From robbie: I'm so tickled that people are continuing to enjoy this and to see speculation on where this story is going to go. I promise I'm not actively trying to steal CC away from those of you who are regulars on her story. Actually, we've got the whole story written (it was a mad, mad rush of writing energy) and we're just cleaning it up. I promise I'll share her! (Well. A little bit. I like this one and I'm keeping her.)

And now that we've introduced the ship that has taken over our lives… just wait to see what else we have in store! :D

From CC: Thanks to our reviewers for popping in and letting us know what you think - KJAX, Silz, griezz and Ophelia - much love!

Someone's upset, but I'm not sure it's who you'd think. We're going to introduce something Marvel likes to ignore called 'character development'. It's a thing and it's important in storytelling, but not at all easy to do in the medium of comics or even movies. Novels. Short stories. That is where the action is. ;) So tickled that you're enjoying it - hopefully as much as we are, and to my regulars, I promise I have not abandoned or forsaken K and the 906. New feral chapter forthcoming, just working in a few angles and trying to make it 'just so'.

If you're looking for something fun to read in the meantime, might I suggest robbies' 'Barton' for wonderful Hawk-centric goodness. I think I'm going to make this a thing - suggesting stories in my notes. Yes. good.

Family Matters

The next morning, Kate and Kurt found Logan at the blackbird, smoking a cigarette and kicking back. He made no acknowledgement of them at all until Kurt called out that they were about ready to leave.

"You two have a nice night?" Logan asked with a little smirk before he kicked off from his chosen waiting spot and threw his cigarette away from the jet.

Kate just smirked his way but didn't acknowledge him as Kurt grinned and shook his head at his friend, passing him by as the two of them climbed into the blackbird.

"So—Japan, right?" Kate asked. She had settled into a seat close to the cockpit, eyeing it like she wasn't sure which seat she wanted more. "That's next on the grand tour of trouble?"

"Yeah, hope you still feel like killin' ninjas," Logan answered once he'd gotten the hatch closed . "We might just run into some while we're there."

"Oh, it's not a question," Kurt said with a little smirk. "We will run into trouble there. It's only a question of how many ninjas."

"Maybe they dialed back since I've been gone."

Kurt's smirk only widened as he nodded. "Like I said. It's a question of how many."

"Well, it'll be late enough when we get to Tokyo—let's head to that little place outside the city for sushi before we stir up that hornet's nest," Logan said, ignoring his friend's jab.

"I like this plan," Kate said, grinning at the two X-Men over the top of one of the bamf's heads—this little guy seemed to have decided she was his favorite, as the others were spread out, some just causing mischief, others hanging around Logan as if they were just waiting for him to give them something exciting to do. "Who's flying?" There was a brief pause as Kurt and Logan shared a look.

"I'll take it so you two can spend a little more time in the afterglow," Logan offered before Kurt could open his mouth, heading for the cockpit.

Kurt laughed and shook his head at Logan. "Really, Logan."

"You say that like I'm wrong," Logan countered. "Doesn't do you a damn bit of good to lie to me."

"That's not what I…" Kurt shook his head again and just laughed. "Go on, then. I doubt I'd want to fight our Hawkeye for co-pilot duty anyway."

"I'd win," Kate said without hesitation but just settled deeper into her seat as Kurt sat down beside her and grinned.

Logan shook his head at the two of them as he slipped into the cockpit. "Scott ever install a curtain—you know. Could be more like a limo situation that way. Give you two another twenty minutes anyhow." He didn't bother looking back as he started up the preflight prep.

Kate rolled her eyes and looked over at Kurt. "Is he going to be like this forever, or is this a temporary sort of thing?"

"He's teasing—and he'll back off a bit once it's not funny anymore," Kurt said before he paused, a small sort of smile playing at the edge of his mouth. "Of course... if he finds someone to distract him for a little bit that would help tremendously."

She laughed and stretched her arms out in front of her, pretending to crack her knuckles. "Consider it done. I'll keep my eyes peeled. He have a type?"

"No, actually," Kurt said with a laugh. "But, he has a tendency to not behave if you're obvious about it."

"We're talking about Mr. Subtlety here," Kate said, jerking her thumb over at Logan. "I thought he might like a little more… obvious setup."

"He won't go along with a set up," Kurt told her. "Sorry to say."

"I wouldn't either," Kate admitted with a light shrug before she just let out a breath. "But hey—you said that's how you get him to stop teasing. Now it just sounds like we have to wait and hope he finds someone more interesting to bother."

