By the time Tyler had finished up with Clint, K had started up dinner, and it was clear that no one was expecting her to do any cooking, of all things. Of course, Elin had refused to be put down and K wasn't too keen on setting her down either, so when Kate stepped into the kitchen, she was a bit surprised to see how easily K was puttering around the kitchen with the little one on her hip.
"I know your thing is pancakes? And usually I do the Swedish kind, but I really felt more like Italian," K said as she smirked at Kate. "You pick the pasta. Sauce will be done in an hour."
Kate just grinned and nodded as she moved toward the pantry. "That sounds fair," she said, then tipped her head at Elin. "You're gonna be so spoiled with the master chef for a mom," she teased.
"I can teach you," K offered.
"Teach me the Swedish things, yeah, that'd be great," Kate said with a wide smile. "But if you think I've been in here for weeks with Annie and Remy and haven't learned plenty of cooking…?" She trailed off and laughed.
"I can teach you Italian and Mexican too," she said with a smirk.
"I'm more interested in German things," she said with a smirk to match.
"All sausages and sauerkraut," K said with her nose wrinkled up. "Hard on the nose."
"I live with a group of brimstone-bringing demons. I think my nose can survive just about everything," Kate laughed.
"That's a fine point," she conceded before she readjusted Elin and gave her a little kiss, with a giggle for a response. "So I suppose you need something sweet to finish?"
Kate pointed her gaze at Kurt, who was chatting with Logan nearby. "Yep," she said with a shameless grin.
"So you're not interested in some tiramisu?" K asked with one eyebrow raised. "Coffee- and chocolate-flavored sweets?"
Kate leaned against the counter and put a hand to her heart. "Oh, you've discovered my weakness," she said with a laugh. "I guess I could double-dip in the sweetness. Have some of your desserts before the German chocolate."
"I'm sure you've been missing your morning blueberry muffins," K said with a smirk.
"Very much so," Kate said earnestly. "But... you know, not as much as Jubes was missing hers."
"Yeah, it was mutual," K agreed. "Poor kid."
Kate tipped her head to K very quietly. "Bet you missed your hug magnet too," she said.
"You have no idea. But the fact is that I was more focused on how to make the bad guy's lives hell while I was stuck," K said. "Figured as long as we both were breathing, it would work out. And I knew he wasn't going to just give up. Just had to leave the clues for him."
"Yeah, well, you came close a few times." Kate leaned over and wrapped her up in a side hug for just a moment. "Thanks for saving my mentor and one of my best friends, by the way. Saw the Ronan thing."
"There was no way in hell I was going to let that rotten piece of crap hurt either one of those two," K said with a whisper of a growl.
"Yeah, I love them too," Kate said quietly.
Kate eventually made her way back to Kurt once she'd laid out the pasta, and it was another little while before Noh and Jubilee emerged from Jubilee's little room — and Noh grinned almost immediately on stepping into the living room. "That smells delicious," he said, turning to see who was responsible for the delicious scent. He grinned even wider when he saw that it was K and ran over to where she was. "Can I help you? You have your hands quite full," he offered quickly.
"You can try," K said, though when Noh tried to snuggle Elin, she smiled at him, gave him a very sloppy baby kiss on the cheek, and then pushed him away.
"Ah, well, she has her favorite with her right now," Noh said philosophically as he let K take Elin back to her hip. He shook his head. "Perhaps I can help with your cooking?"
"Sure," K said with a smile before she directed him on how to make the dessert.
Between the two of them, it wasn't long after that before it was time to dig in, and the larger group than usual didn't quite all fit around Tony's table — so a few people took plates back to the couches in the living room. They'd even set up a little table so the kids could eat together, though since Gerry was absolutely attached to Clint, that was where Clint ended up too, deep in serious conversation with Dani about how she was going to get a new book from the library when she went next time — one with plenty of pictures, of course — to which Clint nodded sagely.
Of course, it didn't escape several people's notice that the three former captives were takings seconds and thirds for dinner — or that K was insisting on that fact, in her own way, by simply dumping the food on their plates and then zipping off before either could say anything, especially since Clint looked like he might.
But instead of arguing, he just kind of grinned and laughed. "This isn't gonna be an every meal thing, is it? Because I appreciate it, but I think Nat might stop dating me if I blow up like a balloon."
"Nat will help you work it off," K said without missing a beat as she gave the little kids table their desserts.
Natasha was smirking at both of them as she nodded. "I have ideas," she said quietly.
