A/N - Hello again, it's been a little while. The reviews were glorious and I loved reading them, as did my co-conspirator- I mean ... writing partner. Same thing. Anyhow ... the big life changes here keep coming ... we'll see if I have good news to share soon, I hope. Until then, I'm hiding in editing this thing because it's good for me to do that thing. So ... enjoy.

Chapter 87- Desire

James and Tony came back from their conference with just enough time for James to get dropped off in Cambridge. He'd slept a little on the flight back, and as it turned out, he'd had to change on the jet so he'd be to class on time, which meant no chance to go back to the tower for his car, though Tony promised that he'd have it in the garage in Cambridge for him by the time he got out of class.

That on its own wasn't a horrible ordeal, but James was a little down seeing as his birthday was just around the corner and he was pretty sure that he wasn't going to be able to go home for it … and considering how distant things had been feeling with Billy with every hurdle being thrown at them one after another, James was under the impression that he'd be spending his eighteenth alone. Or with Franklin, which … there was no way he wanted to do that and hear how Billy would handle that little twist. Every aspect of it was a pretty depressing prospect. But he sure as hell wasn't going to say a word about it. There had already been far too much attention and drama pointed his direction since the beginning of the school year - and that wasn't even counting the drama that came from the tabloids that were once again following him around.

If he was being honest, James was surprised it had taken them this long to catch up and start shadowing him in Cambridge. He hadn't yet mastered Tony's level of aloofness yet … but he was working his way there, and his morning run to class was now accented with press following him and trying to talk, though James ignored them all the way up to the entrance of the building.

Every day it seemed as if there were a few more students gathered up to watch him come in as if they suddenly realized he was there and weren't entirely repulsed anymore. Some were overly interested, if James was being honest. But he was doing his damndest to ignore them in particular. Especially with how jealous his little prince was over someone that wasn't interested in him. He felt as if he had enough drama already, thank you.

James made his way to his first class, bookbag slung over his shoulder, his coat draped over his arm, and his sunglasses perched on top of his head from the moment he stepped into the building. It was starting to get cold, and James had spotted the first few flurries during his run from the car to the door. So he was looking forward to a snowy run after classes were out for the day.

He found a seat in the lecture hall and took out his laptop as he settled into class. It was the same song and dance as it had been since he'd started there, but … after spending a weekend making headlines with Tony, the students seemed to be openly watching him more, which left him feeling as if he was living on exhibit. He hadn't really had to face anyone after so much press like this, and he realized very abruptly that many of these people would kill to work for Tony's company … let alone be in his position and that realization made him incredibly uncomfortable - not that he showed it.

The sensation of being watched only seemed to intensify all day long. He was starting to wonder if he had something wrong with him … at least, until he was in the library, deep in thought only to be interrupted by someone he'd yet to meet.

"They're staring because they thought Tony Stark wouldn't want to keep you," the young woman across from him said, jostling James out of his thoughts enough to look up at the stunningly pretty raven haired girl. He very nearly did a double take on seeing her, immediately wondering why he hadn't seen her before now. She smiled widely. "The reporters are saying you're going to be eighteen very soon. They'll probably get more aggressive once they decide that you're fair game."

James frowned to himself … that … wasn't anything he'd even thought about, so naturally, she was probably right. And the fact that she knew what she did had him doing little more than a quiet agreement before he pulled a textbook over to reference. "Is that what you're doing? Reporting?"

"No." She watched him for a moment, the smile still lighting up her features before she set her bag down and pulled up the chair directly across from him. Which had him pausing again. In all the time he'd been there, no one wanted to even sit at the same table, let alone that close.

Having no reason to see it as anything but some kind of trouble, James didn't bother filtering his thoughts. "What are you doing?"

"I'm a student, too. This is a big table and a busy library," she said, opening up her own laptop. "And you seem to be at the center of the quiet." When he looked up at her again, she broke into a broad, glowing smile. "It doesn't hurt that the view is ...well. I can appreciate the view."

James' frown deepened at that, his focus shifting from his laptop to the strange but distracting young woman, then back again several times. She was at least a few years older than he was - more depending on what program she was in and at what stage of it. But there was something about the way her words curled around her tongue had him paying a little closer attention. The fact that she was more or less exactly the kind of girl he would have chased if not for the fact that he was spoken for had him off, too. "I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?" James said, since there was no denying to himself that his focus was shot now.

"Katarina Smith," she said, then almost belatedly offered him her hand to shake. "Charmed. More than I'd like to admit."

It was such a blatant flirt that James found himself reacting before he could think it through. "You don't need to admit it," he said, wondering to himself why he was flirting back. Not … good flirting, but he couldn't tell himself that wasn't what was going on and that had him even more off. He wasn't the guy to flirt while he was seeing someone. And yet … it was sort of bubbling up on its own.

"Would it be too forward to ask you to dinner?" Katarina asked, still smiling in a way that made it hard to look away from her.

"Wouldn't be if I was single," James said. "But I am not, so … I'll have to politely decline."

She tutted, shaking her head. "Well. If that changes, let me know."

