Chapter 13 - Please Be In A Hurry To Grow Up
"Alright if I sit with you?"
Cody looked up as Zoe sat down beside him and then simply scooted over to make space for her on the swinging bench out in the garden. He liked to go out there to think, especially because he had been trapped underground with antiseptic scents for so long that being outside reminded him that he was home, that he was safe.
As long as he had those reminders to hang onto, he could sort of the rest, like the crushing guilt weighing on his mind as he considered everything that had happened to Chance all so that Sinister could give Cody an "upgrade."
"Okay," Zoe said, frowning harder when she saw Cody's expression. "How bad is it, huh? Are you totally having a nuclear meltdown? Reliving bad things? Or just lost in thought? It's hard to tell with you sometimes, you know that?"
"Sorry," Cody said reflexively. He still wasn't good at cringing away from criticism; he was too used to pain following a complaint.
Zoe had been about to put her hand on his shoulder, but when she saw the way he was trying to look smaller despite being the size of a Marauder, she stopped and bit her lip. For all the teasing she put Cody through, she really did want him to be okay, and she didn't want to scare him off by intruding… "Cody, you okay?" she asked softly.
"Not really."
Zoe twisted a loc of her red hair between her fingers. "Not that I think I'm a cure for all that ails a Summers," she said slowly, "but do you think a hug would help?"
Cody finally cracked a smile at her description, unable to ignore her when she was being such a Barton about trying to help. "Yeah, that would be nice."
Zoe matched his smile and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his middle and laying her head on his chest. It was more than a hug, but neither of them acknowledged that. Not when they were both still feeling out how to approach each other when Cody was having such a hard time.
But considering neither of them moved for a good ten minutes. They were starting to get on the same page.
"No, Chance … the ice isn't thick enough to go skating so just … no," K said, for what had to be the tenth time that day. She'd lost track of how many times he'd asked in the past week.
"But it snowed some more last night," he grumbled with his chin resting on the table as he glared at his orange juice.
"It did," she agreed. "But the water wheel is turning — because of the creek that flows to the lake — and moving water makes thinner ice. I don't want to go swimming."
"Well, I wanna play hockey," Chance said.
"Me too," she said, nodding. "But the ice isn't thick enough yet — or I'd wipe the floor with you."
"Nuh-uh. I'm fast," he insisted, picking his head up and looking determined.
"And I'm mean," K said with a little laugh. "You could have gone hunting with Logan."
"Yeah, but I don't want to go hunting," he said.
"Do you want to try skiing? We can make a good cross country trail with the game trails."
Chance seemed to consider this for a second before he broke into a grin and nodded before rushing up to the upstairs bedroom to grab his coat and gloves and hat.
K laughed to herself and took her time writing a little note for Logan — who was still, in fact, out hunting. She was pulling on her coat when Chance got back downstairs ready to go. "You're okay with a little downhill too, right?"
"Oh, sure," Chance said. "Dad took us one time. I totally wiped the floor with Charlie. She was so mad."
She nodded at that as they stepped out of the house. "That's awesome. I think I remember hearing about that." She paused and couldn't help but grin at him. "You know, if you were a little bit older, I'd take you over to Negaunee for the ski-jump."
"I'm pretty tall! We can say I'm ten," he insisted. "Or even eleven."
"I don't know," K said as she handed him the skis. "I don't think you'd be able to keep up with the local ten-year-olds. They've been taking jumps since they were five."
"Well, I've been getting ready to be an X-Man since I was five, so ha."
She handed him the ski poles. "And how many X-Men have you seen on ski jumps?"
"Um. Bobby kinda does his own."
"Bobby's seen that ski jump and he nearly crapped his pants. He doesn't count anyhow. Not when he can cheat."
"Well, I can do the jump and then he'll be jealous."
"He totally would," she agreed before she started down the trail that led into the woods. "Keep up, tough guy."
The two of them spent most of the day in the woods skiing and sliding, and K was able to point out a little bit of wildlife that she knew Chance hadn't seen before — even as an adult. They were able to spot a fisher and three porcupines, and she showed him the tracks from deer and wolves and even a cougar that had passed through recently. "Watch for partridge," she told him with a little smile. "It'd be fun to bring back dinner if Logan couldn't find anything.