When dinner was well over with and everyone started to head off to their separate spaces, Erik made a point to thank K for the dinner before he requested she make good on her promise to fill him in on the various bits and pieces of things that he so clearly had missed. What with Scott returning to the X-Men his young family and all of the various relationships, hers with Logan included, the old man had a lot of catching up to do.
His timing was perfect, too, as Elin had finally drifted off halfway through dessert and had no trouble going to her father while K cautiously took a moment to settle into a quiet corner to answer Erik's questions — though Logan certainly didn't look like he liked the idea of her going anywhere with him.
"I'm not entirely sure where to begin," Erik admitted softly. "The makeup of the X-Men itself has changed so much since I've been gone, not to mention all your… interesting interpersonal developments."
"I don't know the history," K admitted. "But I can tell you what I know, which I don't think really amounts to much beyond who's with who and who has trouble outside of the house."
"I'm sure you underestimate yourself," he told her.
She shook her head with a little snicker. "No, I'm pretty sure my experience stops at 'Wolverine's girl'."
"If that's true, then this will indeed be a short conversation. But I somehow doubt it," Erik laughed quietly. "Why don't you start with yourself? I can't say I know much of anything about you or your newly established family beyond your husband."
"Scott found me in a bar," she said with a little smile. "And was driven by an irresistible force to bring me back to New York with him. I've been with the group ever since. Tiny breaks like this little kerfuffle notwithstanding."
Erik had to smile at her storytelling for a moment before he asked, "So Scott was on the team before you arrived?"
"As I understand it, that was actually Fury's doing," K told him. "Or at least, he says it was."
"That… seems incredible," Erik said mildly.
"Yeah, well," K said nodding her head in agreement. "If there's a catch, they haven't found it yet. Yet. And I didn't find anything in his files that suggested any kind of subversion. So... grain of salt, I guess."
Erik had to smirk at that. "And the rest of the team?" he said slowly.
"Scott was married when I met him, Jubilee and Noh were already an item too — and from what I understand, Kurt and Kate have been an item from the word 'go'," she summarized. "The only trouble anyone has really had would be Windsor and Azazel, I think — but it seems like those two are dealing with each other right now."
"Those two alone are enough to cause more trouble than what should be seen in an entire lifetime," Erik said with a small glare and the sharp sparkle of rage in his gaze.
"We haven't seen either since about a week before my daughter was born," she told him gently. "I can't imagine they'll stay gone for too long though with Kate getting as close as she is to having Kristina."
Erik almost couldn't help the smile at the little girl's name. "I have to admit to being surprised.… Miss Bishop was on a team with my grandchildren, and here she is married to Nightcrawler," he said, shaking his head — and K didn't miss that the smile seemed warmer at the mention of his grandkids.
"From what I understand, no one really saw that coming," K said before she tossed her hair over her shoulder. "But it works for them." She looked him over for a moment. "Which ones are yours?"
"The twins. William and Thomas," he said.
K smiled a little at that and nodded. "They're sweet boys. I think we've all adopted them."
His smile widened on hearing it. "It's good to know that they have a strong support system," he told her.
"Scott offered them spots on the team if they want it," K said. "I understand why Billy wants to study under Doc Strange, but …"
"Ah." Erik nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, Thomas takes after my son, I believe. At least as I understand it."
"I'm afraid I don't know him — at least, I don't think I do. Officially." She shrugged a bit. "Professional hazard, I'm afraid."
"Lorna is my youngest," Erik said, gesturing toward the rooms, where Lorna was asleep. "I had twins of my own before Wanda had hers. The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver," he explained.
"Impressive roster of kids."
"As I'm sure will be the case with the young families here," he replied with a warm laugh. "It's good to see such deserving people looking to their own futures and happiness." He leaned forward the slightest bit. "Now, Miss Bishop I know, and the kind Miss Annie has been good enough to introduce herself. But I'm afraid I know next to nothing about Jubilee's husband, except that he was on a team with my grandchildren for a short time."
"That's simple enough," K said. "Kree warrior from another dimension or something. He's a babydoll."
"Simple," he repeated with a little chuckle.
She smiled crookedly and leaned toward him. "Well. As I understand it, the more interesting the quick background is — the more normal they treat it. I'm not gonna fight that tide."
"Well, that can be true," he allowed. He leaned back the slightest bit and seemed to regard her for a moment. "I did notice — and I hope you'll forgive my asking — there was a young man who bears a certain resemblance to Victor Creed whom you entrusted with your daughter."
She nodded with a serious look on her face. "Tyler has had no connection with his father, and to the best of my digging, he seems to be the polar opposite of the man. He's a good kid."
"That simple description alone would make him the opposite of his father," Erik said mildly.
