Kurt had closed his eyes and was trying to quiet his mind.
"Anything yet?"
He was sitting cross-legged with his hands on his knees, his head back and his mind clear.
"Because, you know… If it's not working… We can just quit."
He thought about Emma's face as he had so often seen it on the astral plane.
"This was probably a stupid idea anyway. I mean, we need real, physical help. Sure. And while I agree she'd make a suitable flotation device, we're not in the process of a water landing here, right?"
Kurt shivered and his eyes flew open. "Tabitha!"
"Sorry." She looked down at the imaginary floor. "I think I'm getting claustrophobic or something… Knowing it's not real."
Kurt repressed a grimace and tried not to think about it. "Think of other things." He told her. "Tell me about Jimmy's other daughter."
Tabby made an unimpressed face and sighed. "Really?"
"Ja." Kurt began looking around the small office as they spoke. "Vhat was wrong again?"
"She's been in a coma for several years. Really, Jimmy's just doing what his wife wanted him too. She wanted Marie to have every opportunity to wake up. And when she passed, Jimmy planned his whole life around making sure that she did."
Kurt paused in the corner and glanced over to her. "I like him more and more all the time." He smiled.
"Yeah. Me too." She sighed. "Oh, Kurt. You should have seen him with her. He acts like she's fragile. He's hesitant and clumsy… Not like he is any other time. He stammers and fidgets. And the nurses told me he's there all weekend sometimes. And he's always like that. Just … broken."
Kurt nodded. "He probably feels like he's failed her. Fathers are supposed to protect their children. I don't know what I'd do…"
Tabitha smiled slightly. "Do… Do you have a kid?"
"Vhat? No. I…" He shrugged. "Vhell… Someday. Probably. At least… I think so."
"Really?" She looked at him curiously. "I might have guessed you'd want kids but..."
"Oh, sure… I was afraid up until now. I'm such an obvious mutant; my kids probably wouldn't be passing. I couldn't imagine trying to raise a child who looked like me… Up until…" He shrugged. "Alistaire was explaining my health coverage… My tail is completely covered you know… And I realized that… Here… In England… Maybe it's not such a farfetched notion."
She looked down hesitantly. "I… Always thought… I'd let my family's line die out with me. I figured… It was time, right? Enough already."
Kurt met her eyes as he followed the phone cord along the wall. "And… Now?"
She shrugged. "It's not an easy idea to replace, you know?"
Kurt smiled sadly. I know when she'll change her mind. He sighed sadly. Someday after her Jimmy has died… It will strike her as a wonderful baby name. He took a long, slow breath in through his nose. Ach, Tabitha… Some days… I think we know each other too well.
She stared back at him. He'd have beautiful children. Strong, dark… Maybe not as dark as he is…. She smiled slightly. Not with my light skin anyway.
"What's that little smile about?" He asked her
She just shook her head and looked away. My hair and eyes… His frame and skin… She considered the idea. Kurt… With a daughter… She smiled because she could imagine him sitting up late and waiting for their daughter to come home from a date.
She laughed a little, despite herself.
He tried not to notice.
Oh, God… I couldn't keep up with them if we had a boy. They'd be off swinging through the trees while I … She blinked. Actually… I don't see me there at all. She realized. Kurt would wait up… I'd just ground her come morning… If I was there when she got home. And Kurt would be off swinging through the trees… And I can't even watch those Tarzan movies…
Kurt caught the worried gleam in Tabby's eye. Ach! We went right from 'not worthy of love' to 'babies'. Vhat was I thinking…
Tabitha considered Kurt again. He was crawling all over the room as though he was in a video game, checking every item in the room to see if there were any hidden surprises.
She watched him. He was graceful and swift in his actions… But there was something soft about him too. A curious side that seemed to expect the best despite the disappointments of the past. In a way… He was almost comically innocent, and his tugging on the phone cord seemed to take on the feel of watching a kitten play with a bit of string.
Oh, my, God… She realized. He would have made such a cute baby…
He smiled and she smiled back. Awww… She thought. Imagine if he had a baby girl…
And a part of Tabby's heart went out to the idea. Maybe… She debated allowing herself to think it. A girl wouldn't be … tooo bad… But never the less, she thought about it. At least…. I could take her shopping. Tabitha Smith shrugged and then hugged herself quickly. And for the first time, considered being someone else's mother.
Back at the lighthouse, Brian moved over… again.
Betsy smiled and Illyana looked away.
Alistaire seemed not to notice. "Oh, I didn't realize…" He smiled as he eyed his hamburger. "I worked up quite an appetite tonight."
