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(anon goddess, you are freakin' amazing, thank you for being there through this with me - not that this is the end, oh no, I just wanted to thank you^^ LadyMageLuna, Titansrule, cougarrose and roguescholar-07, you guys are so fantastic for reviewing thank you so much and I hope you will review as per usual and let me know how this was for you! Bloodypassion honey you rock big time and it makes me want to do better for you! Laceylou76 you are gorgeous girl and I really really hope this counts as 'delivering for you' like I promised! Let me know, okay? AshmandaLC, you deserve so many thanks for your lovely reviews you make me want to do better and write faster! ArtistaBianKa, let me know if this was good honey because Gods know you deserve the best! And now - I leave you to it!)
~Scarlet Letter ~
Help Wanted...
~*************************************************************************~
She was nuzzled into him exactly like her namesake, although not purring, just giggling a little as he played with her hair and hugged her close to him.
"La-aance," she said, her voice a trilling sing-song, and he kissed her forehead and said,
"Kitty-cat?" She giggled again, kissing him properly.
"You're like, so stupid, you know that?" He just shrugged and kissed her again, willing to admit that he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box as long as it made her happy. A thought occurred to him.
"Hey, how come this is okay with Wolverine and that crowd?"
"It's not. Wanda like, told them I'd be staying with her and Rogue, because this is totally not okay with Mr. Logan if he like, ever finds out." He looked at her seriously.
"I think he has a pretty good idea of what we get up to, Kitten. The guy's not an idiot." She rolled her eyes.
"Like, I know? It was totally his idea for me to come here and check up on Rogue and Wanda – he like, won't admit it but he's freaked out that she like, doesn't hate Remy after all, and he's pretty worried for Wanda too now that you guys live with Pyro. He knew we were fighting so he asked me to like, come and make sure they stayed away from them."
"He didn't think you and I would get back together?"
"I don't think he was counting on the guys like, ganging up on us both and making us get back together!" she laughed, and he furrowed his brow.
"I already wanted you back, Kitty, they just helped me get in the same room as you to work it out – you're okay about all this now, right?" She smiled a secretive smile at him and kissed his nose.
"I am totally okay with us right now – in fact, I need you to do something with me..."
"What?"
"Come underwear-shopping later..?" Their smiled blended into one and the same as their lips met again but they were interrupted in their joy by a shivering, stuttering wreck of a Pietro who came hurtling in through the door wearing only red silk boxers, sobbing and clearly very distressed. Lance felt the adrenaline rush hit him. Something bad had clearly happened. Detaching himself from Kitty who pulled the sheets over her and sat up with a cry of surprise, he swung himself out of bed and – glad he was also wearing boxers – adressed Pietro.
"What's going on? What the hell is happening?" he demanded, Pietro just shaking his head and squeezing his eyes shut, his hands pushing through his usually well-groomed silver hair making it stand on end in a way that did not become him.
"She's – in the shower, in the bathroom – " he managed, and Lance moved his gaze to Kitty who was looking severely alarmed.
"Kitty, you stay here," he told her, and she nodded twice, watching her boyfriend run out his door to deal with whatever was going on that had rattled Quicksilver so badly. She had to admit, he looked quite the hunk rushing off like that to handle danger in only tight black boxers. Pietro, on the other hand, did not fare so well. He looked as though his nerves were about to give out completely and his upper body was still riddled with injuries from his sister's wrathful beating. She felt a sudden pang of true fear. She knew Pietro was a coward at heart where most things were concerned, but if something had shaken him this badly and Lance was off to face it all on his own it had to be something awful. And Lance had no back-up... Leaping out of bed she tore off after him, ignoring the fact that she was currently dressed in a skimpy little thing that barely qualified as a negligée, bent on helping her man. It would afterwards be mused upon that it was in fact that innate sense of brewing scandal and juicy gossip that had driven her from their reconciliatory bed rather than fear of Lance being alone in the face of danger, but she firmly denied it ever after.