"He never met Victor until he went with me on a field trip of sorts. The man didn't even seem to register that Tyler was there," she told him. "And I think his mother has made a point to instill it in him to not be anything like him. She's one hell of a parent."
"I'd be interested to meet her — if she earns such high praise," Erik said.
"You will, I'm sure," K replied. "She's dating Henry. They're a lovely couple, and they're turning into a charming little family. And seeing as Ty aspires to be a doctor, he really couldn't have a more supportive backing."
Erik looked honestly pleased to hear it — though whether it was because Henry had someone, because Tyler had support, or some combination, he didn't say. "How on earth did you come across Victor Creed's son in the first place?"
"You'd have to ask Kate or Scott. They were the ones to get him," she said. "I wasn't a part of that run, but I believe it was the basic 'kid in trouble'."
"Yes, I imagine the young man has run into his fair share of troubles," Erik said softly. He let out a long breath. "I believe that covers those in this bunker. I don't suppose there are any other new members of the team I haven't met?"
"I don't think so?" K said with a little frown. "But I've been gone for a few weeks, so who knows."
Erik had to smirk at that. "Yes, I know the difference a few weeks makes at times," he said with a chuckle. He leaned forward, this time with a much more serious expression. "Now then. You mentioned Windsor and Azazel…"
She took in a deep breath and nodded as she folded her hands in her lap. "Well, Azazel should be fairly self-explanatory if you know Kurt's family issues. If not, I'm afraid I'll just gloss over it for you."
Erik just nodded with a long sigh. "No, I'm well aware of the history there. I had noticed the marking on Katherine's arm as well — demonic signs are quite distinctive."
"As far as the other one?" K shrugged. "I figured you'd know all about him and his genetic research, considering his obsession with the whole team. He had me locked in there for a while, and there was a string of missing time for months." She shook her head. "And of course the obsession with Scott."
Erik frowned for a moment. "Windsor has focused his attention on Scott?"
She nodded her head. "He's been after him his whole life," K said with a little frown. "Wait. You probably know his 'trying to be creepy' name better — Sinister?"
For a moment, the look of rage was absolutely thunderous, and Erik's eyes flashed before he finally let out a breath. "I wasn't aware they were the same person," he admitted. "But in hindsight…"
"That's my fault," she said. "I've been digging up what I can on him. It's on my mind with that name; I should have used the more familiar one."
"Don't apologize," Erik said firmly. "This explains much about both identities he's held." He still looked angry, and she could feel the slight magnetic pull increase just a bit.
"Oh, I wasn't apologizing," she said with a tiny smirk. "But ... I would appreciate a bit of warning if you're planning to fling me or something."
He looked up at her for a moment before he realized what she was saying. "Then I should apologize. With your bones, it can't be comfortable to sit this close to me."
"Unsettling," she admitted. "But I've sat with much worse."
"I assure you, I don't plan to use my powers against you except in cases like the one we just encountered. I thought it best to get you out of there quickly," he promised. "And I admit, I had also lost my temper, seeing what they did to those children."
"I appreciated it," K said. "But I've heard the stories too. And I'd be lying if I said I hadn't read a file or two."
"That only means you are careful and intelligent," he told her. "I know my history is against me."
"Join the club."
"It does seem to be almost routine in this particular group," he said, chuckling quietly.
"Some of them are just a bit too clean cut to be fun though, don't you think?" she joked. "Almost gotta hit a few of the darker tones just to have a little experience."
"And yet I'd rather keep those that are still innocent from having those experiences under their belts," he replied seriously.
"That's part of our experience. They don't need to go through it," she agreed.
He leaned forward and looked, for a moment, very tired as he rested his chin in his hands. "Thank you for humoring me," he said at last.
"Any time," she said honestly. "I'm sure the boys will be looking for you sooner rather than later. I think some of them are more happy to see you then they let on."
"You don't need to lie to me, my dear," he laughed quietly.
"I make it a habit not to, unless I'm being interrogated by someone much more obvious about the interrogation," she replied. "Hill and Osborn could probably tell you a few stories now."
His eyes flashed with that same anger for a moment. "They claim to be protecting the Earth — I've seen them both lead SHIELD, and still they have learned nothing."
"Which, is why they aren't in charge," K agreed. "Don't worry. It doesn't matter if Fury locks them away on the moon. They won't be an issue for long."
"I don't worry over the likes of them," he said with a bit of steel.
"I have the feeling you don't worry over much."
"That was true once," he said, the sharpness leaving his tone in a breath. "But as I get older, I find I worry over my own legacy."
She nodded slowly. "You shouldn't worry about that. If your legacy is in your kids — you did fine."