They were nearly back to the cottage when Chance spotted a totally wild-looking mark in the snow, and K had to laugh when she saw it. "Any guesses on what that is, big guy?" It was widespread — maybe four feet across with nothing leading up to it or away from it — and it almost looked like an imprint with fringes near the edges and a deep divot in the middle of it.
Chance tried to think it over for a long time before he clearly gave up and then spun to grin at K. "It's a dragon," he declared — since he couldn't think of what else it might have been.
"It's from an owl catching a rabbit," she told him, then pointed to the fringes that were clearly made by feathers.
"That is so cool," Chance gushed, obviously grinning to himself.
She led the way the last little bit, but by the time they got to the house, it was clear that Logan had managed to catch some partridge and some snowshoe rabbits. "So much for showing him up," K said as they put their skis away.
"Maybe next time," Chance said, nodding happily.
When they got inside, the fire was warm, and dinner was going already. "You two flushed those partridge for me," Logan said. "Better than using dogs."
"Oh, okay, awesome!" Chance said.
"Go get washed up," K told him, then turned to Logan. "Well … our boy is growing up. So. Slowly." Logan let out a little chuckle but couldn't argue with her as he tossed her a bottle of water.
"This keeps up and we'll have to fake Santa Claus for him," Logan muttered. Chance had said he was nine that morning, but that slow inch forward didn't exactly inspire confidence for when he'd be back to himself. Still, there wasn't anything they could do but make dinner and listen to Chance walking around upstairs.
When Chance made his way back down, he grinned at the two of them and settled in. "I think Cody would like it out here," he said.
"Everybody does," Logan said without looking up.
"Do you think it would help his headaches?" Chance asked as he sat down at the table. "Maybe being cold would help."
Logan peeked up at him and frowned for an instant. Cody hadn't gotten his headaches until he was about ten, so the fact that Chance had asked about Cody's headaches was either a good sign of progress or a sign that he was mixing up his timelines in his head. "Might," he said at last. "Can't hurt to try."
"Or do you think that would make it worse and give him a cold?" Chance mused to himself, completely missing Logan's look.
"No way to know until we try," K said before she set a plate down in front of Chance. "You'll like this."
"Yeah?" Chance grinned up at her before he snuck a bite and then couldn't help but grin. "Alright, yeah, that's pretty good. Can I help you shoot one next time?" he asked Logan.
"Didn't use a gun," Logan said with a smirk. "But sure."
"Well, I don't have claws, but I can so outshoot anybody," Chance said, smirking to himself. "Except maybe Elin and K."
"Guess it's time I took you shooting too, then," Logan muttered.
Chance shrugged. "I should probably add Mom to that too," he said. "But don't tell her I said so."
The two ferals had to chuckle to themselves, but they watched Chance as he started to show a few slightly older traits. He wasn't kicking his chair, but he still wasn't acting entirely like himself. "Pretty sure she already knows," K told him.
Chance grinned at that. "Yeah, my mom's kind of amazing."
K was smiling his way, and Logan had to shake his head. "Don't ever forget it either," he told him.
"No way. Dad wouldn't let me," Chance said, tucking back into his dinner and wolfing it down with not only the abandon of a teenage boy but of a healer.
The rest of the evening was quiet; after a whole afternoon of hard skiing, Chance was honestly wiped out. So, the little group hit the hay before the snow started falling again. Which was fine for Logan and K, who took the time to curl up together for some quiet time. They could keep up with the younger-kid energy better than anyone else, but it was nice to just be still and with each other.
So they were still curled up in front of the fire when they heard some padding footsteps coming down and pausing at the bottom of the stairs as Chance realized he wasn't the only one awake.
"You alright?" Logan asked without moving from where he was curled up with K.
Chance paused and nodded before answering. "I just… can't sleep," he said, almost absently rubbing his throat.
K started to sit up straighter. "Want me to make you some cocoa or some tea?"
"You have anything for a sore throat?" he asked.
"Honey and whiskey," Logan said with a smirk.
Chance gave him a dry look. "I can't drink, Logan."
"You can; you're just being a mule about it," Logan said. "Go for the tea with honey."
Chance nodded. "Thanks," he said, though he seemed quieter than he'd been since they arrived as he went to the kitchen to get the water started, still absently rubbing his neck as if he didn't realize he was doing it.
"What were you dreaming?" K asked when she stepped into the kitchen with him.