~**************************************************************~
Normally, rushing into battle with no knowledge of your opponent and no pants was not a good idea, but in this case Lance Alvers was feeling that primal urge every man whose home and woman are under threat feels: the urge to protect at any cost. And it didn't allow for fear. Or pants, for that matter. And so, the last thing he expected to be faced with as he bore down on the bathroom door, the battle-lust pumping through his veins, was a towel-wrapped Wanda – albeit a towel-wrapped Wanda who appeared well and truly livid at being walked in on. This conveyed itself in the violent hex thrown at him the moment he burst through the door that smashed him into the wall opposite and caused tiny chunks of plaster to rain down upon him from the ceiling and the inarticulate scream accompanying it.
"Can't – I – get – any – privacy?!" she shrieked, Kitty arriving on the scene rushing to Lance's side and cradling his head against her bosom, checking him over for injury while Rogue and Remy came tearing up the stairs hand-in-hand, Remy slightly in front of her as though ready to sweep her out of harms way and John entering the picture from the other side, also only in a pair of black boxers.
"Like, oh my God Lance, I was so worried are you like, okay baby?" Kitty cooed as she kissed him and fussed over him, Remy casting an eye over the scene; the boxer-clad males of the Brotherhood House coming out of their rooms, Freddy thankfully also wearing a T-shirt but with a murderous look in his eye, Toad sadly wearing just the shorts, both looking confused but transfixed by the furious Wanda who stood in the door of the bathroom, screeching her fury to the skies.
"Chere, I feel overdressed fo' de occasion," he remarked in an undertone to Rogue, who smothered a giggle in favour of nodding. He was indeed the only male present who was wearing pants. Granted, they were the same ones he'd been wearing yesterday since they'd been cuddling on the porch all night long and were now woefully overtired and punch-drunk on moonlight and love, but still. They were nice pants. Lance had righted himself but was leaning slightly on Kitty who was soaking up every moment like some sort of surreal gossip-sponge.
"Wanda – I – I'm sorry, your brother said – "
"They were having sex in the shower!" Pietro's shrill accusation came from the end of the hall and everyone just stared at him, nonplussed. Except Toad, who stared at Wanda, who was speechless with rage but still only wearing a towel. Freddy noticed this and smacked him upside the head. The cross-eyed Toad turned his attention reluctantly to Pietro.
"Who was doing what?" Rogue asked, confused, and Remy caught the look that John shot the livid Scarlet Witch. There were secrets in that look.
"HIM, that FREAK and my SISTER!!" Pietro shouted, pointing to John as though he were Satan himself, and Rogue just looked at him, stunned.
"Seriously?" Toad launched himself at John, yelling obscenities, and the Australian smacked him to the floor faster than Pietro could have done in his current state without moving his eyes from Wanda. Toad didn't stir again.
"Wanda wouldn't do that," Fred said sensibly, and Rogue nodded.
"Ah'm with Freddy on this one, y'all are outta yo' minds if ya think Ah'm buyin' that other crap," she snorted, and Kitty nodded emphatically, stroking Lance's shoulder.
"I like, totally think it's his concussion talking, maybe we should, like, take him to see a doctor – delusions after a head injury are a bad sign, Dr McCoy always says so!" John's eyes stayed locked on Wanda, who seemed to be waiting for just the tiniest upset in the balance of the situation to let loose her considerable displeasure at having been disturbed for nothing. Except Remy could see the truth in John's eyes. And pleased though he was for his friend, the moment was volatile enough without him going over there for some guy-to-guy back-slapping and game-talk.
"I SAW THEM! HE WAS ALL OVER MY SISTER AND SHE WAS IN THE SHOWER – NAKED!" Freddy shook his head and stepped in front of Wanda, giving her an understanding smile.
"It's okay, I'll go put him to bed again and we'll take him to the doctor's later, better go dry your hair now so you don't get cold," he said kindly, and Wanda nodded slowly, like someone in a trance waking up. Freddy picked up the exhausted Pietro and stuffed him under his arm like an overgrown, if spindly, teddy bear and carried him off, ignoring both the kicking and the screaming like it wasn't even there.
Kitty took a firm grip on Lance's arm and started to lead him away past Wanda, smiling at the other girl apologetically.
"We are like, so sorry for that girl, but Lance really thought something had like, happened because Pietro was all crazy and he had to go check it out – we're really sorry, you should go dry off like Freddy said..." Wanda gave her a blank smile.
"Sure Kitty. Sorry Lance." Lance grunted in response but smiled at her, an expression that told her there were no hard feelings before he went back to his room with Kitty.
