A/N - Hello again! Once more, we're ready to dive into more fun! Welcome and thanks to our new followers - I wont call you out. I don't want to scare you. And much love and grateful thanks to PracticallyAnAvenger for her AMAZING reviews. There was so much we loved with your commentary, I can't pin down one particular thing. So glad you're enjoying this with us!
Chapter 125 - Tag Team
Surprisingly little time passed before Kate was called down to the studio for an interview that was to be aired live to accompany the scoop she'd handed Jameson. She wasn't sure what he could ask that she could answer considering how tight SHIELD had been about anything the kids had experienced that would have made SHIELD look as if they'd dropped the ball, which was everything. But she wanted to give them a big middle finger, so she figured that even saying how much she wasn't allowed to legally say would be damning enough. Nothing in that file constituted a threat to national security as Hill and Fury had implied, but it was too late to take back their under-stress agreement that went with the gag order.
Nate was right there with her wearing that worried expression on his face that left little wrinkles on his forehead as he tried to not look so worried. Their drive to the studio was mostly quiet - mostly just because Nate wanted to tell her a dozen times over for that short trip that she didn't have to go through with this - even if she'd started up the story. She didn't have to lay her trauma out there for the world to see. He wanted to tell her that he'd scoop her up and sweep her far, far away from the studio, the city - anywhere she wanted to go - and make Jameson and everyone around him forget what she'd shown them. If she just said the word.
Instead, he opened his mouth a few times only to snap it shut, feeling as if he was overstepping while desperately wanting to prove to her that he was behind her for whatever decisions she made - unconditionally. Because he was. But he also wanted to protect her while beating himself up for maybe protecting her too much when he shouldn't have. He was second guessing everything. Every single move.
When they parked at the studio, he rushed around - like always - to open her door for her with a smile that wasn't quite as confident as she'd grown accustomed to over the years. "In case I forget to say it later - you look amazing, and you're going to knock 'em dead," Nate said as he offered her his hand.
Kate smiled and took his and so he could help her out, then quickly stole a kiss and gestured down at herself. "Like what you see?" She couldn't help but fall into that old tease when he looked so desperately wound up like that. She wanted him to be okay, even if she knew he didn't exactly approve of what she was up to.
"Definitely," he said, making sure to give her a long, obvious once-over just because he knew it would get her laughing.
She slipped her arm through his and switched to projecting now that they were semi-in public. Cutest bodyguard ever, she teased.
You know it, he shot back without missing a beat, and she laughed again.
And, hey, just in case it wasn't clear… thanks for having my back on this, she said as they walked to the elevator together.
You should know by now I'll always have your back, Katie.
At the nickname, though, her smile turned more mischievous, and she waited until the elevator doors were closed to kiss the sense out of him - until the elevator dinged and they broke apart and quickly pretended nothing had happened.
And Nate knew she was proving a point not doing that telepathically, too. Reminding him that she still wanted him around even though things were awkward.
Which he appreciated so so much.
After the two of them had a quick, nerve-building chat with Jessica Jones and Dani Cage, who were trying to get the angle on the story before it aired entirely, Kate made her way over to her seat off stage where Jameson could see her as he prepped for the segment himself. She was stretching her hands out in front of her to try to calm down as he went through his last minute final touches and mic checks, though he kept looking toward the elevators as the PA's scrambled to make everything ready. It was pretty clear Jameson was looking for someone … that was just trouble generally speaking. But she had to be ready for this, and now that it was right there with cameras and hot studio lights, her emotions were starting to creep up with her nerves.
When she looked back at Nate, he wasn't alone anymore. Billy was there with him - and so was James, though he'd abandoned his usual oversized hoodie and looked pulled together … in a fitted t-shirt and jeans with the addition of one of Billy's bracelets from his uniform. And almost as soon as they'd shown up, she watched for a second as Billy stole a quick kiss and James started to head her way … already mic'd up.
"You don't mind company, do you?" James asked Kate as he sat down next to her.
Kate blinked a few times and then grinned. "Fury's gonna be so pissed," she said delightedly.
"Fury can suck it," James said.
