Home Again and Confusion
But when the sun starts sinking
On your beautiful soul
Make you cry, cry baby
Make you feel so cold
Don't you know it's all right
Sometimes
You just got to show how you feel
Cuz that's you, baby
Yeah, you're so real
-Matchbox Twenty
By the time they were on their way back to the States Kitty had gotten to know John pretty well. He was smart, funny and cute. "Let's have a party," Rogue said surprising everyone. "A welcoming party for Betsy so she can meet everyone."
"Remy happened ta overhear dat de professor, Logan, and Storm are goin' to a meetin' at Washington this weekend," Remy said grinning.
"Mags is going away too," John pointed out. "He said he had an old friend he wanted to visit."
"Bom chick bow-wow," Remy sang.
John shuddered. "That's just wrong."
"That leaves Mr. McCoy," Rogue said.
"He hardly ever leaves his lab," Kitty pointed out.
"Sounds like we're in the clear," Betsy smiled. "I haven't been to a party in months. Any alcohol?"
"No," Kitty and Rogue said.
"Yes," John and Remy said at the same time.
Betsy laughed. "I'll be the deciding vote. I say yes."
"It ain't a party with no booze," Remy said. Kitty and Rogue exchanged glances rolling their eyes.
Thursday night
"Kitty," John said shaking her shoulder. Kitty opened her eyes.
"It's almost midnight," Kitty said glancing at her alarm clock before looking back at him. "What are you doing here?"
"About that," John said, "at 11 Pietro and I were playin' a game of basketball. Evan came. Next thing I know they're fighting. So I decide to go to bed. I take a shower and when I'm walkin' down the hall I get attacked."
"Attacked?" Kitty asked flatly.
"I'm glad I didn't say hurt, ya may 'ave gone into a coma."
Kitty merely rolled her eyes. "By what?"
"Logan."
"Why would Logan attack you?"
"I may have gotten a little lost. I thought it was the boys' shower!" He paused. "The fruity body wash should have given it away."
"I'm still, like, confused as to why Logan attacked you."
"He said I smelled like you and demanded to know why."
Now Kitty giggled. "You used my body wash."
"Apparently. So, I freaked and ran."
"Why are you here, though?"
John looked at her with big puppy-eyes. "Hide me, luv?"
"Logan's still looking for you?" He nodded. "Rogue is still out. Get into her bed." John kissed her on the cheek.
"Thanks, luv." Logan knocked.
"Come in," Kitty called.
"Half-pint," Logan said, "what are you doing up?"
"I, um, couldn't sleep," Kitty said.
"Have you seen John tonight?"
"I've been here all night," Kitty said hedging the question. "How could I have seen him?"
"What about you, stripes?"
"Ah haven't seen anythan'," came John's voice, in a badly disguised falsetto with a terrible accent. Logan raised one eyebrow.
"How was the movie?"
"Fahne." Logan turned to look at Kitty. She was trying not to laugh.
"I'm going to bed," Logan said. He started to leave. "And, John, be back in your room by lights out." He walked out. John's eyes widened. He turned on the light.
"How'd 'e know?"
Kitty couldn't speak for a few moments due to her laughter. "You do the worst female impersonation that I have ever heard."
"Funny, luv, really."
"You should have heard yourself," she giggled.
"Kitty-"
"I can't help it." He stood and walked over to her bed. "What?"
"I've had one of the most humiliatin' nights of me life and you laugh."
"It's funny."
"Keep laughing at me, shiela, and I'll have to do somethin' rash," John warned.
Kitty bit her lip trying to smother her laughter but failed. "Sorry." John leaned down and kissed her. Kitty lost her laughter.
"I've been wantin' to do that since I met ya."
"John," Kitty whispered.
"Do you want me to go?"
"I don't know," she admitted.
"I'll go," he said smiling but with a little sadness. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
The next morning
"We have an announcement," the professor announced after the Danger Room session. Everyone sat down looking at him and Magneto who were at the front of the "war room."
"We decided that in order to felicitate inter-team relations we're going to change who is rooming with who."
"Most of you will keep the same room. Remy, you'll be rooming with Scott when he's home. Pietro, you'll be with Ray. Kitty, we want you to move in with Wanda. Fred, you and Todd with both be sharing with Jamie and Roberto, their room is big enough. Rogue, Betsy will move in with you. John, you'll be sharing with Evan and Kurt. Jean will share with Amara. Any questions?"