"I can't claim responsibility for the vast good some of my children and grandchildren have done," he said carefully and thoughtfully.
"Well, then I guess it's time to help those that you can and forget about the past. Noh would tell you you're making a rookie mistake, and there is nothing worse than realizing that a twenty-something punk is right about big picture stuff," she said with a smirk. She stood up and gave him a squeeze on his shoulder. "Don't let them be right. Don't give them the satisfaction," she said at a whisper before she gave him a little smile.
"I assure you, I intend to look to the good I can do going forward. Hopefully, that is no mistake to your Kree friend."
She shrugged as she started to head out of the room toward where Logan and Elin were. "If it is — he's young. He'll get over it."
Natasha was perfectly and contentedly curled up with Clint. She hadn't been surprised in the least to find that any hideaway of Tony's had plenty of spots where they could get a little privacy, and once she'd managed to steal Clint's attention away from Gerry, she had locked the door and monopolized all of Clint's time.
But the fact of the matter was that they were both exhausted. Clint needed the sleep from everything that he'd been through, especially the speed healing, not to mention the rest of what had happened to necessitate the speed healing. And Natasha, to her own surprise, had more or less collapsed into exhaustion herself as soon as they'd gotten a little reacquainted and she had reassured herself that Clint was alright.
They both slept in, which wasn't that unusual for Clint, at least, though it was for Natasha. And when she did wake up, she found herself not at all interested in getting up from where she was curled in. Instead, she simply readjusted herself as softly as she could so that she didn't risk waking him up and then laid her head back down on his bare chest, listening to his heart and feeling the rise and fall of every breath that meant he was alive and there with her.
She hadn't expected to still feel this upset now that Clint was back, if she was honest.
It wasn't like Clint hadn't gotten himself in all sorts of trouble when they were dating. All of the times they were dating. He seemed to thrive on trouble, as if he wasn't satisfied until he knew that he was in some kind of dire straits.
It was a little different this time, she thought, because the people who had taken him had been so… possessive about it. As if he could belong to anybody but himself.
She found herself absently resting her hand on his chest as she waited for him to wake up with her. If she was honest, she felt a little possessive herself. Maybe that was part of what was taking so long to come down from.
When he did finally wake up, though, she put aside those thoughts and instead returned the smile he gave her — the broad one that never seemed to fade no matter how many times they shared a bed. "Sleep okay?" he asked.
"Marvelously," she told him with a little smirk.
"Great, because I slept like the dead," he said, leaning his head back a little more in the pillows to emphasize the point.
For just a second, Natasha felt her mouth tighten at the corners, even though it was just a joke. "We've probably missed breakfast," she said.
"So what you're telling me is that K's going to stuff me even more when lunch comes around," he surmised. "Good to know, good to know."
She shook her head at him and decided that the only thing to do with him was to kiss him. Which had always been the case anyway.
For the most part, it seemed that everyone who had been in on the rescue effort, as well as the former captives, were content to stay in Tony's bunker for a while with their friends and loved ones, though Scott still wanted to know what was going on outside their little world.
He met up with Tony the next evening after everyone had been back for a while and really seemed to be on the way to recovery — not only to check in on the status of the invasion but to start thinking about what they could do going forward.
After all, with both Ronan and Zarek dead, the Kree seemed much less interested in trying to invade the planet and more interested in just getting out of there. Of course, there were still scattered Kree attacks from some of the fanatics, particularly what was left of the Accusers. But for the most part, it seemed that the Kree were simply on their way out.
"SHIELD and SWORD pretty much have everything handled at this point," Tony said as he let Scott look over some of the reports. "Optimistically, I'd say this whole thing will be done in a few days — a week or two at most. But most of that will be Fury and his crew fighting off the ones that are too stupid to leave."
Scott let out a breath and didn't try to pretend not to be relieved to hear it. "They cut the head off the snake," he surmised, and Tony nodded his agreement.
"Pretty sure they're going to be doing the tail between their legs routine for the foreseeable future," he said, leaning back. "Which leaves you and me with cleanup, Summers."
Scott nodded and passed a hand over his face. "And rebuilding," he agreed.
"You need any help on that front?" Tony asked. "I've been thinking about upgrades to the tower, and if you're rebuilding too…"
But Scott shook his head. "We've got our own designers for that," he said with a smirk. "I'm pretty sure after all this, Noh is going to have some ideas for security features. I know he still feels bad about what happened."
Tony shook his head quietly. "Kid has a guilt complex."
"Must be a requirement in our business," Scott said with a very small smirk that had Tony snorting out a laugh despite himself.