He almost replied with a dry 'not likely', but … the truth was that he wasn't feeling very steady about much lately, and instead, he made a non-committal noise and simply decided to get back to work. But he wasn't expecting Katarina to settle in better and spend her time smiling to herself and stealing little glances at him.

"Do you want me to move to a different spot?" Katarina asked when she could see that James wasn't focusing properly on his work.

"Would you mind?" he asked, knowing he still couldn't take home what he needed to finish his papers.

"Not at all," Katarina said, gathering up her things in an instant - and just like that, James felt badly for making her move … or he did. All the way up until she simply moved her things across the table to sit next to him. As she settled in, she even went so far as to move her chair closer to him until they were nearly bumping elbows. "That's better, don't you think?"

James turned her way in pure disbelief of how bold she was being while still managing to stay within a few boundaries. Even if she looked like she wanted to break some. "I really am trying to get some work done."

"Am I distracting you?" Katarina asked, looking perfectly pleased by the very idea. "Because I'm more than happy to do more of that if I am."

"No." James scrubbed one hand over his face. "Listen, ah …"

"Katarina, but you can call me Kata if you like."

"Right. Katarina," James said, trying to get control of the situation and put into play some of what Craig had been harping at him. "I'm flattered, but I'm seeing someone."

"I'm not asking you to go back to my apartment," Katarina said. "I just want you to chat with me. Maybe get a cup of coffee since it would be improper to ask you for a drink." She smiled wider and sang out "Come with me" as she leaned toward him and rested her hand on his wrist.

James turned his head toward her and found himself shifting entirely her way and considering it, all while she smiled a little wider and bit her lip, waiting. But there was something about her scent that was just … off. He couldn't place it, and it was well hidden among the more obvious notes that he'd been trying to ignore anyhow, so he almost missed it entirely. He'd even started to lean her way before he managed to get a grip on himself and spoke up in a low whisper as if he was sharing a secret. "That's ...not gonna happen."

As soon as he had spoken, he pulled back, away from her and she blinked at him in obvious surprise. "You won't be offended if I try again another time, will you?" Katarina asked, sounding much more reasonable, and less forward.

And for as much as James wanted to put his foot down and draw a solid line in the sand, there was something about that whole interaction that he couldn't quite shake. When he didn't answer fast enough, Katarina smiled broadly again as she packed up her things, then made a point to kiss his cheek after she got to her feet. "I should probably let you study. See you around, handsome," she said, still smiling, though something in her eyes wasn't matching the alluring … everything else.

He waited until the library doors closed heavily behind her before he let out a breath and closed his eyes. Something was so wrong and it was hard not to just … abandon the books and go after her.

The librarian cleared her throat, and when James looked up, it was obvious that the woman didn't approve at all of whatever had just transpired in her library. She marched over with all the fury of any guardian of the books and pulled a tissue out of her pocket. James stared at her with furrowed brows all the way up until she reached out to start removing the lipstick that Katarina had left behind on James' cheek. "Young man, this isn't the place to pick up girls," she said in a quiet warning. "And between you and me, you don't need anything more to draw those reporters in. Watch yourself."

"Yeah, I'm trying," James said, leaning back away from her, one hand half raised to block her. "Thanks. I've got it." This librarian had ignored his existence - to the point of making it hard for him to get his work done when he needed references that weren't available without one of the librarians to help. So this? This was far and away different than her usual reaction.

It only took James a few minutes after that to utterly abandon trying to get anything done that day, so he packed up and left, only glancing at the librarians on his way out. This day was just getting weirder and weirder. "I hate when Tony drops me off anywhere," James muttered under his breath.

When James got home, Franklin was already there and settled in for video games and popcorn - thoroughly enjoying his freedom from the Baxter Building. "Hey, roomie," Franklin called out, looking over his shoulder as James came in. "Get that paper done yet?"

"Had to request a reference paper that they don't have," James said. "So I'm out of luck until that comes in." He hung his keys up and took a look around the room - there was nothing there he wanted to deal with - and he was in no mood to even order out, either. "I'm headed up. Keep it down, huh?"

"You got it," Franklin agreed, then pulled over a headset so he could keep the television quiet for James' sake.

James glanced at him one more time before he climbed the stairs and then jumped in the shower. Katarina was still lodged in his brain and he felt almost like he needed to make it up to her for refusing her advances and not going with her to coffee. That … he needed to get that thought out of his head and the only thing he could think of was taking a long, hot shower.

But even then, he was a little foggy as he dried off and got ready for bed just a little bit early. With a heavy sigh, he dropped down on his bed, working on drying out his hair and using the time to try and figure out why he'd gotten so off balance in the library over a pretty face … and figure.

He didn't think that he wanted anything to do with Katarina … but he was reacting to her and that was screwing with his head pretty hard. He was feeling guilty for picking up on her body language, leaning into her scent, and even thinking about the 'what if' that could have followed coffee while also dreading the very thought of how upset Billy would be if he'd known how James' mind had drifted. But that only prompted him to reach for his phone to text Billy, hoping that talking to him for a minute would clear the cobwebs out of his head.

