She Had The World
Steve and Logan were sitting at the dinner table, waiting awkwardly for Tony and Kitty. Two boxes had arrived and were sitting on the table, covered in black wrapping paper, with a large red bow on the tops. Kitty walked in first and Logan had to suppress the urge to joke at her wearing Tony's jacket, the fabric almost brushing her knees.
"Oh, fuck a duck." Kitty swore loudly upon seeing the boxes. She pulled Tony's warm jacket around her closer but now her shivering wasn't from the cold.
"You didn't tell me it was your birthday." Logan complained, his face breaking out into a toothy smile.
"I didn't tell anyone." She shot back, glaring at the offending presents. Logan's smile faded and Kitty's heart felt like it had belly flopped. She turned her attention back to the table with the presents, because even that was better than looking at Logan's frown. A large, square box sat on top of a long, wide gift. Both looked very uninviting as she sat down in the chair next to Logan. "Let's get this over with."
She started with the larger one, ripping off the paper and balling it up before throwing it across the room into the trash. Kitty focused her attention on the red velvet box with pearls and rubies ingrained in the gold siding. It was heavy and looked extremely expensive to Kitty. She glanced at the three men, who looked as shocked as she felt.
A panic coursed its way through Kitty's veins as she vividly remembered her conversation with Ashley. She could almost hear him whispering, "Besides, I'm more fond of explosives". Her heart felt like it was beating through her chest and a cool sweat broke out over her body. Kitty felt lightheaded as she bent down, holding her hair back as she pressed her ear softly to the box.
"What are you doing? Tony asked, puzzled as she gently tapped the box, still listening carefully.
"What if it's a bomb?" Kitty cautioned, peering at the box. She sat up straight, her face completely blank as she turned to face the three men. "Leave. Get out of here."
Logan met her eyes and scoffed, "I don't think so."
"Please," Kitty begged. "We can't risk movin' it if it's pressure sensitive, and I ain't bringin' you guys down with me. Whatever this LeRoux guy has done, it's because of me. So, go. Leave."
Tony quietly sat down in the chair between Steve and Kitty. "We're not leaving, Kitty." Steve argued. She looked at Logan, a pleading look in her blue eyes. He shook his head slowly and remained seated.
"It's not like it'll kill me." Logan reminded her with a shrug.
She took a deep breath before carefully unhooking the boxes clasp. Kitty couldn't help but gasp at what lay inside. Everyone focused their attention on the box.
"What is it?" Steve worried, trying to see what the mysterious box held.
Kitty coughed out, "It's...a tiara."
An intricate, silver crown with sapphires and pearls sat in the plush velvet box. The tiara was easily the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. It twinkled and shined, and a part of Kitty's brain made the connection that it matched the gown she wore. She carefully lifted it from the box and held it up for Tony, Steve, and Logan to see.
"Tony," She handed the tiara carefully to Tony, who inspected it. "Please tell me this ain't real. Please tell me its fake silver and paste stones, made of plaster and cardboard."
"There's something else." Logan picked up a picture from the box and handed it to Kitty.
It was a small portrait of King Henry VIII's wife Anne Boleyn, who wore the crown proudly on her head. It was unmistakable as the same tiara. Kitty felt her heart skip a beat as she set her elbows on the table and held her head in her hands.
"It's real. There's a certificate of authenticity in the gold chest, which is also real." Tony set the crown carefully in its box in front of Kitty. She lifted her head and touched the crown gently.
"It's beautiful. Completely and utterly ridiculous, but beautiful. And you know what the bastard said?" She lifted the crown off the table and set it gently on her head. "He said he should've sent it this mornin' so I could wear it to the restaurant. Because it matches my dress."
"Look who's a little princess." Logan teased. Kitty whopped him on the shoulder playfully, careful to keep the crown from falling off.
"Open the other one." Tony requested, handing the long box to Kitty.
"Well," She started ripping the paper off. "If it's anything like the tiara, I'll have to send it back."