"That seems to be the sum of it, yes." Kurt shifted to make it a bit easier for her to lean on him. "It doesn't mean we can't introduce him to people and act surprised if anything happens."

Kate looked toward the cockpit and smirked. "That sounds suspiciously familiar." She moved closer so she could put her head on his shoulder.

"Indeed," Kurt said. "But you should see what he did when Scott and Emma were a thing and no one liked it. It was terrible, from what Henry told me. He kept the videos and watches them when he is feeling low."

"Sounds like trouble," Kate said, looking up at him with both eyebrows raised. "Keep saying things like that and I'm going to have to start making preemptive strikes against him if I want a chance at keeping you around and staying sane."

"Please do—those are the best kind," Kurt agreed. "Of course, if this proves to be serious, he will stop entirely if you really can't take it."

"Oh, I can take it and dish it out," Kate said quickly. "But it's nice to know there are signposts to this kind of thing."

"Good to hear." He looked honestly pleased, too, as he laughed hard enough that she could feel it in his chest beneath her head. "Just—look at this as a trial by fire," he advised, still smiling. "And I apologize in advance. He takes his duties as best friend and big brother very seriously."

"As he should," she said, grinning wider now. "Gotta protect the blue fuzzball."

Kurt grinned right back at her and pulled her closer. "I suppose that's true," he said. "I am the more breakable of the two of us."

"Still." She settled in deeper. "You shouldn't let him baby you. I never let anyone do that to me."

"You say that as if I can stop him. I have tried for years," Kurt said with an amused laugh. "And it's not so much babying as much as it is simply treating himself as a human shield. There's no stopping him."

"Oh yeah?" Kate picked her head up to meet his gaze with a confident, cocky grin. "You shouldn't give up like that. I can stop anybody."

"Then I'll be sure to take careful notes," Kurt said with a smirk. "I've tried for more years than I care to admit to stop him with no results. Clearly you are far more skilled in this area than I am."

"Watch and learn, blue boy," she agreed. "If I had a superpower—which I don't—but if I had one? It would be the whole—no one can stop me thing."

"Kate Bishop—Juggernaut," Kurt teased.

"Only much prettier and purple," she countered with a little laugh.

"And without that ridiculous helmet, I would hope."

"Clashes with my outfit," she agreed. She smirked up at him for a second before she added, "And it would get in the way of kissing."

He just laughed and pulled her a bit closer so he could kiss her in response.

It wasn't too much later that Logan set the plane down in the outskirts of Tokyo, and the three of them headed off with Logan leading the way to what he promised was the best sushi joint in the eastern hemisphere.

When they got there, Kurt didn't even bother trying to figure out what was what and gave Logan the nod to order whatever he thought would be the best options after they took a seat at the bar. Logan gave Kate a look as if to ask what she'd like, but when she shrugged and left it to him, they just sat back and watched as the chef simply began serving omakase—and quickly discovered that Logan had been right; the food there was divine.

When they were done, the sake started to flow, and Kurt and Kate were entertained by the chef as he and Logan started joking and laughing in rapid-fire Japanese.

"The life of the party, this one," Kate said in a teasing whisper. "No wonder he gets all the hugs."

"He can be a lot of fun when he's in the mood," Kurt agreed. "It's when it goes the other way that things get—not so fun." Almost on cue, the joking and laughter died down as it seemed the wait staff simply… disappeared.

"Guess you're not paying, Elf," Logan said without turning around. "Not when the boy wants to start a fight." Logan finally turned. "Hey, Kurt have you met the boy yet? Probably pissed off he didn't get to kill me."

"We've been introduced," Kurt said without a trace of the teasing smile.

"What about you, Kate—it's my understanding he held a torch for your ex."

"We haven't been formally introduced," Kate said, hands ready to grasp her bow in a second. "I'll make sure it's a memorable and lasting impression."

Logan smiled before he turned to Kurt. "She's sassy."

"Likely why you carted her away from SHIELD in the first place," Kurt countered.

"Way she tells it, she got me out," Logan shot back.

"That's right I did," Kate said with a wide smirk, one hand on her hip, though she kept an eye on Daken the entire time. Noh had told her plenty of stories from his time in Norman Osborne's Avengers, and she knew this was one guy she didn't want to turn her back to.

Daken didn't bother to address the two friends more than to glance their way for a moment, opting instead to speak only to his father in soft, angry sounding Japanese from a respectable distance, sounding more upset than angry the more they went on—though at some point, the conversation must have turned, because very suddenly Logan said something sharp and Daken seemed to lose his temper.