Billy had been through a pretty tough day himself, as it turned out. All of the teachers were in full push mode and Billy found himself swamped in busywork on top of trying to gently guide Vojteck to dealing with his problems himself. But that had come with mixed results. On one hand, Vojteck was working a little more independently, but on the other, the guy had started to stick with him at lunch, sharing whatever he had for sweets, and had taken to resting his hand on Billy's arm, shoulder, and as recently as math class, his knee, too. Which was really uncomfortable for Billy when Vojteck knew Billy was seeing someone.

But all the subtle passes were more or less ignored when Billy was more and more anxious the closer they got to James' birthday. They were only about a week away now … and Billy could hardly concentrate because of it. He'd even been dreaming about it - and very little about those dreams were pleasant.

When his phone pinged, Billy nearly jumped, then held his breath when he saw that the text consisted of very little.

Hey. You got a few minutes? James sent.

For you? Is that even a real question? Billy's foot was tapping as he waited for the response, praying it wasn't some iteration of 'we need to talk'.

I know you're swamped and I don't want to be accused of distracting you when you should be studying.

Too late. What's up?

The three dots danced for what seemed like a very long time considering the response was simple : Nothing. Just wanted to know if we're okay.

It wasn't until just then that Billy really understood what Kate had been trying to tell him. Even in the text, he could see that James was nervous about whatever changes might happen once he was legally an adult. For the first time since the college had gotten criminally stupid, it was obvious how isolated James felt. And it did nothing to reassure Billy that things between them weren't headed for utter destruction. Especially after he'd lashed out and all but accused him of cheating with Franklin. He hadn't thought; just reacted. And now he could see that he was pushing James away without meaning to.

He didn't think about his reaction then either, and he didn't realize that the spell he cast was entirely non-verbal. In fact, he didn't even realize he'd cast a spell at all until James appeared in his room, phone still in hand and looking totally unprepared.

James looked around the room for a moment, then turned to Billy with a perfectly open expression. "This works too. I guess. Unless it's not .. something positive…"

"No," Billy said, looking on the verge of a panic attack himself. "I just … wanted you here, I guess…"

"You guess?"

"I maybe didn't realize I even cast the spell to get you here?" Billy admitted, his ears turning red as he grasped for something to say.

But that was more or less exactly what James needed to hear because his whole everything shifted and he couldn't stop the crooked smile or the way his shoulders relaxed. "Nonverbal?"

"Yeah?" Billy said slowly. "I know I didn't say anything - and I was surprised to see you here…"

James gestured openly and tossed his phone onto Billy's bed before he took the handful of steps closer and pulled him into a proper hello kiss. "I promise, I have zero complaints," James said in a low rumble. "Hi. What's got you doing nonverbal spells to get a kiss? And for the record, I'm okay with being part of your nonverbal spell."

"I just…" Billy took a deep breath and let it out in a rush - along with all of the words that he'd been holding in as well. "I miss you like crazy, you know? And I don't want to screw things up between us just because of all the crap that's been going on. And Kate's right, you know, that it isn't even your fault that all this stuff is happening, but I've been taking it out on you and just reacting, and I don't want you to think that I'm anything like the supervillainous side of my family, alright?" Before James could even begin to respond to all of that, Billy had taken in another breath for another string of words. "And you're about to turn eighteen, and I'm dealing with a shadow who's making passes at me, James, I swear. And I just want to go back to how it was when it was just you and me and waking up together, but we can't. And I'm trying to keep in mind that I want you to be around in the future, but it's about to be the holidays, and I wish I could celebrate more with you and steal you away for all of December or something, but that's not possible and I just want to be selfish but I know that when I am, I end up accusing you of stupid things and that's not fair to you. I just don't want to screw things up because I love you, okay?" By the time Billy had finished all he had to say, his eyes were wide, and he looked like he was on the verge of tears. "And … and I guess I wanted you so badly I didn't even have to speak. So…" He was slowing down as his emotions got the better of him. "So, yeah. Love you. Guess that bleeds into my magic. How deeply I want you. Hi. By the way."

James took Billy's hand and then gently pulled him closer. This absolutely wasn't the time to discuss anything close to Katarina or his concerns about that nonsense. He was pretty sure Billy wasn't going to have the energy to remember that James was having concerns, too considering how upset he was already.

For a long moment, James took the time to hold steady and waited until Billy lost some of the anxious edge, trying not to rush him. As soon as Billy let out a shaky sigh, James took the opportunity to wrap him up in a bear hug and carefully kiss him. "I told you that I love you, little prince. I'm not going anywhere," James promised quietly and waited for Billy to catch his breath and snuggle in for a moment. This was what both of them really needed, so James saw no reason to hurry it. "Have you been sleeping lately?"

"Not really," Billy admitted. "I've been … stressed out and distracted …"

"That has to change now. Come on," James said, finally letting him out of the hug, though he kept a hold of Billy's hand. "Let's go to bed."

Billy pulled back, frowning deeply at him. "I thought - "

"You said you weren't sleeping well. You never had trouble sleeping when we were in Cambridge," James pointed out. "You need your rest, little prince. Come on. Clothes on. I'll even sleep on top of the covers, but I think, all things considered, I'm okay with breaking this rule one more time before we can't for a while."

"What about our parents?"