"You didn't have to go all out for me," Kate said. "I mean, it's sweet, and thank you, but-"
"Not just for you, Katie," James said. "It needs to be done, right? Besides - according to everyone out there, the two of us are running the place, so you know …part of my job as co-leader is backing you up."
Kate grinned at him. "Like always," she said. Then, she switched to sign. You're going to be such a good uncle.
Maybe, James signed back.
Love you too, Kate signed, then messed with her hair one last time as the producer signaled to them that they were getting ready to start.
For the opening monologue, Jameson was by himself, somber rather than spitting mad as he laid out the topic of the day - at least to start. He explained why this was news: everyone knew that Hydra was capable of terrible crimes, but this was context for the recent news about Cyclops and was part of Jameson's larger crusade against the campaign SHIELD was waging against accountability and transparency. He got wound up as he gave an overview of what Kate had given him, and he was back to his usual purple as he finished it out with: "...and there is absolutely no reason that any agency should want to cover up the abuse of teenagers. The very idea that hushing up victims is a national security issue is laughable at best." He glared into the camera and then cleared his throat. "To that end, let me introduce my guests. Joining me today are two young heroes that found themselves at the heart of the fiasco that Viper stirred up. I'd like to welcome the young, and arguably better Hawkeye, and for the first time since an attempted assassination, Wolverine."
Kate reached over and squeezed James's hand before strolling onto the stage, looking to anyone who didn't know better just as lighthearted as she usually did, her smile bright and her hair perfectly placed, with James right beside her, artfully disheveled. They were a united front without even trying.
"Thanks for having us," Kate said with a winning smile. "This is literally the last story I want to talk about, but I loved your speech."
"Glad to hear it," Jameson said, then leaned toward her. "What can you tell us - in your own words - about this fiasco that happened before Viper was killed? Most of what I have available to me is from those records or a few unsubstantiated claims - the sources are solid, but simply can't provide anything concrete, as I'm sure you know."
Kate grimaced into a smile. "Yeah, it's frustrating," she agreed. "I'm not legally allowed to go into details, but that itself is kind of the story, isn't it? I've been seeing a therapist, and she says it's important to name what happened to me, and here I am… not allowed to do that. Thanks, SHIELD. Really appreciate it."
"I'm just trying to figure out why so much is classified," Jameson said. "Do you have any insight there?"
Kate held her breath and then nodded. "I only have a theory," she said, "but it wouldn't surprise me to hear that SHIELD doesn't want people knowing this kind of thing happens on their watch." She looked toward James. "Right?"
"It goes a little deeper than that," James said easily. "But, basically, yes."
"Deeper how?" Jameson pressed.
"For starters, SHIELD has footage of everything that happened to us in Viper's hideout," James said frankly. "Doesn't seem like something they'd want known publicly on its own. Especially with all the demands for silence and secrecy."
Jameson's eyebrows looked like they were trying to scrape his receding hairline. "How?" he asked, flabbergasted.
"That's kind of the question, really," James said.
"Yeah, I want to know too," Kate said sharply. "You spelled out what happened, right? I'm not happy about SHIELD having footage."
"Actually, Katie, I never debriefed with anyone, and I never signed anything agreeing to their gag order," James said, allowing the smirk to stretch out a little. "So, technically, whatever I have to say isn't classified."
Kate blinked and then couldn't help but chuckle as a disbelieving grin started to stretch across her face. "This is perfect," she said.
"Helluva way to show you're all healed up - welcome back, by the way," Jameson agreed heartily. "Tell me, Mr. Howlett, can you tell us - in your own words - what happened?"
James let his shoulders relax. "What exactly would you like to know, Mr. Jameson? Do you want to start from SHIELD knowing when each of us were kidnapped and where - far ahead of our teams, or do you want to go right into what happened once we were captive? Or maybe what I saw while I was there?" He turned toward Kate, his eyes sparkling with pure trouble for the first time in far too long. "I told you Viper made me watch everything, right?"
"Yeah, I'm still mad about that," Kate said, somehow managing not to smile even though Nate could hear her projecting how pleased she was that James was about to declassify her experience live for her.