All at once, both Kate and Kurt began to feel strange—nerves tingling, heart rate increasing, like the moment just before a chair tips too far forward.

Logan's voice sounded a bit tense as he explained quickly to the others. "He's raising fear, anxiety, and anger levels," Logan said. "He's having a little fit since I didn't come straight to him instead of SHIELD and people that don't want me dead."

Daken answered with a snarl before he dove right for Logan, tackling him to the ground a second after he'd set down the empty sake cup—and moments later, the ninjas began to pour in to deal with Kate and Kurt, who were visibly shaken by the pheromones in the air that Daken had altered.

The two ferals snarled and sliced viciously at each other, Logan using very little of the precision and grace that Kate had grown used to seeing since the beginning of their little adventure, instead tapping into the wild side and letting it loose while Daken did the same.

Kurt was obviously a bit wider-eyed as he bamfed about the room and attacked the ninjas around them, though if Kate could have found a moment to concentrate, she would have seen that he wasn't exactly being his efficient self either and had yet to pull a sword. Even the little bamfs seemed to be a lot more… demonic than usual, laying into the ninjas with much more rage and several little growls and with none of the occasional giggles Kate had heard up until then.

As for Kate, she was working on muscle memory to keep up a steady stream of arrows but swearing under her breath with every shot, as her breathing was more ragged and her heartbeat more erratic than was acceptable to get even half-decent aim. It was more a fact that there were so many ninjas that she hit any at all, if she was being honest.

She was a bit surprised when she got a solid, killing blow in that the ninja she'd just hit suddenly evaporated in a cloud of thick black smoke. "That is not normal!" she half-shouted.

"Hand ninjas!" Kurt shouted back—the conversation seeming to help center him as he finally drew a sword and ran one through. "They're already dead, so don't be kind."

"Got it. No more nice Hawkeye," she said as she narrowed her eyes and switched to simply holding her bow as a staff, since clearly, frustratingly, she couldn't get a good shot. It was a much better strategy, as she was able to hit more ninjas—and harder, considering how downright upset she felt - but it was also clear that there were, frankly, a lot of them, and she was right in the middle of a decent-sized knot.

Then suddenly, as she was swinging her bow, the now-familiar scent of brimstone and fire surrounded her, and an instant later, she was on the other end of the restaurant, safe, sound and far from the center of the action.

"Don't do that!" she shouted at Kurt, who looked wide-eyed at her reaction and took a slight step back. "You don't have to baby me. Just—give me a sword or something if you're that worried about my bow-staff."

"I'm sorry—I didn't mean to—" he stammered for a moment before he simply handed her a sword and bamfed her right back to where she'd been standing.

She nodded once at him. "If I need help, you'll know, I promise," she said through gritted teeth before she just switched her grip on the sword and plunged forward, her frustration clear as her form was not nearly the careful poise her instructor had crafted—but it got the job done.

Frustrated with how that little display had gone, Kurt turned on the ninjas with a snarl of his own and started tearing into those nearest him, using bamfs to remove entire limbs only to angrily use a severed arm on another ninja as a blunt object.

Daken's fight with his father had gone as it always did. He was attacking Logan with every bit of force and skill and ability he had while Logan flat refused to do any real damage to him. It had been something that had always irritated him when they fought and as a result, he kept exponentially raising the pheromones as their battle waged on. Until, he suddenly realized that he might have taken the manipulation a hair too far when his father completely lost his mind and all control to slip into a full on berserk rage—that was directed right at him.

All at once, the manipulations didn't work on Logan anymore, and as a result, Daken dropped it entirely and tried to hold his father back, speaking to him again in Japanese—though this time his tone was much less angry—and it sounded almost as if he was trying to talk Logan down. With no more pheromones being pumped in the air, Kurt and Kate had the chance to get a latch back on their emotions as Daken simply tried not to lose a limb or worse, though any ninja too close to Daken and his father regretted their position quickly and left nothing but a pile of black clothes where they had once stood.

Kate was smiling slightly as she took a few steadying breaths and got a better hold on herself - because now she could shoot again, and when she didn't have to worry about terrified, shaking hands messing up her aim—it was just a matter of keeping the arrows coming. The bamfs were still growling and plowing into just about everything, but she could tell even they felt a little better when one of them outright giggle as she shot a ninja it had been fighting and the thing crumbled into smoke. She could also see Kurt across the room with two swords—the third still with her—as he fell into a rhythm of his own as well, and she had to grin, glad that the tide of battle had turned their way at last.