"They're not invited," James said as he dropped onto Billy's bed, then waited for Billy to join him. "Unless you don't want to just snuggle up."

"I don't have the energy for anything else," Billy admitted as he climbed in and promptly made himself comfortable half wrapped around James and using his shoulder for a pillow.

It took precious little time for Billy to fall asleep once he got comfortable and had a few kisses with his sweetheart, but James stayed awake just waiting for Wanda to show up.

But Wanda wasn't the first member of Billy's family to bust them, as it happened.

The look he got from Tommy when Tommy zipped in to his side of the room was one of cautious disbelief. "You two are in so much trouble. Unless you want me to run you back …but he hasn't really slept in a few days, so I don't really want to wake him up right now."

"Thanks," James rumbled out softly. "But I'm not going to slip out when he just crashed. It'll be fine."

"Oh-kay…if you say so …" Tommy settled in with his hands behind his head. "It was nice knowing you."

James raised an eyebrow at that, but doubled down on getting comfortable. He should have left. At least as far as the adults were concerned. But … that wouldn't do Billy any good at all, he was sure.

So, James was a little surprised when it took Wanda nearly twenty minutes after Billy had fallen soundly asleep to show up looking like she was ready for a fight.

Before she could get started, James cut her off. "He's exhausted and worried. I'm not doing anything wrong, neither is he, and I'm not about to let him get upset any worse than he already is. Especially when all I need to do to help him is to be here and do this."

"That's not the point, James," Wanda said, still looking livid.

"I think it is," James countered. "This is a case of extenuating circumstances. We're not even considering doing this all the time when everyone is against it."

"I didn't say I was against it," Wanda argued.

"Yes, you did. Very clearly. And while I respect that, I'm not here tonight as anything but emotional support." James' tone was still even and soft, but held a slightly gravelly rumble the more he argued.

"If he needed that much support, he'd have reached out," Wanda said, her hands on her hips. She was getting irritated all over again, because this time, Scott's kid didn't have the decency to listen to her like he had before. No … this time, he was being as much of a stubborn mule as his biological father was.

"He wouldn't have spoken up, though. Not if he wanted to stay here," Tommy cut in, then held up both hands when Wanda spun his way looking furious at the intrusion. "What? I'm just saying… he's not wrong."

"Ask Tommy how Billy's been doing if you won't take my word for it - and I don't expect you to take my word on anything," James said, though that had Wanda losing steam as she turned back toward James and Billy … and noticed that Billy's eyes were open, though he hadn't moved and he wasn't arguing with her like he normally would have.

"That's not the point," Wanda insisted. "This isn't going to be something you can do once you're legally an adult here. Not without disastrous consequences. People who want to plot your downfall are just waiting for something to use against you both. It would be different if we were in Genosha, but not by much." She had to try and plant the seeds, after all. "The two of you can't keep doing this while you're so young. I won't stand by and allow it."

"With all due respect," James said clearly. "There's nothing going on that warrants any punishment toward Billy. If you need to blame someone, then everything about this mess is on me. So … go ahead. Do whatever you need to."

That seemed to be the real breaking point for Wanda, though. She was very sure the expression James was wearing was the same kind of quiet defiance that he'd shown her father, and that … that was a heartbreaking thing for her. She never wanted to be compared to Magneto. Certainly not in how she dealt with a possible future son-in-law. "What do you think I'm going to do, exactly?" Wanda asked in a much softer tone.

"I don't know," James answered. "Whatever you want, I guess. Not like I'd fight you."

"That's not the point either," Wanda said, losing more of her steam.

"Doesn't matter. What you do isn't my call," James said, not backing down or pushing one iota.

Wanda let out a sound of frustration, and Tommy spoke up. "So … are you going to like … unwish his existence, or … send him off to like … Latveria or something?"

"Of course not," Wanda scoffed.

"Then … what are you going to do?" Tommy asked.

Wanda narrowed her eyes at all three of them, though she let her gaze rest on Billy, who seemed to be silently begging her to leave them alone for now. "The worst thing I can think of will be to go have a word with your father," she said finally, even if she could think of much worse. "But if you try to make a case with him before we can decide what to do with you-"

"I'm not doing anything but keeping Billy company," James said. "Tell dad I said 'hi', and for your own sake, you'd be smart to text first. He might be tangled up with his girlfriend, so … at your own risk otherwise."

"Oooh, good point," Tommy said, nodding sagely. "I heard those two are pretty … um … active."

James made a disgusted sound and threw one of Billy's small pillows Tommy's way, to Tommy's entertainment. "Please stop."

But it allowed Wanda to leave on a good note, even if she made sure to steal one last, meaningful look at Billy before she zapped herself to the main foyer of the Institute first to text Scott. That was a considerate piece of advice from James, after all. She didn't want to end up fighting with Scott for breaking up a date. Not when she knew it had taken Scott forever to give dating an honest try again after losing Jean.

She waited only long enough to hear from Scott before she sent herself right to his house, sure to appear in the living room as they'd done when Scott was in such dire straits after Magneto died … and she found herself pleasantly surprised to see him looking almost relaxed.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we have a situation to discuss," Wanda said, already pacing the room.