"The hell - wait, go back - you said SHIELD knew you were going to be kidnapped?" Jameson said, looking bright purple.
"As I understand it, yes. Not only did they know that, they didn't warn the Avengers, they didn't warn us, and they knew where we were the whole time. They waited, using our captivity and torture as a distraction to keep Viper busy while they ran an operation that should have been put into action years earlier."
"Yeah, don't appreciate being used like live bait," Kate put in.
"That doesn't even cover the fact that when Viper's headquarters in Madripoor was destroyed after the fact," James said. "SHIELD took credit where they never showed up. Not one agent came in until after Viper's base in Madripoor fell."
"Yeah, that was my boyfriend and James teaming up with my dad," Kate said. "Credit where it's due. Cable heard what I was screaming in my dreams and decided, you know, that's so far beyond not okay. Like a reasonable person."
Jameson leaned back in his seat, obviously not expecting this much. But he wasn't about to let the opportunity pass him by, either, so once he had just a second to catch his breath, he dove in, pressing first James for details and then going back to Kate once James had revealed secrets she wasn't allowed to let slip on her own.
James was more than happy to give him every detail he wanted - his own experiences, as best suited for the audience, and enough that allowed Kate to expand on it once he'd opened the door for her. And he didn't hold back anything, which made Kate's chance to tell her story that much more open.
Even better, James had brought something that prevented SHIELD from cutting the feed. So Jameson ran with the opportunity, completely blowing through what he had planned for the second half of his show in favor of rapid-fire questioning the two of them, gleeful at the chance to show that SHIELD had used three teenagers as pawns and then compounded their trauma by inserting themselves into the aftermath.
By the time the show had to wrap, Jameson still obviously had more questions but promised he would follow up with the two of them for details to publish as soon as possible. And he promised his viewers corroboration before he finished with a rant about SHIELD needing oversight at the highest levels.
He was nice and red-faced by the time the cameras stopped rolling, but Kate and James were riding the high of giving SHIELD a middle finger - even though they were still, understandably, a bit shaken by the content.
"Pleasure working with you, as always," James said with a grim smirk. "Keep the device. They can't crack that code to cover their own ass."
"You have to be my favorite Wolverine," Jameson said, shaking his head. "Could have used a warning, though."
"I dunno, I thought I saw you quoting my father somewhere once upon a time. Can't be your favorite," James replied. "And if I had warned you- would it have made a difference? I was trying to keep charges off of you when SHIELD shows up with their panties in a wad."
"Let them," Jameson said. "You said yourself - you never signed anything."
"Yeah, I checked with my lawyer," James said with a wave.
"Besides, we're loving your anti-SHIELD rants," Kate said. "It's high time they actually faced consequences."
"I know you have a lot of homework right now with all this," James said. "But you might want to look into the kind of leverage they have against the Avengers, which … I'm not one anymore. Unrelated, of course."
"That's its own news story," Jameson said looking surprised.
"That's why I'm telling you - a small exclusive when you get around to it."
Jameson smiled a bit wider. "Always a pleasure, Mr. Howlett," he said as he took James' hand to shake. "And you're right - I have a good deal of homework to do," he said, already starting to gather the notes he had been scribbling madly during the interview.
"Let me know if you need anything," James said. "I'd be happy to get someone to courier over what I have collected."
"I will absolutely take you up on that," Jameson said. "Good to have you back up to speed. And by the way, good luck in Genosha."
"Thank you," James said as he got to his feet and offered Kate a hand up, too.
"You are my favorite brother-in-law," Kate said, smiling before she threw her arms around his neck.
"Like you have any other option," James said as he wrapped her up in a tight hug. "Hi. You can speak freely now - if you want to."
"I just want to hug you, thanks," Kate said. The truth was that she was suddenly emotional and halfway trying to hide it in the hug. She'd been focused during the interview, but it was like everything hit her once the cameras were off. Add hormones in there, and she was wiped. "For the record, being pregnant makes me weepy, apparently. Sorry," she whispered as she realized she was crying on him.
"I'd be weepy if I knew my kid had Nate's big fat head, too," James teased softly.