The battle was turning quickly and all at once, Daken managed to put some space between himself and Logan before he realized he had to bow out—clearly conflicted with the way the confrontation had gone down. He left his ninjas behind him to stop his father from following him, though it did nothing for their health as Logan was likely stuck in that state until he burned himself out.

When the ninjas started to retreat, Kurt got a good look at what Logan was doing and bamfed his way behind him to try and restrain his arms as he began to mutter over Logan's shoulder quickly and quietly in an attempt to get him to calm down, though the still-enraged Wolverine made every attempt to do major bodily harm to Kurt—even going so far as to bash him into the wall behind him.

Surprised at seeing Logan trying to throw off his best friend, Kate had to stare for a second when she saw what was going on before she reached for her quiver and called out, "I have a tranquilizing arrow if you need it!"

"Yes, please," Kurt called back. "That might help."

She loaded up her shot and took just a second longer than usual to make sure she didn't hit Kurt—before she let it fly with a satisfied nod. She'd seen this stuff put down the other Logan, so she was pretty sure this would work.

It took a few seconds for the tranquilizer to work, but all at once, Logan retracted his claws and stumbled to his knees and barely managed to prop himself up as Kurt let him go.

Kurt backed away and watched him for a few moments. "Are you alright? Are you past it?" Kurt asked. Logan let out a sigh and nodded his head.

"Did I kill him?" he asked, sounding a bit anguished at the thought in spite of the fact that it was fairly well established that Daken probably would not have been burdened had the tables been turned.

"Do you see his body?" Kurt asked, glancing around the room himself—and though there were several dozen piles of black cloth, there wasn't a body in the place. Logan shook his head and Kurt returned to help him to his feet as the sound of footsteps on broken glass echoed in the room around them. Daken apparently hadn't gone far.

"This was not how I wanted this to go," Daken said softly. "And I'm still trying to learn better restraint." Logan looked up at him, though Kurt hadn't let go of Logan's arm and the Elf looked ready to port them both out in an instant. "When you go to see Harada, I would like to join you."

"You won't attack my friends," Logan told him sternly, and Daken agreed quietly. Logan looked to Kurt first who just gave a very tiny nod before both of them turned to Kate. "Can you work with him, Hawkeye?"

She sized Daken up for a moment before she blew out her breath. "Wouldn't be the first Dark Avenger I've worked with."

"I'm no longer with that group—or anyone affiliated with them," Daken promised, which actually got a bit of a smirk from Kate.

"You won't use your abilities against them either," Logan added, and there was a pause before Daken quietly agreed to that too. With that, he stepped forward and offered his hand to his father to shake and the two of them took just a moment before doing just that and parting ways.

Once Daken was gone—truly gone this time, Kurt let out a deep breath all at once and turned to his old friend. "Then are we done in Japan?"

Logan looked up at Kate to see how she was before he nodded. "For now," he replied quietly. "Let word get out before we go see Harada. Daken will probably speed that along a little bit." He tossed Kate's tranquilizer arrow back to her.

She snatched it out of the air and then looked at it with a little huff of disbelief. "That stuff should have put you to sleep for an hour."

"It's not exactly easy to dose me," Logan said as he brushed some of the debris and broken glass out of his hair.

"It put the other you down for four, and that was a smaller dose."

"He must not have had a full stomach or a good healing factor," Logan said with a little shrug. "That or someone else has tried to hit me with it before." He took a minute to work his mouth around a bit before he pointed to his face. "Tastes familiar."

"It's Clint's," she admitted. "I'm not usually one for the trick arrows myself, but sometimes his arrows end up in my stuff because he doesn't pay attention to things like inscriptions." She indicated the 'KB' on her quiver.

"Well there you go," Logan said with a sigh. "He's shot me before."

"So, what, did you build up a resistance to it?" Kate asked as she tucked the arrow back in the quiver and collected a few others that were still usable from around the restaurant.

"Yeah," Logan replied before he picked his hat up from the bar. "Pretty fast usually. Nastiest stuff takes a few times around, but it all wears out pretty quick."

"Good to know." She collapsed her bow and then took a look around. "Do you think the cook will be mad at the mess we made? I kind of liked him."

"He didn't warn me that Akihiro was coming; he's probably got insurance or a payoff. Or both," Logan explained, jamming the hat on his head after he dusted it off properly.