"What happened?" Scott asked, ready to go to war if need be.

"Your son."

"I had assumed as much. What happened?"

"That's just it," Wanda said, letting her shoulders droop. "He's breaking our rule without actually breaking our rule. And he's being infuriating."

"Maybe you should tell me what he did specifically," Scott said, then paused, unable not to tease just a little bit. "Not too specifically, though."

Wanda rolled her eyes. "He's spending the night with Billy in Westchester, but I'm pretty sure he's not planning on sleeping even though Billy's curled up with him like he's a teddy bear." She threw her arms up as she let her frustration build again. "He was waiting for me to yell at him, Scott - wide awake, and just … so infuriating."

"You said that before," Scott pointed out. "I'm guessing you broke up the party."

"No," Wanda said, wide-eyed. "The little punk had a solid argument that Tommy joined him for." She gestured with her hand, conjuring up a chair before she sank into it seamlessly as if it had been there all the while. "They weren't actually doing anything, and yours at least was fully clothed and not using the blankets at all."

"So, aside from spending the night, are they doing anything they shouldn't?"

"I don't think so," Wanda said. "Not with Tommy in the room, I hope."

"So James is just there …. Doing what, exactly?"

"Reassuring Billy, he says, which I can't even get mad about," Wanda said. "He's finding loopholes in the rules … not sleeping, not doing more than being a security blanket, and not doing anything more physical than exist." She pointed his way. "But he's still staying the night, even if it's on top of the covers."

Scott shook his head lightly, trying not to smile when it was clear Wanda was upset. "He knows where the line is. He's not going to cross it, Wanda. He'll walk right up to the line and park himself on it, but he won't cross it."

"This time, you mean."

"No .. and there's a reason I went out of my way when this first came up to be clear that we weren't against them doing this ever, or he might have very well broken up with Billy. Especially if he thinks you and I really don't want them together."

"You're joking."

Scott shook his head seriously.

"You have a defective teenager, Scott."

"No," Scott said, smirking crookedly. "I have K's son." When Wanda huffed in response, Scott smiled crookedly. "I trust him, Wanda. Trust me on this: he won't cross the lines we've drawn. So if we don't want them to blame us for breaking them up, those lines have to be temporary." He leaned back. "In the meantime, Annie was going to watch The Great Escape with me tonight, so unless you're in the mood for Steve McQueen…"

Wanda smiled crookedly. "Maybe next time," she said. "We can make it a double while we talk about our boys. After all … if they're as serious as they seem to want to be, we might need to get used to each other again."

There was a knock at the door and Wanda spun first to look at the door, then slowly turned back to Scott with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you meant you were meeting her somewhere …"

"Good night, Wanda," Scott said, and to his amusement, Wanda only grinned at him before disappearing in a swirl of deep red smoke. He opened the door for Annie, and was rewarded with a quick kiss as soon as she was inside. It was familiar and reassuring and just felt right. With a bright smile, Annie said hello then headed for the kitchen, making small talk about traffic and the weather on her way to grab their popcorn, so while she was puttering in the kitchen, Scott took just a moment to send off a text to James, knowing he was probably anxious after dealing with an angry Wanda.

You know where the line is. I trust you.

That was all he wrote, not at all surprised at the response from James as he sat down on the couch.

That's one of us. Love you too.

Again, Scott shook his head just as Annie sat down and curled into his side. "What's got that look on your face?" Annie asked, perfectly content to snuggle up. "Which one did something to make you proud now?"

"James," Scott said, allowing his smirk to stretch into a smile not just at the thought of his son but at the sight of a pretty woman curled up with him. It had been a long time. "He's got a lot of eyes on him right now, so he knows he's not supposed to do anything that could get him in trouble before he's eighteen, but…" He chuckled. "He's doing everything short of getting in trouble."

Annie looked up at him with her chin tipped back so he was upside-down from her perspective. "And the rulebreaking is making you happy because…?"

Scott smiled crookedly. "Hey, this is the kid who wouldn't put a toe out of line when he was little because he got bounced around and didn't want to rock the boat once he was settled in with our family," he explained, well-aware of everything Toby had pointed out - and how far James had come in slowly starting to express himself. "Believe it or not, it's a relief to see him doing some healthy rebellion. And the fact that he knows where the line is and doesn't go too far?" He shrugged. "This is good for him."

Annie smiled up at him, her nose scrunched up with the force of her grin. "You seriously can't figure out how to do anything but gush, can you? It's kinda cute."

Scott didn't quite know how to react to that other than to smile. "Yeah?"

"Almost as cute as rescuing me from the Avengers," she teased.

"Ah, yes, the known villains," Scott said, nodding seriously.

Annie laughed and hit him with the back of her hand. "You know what I mean. It's nice not to be treated like a china doll, you know? I know Craig put himself out there, and I know it's important to lie low, but I honestly don't know how you lived like that for so long. It's exhausting being hidden!"

Scott smirked. "You have no idea."

"I don't and I don't want to," Annie agreed fervently. "It's so much nicer to hide like this." She gestured around them both at the popcorn and blankets. "Trying to live my life when Janet Van Dyne is looking over my shoulder is oddly stressful."