Chance glared down at the counter. "It's just ... it's just I know Ty healed me, but I can still feel her hands on my neck," he muttered.
She reached up to rub his back. "It'll fade."
"Yeah, I know," he said. "It's fine. I'm okay, I just ... couldn't sleep, that's all."
"Uh-huh," K said, shaking her head before she pulled on his arm and then wrapped him up in a hug once he turned to face her.
Chance buried himself into the hug. "She wasn't even in the dream, though. Is that weird? It was a bunch of soldiers."
Her eyebrows went up at that, considering what Elin had told her about how everything had gone down. "No, that's not weird at all," she said, nodding. "Sometimes dreams mix up important details."
Chance nodded, leaning away from her and against the counter before he finally took the kettle off. "Yeah, Krissy has been helping a lot. Guess it was just weird sleeping by my-" He cut himself off. "I mean." He flushed red. "You know. Not in a room with Cody or anyone else."
"If you think I didn't know what you two were up to, you're crazier than a damn loon," K said dryly.
"We haven't done anything," Chance blurted out quickly.
"Chance, I'm not judging even if that's all you were doing. You're old enough to make those choices on your own."
"We're — we're not fooling around. It's just easier to have someone there."
"I'm not anyone you need to explain that to."
Chance flushed red all the same as he sat down with his tea. "Just please don't tell my parents."
"Chance, I would never do that," K replied.
Chance let his shoulders relax. "Do you mind if I stay down by the fire with you guys? I don't know if I can sleep on my own right now," he admitted.
"Please, if that makes you feel better. We're just relaxing and enjoying the quiet."
"Thanks, K," Chance said with a little smile, giving her a quick hug as he followed her into the living room.
It was the day before Christmas Eve up at the cabin when Logan and K knew things were back to normal — since Chance had come downstairs ahead another few years after a good night's sleep … and looking furious.
"Where's Elin?" he asked in lieu of a "good morning."
"Not here," Logan muttered, eyes still closed as he rested his head in his hand over coffee.
Chance shook his head. "We need to go back," he said. "I don't know what those guys did to her, but she wasn't even fighting them on it, Logan!"
"Wasn't fighting who?" Logan asked, finally straightening up a little to hear him out.
"Those guys that grabbed us," Chance said. "The ones that jumped us at the steakhouse. I don't know who they were — sounded sort of Eastern European. But she just let them drag her off!"
Logan let out his breath when he heard it. "She's fine, Chance."
"Do you know what they did to her?" Chance asked. "They were asking about the healing and — and if they cut into her, she's not fine, and we both know it," he added more insistently.
"She's long healed up," Logan promised. "The guys that attacked you are all dead — along with all of their contacts."
Chance paused to look his way and then let out a breath. "Well, where is she?"
"Westchester," Logan told him.
"When can we leave?" Chance asked.
K stepped around him with a cup of coffee. "After breakfast, if you're in a rush. Coffee's waiting."
For just a moment, Chance looked irritated at the delay before he let out a breath and headed to the kitchen with a muttered sort of "fine."
The two ferals shared a look, and Logan pulled out his phone to send Scott a text. Looks like he's back.
There wasn't much of a pause before the response came back. That's a relief. How soon can you be back?
Within the hour. I'll text Kurt after breakfast. Kid needs to cool off.
I thought you said he was back.
Apparently, Elin ticked him off.
How?
I'd ask, but he needs to cool off. We'll figure it out when we get back.
It didn't take long before the three of them were packed up to head back, though even with nearly an hour, it was obvious to both Logan and K that Chance was still fairly worked up by the set to his jaw.
When they got home, Chance immediately set to work finding her, too. Elin wasn't in the kitchen though — or in their room — so it took him a little bit for him to figure out that she'd stayed in Logan and K's suite while they were gone.
When he finally found her, he all but stalked her way. "What were you thinking?"
She blinked at him and squared up as he got closer. "I was thinking that my siblings needed company while you were gone."
Chance waved his hand angrily. "No. With the soldiers back there. You let them walk all over you!"
It took her a minute to catch up to him, since for her it had been a little while. "Oh. That? I was thinking that it would save you."
"Elin, you and I both know they were going to do whatever they wanted," he said, still clearly furious. "You can't — you can't just let them take — not for me." He had a serious flush to his cheeks as he seemed to be getting mad enough that he couldn't quite finish his sentences.