Kate shrugged at the explanation and then turned to her companions. "Well alright. So—bed, snacks, and water?"

"Whiskey," both men said at once in perfect unison.

"At least I was warned," she sighed out, rolling her eyes theatrically.

Logan headed out of the restaurant first, and Kurt made sure to gently pick up Kate's hand and hold it in both of his. "I am truly sorry if I upset you earlier," Kurt said before he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand as gently as he knew how with his eyes closed. "I meant no insult." Though, he didn't release her hand once he had finished and lifted his gaze to hers.

She let out all her breath with a warm, soft laugh, completely caught off guard by the gesture. "I—it's… It's fine," she stammered with a bit of a blush. "I shouldn't have shouted—I just… don't like being treated like a china doll."

"I'm afraid it was more my own emotions out of control. I know you were capable and well prepared for it—but I lost myself and simply couldn't stand to see you in harms way," Kurt said earnestly. "It was my weakness, not yours."

She tried to look a bit stern, though it was hard not to melt in the face of such a charming Nightcrawler. "It was just the psychic whatever, right? You're not going to do that any time you think I'm in danger?" she insisted. "I have rules about this sort of thing."

"Only if you truly are in mortal peril—if you don't see something coming your way or if you ask for help—but I should have been more disciplined. That certainly wasn't my first psychic attack," Kurt said with a rueful grin. "I promise to show much better self control in the future."

She couldn't keep the stern look up and just had to let out all her breath with a blush and a smile. "You… I still can't believe you're for real with half the stuff you say," she said at last and shook her head.

He frowned for an instant, still holding her hand gingerly. "It's not a mark against me, I hope. That I was raised to treat a lady properly."

"No, no," she said quickly, smiling wider. "No, it's really refreshing. I'm used to people not meaning it when they're this polite—it's usually a front, not this… genuine charm." She laughed and winked at him. "It's my weakness, not yours."

"You flatter me," he said with a bit of a light blush that rose up as the slightest purple on his cheeks.

"Oh, if I was going for flattery, you'd know." She took a step closer, eyes sparkling as she brushed the tips of her fingers over his cheek with the hand he wasn't holding. "My favorite color's purple, you know."

He grinned a bit and leaned closer to kiss her. "I'm sorry to say then that it's not a common color for me. You'll have to work hard to see it more often."

"That," she said with a cheeky grin, "sounds like a challenge."

"Consider the gauntlet thrown," Kurt replied. "But as romantic as stolen kisses are over the remains of Hand ninjas, we really should catch up to Logan before he collapses or finds new ninja friends to play with alone."

"He's a lot of work, your little friend," she teased him.

"He is, but he's so much fun," Kurt promised. "And I'd not pick out a better best friend."

"Then we'd better catch up." She held onto his hands for a second and then grinned before she leaned over to kiss his cheek. "One more," she teased. "You're speedy enough with the teleporting to make up the time."

They headed out, the direction that Kurt was sure Logan had headed, but they didn't see him anywhere until they backtracked a bit and nearly stumbled over him in an alleyway—the fight with Daken had apparently taken more out of him than either of them realized, not to mention the effort of staying on his feet to talk to his son while slightly doped with Kate's arrow.

"He really needs a keeper," Kurt said with a frown as he looked down at the slumped-over Wolverine. "Grab on, I'll 'port us back to the jet."

She grinned and grabbed his arm as the familiar scent of brimstone and fire surrounded them, and then they were back at the jet.

Kurt took a moment to make sure that Logan was okay and to get him properly secured before he turned back to Kate with a thoughtful sort of expression that turned slowly into a grin. "I vote we force a break on him—perhaps a hidden atoll in the Pacific? Somewhere tropical for a few days?"

"I second the motion. Heartily," she agreed, grinning ear to ear.

He tipped his head toward the cockpit, and Kate followed him as he began to get the jet ready for takeoff. "I happen to know for a fact that there are a few of them programmed into the blackbird that are safe, and uncharted."

"Good to know," she said, sliding into co-pilot, leaning back with her hands behind her head. "I haven't been out in the sun and sand in ages since I got back from California."

"Well we should fix that schnell," Kurt said with a grin, his focus on the girl grinning up at him.

The two of them got the jet ready, and Kurt let Kate run the takeoff, with Logan behind them, passed out and healing. After he showed her how to set the coordinates for one of the little atolls, Kurt leaned back with a little smile Kate's way. "So—California. Is that where you call home?" he asked.