"Ah, well." Scott tipped his head to the side. "Jan knows you and I are dating, and we promised we'd look out for each other." He paused again. "We dated for a little while."

Annie sat up to look at him better. "I didn't know that."

"We didn't exactly advertise it," Scott said, shifting slightly. "I… wasn't ready to date again, really. Kind of fell apart." He let out a slow breath. "She and I are still good friends. I grilled Tony after they got engaged," he added with a teasing smile. "And considering the other ex-girlfriend you know about, Jan's the better alternative."

Annie snorted. "Okay, that's true," she admitted. "Still, now I'm gonna be thinkin' about that every time Jan hovers. Gettin' measured."

"You're fine," Scott promised. "Everyone there likes you."

"So you say."

Scott smiled and dipped his head to steal a kiss. "You know Natasha and Tony wired this place with their security systems and I can scan a mile out, so if you don't want to stay at the tower all the time, you can come here anytime."

Annie grinned and kissed him back. "Okay."

The morning after James had spent the night and woken Billy up with a few gentle kisses to start his day right, Billy spent most of the day bouncing his foot and just counting the minutes until the end of class so he could stop wasting time and start texting Kate to make sure she was free after school before he wished her over. And, for good measure, Kate had alerted America to Billy potentially being in crisis, so America invited herself along as well.

Seeing the look on Billy's face, Kate was glad she called in the backup.

"What's up?" Kate asked, jumping up onto the bed to sit on one side of Billy, while America took up the other side, leaning against the wall and resting her arm on one knee.

"Oh, nothing, just my boyfriend making my mom back down," Billy said, his voice slightly higher than usual.

America grinned obscenely. "Great! So when's the wedding?"

Both Billy and Kate turned toward America fully. "America," Billy said, completely red-faced.

"Just saying, chico. You're head over heels for the guy and he can stand up to everyone in your family. What? You waiting until he's done with school or just until you're eighteen?"

"Neither of those things," Billy said, still red.

"Shame," America said philosophically.

Kate shook her head and reached past Billy to shove America in the shoulder. "Oh, come on. You can't pull stuff like that, especially not when you're moving so fast with yours."

"Um, no, you're the one at high risk of a shotgun wedding, Princess. Me and my bird are taking the long, slow, enjoyable route," America said, her grin once again obscene.

"I'm not at high risk of anything," Kate said, shaking her head. "Why are you like this?"

"I don't know. Just the way the Demiurge made me," America said, laughing at her own little joke. "Really, though," she said, turning to Billy, "good for him."

"Yeah, he must be just as head over heels as you are, because growing up, he never stood up to adults," Kate said.

Billy scrunched his nose. "You and I have very different life experiences with James."

"You have very different family members," Kate pointed out. "Not a good comparison."

"Point."

Kate waved her hand. "Anyway, tell us about the heroic stand against the Scarlet Witch. Was she glowing? How much growling was involved?" she asked, even going so far as to prop her hands up to hold her chin. "Was it properly dramatic?"

"Actually," Billy said, grinning steadily wider, "he just informed Mom that he was going to sleep over - just sleep - and basically stared her down like he was just waiting for her to get mad at him."

"He was. He was totally expecting the blowback," Kate said, nodding sagely. "I was right. He's smitten. Badly."

Billy grinned. He'd actually, truly, honestly needed to hear that, especially from Kate, who had grown up with James. Sure, he and James liked each other, and James had said as much with more than just words, but having someone from the outside confirm that James was stepping out of his comfort zone and standing up for him in ways he didn't usually was just… it was weirdly comforting.

"Anything else you need to get off your chest or are we grilling the princess about how her Summers is rearranging his school schedule to graduate early for her?" America asked when Billy had been silent and grinning for too long.

Billy turned his entire body to face Kate, and Kate turned as purple as her bow. "It's not just for me," she started to say, and America groaned so loudly Kate was sure anyone in the hallway heard it.

"You two were made for each other," America said when she was done voicing her disbelief. "You're both oblivious idiots sometimes, you know that?"

"He just wants to be on the team full-time-"

"Uh-huh."

"And his siblings and I will be graduated, so he's the last one who's not able to do the teams fully-"

"Uh-huh."

"And his dad is moving fast with this new girlfriend, so he'd like to move out of the way of-"

"He still can't do that until he's eighteen, I'm pretty sure," Billy pointed out. "That seems to be kinda important apparently. So … the moving out isn't a thing unless he's going to follow you to college a semester behind … which I'd believe for how he stares at you when you're not like, making out."

Kate waved a hand. "I'm going to a specialized design school Jan helped me get into. Not exactly up his alley."

"So knowing Nate, he'll just go work at the coffee shop across the street from the school," Billy teased. "For proximity. And guaranteed coffee breaks."

Kate shook her head at him. "I'm not moving out of the apartment building my dad owns, so… not like he needs to follow me anywhere."

"But he will."

Kate twirled a stray bit of hair and bit her lip. "Yeah, maybe." She shook her head and tried to regain her footing. "Must be baked into that whole family, considering yours goes toe to toe with big, bad super powerful royals for you."

