Game Plan

"We have to stay here?" Kitty glanced around the hotel room suspiciously. It was definitely not a four star location. She was looking forward to this less and less. The room was tiny. She went on a small exploration around the suite and came back into the living room with her hands on her hips.

"What?" Pete was flipping through the channels on the television. He didn't even need to look up to feel the slight tension wafting from Kitty's side of the room.

"There is only one bed, Wisdom." Pete rolled his eyes and still didn't take them away from the screen.

"Well, yeah. I'm takin' the couch, aren't I, gentleman that I am?" Pete had thought that a one-bedroom suite would attract less attention. He had already planned on sleeping on the couch. But, a voice in the back of his mind practically screeched, Hope springs eternal, mate.

Kitty sighed and plopped down on the couch next to him, satisfied that he wasn't planning some kind of ridiculous seduction. "What are we getting for dinner?" She took the remote and searched desperately for something familiar. Pete shrugged and let her have it.

"Whatever Natasha brings us. We ain't leavin' this room until Scratch is in a box." He got up and crossed the room. There was a fully stocked wet bar on the wall, close to the window. Pete poured himself a scotch. "You want, luv?"

"Is there beer?" Kitty stretched her neck attempting to see what was in the mini fridge as Pete inspected the contents.

"Yeah. Newcastle Brown okay?" Pete held it up for inspection. Upon Kitty's confirming nod, he brought it back over to the couch and settled down in time for BBC news. They were silent for a few minutes until Kitty spoke again.

"Natasha? Natasha is involved?" She took a swig of her beer. Pete nodded and tossed back half of his scotch in one sip.

"Yeah. She knows. She took a liking to you last time and wanted to help." Pete shrugged and lit a cigarette. Kitty hesitated for a second and then got up and went to her purse on the small table in the kitchenette. She fished her own cigarettes out of the pocket and returned to her spot. Pete had changed the channel to a MASH rerun marathon and they both sat, drank, smoked and watched together in silence for a while, aside from show-related commentary. Halfway through the third episode, Kitty's stomach growled. Pete smirked and she blushed faintly.

"Sorry. I guess I'm just a little hungry. What time is Natasha getting here?" Kitty turned to look at the door. Pete followed her gaze and shrugged.

"Whenever she gets here. She's Natasha bloody Romanoff. She does whatever the hell she wants, doesn't she?" He lit another cigarette and prepared himself another drink. He nodded at her and, at her polite refusal, he brought her a water bottle instead. They continued watching TV and eventually, Kitty felt herself dropping off to sleep.

When she woke up, she could hear Pete talking. The person he was talking to answered in a female, Russian-accented voice. Natasha was there. Kitty's brain gradually realized that there was food to be had, and she roused herself and walked to the kitchenette. The Black Widow sat at the table, her long legs crossed gracefully, conversing with Pete. Styrofoam containers holding what appeared to be Thai food lay scattered on the table. Kitty's stomach growled appreciatively.

Natasha noticed Kitty first. She smiled at the young American over the rim of her coffee cup.

"Hello, Katrena. How are you?" She pushed out the chair across from her with her foot and gestured to it, in a friendly manner. "Sit. Eat. It's Pad Thai." Kitty got herself a beer from the fridge before sitting down at the table. Pete smiled companionably at her from behind his cigarette. The evidence of a ravenous Pete-meal lay in the general area in front of him.

"I'm surprised there's any food left the way that Wisdom eats." Kitty snorted as she pulled the container closest to her over to her plate. She shoveled a few spoonfuls of the spicy noodles onto her plate and reached for one of the forks lying in the middle of the table. "I'm fine, Tasha. How are you?" The beautiful Russian woman shrugged gracefully.

"I am fine as well, rooskaya. It is nice to see you again." Kitty nodded, her mouth full of Pad Thai.

"It's good to see you, too." Kitty spoke once she could speak. "It's been too long."

"Indeed. I was just telling Wisdom here that it had been far too long since we'd seen you. He was just agreeing with me, weren't you, Wisdom?" Pete choked on his coffee, and kicked Natasha under the table.

"Subtle, Wisdom." Kitty smirked at him. She finished off her plate of noodles and pushed it back toward the center of a table. She lit a cigarette, and Pete shook his head.

"I'm still not used to that." Kitty shrugged.

"Me neither. Get used to it, though. I really don't think it's likely that I'll quit anytime soon." She ashed it in the ashtray on the table and turned back to Natasha "What's it look like, Tash? How long are we going to be here?"

"Well, Katrena, at least until we can ascertain the exact location of your friends at Black Air." Natasha, ignoring Pete, turned to face Kitty and address her question. Kitty's eyes grew wide with shock.

"That long?" She put out her cigarette and stretched. Pete wolf-whistled and she shot him a dirty look. "That seems like a long time to be cooped up in this little room." Kitty had never done well with being cooped up inside against her will. It was one thing when she was working on something and wanted to be inside, but at least in New York she could come and go as she pleased. This was almost house arrest.

"Don't even think about it, grasshopper." Pete spoke up from his side of the table. Kitty jumped a little, it'd been so long since he'd said anything. When she wasn't prepared to hear his voice, it still made those damn insubordinate hairs on the back of her neck stand up. But he had no affect on her. Nope, not at all.

"Think about what?" Kitty piled innocence into her voice.

"You're stayin' here. At least until we can find those Black Air wankers. We need to stay where we can keep an eye on each other so that we know what's going on. And if you even think about runnin', I'm not afraid to use this." Pete held up a small gun. Kitty raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"You'd shoot me, Pete?"

"To save your life? You bet I would. I can shoot to wound."

"Awww… do they teach you that in James Bond School?" Kitty lit another cigarette and leaned back in her chair.

"Yes," Pete answered snidely, "They do. But this isn't a regular gun. It's an inhibitor gun. It'd knock your powers for a loop. An' the best part is, you can't feel it. I could shoot you right now and you wouldn't know it. I wouldn't though. That's bad form." Pete crossed the room and got another drink ready. As he came back to the table, Natasha stood and picked her coat up off of the back of the chair.

"Time for me to go, little children. I will see you in the morning, da?"

"Da, Tasha. Go ahead. Thanks for dinner."

"No problem. I will be back in the morning with breakfast." The Black Widow left the room gracefully casting a glance over her shoulder at Pete as she exited.

Pete leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the table.

"Well, Pryde, you ready for bed?"

"Yes, I am, Wisdom." Kitty stood up and stretched languorously before turning to Pete with a Cheshire cat grin, "Care to join me?"