He reached quickly for the ketchup and Brian flinched.
Alistaire seemed to notice but didn't comment.
Betsy and Illyana did their best to stay quiet.
Alistaire poured his ketchup out slowly and then capped the bottle, placing it aside, and replaced his bun atop the burger. Then he folded his hands before him and seemed oddly quiet for a moment.
Then he whipped his head toward Brian. "I, umm… I did apologize, right?"
"What? Oh, sure. Yeah. No… No harm … ah… done." Brian's swollen face sported a toothy grin, some lost hair and two black eyes. The odor of burning plastic hung between them.
"Ah." Alistaire nodded. "Because I am sorry. Certainly… Wouldn't … Ummm… Ketchup?"
Brian smiled. Thankful for the change of topic and reached to take the bottle. He trembled inadvertently when he took it and Alistaire noticed but said nothing.
Illyana and Betsy busied themselves with preparing their burgers while they waited. Although, secretly, they each wanted to both laugh at and console Brian. But that was where their similar mindsets ended. Betsy was still angry with Illyana. And although she had yet to decide how… She knew she would make Illyana pay for what she'd done.
Outside, Forge (In Lucy's body – still) sat talking with Emma.
"I don't know…" Emma cautioned. "I've no problem with making the attempt but … if he's awake then it wont be very comfortable for him. My telepathic contact works flawlessly when a person's asleep but when they're awake the process overwhelms the waking mind and causes something like an epileptic episode."
Forge/Lucy's eyes narrowed. "You've never learned to tune specifically to a persons natural frequency? You just ring out a whole chord around them, don't you?"
"I… Suppose it's something like that." Emma conceded.
Lucy, in Forge's body, stood, leaning against the frame in the door. What the… "Hey… Wait."
Forge's body pushed off the floor and headed for Lucy's.
"You never pulled that… Thing out of my neck." Lucy explained in Forge's smooth and soothing tones as she reached out and ripped the small metal spike out of her/Forge's neck.
Her body jumped and her head shot back.
More pain than he had ever known flooded through Lucy's body and Forge felt a searing heat as he realized he was remembering a memory. She was in a suspension tank. Panels kept opening and closing as they cut her open and used underwater lasers to graft the adamantium on to her bones.
The memory seemed to squeeze him like toothpaste from the feet up, right out of her body.
And the small device fell from Lucy/Forge's hand. A ringing filled her ears until she could hear nothing else and as she lifted her eyes she felt totally overcome with loss and grief as voices seemed to float out of the bell sound as it ended. And suddenly she realized she was in a school and people milled everywhere,
They talked and laughed and joked… But one of them… Wasn't there anymore.
No one even wondered anymore.
They were content not to know.
Content with the mystery…
Of what became of Forge.
And he watched them all grow up… His class graduated and their little brothers and sisters came to school and then they too… left.
A kind of sorrow she had never known filled her. If there was a way… She realized through his memory. I'd have killed myself by now…
NO! She screamed out mentally at the thought and he chuckled.
No need to scream. He said. It was a long time ago.
And she could feel the pain of the adamantium bonding on him. No. She said softly. That wasn't for you. It was my pain. You should have to…
But he was laughing and she couldn't help herself.
They surged towards each other and each felt alive and energized with the life force of the other. There was a crackling and a tremendous heat in the union that became a form of pressure and the felt each other slide just an inch away as…
They're eyes fluttered and both began slowly standing up off the floor.
Forge blinked repeatedly as Emma helped him up. "My eyes… You healed my eyes."
Lucy felt a pang of jealousy over seeing Emma's cleavage helping Forge to his feet. "I thought something was wrong with your eyes! You couldn't seen anything!"
"I know. That first attack, where they took you off the motorcycle… It left me blind."
A shiver tore through her. They left him… Alone … and blind… A fire sparked behind her eyes and no one but Forge saw it.
Uh-ho. The Aristocracy has bit off more than they can chew… He thought musically to himself. Then he blinked. "Actually… I thin I'm seeing clearer now than… maybe than ever. This is amazing."
Emma looked between them. "What about smell?"
Forge took a deep breath in through his nose.
And fell to the floor coughing.
Lucy dove to help him and looked at Emma accusingly.
Emma looked at Forge. "Was it the sea-salt?"
He shook his head 'no' as he coughed on.
Lucy grimaced. "Kurt teleported in here earlier." She wrinkled her nose slightly. "It's best to breathe through your mouth…" She explained.
Forge's coughing slowed and he looked at the two of them with red, watering eyes and gave them 'two thumbs up'.
Which caused them both to turn away, shaking their heads in unison.