"You're hilarious," Nate said as he and Billy came over to join them. "That was impressive, by the way - it really is good to have you back," he added and made sure to pull James into a hug with one arm as he pulled Kate to his side with the other.
"I … may have been playing it down a little bit, waiting for something deserving," James said haltingly. "But, I still don't remember about a week or so before I got shot - or a week or so after. And I'm probably going to have nightmares for a month after talking about all this, so … yay."
"Still. Missed you," Nate said and hugged him one more time for good measure.
"Love you too, little brother," James said before he let him go and stepped back to take Billy's hand.
Just so you know, Jessica blocked off the studio when SHIELD showed up, Nate projected to Kate and James - Billy already knew.
Yeah, I knew they'd be coming once they couldn't shut it down, James replied. Tell her to let them in and to turn the mics back on. Record it. let's see how high we rate.
Shame they probably won't send Phil or Clay. I like them, Kate said.
Fury knows they'd never arrest us, James replied.
If you two get arrested, I'll step in, Billy said, his hands starting to glow.
We're not getting arrested, handsome, James said.
Just saying.
If they did that, I wouldn't be able to give you your bracelet back, James teased.
And we can't have that, Kate agreed, smiling as she tucked into Nate, who projected to Jessica to go ahead and let whoever it was inside.
The group of X-Men wandered away from the set, but not out of camera range …just in case. They didn't get far anyhow before they were surrounded by really anxious SHIELD Agents with weapons drawn shouting at them to freeze.
And while they were waiting for the in-command officer to show, James completely ignored the directive and took his phone out to start texting.
"So… are we in trouble?" Billy asked, gesturing between himself and Nate. "Because… we're the peanut gallery."
"You're fine, sweetheart," James said, though he pulled him a little closer. "You and Nate had no idea and Kate didn't say a word on anything until it was already public knowledge."
"Besides," Kate said, "it's not like they have any reason to be mad. We only told the truth."
"And not one bit of it was related to National Security. I checked. Twice," James added. "And believe it or not, it doesn't look like the spy community really wants to know that much about my naked ass during torture."
"I, on the other hand, am gorgeous," Kate said. "It's a real problem."
"Another statement of fact that is easy to see," Nate said.
"Aww. Love you too," Kate said and turned to kiss Nate as the doors opened to admit a handful of higher level agents and the director himself - who looked positively livid.
"What part of keep your mouth shut don't you two understand?" Fury hissed as he bore down on the group of them.
"Just the part where it's any of your business when your agency had absolutely nothing to do with any of it … unless you did, but … that would be either an internal affairs matter or a you need therapy for being a sick, power hungry sack of crap," James replied. "Take your pick. It's the same outcome to me."
Fury wheeled on him, one finger pointed in his direction. "I warned you on how this was going to go down the next time you pulled something like this-"
"What caught your attention this time? You gonna tell me getting shot was a national security issue that I can't talk about too?" James challenged.
"No, no, he's pissed that the world knows your dad killed a rapist," Kate said, her eyes narrowed. "Hard to push Cyclops away from the growing fan club when we're so sympathetic now."
"Why did you leak that anyhow?" James asked Fury.
"Choose your words carefully; we'll know if you lie," Kate put in, not at all bothering to hide her rage.
"Sounds like you know who did it to a finer degree than I do," Fury said, throwing it right back at them.
"That's just lazy," James drawled out. "For a super spy that's supposed to know everything you sure don't seem to know shit these days."
"I know both of you will be taking a ride up for a much more in depth interrogation, smart guy," Fury said. "Separately. Miss Barton will be chatting with AD Hill. You and I have some serious catching up to do privately."
"About what, exactly?" Kate shot back. "You already know everything we just said."
"You were warned to keep this story to yourself. Both of you were. But since you seem so keen to share, I want to go back over every detail because what just aired? That was far more detailed than what you gave me at the time."
"Watch the replay," James said, stepping forward to half block Kate and Billy from Fury. "That's all you're getting."
