Kurt was exhausted by the time they made it back to the lighthouse. Kitty had taken the lead where X23 was concerned and he was grateful. Realizing that he didn't have any other recourse tonight, he decided to get a better briefing from Logan as soon as possible.
With that behind him, he went to bed early that night, shortly after Alistaire had gone home, leaving Kitty talking and X23 listening but with little to say. But, He reasoned, It's probably as close to 'girl talk' as they're bound to get anytime soon…
And with that he slipped lazily off to sleep.
She appeared immediately. "Kurt." She whispered.
"Emma." He cast his eyes about. He was standing on the back patio of the mansion.
"My, my my… You had quite the life, didn't you?" She smiled. "And now, living in an abandoned property without any heat?" She shook her head. "I suppose that's diplomacy for you." She shrugged.
He smiled curiously. "Is it 'Bash the Fuzzy-Dude Day' or something?" He asked.
She laughed. "Oh no. I think you know I like you Kurt. And I'd like to see you succeed here, but you'll need powerful friends. Not like the Animal and the Ghost you're keeping company with. People who had what Xavier had; Money, power, influence… I could make things real easy for you here."
"Uh, hunh." Kurt laughed. "I think someone warned me about you." He smiled.
"Oh?" She feigned innocence and hurt. "About… Me?" She laughed and slipped up close to him, pinning him to the back door of the mansion and steering her mouth to his.
"Whatever they said… They underestimate me." She kissed him softly, licked his lips lightly with her tongue and…
Kitty slipped in, shivering. "Kurt!" She shook his foot but spoke softly. "Kurt?"
"Hmph?" He woke with a blink. "Vhat is it?"
"The furnace has gone out again. My rooms freezing now like it's got a breeze running through it." She swallowed. And I don't think I should try to light it again." She added.
"I agree. No one should. The whole system needs looked at." He could feel the breeze from his open door. "Just close the door and the room will stay warm until morning."
Kitty looked around and then slipped in to the edge of the bed, for a moment, until she scooted up to Kurt.
"Kitty!" He looked back at her.
"Well you're warm!" She complained, snuggling him slightly.
Thoughts began to drift through his head. Logan hated the cold. Said it chilled his bones…
"Ach!" Kurt slid off the bed on to the floor. "I'll be right back."
Kurt wrapped the blanket around himself and drifted down the hall.
"Hey?" He called out softly. "X…23?" He felt bad calling her that. It was as though he was calling for a test tube in his mind. This girl needs a real name.
He paused outside her door. It was off the hinges but she had positioned it so as to appear mostly closed. He knocked softly. "Hello?"
"Y-y-yes?" She answered back, from the other side of the door.
"I wanted to know if you were okay. The heats gone out and …" He spied her through the crack in the door. "Mein gott." He pushed the door to one side and stepped in. "You're almost as blue as I am!" He swung his blanket off his shoulders and around her.
"It… it's not so bad. Sometimes, outside…"
His eyes shot to the windows. None of them were properly sealed and he could feel the cold ocean air whipping through the room.
"No." He interrupted her. "I won't have this."
She felt his warmth in the blanket and without thinking she drew it closer around her. It felt wonderful.
"Vhy didn't you come tell me about this?"
Her eyes met his and he paused.
"Really." He shivered but held her gaze. "Vhy were you just… sitting here?"
He drew her in to the hallway slowly, still keeping his eyes on hers.
"Men…" She replied. "Men want… things." She swallowed.
Kurt stood up strait and seemed to shake off the cold while becoming fully awake.
She felt uncomfortable suddenly standing in front of him.
"No one will ever treat you like that here. Not while I'm in charge or even around. Understand?" He swallowed and met her eyes. Her words from the pier slipped through his mind. Somewhere it's safe…He chastised himself.Why didn't I see this before?
"You are safe here." He sighed, detecting traces of Logan in her uncomfortable expression. "And you're welcome here." He said softly as though deciding it for the first time.
She was suddenly shy, sheepish and looked her age as she nodded – but he could tell she was still unsure and untrusting.
"Kitty said…" She shivered despite herself. "… said you're not like that." She volunteered.
"Ja. She was telling the truth." He led her down the hall. "She's in my room tonight. It's the only one without a draft – and it's warm."
She stiffened but allowed him to lead her down the hall and she cast her eyes in to his room as he opened the door. Not only was Kitty there but she was sleeping in his bed.
"Her room had a draft too." He explained.
"I was sleeping by the vent… until the heat went out." She explained, looking for the vent in his room, in hopes that it worked and she could sleep near it. But it too was silent now.
"I'm sorry." He explained. "Ve don't even have enough blankets yet." He shook his head, obviously taking the blame for something he couldn't control. He closed the door behind them and the lack of breeze suddenly made her feel twice as warm as before.
"Keep dat blanket." He told her. "Kitty and I can share one tonight." He slipped in to the middle of the bed next to Kitty and quickly vanished under her blanket. "You can have the other side of the bed."
She eyed the bed. It was certainly large enough for all three of them but still…
Kurt eyed her sympathetically. "You know Logan never would have sent you here if it wasn't safe." And I guess I should have known that works both ways… I hope.
She sat down slowly on the edge of the bed. She could still feel the warmth from where he had been laying not so long ago – before he had gotten up to come find her.
Her heart was pounding in her ears, but … Where it normally grew and grew until it overwhelmed her, now it was only pounding, steady and true.
Kitty, still asleep, curled closer to Kurt appreciating the heat from his skin and snoring softly, barely awake.
And then X23 noticed something. With every third breath she took, the pounding got slightly softer.
Breathe. She told herself. And the smells of the place filled her. The smell of Kurt was strong, but tolerable to her. Kitty smelled as though she had worked her body sore. The thing that was lurking in the hall and pacing in front of their door had an almost rubbery smell.
And her heartbeat slowed, and the panic lessened.
She wanted to lay down. She wanted to sleep. She wanted to trust him. The warmth was infectious and she fought off a yawn.
"Kurt?" She said softly.
"Ja?" He was drawn back as far as he could be, trying to give her plenty of room.
"Thank you." She lay down quickly along the far edge of the bed, facing away from him.
"You're velcome." He told her. "I told you that before."
She could hear the smile in his voice.
"Yeah." She replied thoughtfully. "You did."
And she closed her eyes, not so much to sleep, as to simply focus on breathing and basking in her own slowly gathering body-warmth. And yet, she found one word rolling around in her mind, over and over again:
Welcome…Welcome... Welcome...