She narrowed her eyes and tipped her chin down as she leveled her gaze. "Like you have room to talk."
"This isn't about me," Chance said.
Elin put her hands on her hips. "Sure it is. And double standard or not, it's like you said: we weren't in a position to bargain anyhow."
"So we fight them together and make them work for every inch, Elin!" he said. "We don't — you can't let them—"
"Just stop. That plan is fine and good if they'd had any fight with me at all, but the whole thing was them ripping you to shreds and making me watch! That was the only way I could get a chance to fight."
Chance kept up the glare before he finally shook his head and stepped toward her to simply grab her hand. "Elin, you can't let them use me against you. You're unstoppable, and you can't let anyone — they'll take everything from you if you let them if they see — they'd never get an inch if you were by yourself. I can't watch them tear you down."
"And I can't watch them do that to you either," she replied, her cheeks bright and her tone laced with a growl.
"I can heal now," Chance said.
"What the hell do you think I do, huh?!"
Chance let out a sort of frustrated noise and didn't even think before he just leaned in and kissed her hard, though she pushed him back from the center of his chest almost as soon as he'd kissed her. "I love you, Elin."
"I love you too," she shot back, though she wasn't at all pleased with how he was going about showing it. It was fine for him to be mad after all that had happened, but they were on completely different pages, and he was being such a hypocrite that she wasn't inclined to be nice.
"We have to figure out how to make sure they can't use us against each other," Chance said, finally seeming to relax a bit with one arm around her back, even though she was going the opposite way and getting madder the more he talked.
"That's what I was trying to do," she growled back and pushed on him a little harder to get her point across.
"How? By giving them what they wanted as soon as they started hurting me?" Chance said, one eyebrow raised.
"It wasn't like that, you jerk," she said, hitting him hard in the shoulder before she shoved him back a step.
"Yes, it was," Chance said. "I may have been a little bit off the last little while, but I remember exactly how it was." He shook his head and then tried to kiss her again, losing a little steam when she ducked him. "El, I've never heard you beg. I hate it."
"It was not like that," she said. "You were losing memory by leaps and bounds. When I got to you - by the time we got you out of there — you thought I was Mom."
Chance was having a hard time coming up with an argument for that, and he knew it, so he just sort of made a point to hold onto her tighter before he pulled her in and kissed her. "El… I love you. Always have."
"Yeah? You have a selective memory, Summers," she growled out.
"No, I'm pretty sure it's all back now," Chance said, trying to get her to relax with a crooked half-smile. "It got a little fuzzy after you left but I remember exactly how you left and everything before that."
"Clearly you don't remember everything or you'd remember that I was trying to keep them from taking you too far back," she said, then gritted her teeth and spoke in a lower growl since she knew what his real worry was. "And for the record, I still didn't tell them what they wanted. Because I can take it."
"I don't care if you can take it; you shouldn't have to," Chance argued.
"Remember those words next time you try to explain your stupid boy moves with 'I can heal now'."
"Hey." Chance glared at her. "There is a big difference between 'they're hitting me anyway' and volunteering yourself."
She leaned toward him and dropped her voice to nearly a whisper. "You think I don't know what it is you're all bent out of shape over? Mr. Summers. It's not the torture - we've been through that before. What you're mad about? It didn't happen. Not what you're all territorial over."
That finally got Chance to stop outright and look her way before he cleared his throat and closed his eyes, obviously trying to get a hold of himself. "Well. Good," he finally said at last in a sort of gruff tone.
She narrowed her eyes at him and decided to step past him. "Glad that's cleared up and you can rest easy again. I've got chores to do."
Chance shook his head and stepped into her, still holding onto her. "You can wait on those for a little while."
"Fine. You want to finish this in the Danger Room then?"
"El." He shook his head at her. "No. I… said my piece. I just want you safe."
"Well, that's what I want for you too," she said, still ready to fight if that's what it was going to be.
"Then it's a good thing we're both right here," Chance said. "I'm not trying to fight you, El. I just…"
"You're only saying that because you'd lose."
"Yeah but it would be fun," Chance said, finally relaxing a bit with a small smirk.
She let out a breath through her nose and narrowed her eyes. "You got spooked once you remembered things. But it wasn't anything that we haven't had to deal with before."
Chance nodded at her slowly. "I know," he admitted.
"Maybe you should have a support group with Alyssa," she said dryly.