"No, no," Kate said, drawing herself up and glaring at Fury - as much as she could be nose-to-nose with him when he had her by several inches. "Go ahead, Fury. In front of all these cameras, why don't you tell me exactly what you want to be voyeuristic about. And while we're at it, tell me why you didn't warn us. Or step in. Or why you keep treating talking about what happened to us like a punishment."
"You know better than that, Barton," Fury said, still sounding angry. "And you know how important keeping those debriefs private are!"
"Go to hell!" she shouted back at him. "And while you're there, say hi to Viper for me." She gestured with an open hand toward James. "Everything we just did was legal. James was free to say what happened, and once it was out there, so was I."
"That's not how it works," Fury said, losing the thin veil of patience he was trying to hide behind. "He was warned to stay quiet, too. On the threat of going up for a more thorough debrief."
"Well, damn, way to admit that you're using the threat of reliving trauma through debriefing as a punishment. In a newsroom. Appreciate it." Kate flashed him a smile she didn't mean at all. "Anything else you want to reveal about the way SHIELD deals with traumatized teenagers?"
"It wasn't a threat of debrief," James said, pissed off to the point that the growl was peeking up and lacing his tone. "He wanted to know what worked best to manipulate. Which of Viper's many methods was most effective. And I'm gonna say her tapes weren't as useful as he'd like. That or he knew she'd be too distracted with my stubborn streak to pay attention elsewhere. Not as fun when that stubborn streak is pointed your way, is it?"
"Great. SHIELD's researching the best ways to torture heroes into compliance. What could possibly go wrong," Kate half-shouted, as Nate projected to her that JJ's crew was absolutely getting all of this.
"Keep your voice down," Fury hissed as he took a step toward Kate.
"Or what?" Kate asked, her chin tipped up.
"I've had enough of this temper tantrum," Fury said - and gestured for his agents to move in. Right before James blocked the agents and hit Fury square in the jaw.
"You want to talk to any of us, go through our lawyers," James said, daring the agents nearest them to do something. "You wanna hit me with assault? Be my guest, but you're going to need to take a damn number. I have a murder trial that trumps your bruised ego." He casually turned back toward the rest of the group. "Anything you want to add, Hawkeye?"
Kate fluttered her eyelashes at him. "Just that I'm a darling with the media and if SHIELD wants to arrest us on false charges, I am not above being a pregnant, crying mess on camera about it."
Fury's whole body language shifted as he looked up at them from the ground. "Stand down," he said toward his men, his tone much more reasonable - and then turned his attention toward Billy. "Let your mother know that once that trial is over, I'll be by to have my talk with the accused."
"My mother and I don't take orders from SHIELD," Billy said coldly. "Send her a message yourself." His eyes flashed with power. "But I'd think twice about threatening my future husband in front of me again," he added - and in a flash, he'd wished all of them back to his and James's new apartment, just to prove to Fury that he really didn't have any power over them.
The lights hadn't faded from Billy's eyes before James flat out tackled him for a kiss - well before the others had a chance to get their bearings, too.
Billy laughed delightedly as he caught James enough that they didn't fall over, though they barely managed to end up in a tangle on the couch instead. "Okay, what did I do so I can do it again?"
"All of it."
"Okay," Billy said, grinning, and kissed him back.
"We'll just let ourselves out, then," Kate said, also laughing as she took Nate's hand and headed for the door. "Billy, if you want to wish us back to our place…"
"Yeah, have fun - get out," Billy said and wished them away - then went right back to kissing James.
Across town, Scott wasn't having anywhere near as good of a time as his sons were. No one had warned him that Kate and James were going in for an interview, and judging by the texts he'd been rapid fire sending to Nate and Billy … they didn't know either. At least, they didn't know it was going to be like that. Jessica Jones had been incredibly unhelpful with her response of 'shhhhhh. I'm watching', and Scott was very sure that James at least was already under arrest on the helicarrier, headed for the raft. It's not like Nick Fury ever really gave a damn about due process.
He was just gearing up to go after them when he got a text from Nate: Had a dust-up with Fury, but Billy threw his weight around. Not sure what defused him, because he's got some kind of telepathic blocks, but by the time we left, he seemed to have backed down a little. We're all fine now.