"Rogue and I have been roommates for years, do I have to move?" Kitty asked quietly to Logan.
"Afraid so," Logan said. "Look at how close you and stripes got, though. How bad can this be?"
"She hates everyone."
"You'll be fine."
"Go ahead and start moving," Magneto said. "Everyone who's staying in the same place, please help the others."
"Yay," Wanda said. "I get to share." She walked away.
"This is God's way of punishing me for stealing Kurt's sunglasses," Kitty muttered.
"You took them?" Kurt demanded.
"One day you'll thank me," Kitty assured him. "Come on, let's go move my stuff."
Later
"Ah can't believe we won't be roommates anymore," Rogue sighed as they sat down the last of Kitty's things.
"I know," Kitty sighed.
"Ah'm gonna miss you."
"Come on, you're still living in the same mansion," Kurt said rolling his eyes.
"It's not the same," both said.
"Women," Kurt sighed.
That night
John sat outside staring into the distance. Remy stepped out, taking out a cigarette. "John?" he asked. John lit his lighter and the flame shot out towards Remy lighting his cigarette. "Merci. What be wrong, mon ami?"
"Nothin'," John shrugged. "Just thinking."
"About?"
"Women."
"Ah, dere be a subject dat Remy be an expert in. What be de problem?"
"Kitty."
"Dat's obvious. What's wrong?"
"She's a great girl and I really, really like her but... Lance hurt her pretty bad an' I don't know how to convince her to give me a shot."
Inside
As if rooming with Rogue hadn't been bad enough in the beginning, now Kitty shared with a girl no one could get close to. Kitty, being herself, had to try, though. Wanda came into their room and flopped down on her bed. "Wanda?"
"What?" came the growled response.
"We're having a party on Saturday. Do you want to come?"
"A bunch of hormonal teenagers drinking and making out. Gee, sign me up."
"Can't you at least try to make friends?"
"Um… know. Stop trying, Pryde. I have to desire to "fit in." I'm perfectly happy as I am."
"Why are you always so harsh?"
"Why do you never shut up?"
"I'm serious. You push people away. I'm trying to be nice."
"It's not necessary. You stay on your side of the room, I'll stay on mine."
"We're sharing a room. I'd like to be friends."
"I wouldn't."
"Why not?"
"Pryde, give it up. You wouldn't understand me. You have the perfect life. We have nothing in common. Just leave me alone."
"Perfect? Nothing is perfect now. You don't know me, Wanda, don't pretend you do."
Outside
"If y' like her just give her time and de dere for her," Remy shrugged. "She's hurting now, oui, but she'll be okay."
"I am. I want to kill him."
"Me too."
"Are ya takin' Rogue to the party?"
"Rogue has informed me dat she don't date."
"Ah, so what are ya gonna do?"
Remy shrugged grinning. "Try harder."
Inside.
Wanda sat up raising one eyebrow. "Wow. That was intense. So there's real emotion behind all that bubbliness. What happened?"
"What?" Kitty asked.
Wanda regarded her thoughtfully for a few minutes. "You and Lance. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that something went down there. What was it?"
"That is none of your business."
"The others don't understand do they?" Kitty looked at Wanda in surprise. "Yeah, they're there for you but they just don't get it. They don't understand how it feels. You trusted him with your emotions, with everything, and he not only betrayed you he hurt you in the worst way a girl can be hurt."
Kitty moved to the edge of her bed. "What happened to you?"
"When I was fifteen and in the institution there was a psychologist. He was the only one that I felt like I could trust. I'd see him twice a week and he was so kind. One night, after I was back in my room he came to me. At first he just sat down beside me and talked, like he would if we were having a session.
Wanda's eyes clouded over as she talked. "Then he touched my knee. I was uncomfortable so I moved to the other side of the room. He followed me. I fought him, trying to not use my powers but he kept coming. Finally, I let my powers loose. I knocked him out."
"When the orderlies came I was crouched in a corner, my clothes hanging off me in rags," Wanda continued. She looked at Kitty calmly. "He was laying on the floor coming to. He said that I threw myself at him and attacked him when he wouldn't touch me. That's how I was moved to solitary."
"I'm so sorry," Kitty said.
Wanda shrugged. "So, I guess we do have something in common."
Kitty smiled a little. "I guess so. Why didn't you ever tell anyone?"
"No one believed me in the asylm, and it was no one else's business. So, what happened to you?" Kitty told Wanda her story.