"I think he does it for the sake of doing it a little bit," Billy said. "And he's a little frustrated with not being able to go further with school if what his dad told me is right."

"Yeah, Nate said something like that too," Kate admitted, leaning back against the headboard. "I feel for him. I really do. Mia told me she doesn't think she'll get to go to college at all unless she goes to Genosha to do some kind of specialized study."

"You know, that is an option," Billy said thoughtfully. "She'd probably enjoy it …"

"And then Wanda would have a different troublemaking couple to worry about," America chuckled. "Wins all around for you."

"Yeah, too bad the schools on Genosha don't offer the really high level science nerd stuff," Billy said dryly.

"Would've worked out well for you," Kate agreed. She reached out to squeeze his arm. "Hang in there. Pretty sure he just showed you he's ready to fight the world for you, so… sounds to me like you're doing pretty good for not getting to see each other much."

"Yeah, and that would be comforting if the college he wants the doctorates from wasn't going out of their way to make things harder for everyone involved," Billy said, then shrugged. "Well. If we can make it to my birthday, it should be easier anyhow. At least as far as spending little bits of time."

"Or," America said slowly, "you two can maybe take a gap year and forget about college for a little bit. I'm pretty sure you could argue that he's earned it, since he's doing stuff that most people don't do until they're in their mid twenties."

"I didn't think about that," Billy admitted, then leaned back as they got into discussing plans for the Holiday weekend.

That same day, before Thanksgiving break officially started, James beat Franklin back to the house early in the afternoon. Usually, he would have taken that time to get ready to head home … but when he got there, Johnny Storm was in the living room playing video games. So James paused before he hung up his house key and dropped his bookbag, which was enough for Johnny to pause his game and turn with a smile that hitched for a moment when he realized it wasn't Franklin.

"Oh, hey kiddo," Johnny said, turning a little more fully to watch as James came in to inevitably sit down with him. "Been a while since I saw you - who said you could get tall?"

"Polygenetic inheritance, hormones, and probably better, more steady nutrition and health care than what was available when my parents were kids," James said without missing a beat - not because it was necessarily the truth, but because such a scientific answer would irk Johnny - and it did.

Johnny cringed as he turned back toward the television, shaking his head and making a face, though he didn't start his game back up right away. "Why do you do that?"

"You asked a question, I tried to answer it," James said with a smirk, since he'd already gotten to him.

"Yeah, and I was expecting something more … you. More smart assed anyhow."

"Oh, well. Then it's probably to spite you," James said. "I've got you by an inch."

"That's just … so wrong."

"So I'm told," James said, then kicked his feet up on the coffee table, which at least had Johnny relaxing a little bit.

"Much better. Want to pick up controller two?"

"If you need me to," James said, then settled in to play. There was nothing better to do, and Johnny hadn't been entirely sure how to handle him for years, so James had adapted to just … do whatever it was that made Johnny most comfortable. He liked the guy … he just knew that Johnny was in the class of superheroes that still felt badly on how the X-Men had ended the first time around and that unease around him had only increased since the Summers kids had pulled together the new incarnation of the team.

They didn't really talk much after that, instead, falling back on video games until Franklin came in, and then, Johnny looked both relieved and conflicted when Franklin's response to seeing his uncle was to shout out to him. "Just keep doing whatever and I'll get ready to go. I don't need your help!"

"Well, I'm still driving you," Johnny called up, then turned toward James. "Do you need a ride in?"

"Nah, I drive myself," James said.

"I thought you drove yourself when it was you and Franklin," Johnny pointed out.

"Yeah, but if I can get away before they come in, then I can still just drive," James said half distracted as they continued their game.

"Not gonna happen, kiddo," Johnny said.

"Probably not this week, anyhow," James agreed.

"Right … I'm looking forward to all the arguing you'll be doing with everyone once you're old enough to tell them to stick it," Johnny said, though James laughed at that.

"That's not likely," James said, though he didn't get much further before they ended the last level they were working on and both of them decided to pack it in. "Next time?"

"You bet," Johnny agreed with a smile. James started to close things up as Johnny waited, jiggling his keys in his hand and bouncing on the balls of his feet. He didn't notice when the door opened again, thinking it was James going outside … so he totally wasn't prepared when a familiar voice called out to him.

"Holy crap. I should have known I'd run into you, considering the arrangement," Bobby said, closing the door behind him. "I'm surprised you didn't have Ben do this for you."

"Bobby," Johnny said almost in a breath after he'd whipped around to stare at him, pale and obviously off his game. "I heard you were back in town- well, the states … I mean … it's been kind of busy, you know?"

"Must have been for you not to even try to check in for the whole time I was in Genosha. In prison." Bobby put on a tight smile, but the challenge was perfectly clear in his eyes and as James and Franklin hit the bottom of the stairs together, both of them stopped to watch the show.

"It … you know anyone that wasn't a mutant wasn't allowed-"

"When has that ever stopped Earth's Mightiest Heroes?" Bobby challenged, then immediately waved both hands and took a step forward. "Don't mind me. I'm just salty that it took Scott's three kids stepping up for anyone to remember that there used to even be X-Men."

