turning back; Steph was still holding onto his hand.
"What is it Hank? What's the matter with you?" she asked. Hank seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, then sighed.
"Stephanie- I doubt you remember, but at one point it was you and I alone in the cell...." he said.
"I remember," Steph said, nodding. "When I looked like hamburger meat?" Hank smiled slightly, then shook his head.
"After we talked of the future," he paused and looked slightly embarrassed. "You had lost a lot of blood, you were on the verge of passing out-"
"I said I loved you," Steph finished for him, smiling now. Hank looked even more embarrassed and nodded. "And ya think I didn't mean it, 'cause I had lost all that blood."
"Yes, I know it was merely exhaustion-" Hank said, quickly he began to turn away again and make a quick exit, but found himself unable to do so because Steph still hadn't let go of him.
"You really are a brainless oaf sometimes," she smiled, "I meant that, I do love you, the blood loss... just made it a bit easier to say." After a pause Hank's mouth obviously started to work with his brain, opening and closing and then opening again without a single sound coming out, which only made Steph laugh.
"G'night," she said, kissing him on the cheek and making him promptly shut his mouth again, as if that had decided all of it, and his doubts were gone. Steph laughed again and let go of his hand, sliding into her room and closing the door. She stayed there for a moment, listening as Hank finally got his vocal cords working and he mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "must consult Robert," before his slightly more energized footsteps went back down the hall.
Steph faced the room in front of her, and to her surprise saw Jubilee's head next to her window, on the verge of erupting in a fit of giggles. Then the young woman realized Steph had seen her and she squealed "Down, down!" and vanished from the window.
"What? What?" Bobby's voice asked from down below.
"Down, she saw me!" Jubilee cried.
"Whoa! Ow! You knocked me off! This is my ice, I should be knocking you off!" Steph walked over to the window and saw Bobby starting to slip back inside, an ice mound beneath the window that they had been standing on started to melt in the humid air. Steph leaned out her window before her bother-in-law escaped.
"Hank wants to talk to ya about women!" she yelled, then shut the window and fell on her bed to think and rethink Kurt and Kitty's departure, laughing quickly becoming the last thing she wanted to do.