It was a long case similar to the tiara's, with stones set into the gold and velvet. Inside it lay a very large sword. The hilt matched her crown and the blade was incredibly sharp. Kitty tried to lift it, but found it to be heavier than she'd thought. Using both hands, and no small amount of determination, she managed to remove it from its case.
"A sword?" Logan raised his eyebrows. Kitty handed it to him, which he took in one hand, easily. It was made for someone his size, not hers, and she felt a twinge of jealousy at that.
"To go along with my tiara. Maybe he'll send me an entire court! Or a castle!" Kitty suggested sarcastically as Logan passed the sword to Steve. "I mean, really. Who the hell does this guy think he is?"
"Well, at least it's not a bomb." Tony pointed out. He picked up the tiara's box and examined it.
Kitty suddenly rose from her chair and walked into the kitchen, ignoring the confused expressions on her friend's faces. She came back holding her cellphone, her attention focused on the small screen. Logan noticed that she was still wearing the tiara. She held the phone up to her ear, brushing a strand of hair out of the way.
"Hello, Ashley." Kitty greeted coolly, going to great lengths to keep her voice level.
"My sweet dahlia, how lovely it is to hear your voice!" Ashley LeRoux beamed. "I take it you have gotten your gifts then."
"Yes, I have." Kitty looked down at the floor, ignoring her friend's prying eyes. "And I think it would be best if I returned them to you."
"If you'd like to see me again, Kitty, you could just ask." He informed her suggestively. "You don't have to pretend to want to return my gifts just to meet with me."
"I'm not pretending." Kitty argued. "The gifts are too extravagant and I can't accept them. I won't work for you, so you can have your "starting bonus" back." Logan and Steve looked at Tony, alarmed at the comment.
She could hear Ashley sigh loudly on the other line. "They were gifts, not startin' bonuses." She could almost see him rolling his eyes. "I won't take them back, cher."
"They're real." She huffed, turning her back on the three men. "I can't just keep them."
"Well, of course they're real. I'm not goin' to send a woman of your beauty and stature fake jewels, my dahlia. I saw the crown and thought of you, and how the sapphires match your strikin' eyes. And the sword," Ashley laughed. "I just assumed you would appreciate a finely crafted weapon."
"This doesn't change my mind," She warned him. "I won't work for you."
"You will." The Southern man promised. "Besides, I don't think Mr. Stark will be employin' you much longer. Or anyone else, for that matter."
Kitty heard the click of the line going dead and she threw her phone as hard as she could.
"¡Ese bastardo! Ese gilipollas egoísta!" She screamed in rage, her face growing flushed.
Tony approached her slowly, his hands held out in front of him as if she was an animal that needed soothing.
"You know," Logan started. "With that crown on, throwing a tantrum like that, you really look like a little princess."
"Not helping." Steve growled.
Kitty shocked them all by laughing. She took off the crown and collapsed into a chair, her body shaking as she had a fit of hysterical laughter that she couldn't seem to stop.
Tony, Steve, and Logan all exchanged looks of concern as Kitty continued her fit.
"Kitty?" Logan intoned, crouching down in front of her so he could look at her face. Tears were streaming down her face as the laughs turned into soft sobs.
"I don't want to leave." She whispered before wrapping her arms around Logan's neck and burying her face in his shirt. "But I can't let you guys get hurt."
Logan looked up at Tony and Steve, unsure of what to do with a crying woman latched onto him. He cautiously placed his arms around her small frame, still slightly uncomfortable with the contact. "You're going anywhere and no one's hurt." He murmured in her ear, tucking a lock of her golden hair behind her ear. "We're all fine."
She peeled her face off of Logan's shirt and looked up to Tony with sad, teary eyes. "Why won't he just leave us alone?" Logan's arms were still wrapped around Kitty, but she managed to get an arm free to wipe away some of the tears. "For once, I'd like to just arrest or kill someone without them harassing me or threatenin' my family!"
"He threatened you?" Steve asked, his eyes burning with rage.
