Kitty looked down at Kurt and Tabitha. Once she would have immediately blamed Tabitha for this. Now… It took her a minute.
Probably something she did. She sighed, eyeing Tabitha's unresponsive body lying next to Kurt. Kurt never screws up this bad…
She stood up slowly. Damn it… And this makes it my call too, doesn't it? She took a couple of deep breaths. What would Kurt do?
She sighed. If I need a little bracelet that says "WWKD?" I'm probably not fit for the job.
She looked up to Forge. "So… What are our options again?"
Forge, looked comfortable but feeling rather exhausted, sat straddling a chair at the foot of her bed. "It's a two person operation to remove each cuff. Four people to do both at once. You could phase them but once off of them it would try to short out your power and it's likely they'll end up with bits of cuffs solidified in their wrists and… still connected."
Kitty nodded.
Forge continued. "We could short out the machine and hope for the best. We could let Emma try and contact them but between the trauma her waking contact inspires and the already deficient state… It might be rough. "
He swallowed. "I'd go with shorting out the cuff. Odds that way say one, maybe both come out intact."
Kitty nodded and turned to face Kurt again.
"Ummm…" Someone said from the back of the room.
Ummm… Kitty thought.
"Couldn't I… Ummm… I don't mean to interrupt but ummm…" Williams slowly worked his way through the small crowd and looked down at Kurt and Tabby.
"Hey! You two…" Williams said to them. "Wake up!"
Tabitha and Kurt worked their way along the ledge.
Vouldnt you know it… Step outside the window and it's sure to close behind you… It's got to be Tabby's mind. She seems to have a subconscious effect on the environment. Maybe if I can cheer her up…
Kurt smiled. "Some fun now, hunh?" He let the breeze play with his hair and cut her a dashing smile.
Tabitha looked down and shivered as she clung to the side of the building.
This isn't working. He realized as he heard the tapping. All right… Maybe it's time to try something…
Tapping? He stopped and listened. Yes… there it is again.
He looked inside the window and there was a young mutant girl standing behind the glass looking sly and impatient.
Kurt looked to Tabitha and then back to the girl behind the glass. They had the same eyes. They had the same hair. And after a second Kurt realized that the girl behind the glass was as blue as he was. Her tail swished absently behind her.
"Are you guys gonna come in here or what?" She asked in a practiced tone of insolence.
Kurt looked and sure enough the window was open just a crack.
"God Dad you're always so dramatic." Then the little elf girl wrinkled her nose at them. "Ew! This wasn't some kind of … romantic game? Is it?" She shivered.
"Angela!" He scolded her without thinking.
She giggled at him. "Well I had to ask."
"No you didn't." Kurt told her adding an eye full of weight to the argument.
Tabitha stood amazed. "Did you… do your homework?" She asked.
"Yeah. Miss Frost says I'm doing great in Mutant Studies." She smiled slyly again. "She also said to say hello to you dad. But she said it like this: Hell-lo" She finished the sentence in a horse and seductive whisper.
"I never liked her." Tabby said, shaking her head.
Kurt laughed. "Ach, please! Maybe vhen I was young and my hair was still blue! But I'm gray before my time because of these kids."
"Awww… Dad!" The little voice intoned.
Tabitha spun to see the little blue boy who stood in the hallway. He had Kurt's large and innocent eyes and hair color. But Tabby's fair skin with just the lightest blue tint and no tail. He beamed a little fanged smile at her. "Chocolate milk?" he asked happily.
"Not before bed." She checked the clock. "Oh, okay… Just one glass." She smiled at the boy who shuffled off toward the kitchen.
"Did you pick up your room?" Kurt asked the boy.
"Yep!" He smiled wide.
"Good boy." Kurt told him. Probably just shoved it all in the closet…
"What do you want for your birthday Damien?" Tabby asked, sorting the mail.
"Mefal deflector." The young boy said while drinking his milk.
Tabby shot a look at Kurt who made a motion like he was vacuuming while mouthing the words "Metal detector".
"Oh." Tabby nodded with a smile. That boy's a treasure hunter. She nodded. I wonder if I should save for college or bail…
Probably both. She decided. "Don't blow bubbles in your milk." She told him
And the boy had to laugh.
"Dad! I need a car!" Angela moaned.
"Angela! You need a job!" He repeated with a laugh. "You know we can get you on with The eXtremeists if not eXcalibur or…"
She let out a muted scream of frustration. "I don't want to work as a mutant. I just want a job like normal people!"
"Like what?" Kurt asked her, suddenly looking interested.
"They're hiring exotic dancers at Club Iguana." Angela said matter-of-factly.
Kurt looked stunned for a moment. So I'll let her have Alistaire's old car… He shrugged internally.
"Absolutely not!" He insisted. "How about Burger Barn?" He offered with an eyebrow waggle.
"Dad!" She rolled her eyes and stomped off.
Kurt smiled at Tabitha and suddenly she looked embarrassed as she realized this was all in her head. "Oh my god!"
Kurt looked around. Oh, wow… He looked at the little boy with his chocolate milk mustache and goofy little grin.
The boy looked at him. "Storys tonight?" The boy asked.
Kurt felt the 'dream logic' begin to take over. "Sure Damien." He smiled at the boy. "Stories every night if we can." He grinned. "What do you want to hear?"
"The Big Jump!" He answered quickly.
"Your favorite." Kurt smiled. "Okay. Finish your milk and get ready for bed."
Tabitha looked at him amazed. He's … He's really good at this!
A phone rang out of sight and Angela answered. "Hello?" She snorted once. "Puh-lease! He wanted me to work at Burger Barn!"
Tabitha listened for a moment.
"No." Angela sighed. "Nothing like that… It's just…" She sniffed. "I couldn't go behind his back or anything… It would kill him. I just couldn't."
Tabitha touched her face hesitantly and found tears. She wiped them away quickly. I … I said that about my dad… She remembered. I wonder if… If Dad were… more like Kurt…
She looked around the apartment and smiled slightly. Could a family … really work?
Suddenly a bright white light began rushing at them and Tabby flinched. Kurt was distracted by mussing up Damien's hair in passing and didn't notice.
The bright, white light was all around and a rush of sounds followed. The noise slowed and then sped up until…
Tabitha blinked. "Is this real?"
She looked right up in to… someone's face.
"Heh! Part worked." Williams pointed down and Forge motioned him aside while leaning in to free Tabitha from her side of the cuffs. Tabby reached over and lay a hand on Kurt's chest.
Kurt lay there still… and unresponsive.