I Hate Mondays
Chapter 11: Fuzzies
By
The Uncanny R-Man
And
Anything but ordinary3
Disclaimer- The X-Men and Tigra all belong to Marvel, Helia belongs to Anything but ordinary.
Shout Outs-
Ldypebsaby- Emma is great at a bitch, isn't she? Helia will get to know Tigra soon. As for Emma and Bobby, you'll just have to see…
Agent-G- Yeah, Bobby has never had any luck with women, ha she? Perhaps his luck is about to change though… You may be correct about Hank and Tigra ending up with other people but then again, maybe you're wrong…
Hank's room-
Hank was woken up by a weight on his chest. Initially thinking that he had got drunk again and stole a traffic cone, Hank slowly opened an eye to make sure last night's escapades had been legal. Fortunately, Helia was sitting on his chest peering back at him.
'Daddy look out side, there's something wrong with the ground!' Helia said as she peered into Hank's eyes.
Hank, not fully with it in his sleep-addled state, slowly got up and peered out the window.
'That's snow, sweetie.' He explained.
'Snow?' Helia asked. 'What's that?'
'You get snow when the water in the air freezes and gets too heavy for the clouds to hold it, then it falls as snow.' Hank explained as he held up his daughter to see the view from his window.
Helia held out her hand and placed it on the glass.
'Ooh, it's cold.' She giggled. 'Is that because it's frozen?'
'Yes it is.' Hank replied, happy that his daughter was catching up so quickly. 'Keep up like that and you'll soon be a doctor like me.'
Hank gently put Helia back down on to the bed and padded over to his closet.
'Why don't you run along and find Auntie Kitty, she'd love to take you out in the snow.' Hank said. 'But remember to wrap up warm, we don't want you to catch a cold.'
'Kay, see you later Daddy.' Helia said as she hopped off the bed and hugged Hank tight before running off in search of Kitty Pryde.
Later-
Hank was dressed in a thick coat, scarf and boots and was strolling through the grounds searching for his daughter.
'Nice weather for it, huh cutie?' Tigra asked as she sidled up to Hank. 'But then again, any weather is good for it, right?'
'Ah Tigra, your first innuendo of the day and it's only… eight thirty-five, well done that must be a record.' Hank replied.
'You're so cute when you're all indignant and embarrassed.' Tigra chuckled. 'Your blush makes your fur look purple.'
'How dare you insinuate that I blush!' Hank gasped in mock shock.
'Insinuate nothing.' Tigra replied cheekily. 'You know you blush and don't you dare deny it.'
Hank just took Tigra's hand in his and walked with her through the grounds.
'No Helia with you?' Tigra asked as a means to break the silence.
'She's playing with Katherine somewhere.' Hank replied. 'Poor young Mr Rasputin must be quaking in his boots.'
'You don't think Kitty's getting all broody, do ya?' Tigra asked.
'I am willing to wager my whole Twinkie stash upon the fact.' Hank replied. 'It's almost s if Helia's arrival has sparked a race to see who can be the next X-Man to have a child.'
Tigra just smiled and laid her head on Hank's shoulder as they walked along.
'There he is girls, get him!'
Hank spun around as he heard the battle cry and received a face full of snow for his trouble.
'Way to go Helia!' Kitty snickered. 'That looked like a ten pointer to me!'
Helia just giggled at the sight of her father with blobs of steadily melting snow in his fur.
'Ah Katherine, leading my daughter astray I see.' Hank said as he wiped what snow he could from his face.
'At least Jubilee isn't looking after her.' Kitty replied. 'Just think what kind of terror they'd get up to.'
'I'd rather not thank you.' Hank winced. 'I have enough sleepless nights as it is.'
'Well, it's been nice playing with you Helia but I have to go see a Russian about a kiss.' Kitty said as she knelt down and gave Helia a quick hug.
'Tell Unca' Peter that I said hi, 'kay?' Helia replied.
'I'll give him a big, wet sloppy kiss all form you, okay sweetie?' Kitty replied. 'Seeya!'
Helia gave Kitty a quick wave and looked back to her daddy and the cat lady. Helia may only be eight years old but she knew when people liked each other and she had heard the other grown ups talking about her daddy, the cat lady and something called a date, whatever that was.
'Daddy, have you and the cat lady done kissing yet?'
Hank's eyes widened in surprise at the question and struggled to find an answer. Tigra on the other hand, was visibly amused.
'Yeah Hank, why haven't we done kissing yet?' The were-tiger teased.
'Et tu Tigra?' Hank muttered as he shot her with a half-hearted glare. 'I have kissed you, remember when I picked you up for the date last night?'
'That was just a kiss on the cheek.' Tigra snorted.' That's not a real kiss.'
'I meant grown up kisses, you big silly.' Helia giggled. 'Like they do on those shows the stinky glasses man watches.'
'I didn't know Scott watched trashy soap operas.' Tigra said.
'Oh yes, Scott is quite obsessed with them.' Hank replied. 'If he wasn't married to Jean I'd be quite worried about him.'
Back inside-
Helia, Hank and Tigra had got changed from their wet clothes into some dry ones and were sitting beside a roaring fire with a few other X-Men. Warren and Betsy were snuggled together on one couch while Kitty was petting Lockheed on her lap in a nearby comfy chair with her head laid gently on Piotr's shoulder.
Helia giggled as she threw chocolates over to Lockheed and the dragon snapped them up.
'I wouldn't give Lockheed too many chocolates, sweetie.' Kitty said. 'He'll get all fat and lazy.'
'As opposed to what he is now?' Betsy quipped.
'Lockheed isn't lazy.' Kitty replied. 'He's… careful with how he spends his time. The poor little guy doesn't want to spend all his energy in one go.'
'He's beautiful.' Helia giggled as she scratched Lockheed under his chin, eliciting a coo form the dragon. 'I wish I had a dragon like him.'
'I'd buy you a dragon, sweetie.' Hank replied. 'But Lockheed is one of a kind, Kitty found him in space you see.'
'You went into space?' Helia gasped. 'What was it like?'
'Well, it's kind of difficult to explain.' Kitty replied. 'I'm not sure if your daddy would like it if I told you all the scary details.'
'Yeah, like the part where you offered yourself to poor Petey there.' Betsy snickered.
'Hey, we were in grave danger and were about to die.' Kitty replied as she threw a cushion at the purple-haired Brit.
'And just why did you turn her down, Petey?' Warren asked, joining in with the teasing.
Piotr's face flushed bright red as he struggled to find an answer.
'Aww, Unca' Peter's gone all embarrassed!' Helia giggled. 'He looks like a great big tomato!'
'But a cute one, right sweetie?' Kitty asked.
'Yeah.' Helia replied. 'A great, big, cute, red tomato!'
'Do you X-Guys usually sit around sniping at each other like this?' Tigra asked. 'Or is it just a treat for the guests?'
'Oh no, this happens an astonishing amount of times.' Hank replied. 'We have to occupy ourselves when we're not running for our lives from giant killer robots or miscellaneous mutant psychopaths wanting to destroy the mansion.'
TBC…
Next: Doctor
Hank takes Helia to meet an old friend of his, a certain mutant doctor and a former X-Woman from the Bronx.