"Chere, looks like dis was a false alarm, we better go make de coffee – someone's gonna need it," Remy said with a guarded look at the love of his life who nodded, tight-lipped.
"Sure sugah. Wanda, y'all come down when ya ready, okay honeypie?"
"Sure... I will..." They left, Remy's arm around her waist as they descended the stairs together and closeted themselves in the kitchen. Wanda and John were alone in the hallway with an unconcious Toad. Wanda's hex flew him back to his room and glued his door shut.
"Wanda, I – " her second hex pulled him close to her and she tangled her fingers in his hair again, pulling him down so she could kiss him. John had no complaints.
"We tell them nothing," she said firmly when she released him, and he nodded.
"Course not. Now go get dried off," he said in an undertone, and she frowned.
"You don't want to..?" He kissed her again briefly.
"Darlin' y' goin' ta catch ya death standin' about here, drippin' like that an' if I go anywhere with ya righ' now guess who'll be the firs' ta guess ya brother's ramblin's ain' far wrong?" She nodded.
"Makes sense." He looked her over with a glance that was nearly x-rated in itself and then smiled at her.
"But yes, I wan' ta..." she smiled at him and began to walk to her room, him following close behind, and she turned at her door.
"What is this?" she asked hesitantly, and he shrugged.
"We'll talk about it when you're dressed luv."
"Okay..." Opening her door and letting herself in she closed it and leaned against it for support, her mind suddenly painfully full of images and emotions. She didn't want to sort them, most of them were scenes from her nightmares, and the fear and pain that went with them, she recognised them, they replayed when she was agitated or angry, they weren't important, weren't real, but the single shining stand-out thing was the way she had felt when her friends had come out to witness her plight and confusion, each of them accompanied by the one they loved. And suddenly, despite the passionate embraces she had shared with John only minutes ago and their heady encounter only a little earlier seemed frail and easily breakable on comparison and she doubted. She doubted that what they were was anything like as strong as what she had seen in Rogue's eyes or on Kitty's face. And she cried for it.
~**************************************************************~
"Remy LeBeau ya tell me what ya know about all a' this or Ah'm gonna – "
"Easy now, chere, easy –I don' know anymore dan y'self, I jus' suspect, alrigh'?"
"So what do ya suspect?" Her arms were crossed in that awful barrier she preferred when she was uncertain or anxious. He stepped into her personal space and folded her into his arms instead, forcing her to abandon the position.
"I suspect y' worried dat Pietro migh' have some o' de truth an' dat y' don' know if y' like de idea o' John an' Wanda maybe gettin' a little closer, is dat righ' chere?"
"Maybe. What do you know about it?" Her eyes were suspicious and he sighed.
"I know Pyro's been real close t' de petite friponne since he moved here, I know she don' feel too badly bou' dat, an' I know he'd like her t' feel even better. Dat answer y' question ma chere?" She huffed for a moment and then relaxed into his embrace.
"Yeah, Ah am worried... Ah don' lahke her gettin' close ta him. She ain' been close ta no one since she got them fake mem'ries an' Ah jus' worry she's gonna remember ev'rythang one day soon and it'll all go ta hell. Ya can' tell me Pyro's involvement will help with that." Remy looked at her seriously.
"Y' don' know Pyro's story, chere, an' I won' tell y' 'cause if he ain' told no one it's fo' a reason, but y' shouldn' judge him so easily. He ain' never been close t' anyone since he came t' dis country. He hates it here. He can'go home eit'er. So he's trapped here by his pas' an' tryin' ta keep everytin' t'gether, an y' Wanda dere, she's got de same kinda troubles an' she's tres belle, an' y' sayin' y' don' wan' her ta have not'in t' do wit' him? De homme has mo' chance o' understandin' her if it all goes t' hell fo' her dan any of us, chere. Y gotta jus' trus' me on dis one, alrigh'?" She nodded, wondering what could have transpired in Pyro's life for him to have gained such respect from Remy and for him to be apparently able to understand Wanda, who was definitely unquestionably the most messed up person she knew.
"Ah believe y' Remy, but only 'cause Ah love you ya dumb silly Cajun," she said with a sigh and he lowered his lips to hers, a flutter-by kiss that conveyed his feelings to her in every sense of the word.