Scott pinched the bridge of his nose. You really don't want to be on Fury's radar right now. This was a bad idea.
It's their story. Their call. Or so I've been told repeatedly.
Scott leaned back and shook his head. This was getting out of hand. We need to talk.
Yeah, figured you'd say something like that. Give James and Billy a minute.
Billy okay?
Um. Yeah.
Scott wasn't sure what to make of that, though, so he just said: My suite. One hour.
Of course, by the time an hour was up, Scott had been pacing for some time, and Annie was starting to get worried. But she was occupied talking to Craig, who was just as baffled by this turn of events as everyone else was - which was honestly kind of reassuring to Scott, because if even the professional couldn't make sense of what those kids were up to, he felt better about not seeing it coming.
Kate and Nate were the first to show up, though Kate had a look exactly like her father, her chin jutted out and everything - so Scott knew this was going to be a long talk.
"I wasn't going to let SHIELD have the final say on what happened with Viper, especially not with everything going on in Genosha," she said when Scott turned her way - before he could even get a word in. "You look me in the eye and tell me you haven't put your own story out into the public to defend people you care about."
Scott had his finger raised, but at that, it was hard to argue, and so he fell into a glare and huffed. "That's not - that was an incredibly dangerous-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Kate said, waving him off grumpily. "You're welcome, by the way. I already struck a deal with JJ, and if you turn on the news, you'll notice he's rerunning bits of the interview as well as footage from SHIELD getting mad about it and putting the stuff they said about you in context." She tipped her chin that little bit higher. "No need to thank me or anything."
"Thank you," Billy called out, obviously just having come in to catch the last of Kate's tirade.
"And anything," James added, just to get Kate to smile. "Hi Dad. Doc. Miss Hale."
"Good lord, the two of you should never be allowed to conspire again," Annie said, almost laughing under her breath when she saw how seamlessly Kate and James were backing each other up.
"He picked it, he ain't gonna stop it," James called back as he and Billy made their way over. "Where's the fire?"
"Where's the… James, you and Kate picked a fight with SHIELD in primetime," Scott said, gesturing between the two of them. "What were you thinking?"
"That Kate needed backup and Fury needs to lose his other eye."
Kate gestured toward James as if that was all that needed saying. "That and I already explained myself to you, so, like, I don't know what more you want from us here, you know?"
"Kate, I didn't need your help," Scott said, dragging his hand down his face. "And you certainly shouldn't be putting yourself in that much public scrutiny for my sake."
"You're not the one trying to screw over teenagers, Dad," James said. "It wasn't just for your sake."
"It was a counteroffensive," Kate said. "I thought you knew that's part of my skillset too. Or did you think I was just a pretty face with a bow?" she had to tease.
"You know after a story like that, you're inviting questions-" Craig started to say, but Kate cut him off.
"Yeah, and?" Kate asked. "Now people are talking about what a relief it is to have Viper and her ilk gone. I mean, they were before, but - you know what I mean. You have to personalize it when it's a public offensive. And we did."
"And she's not alone, either. I read what they made Kate and Billy sign," James said. "They weren't allowed to speak up on anything that wasn't public knowledge. You can bet they were planning that out to lever against every one of us."
"Besides," Billy put in, "Fury knows he's second in line anyway. Mom's pulling the royalty card."
Scott turned toward Billy, and even without telepathy, the kids could see his gears turning. "You used the trial to push him off."
"I told him whatever charges he wanted to press would have to wait," James said. "His ego comes second to literally anything else. And yes."
"And Mom's already talked to my Uncle Matt about legality, so by the time the trial's over, Fury won't be able to touch a thing anyway," Kate put in.
"I cleared all that before I mic-ed up," James said. "He doesn't have a leg to stand on."
"Yeah, but Matt knows how to make it stick in the right ways," Kate said, smiling James's way. "We know we're in the clear. He's just good at making sure the people in power also know that."
"If Fury wants to push it, I'll push back," James said.
Scott looked between the kids, his frown deepening the more he heard, before he finally cleared his throat to get their attention. "Okay, if this is the play you want to make, then we need to move on it," he said.
"Okay, let's do it," James said without bothering to hear the rest of the plan.