"Yeah, well, you should have heard Widow snarling at me when I got within two feet of Clint earlier today," Tony laughed.
"She snarled at you?"
"Not in so many words, but the territorial signs were the same," Tony said. He laughed and shook his head before he leaned back against the wall. "So … you think Noh would be willing to look over our tower designs too? Been trying to get him to give us the Kree upgrade, and after this…"
"You can ask him, but he's pretty particular. He didn't want to give the blueprints to anyone but me, Forge, and Logan once he'd updated them."
"Did he give you the line about how the Earth isn't mature enough for interdimensional technology?"
"Something along those lines," Scott said with a smirk.
Tony rolled his eyes before he grabbed a chair, spun it around, and sat in it. "Right. I'm thinking even if the blueprints are different, we should make a show of solidarity. Let people see that we're all pulling together. Help each other rebuild, even if the finer details don't all get shared," he said with a bit of a laugh. "Probably best to get the mansion up and running sooner than later so those kids of yours have someplace to go in a few months."
Scott looked up in surprise at Tony for a moment before he looked back down at the plans laid out in front of him. The concern Tony was showing for the school, for the kids, for the X-Men… He couldn't take credit entirely for the teammate-swapping he'd set up with Captain America, but he was thanking his every lucky star that they'd decided to try it, if it was going to make alliances like this. He could remember a time when Tony would have hardly batted an eye at hearing the mansion had been once again leveled.
He had to smile to himself at the thought. Peaceful co-existence. Maybe it wasn't as far off as he'd thought.
They had both fallen into deep conversation about when and how to begin reconstruction on the mansion and hadn't noticed that someone new had joined their private chat until Erik cleared his throat. "Perhaps I can help," he offered. "At the very least, I believe I can speed things along."
Scott and Tony glanced at each other before Tony gave Scott a little shrug. "Your call."
Scott nodded quietly before he glanced Erik's way and slid him some of the blueprints. "We at least want to get the student wing up fast so the kids have somewhere to go," he explained.
"I can appreciate the priority," Erik said with a nod as he looked over what they had. He was only just starting to offer a few suggestions on how to better fortify the rebuilt mansion, though, when a panting Tyler came all but skidding into the room.
"Uh — Scott?" His eyes were wide. "Alex sent me to come get you? I think he maybe needs… Um. Lorna says her water burst, and Alex looks like he might pass out, and… I can help Lorna, but I could use someone to deal with him? Please?"
"Is she alright?" Erik asked quickly before Scott could even respond.
Tyler nodded quickly. "She's fine. Really, she's been directing everybody. I just need some help until the bamfs get back with Hank."
"I'll get Alex off your back," Scott promised, though Erik was following behind him and Tyler as they headed to the back room where, as Tyler had said, Lorna was very calmly telling Alex to take a breath. And Alex, for his part, looked like he wasn't sure what to do.
Scott shared a look with Tyler before he grabbed his brother by the arm. "C'mon, Alex. Let's get some fresh air," he said and pulled Alex out of the room. Tyler looked grateful, and Erik settled down beside Lorna looking fretful.
"Don't worry, Daddy," Lorna said with a quiet smile. "Tyler says everything looks fine. You'll be saying hello to your granddaughter any minute now."
But Erik looked a bit dazed before he finally managed a smile. "You'll have to forgive me — I didn't even know she existed until very recently."
Lorna reached over and patted her father's hand with a smile, and a few moments later, Hank arrived with the bamfs, sweeping into the room and only pausing for a moment on seeing Erik there — to his credit as a professional. Tyler, meanwhile, looked entirely relieved to have Hank there, and with a sort of knowing smirk, Hank sent Tyler to go retrieve Alex from wherever Scott had taken him — knowing that even for as freaked out as Alex was, he'd want to be there to greet his little girl.
But by the time Tyler got back with the Summers brothers, Lorna was already done. They were in time to hear the little girl's very first cry and to see the instant melting smile all over Erik's face at the sound before Alex did a pretty good imitation of a melting ice cream cone himself, half hanging onto his brother before Scott got him to a seat so he could meet his little girl.
"She's beautiful, Lorna," Scott said when neither Erik nor Alex seemed ready to talk yet. "What's her name?"
Lorna snuck a quiet smile at her father as she gently laid the little one into Alex's arms. "We decided to call her Magda Roza," she said softly.
Erik turned to face her with his mouth slightly parted, his eyebrows up and his entire body language completely disarmed and surprised before his eyes filled to the brim with tears and he very tenderly leaned over to press a kiss to his daughter's forehead, not even bothering to wipe away the evidence that he was openly weeping.