Tabitha sat quietly in front of her sink. They wouldn't give her a mirror, so she had no idea how she looked. She washed her face slowly, trying to make sure that she did a good job.
All of her clothes were folded and stacked on her bed. She was almost ready to go.
She ran her fingers through her tangled hair. She nervously bit her upper lip and thought for a moment.
She swallowed once and closed her eyes.
One of her 'time bombs' formed on her index finger. It crackled with heat and energy.
She lifted her hair with her free hand and ran the bomb along her fingers, burning her hair very short.
When she was finished she concentrated. Now… Let it flow back to where you got it from… She thought.
And the bomb reduced, shrank and vanished away.
She smiled slightly and ran her fingers through her hair. Not bad… I hope. She thought, tossing the extra hair in to the toilet and flushing it away.
Kurt… Her eyes misted over. I don't know how you're going to do it…
She imagined him just appearing in her room and whisking her away.
Then he imagined Kurt retaining a lawyer with Xavier's money.
But I know… You won't just leave me. You're better than that.She swallowed gratefully. God, thank you for Kurt, and Kurt…
She closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her face, leaving a cold trail in its wake.
Kurt…just… thank you.Alistiare smiled at Kurt even though he was wearing his holoimager – which still made him uneasy. "This will be an easy appearance." He explained. "Just step up to the podium, thank the person who introduced you and read your speech."
Kurt nodded. They had combed over every word of the speech together. He felt prepared.
"One minute." Someone told him. He took several deep breaths to calm down.
Soon they would open the curtain in front of him and he would have to stride confidently out to meet the press from the slightly elevated first floor balcony.
Alistaire slipped away to get a seat out front.
Kurt stood there, alone for a moment before he noticed her hands wrapping around his waist from behind.
"Kurt…" She whispered.
"Wha? Emma?" He turned, looking at her in shock.
She smiled seductively at him and kissed him over his shoulder.
Hesitantly, and half from surprise, he kissed her back.
"Are you on my side Mister Wagner?" She asked him finally.
"I don't think so." He replied with a wide smile.
"Ten seconds!" Someone called back.
"Oh…" She looked hurt. "I guess I only have one thing to say then…"
"Vhat?" He asked, holding her, half confused.
"Eep." She said softly, nibbling his earlobe. "A monster!"
And with that she tore the holoimager from his wrist and pushed him towards the curtain in front of him.
"Emma! Please!" He looked at her with the world's most imploring eyes.
She smiled, and from Kurt's point of view – she just faded away.
In fact she was just clouding his mind from seeing her, and she strode confidently away from him.
"And now, introducing our New Mutant Advisor, strait from the U.S. – Mister Kurt Wagner!"
And the curtain opened!
To reveal nothing.
Alistaire's phone rang.
"Hullo?" He answered, pushing his way back stage to see what had happened.
"Hello Alistaire."
"Rasputin!" He tried to keep his voice low. "What do you want?"
She laughed. "Open the back doors of the studio you're at – Now!"
He pushed back past the curtains.
"Alistaire!" Kurt called from the shadows. "My holoimager!"
Alistaire nodded but kept talking on the phone.
"Okay!" He replied, shoving open the doors.
"Now look up." She told him.
"Oh, dear lord!" Alistaire whispered.
Kurt had followed him out and stood shocked. "God in heaven, that isn't…"
"That's Emma you see in white on the rooftop." Illyana said in to her cell phone headset as she stood on the rooftop in question. "And that bundle she's holding out…"
She thrust the little girl out over the edge.
"Is a little girl." She finished.
Illyana reached out with her knife and cut the gag loose off the little girl.
And then she threw her off.
The girl let out a shriek that cut he night with panic and terror.
"I'd save her, if I were you." Illyana told Alistaire before keying the button to hang up on him and walking very calmly away down the peak of the roof.
Back at the lighthouse Rogue lowered the plane slowly down on to the property.
"Wow." Forge jumped out. "That was great." He smiled widely. "I mean, the living and not crashing part."
She smiled slightly. "Cute." She told him.
And she started off for the lighthouse.
She didn't get too far.
"What are you doin' here!" Rogue demanded when she came upon X23 on the path.
"I… I live here." She said cautiously. She knew Rogue was supposed to be a friend. But still…
"You what?" She demanded.
"I live here. With Kurt and Kitty." She said softly. "Kitty's in the lighthouse. She can tell you."
Rogue suddenly cast her eyes up to the lighthouse and was unsure.
"Kurt… told me…" She swallowed, fighting the urge to attack of flee Rogue.
"Told you what?" Rogue asked slowly, realizing that she might have spoken out of turn.
"Told me … I was welcome here…" She breathed out slowly.
Rogue balked slightly. "Then it's … it's not my place to say you're not." She finished finally.
X23 looked uncomfortable and then… she noticed Forge.
He waved and smiled.
Something about him was familiar.
"I'm gonna go on up to see Kitty then…" Rogue said, sensing the tension between Forge and Wolverines clone.
"Go ahead. I'll be fine." Forge assured her. "Kurt has great taste in friends." He told her.
And it really seemed to help as she began climbing the rocky steps up to the structure.
X23 looked at him suspiciously.
"I … Know you?" she asked, unsure.
He smiled widely. "I think so." He said.
"How?' She pressed.
"Please…" he whispered.
Her eyes went wide with recognition.
"And … and thank you?" She asked with a shiver.
Forge nodded twice. "One is for asking…"
"And the other for getting…" She finished.
"Yes." Forge told her. "That was me."
She looked wildly afraid for a long moment.
"You?" She asked in a quiet hush. "Were inside my head?" A shiver ran through her.
"No." He smiled. "I opened myself so that you could get in to mine." He took a long, deep breath. "I don't really understand it myself, but I know… I did it to help."
She looked at him for a long moment. "You… You know Kurt?" She asked.
"Yes." He replied. "He's my very good friend. He saved me once."
She considered for a long moment. "He's … saving me, now."
Forge nodded. "It's a part of what he does."
"Just… don't." She said softly, touching her head. "Don't speak to me like that again…" Not until I'm ready.
"Okay." He told her. "I just wanted you to know that I was coming and…"
"And?" She narrowed her eyes at him.
"And that… we … are meant to know each other."