"Yeah, temper that enthusiasm," Scott said, though he was smirking James's way. "Because the thing is - if you two are trying to combat the perception of what happened - publicly - then the best thing we can do with the public good will you've bought is to go to trial now."
"Great. I'm game," James agreed, still not blinking or hesitating.
"Waitaminnut," Kate said, holding her hands up quickly. "Wait, wait, wait, what?"
Scott pointed at her. "You're the one who said you wanted to generate good will in response to what SHIELD was saying. Do you or do you not think that a Genoshan jury, who will all have heard about what happened to you three-" He pointedly gestured toward Billy. "-in Viper's custody will be, in the moment, more likely to give leniency to the survivors and, like you pointed out, the person who killed her?"
Kate hedged. "I mean, yes, that's the goal-"
"Then we build on that good will by not making the court fight to extradite us. A judge will appreciate that, too," Scott said. He might not have approved of their plan, but now that it was in motion, he was going to make sure it went ahead with the best possible chance of success, too.
"When do we leave?" James asked, though it looked like Billy was leaning more toward Kate's outlook when it was laid out like that.
"I'll call Wanda. If we can, I'd like to get there tonight, so that we have as much time as possible to get settled in."
"I'll pack," James said, then started to walk backward as he addressed Craig. "Sounds like if you want to yell at me, now's your chance."
Craig almost smirked. "I just hope you don't think that just because your crazy plan worked this time that it's always a good idea to put yourself on the line like that. We both know that was a self-sacrificing play."
"I thought honesty was the best policy, doc. You want me to lie?" James shot back.
"That's not at all what I'm saying, and I'll thank you not to twist my words."
"You also told me I needed to talk about it - so …" James shrugged. "Check and check."
Craig looked toward Scott, who shrugged openly. "Yeah, I didn't know what to do when his dad got like this either; don't look at me."
Annie cleared her throat. "Well, if that's all settled. Nate, can you help me with packing? I just moved in, and I don't very much like to do it again, so many hands make light work and all that."
"Right." Nate took his gaze off of the tennis match between his dad and James and nodded. "We should - yeah, okay. Sure. Let's just… go to Genosha then."
"I need to call Jan," Kate told Nate and kissed his cheek. "Meet you at my apartment. I'll pack some things so I can stay close too, okay?"
"I need to make a few calls myself," Scott agreed, already getting out his phone - and the group started to disperse, everyone set to put the still-forming plan into motion.
The first call Scott needed to make, obviously, was to Wanda, though he wasn't expecting to hear her in such a good mood when he picked up and asked if she had a minute to talk.
"For you? Always," Wanda said with a smile still in her voice. "I can rewatch that a little later when I need a pick me up. You can really see Steve in the follow through."
"You can see - what?" Scott blinked a few times, sure he was missing something. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about your boy flattening out Fury," Wanda said. "I'll have Vision send you the link."
"You may have to," Scott said, shaking his head. Of course James had done that. That was - he wasn't even sure which of his parents that was most like. Both of them, really. "Listen, if you've seen the broadcast, then you know those two planned this as a counteroffensive in the public sphere."
"That doesn't surprise me one bit," Wanda agreed. "And it was good, too."
"Yeah, we're not telling them that or they'll keep doing things like that," Scott grumbled.
"Scott, I have a feeling they'll keep doing things like this anyhow," Wanda pointed out.
"Yeah. Well, anyway, we're going to run with their plan, since there's not much we can do now that it's out there," Scott said. "And since their goal is to make us look more sympathetic, what I'd like to do is come to you in Genosha. Willingly. Publicly."
"That would be a big step," she agreed, losing some of her cheer as she settled into a more somber tone. "When are you moving on it?"
"Tonight, if possible. Tomorrow if we can't get everything gathered in time. I need to call our team of lawyers and let them know we're pulling the trigger, so to speak."
"I've had a few places picked out for a while where you should be safe. No one knows which one I'm choosing, and they won't, hopefully even after you get here," she said. "There have been credible threats."