"No," Kitty shook her head. "He...threatened Tony. Well, kinda." She glanced at Logan, whose face was closer than she expected. She looked back down at the floor and squeaked, "He said, "I don't think Mr. Stark will be employin' you much longer. Or anyone, for that matter.""
The atmosphere in the room shifted and Tony seemed to snap into motion. "We've got to get all the Avengers here, go on lockdown."
Steve nodded curtly and Logan started giving suggestions from an X-Men point of view.
"Wait, what if that's what he wants?" Kitty suggested, and all three men's eyes flicked in her direction. "I mean, think about it," She sat up straighter, a bit difficult with Logan's arms still around her, but she liked the contact too much to move from the embrace. "All the Avengers all in one place. This guy's job is to design and build bombs. He's obviously got the money and knowledge to be a problem…" Her voice trailed off.
"What do you think?" Tony asked Steve, who was grounded to the spot. The blond looked at Kitty and Logan, then back to Tony.
"Deadpool and Peter are the only ones not here right now." Steve informed them. "I say we call them in and see if they'll stay. Banner is in Kenya and he's probably safest there. Logan," Wolverine's head shot up at the mention of his name. "Are you willing to stay here tonight?"
He nodded.
"I'll call Deadpool." Kitty begrudgingly volunteered upon realizing that her concern was not going to be taken seriously. She untangled herself from Logan's arms and stood up. "After I get out of this dress."
She could hear the three men talking about the lockdown as she entered her accesscode before pressing the elevator button marked '6'. She got off the lift when it opened and crossed through her small living room. Kitty opened her bedroom door, her mind deep in thought. She stripped off the dress and slid on a pair of leggings and a tee shirt before washing off what little makeup was left on her face. Kitty unhooked the clasp on her necklace and shut it protectively in its box with the ring before placing it in a bureau drawer. She then sat perfectly still on her bed, staring straight ahead at the wall as her mind reeled over the events of the night.
Maybe it's all a dream, she thought. The crown, the sword. Hell, maybe even the fundraiser was all part of a dream. Some twisted Cinderella fantasy that I'm going to wake up from. Probably took a fatal hit from a baddie, now I'm hallucinating while I die. Or Loki is fucking with my head again. She smiled softly. That would explain why Logan was being uncharacteristically nice.
"It's not real," She reasoned aloud, her voice lethargic. "This is all just a dream."
"Kitty? Are you okay?" Her head jerked up to look at Logan, who stood in the doorway with her gifts. "The door was open and I came to check on you."
Kitty's eyes were wide in confusion and she stammered, "Why wouldn't I be?" Logan walked further into the room and stared at Kitty like she had grown three heads.
"It's been over an hour since you came up here to change." Logan informed her. "We figured you fell asleep or something. Have you just been sitting here the whole time?" He set down the crown's box and the sword on her dresser.
She blinked several times, shaking her head slightly as she tried to figure where the time had gone. "But this is a dream."
Logan's eyebrows furrowed as he sat on the bed next to her. He cautiously raised a hand up to her forehead as if to see if she had a fever. "This isn't a dream, Kitty."
"Oh," Kitty looked bewildered as she looked all around her room, as if not recognizing where she was. "Am I in the Tower?"
He looked at her in alarm. "I think maybe you should lay down." Logan suggested, pulling at the covers on her bed.
Kitty just blinked at him and said, "But I've got to call Deadpool."
"I'll call him, you need to sleep." He held up the covers while Kitty crawled under them, curling up on her side.
"Are you staying here tonight?"
He nodded. "We're going to take shifts, just to be safe. Stark is checking all of the computer systems. Said you thought there's a bug somewhere. We're sweeping the rooms, too."
"I'll take a shift." She offered, sitting up. Logan pressed her shoulder gently until she was laying back down.
"Maybe after you sleep." He rose from her bed and walked to the door before turning slightly. "Goodnight, Kitty."
"Night, Logan." Kitty mumbled into her pillow as unconsciousness washed over her.