But that had Johnny angry - as most things did. "You know we were all trying to keep them safe, Popsicle." He gestured toward where the boys were, on the other side of the wall out of sight and sharing a look between them much like they used to do when they were kids and there was fighting in the Baxter building … between any of the members of the Four. "Don't act like we all didn't have our hands full."

"You didn't," Bobby said. "The anti-mutant rhetoric blew up once the team was gone. They have scanners to check for people carrying the x-gene - way more accurate than the stupid sentinels they used to have."

"Did you even try to reach out?"

"Was anyone even bothering to pay attention to Genosha when Magneto was being quiet and sticking to the island for so long?"

At that, Johnny paused, and it was as good as a confession to say that no, no one was watching Genosha to help, even if dozens of countries had anti-mutant attacks and ordinance on deck to obliterate the tiny nation. "You know you've got our help the minute anything looks like trouble here," Johnny said. "You are an official member of the team."

"Yeah," Bobby said with that same smile still in place. "It sure is good to have friends to watch your back."

And to Franklin's surprise, instead of a sharp retort from Johnny, there was a moment that looked as if his uncle had been doused with cold water. Johnny paled and everything in his body language read that he wanted to fix it … and he had no idea how or where to start. But what really threw Franklin off was the tone Johnny used.

"Bobby, come on." Johnny sounded as if he was almost pleading.

"Don't try and cover your tracks now by saying I'm on your team," Bobby said, pointing one frosted finger in his face. "If anyone in that building gave a damn about me at all, you can't tell me Reed and his giant brain couldn't have found a way to check."

Again, James and Franklin shared a look and an unspoken conversation that showed that they both were in agreement with Bobby, but that only had the two of them wishing they had a way to get far from this conversation while Bobby and Johnny went back and forth. Their reactions were very very different though. Where James was trying to be invisible, just like when they were kids with no where to go from the arguments, Franklin was frowning and leaning forward - toward the influx of new information. Franklin wanted to know more about oh so much, including why his uncle was trying to bend to get Bobby's approval, while James was dealing with another barrage of the same information presented in a new, upsetting light.

So of course it was Franklin who broke it up. "So … are you two going to throw punches or kiss and make up?"

James looked up toward him fast, especially since when they were kids, Franklin was just as likely as James to not interrupt arguing adults … that was something else that had changed. But that was nothing compared to how red Johnny turned … or the incredibly smug look Bobby was wearing.

"Gonna take more than a half hearted hello after ten years of forgetting I existed to get either reaction," Bobby said, then took a step around Johnny to see the way the boys were seated on the stairs and to take stock of both of them. "Have a safe trip, Franklin. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Will you tell me the story about whatever … this … was between you two?" Franklin asked.

"No," Bobby said, then turned to look at Johnny over his shoulder. "I think that's one your uncle needs to explain first."

Franklin pounced on the opportunity to make Johnny squirm and after a quiet goodbye from Johnny, the two of them headed out, but that only left Bobby and James for a moment. "Are you okay?" Bobby asked, since the kid hadn't put much thought into working on hiding his reactions when it was around the people he really cared about. And little had really changed as far as Bobby could see when it came to how quiet and withdrawn James got when he was in a safe place and still needed to retreat. Just … he wasn't as obvious about it as he'd been as a kid. Instead of hiding, he looked more like he was trying to keep out of it entirely. When James didn't answer immediately, Bobby continued. "Of course not. Listen, I don't know what they were up to for the whole time we were gone, but I can only guess that it was mostly whatever crazy notion Reed was wrapped up in instead of the problems right in front of him. I was laying it on thick-"

"Because you weren't expecting him and you still want him in spite of how hurt you are that he didn't come rescue you," James finished. "Yeah, I gathered."

Which was Bobby's cue to blush brightly and lose his ability to attack so quickly. "Can you not sound like your mother for like …five seconds? Please?"

"Fine," James said, then raised one eyebrow. "You gonna just let him walk away without finishin' it?" he asked in a gravel laced rumble that was uncannily close to what he'd heard Logan use when they'd popped in from another dimension. But that had Bobby staring more wide-eyed.

"I take it back," Bobby said, before he closed his eyes and covered them with one hand. "Oh my God. Why are you like this?"

"Nature versus nurture," James deadpanned.

"And there's the nurture. Wow. Okay, let's … wow."

"You're driving," James informed him.

"Wait … your car?"

"Yeah. But I'm going to sleep - and I'm going to ask that you don't crank up the radio."

Bobby finally smiled. "Um … I thought your car was DNA coded …"

"It is." James put his arm around Bobby's shoulders. "Congratulations, you're on the list. Love you Uncle Snowflake."

"Love you too. But … so you know, I'm going to burn the rubber off those tires on the way to the school," he teased on the way out of the door. "No hiding in the tower for you this weekend."

"I can put new tires on," James said, but that only had Bobby smiling wider. "Are we going right to the school, or …"

"No, you need to check in at the tower as you then you can leave with the family as not-you," Bobby said. "Stupid, but .."

"It should protect the school," James said in a sigh, wondering how long it would take the reporters to figure out that he was using an inducer. Had to be a matter of time. But until that happened, he had his fake-Summers face to wear.