Chance rolled his eyes at that and then wrapped her up instead. "How about we start this over," he said. "Hey, El. I'm back."
"Oh, I didn't notice," she said in a sing-song tone through gritted teeth.
"And seeing as I've apparently been gone for a while… let me make that time up to you," he said.
"No thanks."
"Come on, El. I was worried about you."
"I was worried about you too," she said before she pinched his arm hard enough to make him jump.
"We're good at stressing each other out, apparently," he said with a smirk. "Come on; I'll bribe Malin with some new lockpicks to do your chores today and we'll just go hide."
"Just because you got to take a vacation doesn't mean the rest of us did," she said.
"Which is why I'm trying to give you a break and steal you away," Chance pointed out.
"Still trying to be the white knight?"
"Always," he said, leaning over to gently kiss her cheek.
She poked him in the chest. "I ain't a princess. I can rescue myself. But if you still want to shut up and spend some time …"
"I really do," Chance said and kissed the tip of her nose. "Come on, El. I'm sorry I lost my temper. I woke up remembering you leaving with the bad guys. I'm entitled to a freakout, okay?"
She raised one eyebrow at that. "Then may I suggest, for future reference, that you remember to get all the facts before you even consider yelling at me ever again."
He let his shoulders drop. "I'm sorry I yelled."
"No you're not... You honestly thought that I'd just … and you didn't trust that I'd kill the fools …"
He couldn't help but smirk. "Yes. I'm very sorry I went temporarily insane and forgot that you are the scariest woman I know."
She started to drop some of her anger on hearing that. "Flattery and lies. Did you know Dad cleared them out with James and Kurt?"
He shook his head, reluctant to admit that there was another aspect of the misadventure he didn't know. "I don't really remember much after the fourth or fifth time I stopped breathing, to be honest. Bits and pieces from the cabin… but that feels more like memories from growing up, somehow."
"James called in Stark - he's been hovering ever since - and they destroyed the cell between the two of them after Dad killed everyone in the building with James and Kurt."
"They had it coming," Chance said.
She nodded curtly and waited for him to look a little more sheepish before she popped up on her toes to give him a quick kiss that he pushed to stretch out just a bit longer than she'd intended and not as long as he'd wanted.
"And," Chance said when she pulled back from him, "I'm sorry I worried you."
"You'll need to apologize to James before he'll talk to you, too," she said.
"What did I do to James?"
"You thought he was Daken."
"Oh. Wow. Yeah, I'll have to do the full-throated apology and letter of remorse."
Before Elin could retort with something glib, Sadie waved them both out. "Get moving, you're setting a bad example."
Chance couldn't help but laugh at that as he looked over Elin's head. "Oh, is that what your problem is? Following your sister's bad example?"
"Never," she said, bristling.
"Uh-huh," he said before he looked back down at Elin. "Come away with me?" he said with a crooked smile.
"I'll think about it," she decided with her eyes narrowed.
"I'll let you pin me," he whispered - just to rile her.
She scoffed. "Let me, huh?"
"Hey, if you have a problem, prove me wrong," he said with a teasing sort of smile.
She shook her head. "Not really in the mood to break you."
"Ah, so you're not that mad at me," he said, the smile widening.
"No, I didn't say that. I just said I didn't want to give you what you want. Totally different."
Chance dipped his head down. "Alright, then you set the pace and I'll follow you. Since I've clearly offended and yelled at my wife. That's unforgivable, I know."
"I should make you sleep in the barn," she said as they headed out of the Howlett's suite and toward their room.
"Fair," he said, though he was still smiling at her and pulling out every trick he knew to try and get her out of her funk. "I'll spend Christmas Eve all huddled up and sad."
"Then your mom would know you're in trouble."
"And you don't want me to get any pity shelter," he said with a smirk.
"Nope," she said with a smile.
"Scary, scary wife of mine."
"I learned from the best," Elin said.
"And outstripped even my mom," he teased.
"I swear, if I wasn't glad to find that you're no longer like… mentally eight, I'd tape your mouth shut so you'd be quiet," Elin said in a sigh.
"If I promise to shut up, can I sleep in the house?" he teased.
"I'll think about it."
Chance couldn't help but smile and then simply leaned over to steal a long kiss that she didn't fight him on nearly as much as earlier, grinning at her outright and not making the slightest commentary when he felt her shoulders relax.