"That doesn't surprise me after what happened with James," Scott pointed out. He let his shoulders drop. "Thanks for looking out for us, Wanda. I know this trial can't be easy for you, either, all things considered."
"All things considered, you're family, Scott."
"And I hope you know we feel the same way," Scott said. He glanced toward Annie, who was already directing Nate on what to pack.
"Let me know when your travel plans are solid," Wanda said. "I'm sure you can probably get Billy to get you all here seamlessly and under the radar."
"That's the plan," Scott agreed. "Thanks again, Wanda." With that, he hung up and immediately dialed Matt Murdock - who also seemed to be expecting his call. Because apparently everyone in their social circle had seen James and Kate on the news.
"I tried to talk him out of it before he went down to the station," Matt said. "I'll have you know my partner is beside himself right now looping the punch and ready to start fielding phone calls."
Scott sighed audibly. "You and I both know once James' mind is made up… I appreciate you trying, though. Really."
"Yeah, I'm not sure which one he's more like at this point, but it's impossible to reason with him when he's like that. Condolences for having that in your face."
"Hey, I chose it," Scott said. He smirked but let it fall quickly. "Listen, we're going to capitalize on this while it's fresh. Heading to Genosha willingly."
"Smart move," Matt said. "When are you leaving and what do I need to do to get there?"
"Tonight or tomorrow morning, depending on how quickly we can get it together. Billy should be able to wish us all there, so make sure you've got everything you need."
"It's all ready when you are," Matt replied. "I've been waiting for the call, if I'm being honest."
"Yeah, I knew the window was dwindling once James was back to himself," Scott agreed. "Alright, I'll see you soon. If you could tell the others…"
"I'll take care of it," Matt promised.
"I appreciate it," Scott said and finally hung up and pocketed his phone, watching as Nate telekinetically helped Annie pack up. He let his shoulders drop and then headed over. "I've got it from here," he told them both. "You should pack too, Nate."
"Okay," Nate said, looking a little at a loss for a moment before he turned to head off.
In fact, it seemed everyone was a little quieter than usual, even once they were all prepped and packed. Yes, Kate and James had planned to help with the public image ahead of the trial, but no one had expected it to come up so fast, and everyone was dealing with varying levels of nerves about the whole thing.
Billy in particular was doing a quiet, nervous bounce as everyone started to gather, and he was twisting his hands in front of himself.
"You gonna be okay?" Kate asked, frowning when she saw Billy.
"Yeah, I just…" Billy took a deep breath and let it out. "I don't like this."
"It'll be fine," James promised before he kissed his cheek and stepped back with a teasing smile.
"Yeah, I know. Just…" Billy trailed off and shook his head. "Anyway… I'll just…" His hands and eyes started to glow as he worked up the wish, but when he tried to cast the spell… nothing happened.
"Um, Billy, we're still here," Kate said.
"Iwishwewereallatthepalace," Billy tried again, but, again, nothing happened.
"Performance issues?" America teased from where she was standing with her arm around Rachel's waist.
"Shut up," Billy said, blushing brightly. "No. I'm trying."
"It's okay," James said, still smirking to himself. He'd guessed this might be an issue just because Billy needed to want for something to happen, and he was being pretty darn protective of all of them. "That's what jets are for, little prince."
"Yeah, but…" Billy let his shoulders drop. "This is… I was…"
"Love you too," James said before he could get too far in his head.
"I'll call Jamie and let him know we need to schlepp," Annie said, smirking to herself. "It's alright, Billy. We're all nervous about this. No shame in it."
"Tony has a jet on standby," James said. "Just in case."
"And this'll be good for PR anyway," Kate tried to reassure Billy. "I mean, showing up in a jet means pictures of the voluntary surrender, so… it's a good thing."
"If you say so," Billy said, though his cheeks were still burning.
Annie laughed and skipped over to kiss his cheek. "Ain't a thing wrong with not wantin' your boyfriend to rush too quickly into trouble. I know the feelin'," she said brightly.
"Nah, he likes the trouble," America teased.
"Oh, so do I," Annie said with a shameless grin. "Doesn't mean I don't still get worried." She dialed Jamie's number and started to walk away with the phone. "Anyway. Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"