"Oh no." She grinned and shook her head. "I'm from Jersey. I just did a little solo work in California for a while, when my… mentor? Friend? Obnoxious tagalong?... was being stupid." She made a slight face and shook her head. "Everyone there was insane - supervillains included."

"Well, it was California," Kurt teased before he watched her for a moment and let the laugh fall from his face. "Was this your first time working on your own?" he asked, genuinely interested.

"Well, my team sort of split up for a while, and I did the whole—stop a few pickpockets here and there before I caught up with the other Hawkeye. We sort of swore back then that we would stay out of the business, but…" She grinned ruefully. "I'm very bad at staying out of trouble. Apparently."

"You don't seem to try very hard," he teased, his chin in the palm of his hand as he watched her fly.

"Guilty as charged," she admitted, and he had to laugh.

They talked quietly through the entire flight about, well, everything. Kate about the Young Avengers, Kurt about the X-Men—they had very few common experiences where the ground being tread was familiar to both of them, since they both seemed to run in very different superhero circles.

By the time they set down in the atoll, Kate was thoroughly entranced in one of Kurt's stories about, seriously, space pirates. The real deal. She could just about have died of jealousy, and she'd lived in space for months. It took her a moment to tear her gaze from him once they had landed and actually look at where they were.

The little atoll was absolutely perfect as a getaway for a few days, and Kate definitely noticed the fact that the waters were crystalline blue, the beaches soft and white, and the weather warm and cloudless—very romantic for what was supposedly just a place to let Logan heal—or so the story went.

Yes, she definitely took the time to lean against the jet and notice every single one of those things, while Kurt walked with Logan and talked quietly with the still-healing Wolverine. She was content to just take in the postcard view when Kate felt one of the little bamfs tugging at the pants of her uniform. When she looked down, a small had a beach ball between them—and they'd brought her a purple swimsuit.

She laughed outright. "If you scamps give me five minutes to change, I will cream you in beach volleyball." Though as she ran to find somewhere to change, she had to wonder where they heck they even found either the beach ball or the swimsuit.

"Going well then?" Logan asked Kurt when they were well out of earshot, far beyond the jet. "Still, I should say."

"Even with your prodding and poking," Kurt teased with a wide grin.

"And here we are in a tropical paradise for me to heal," Logan said with a smirk. "Tell me again why the hell you didn't drop me off a few islands back?"

Kurt laughed at his friend's expression. "If I did that, you would never come back for us," he accused him. "And we don't need the entire island."

"True to the first—and why the hell not on the second? I would," Logan teased.

Kurt just shook his head at Logan. "I do not work the same way you do," he said with a smirk.

"Probably much better that way," Logan agreed. "Seems like I only attract the crazy ones."

"Or perhaps you only allow yourself to find the crazy ones," Kurt countered, one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, well - I'm going to go to the other side of the island and hunt while I heal. You—you don't worry about my poor choice in women when you have a sassy purple one to keep you company."

"I'd say you have at least excellent taste in traveling companions," Kurt teased as Logan gave him a sly smile and nodded. "I almost suspect you of coming back with the express purpose of setting me up."

"If that's what it would take to give you a shot at being happy? I'd fight through hell for that, Elf."

Kurt smiled warmly at his friend for a long moment before he let out a sigh and shook his head, looking up at the sky for a moment with a little smirk. "Well, let us be grateful that wasn't required. I know you believed I was hopeless for a while there."

"I believed you'd quit trying. It's nice to see you proving me wrong. See you in a few days or so," Logan told him as he gave Kurt's shoulder a little squeeze. "Show her who you are. She won't be able to resist."

"Well, she certainly hasn't been scared off so far," Kurt said softly.

"What the hell's she got to be scared of with you?" Logan asked. "Loveable Fuzzy Blueberry."

Kurt had to laugh at that and just shook his head at the teasing compliment. "Don't wander too far, now," he said with a wide grin. "In a few days, we are still going to Russia."

"Island ain't that big," Logan pointed out. "Just - try not to scare the wildlife."

Kurt shook his head and turned back to where they'd set up a beachside camp. He knew Logan was good to be gone for at least two days as long as he had something to explore, so he wasn't worried overly much about his friend. But he had to stop in his tracks when he came upon Kate already in her purple bathing suit, her hair pulled back from her face in a ponytail and her bare feet already covered in sand. She had a pair of purple sunglasses and a tube of suntan lotion in one hand as she waved with the other.

"I'm glad to see you've settled into island life quickly," Kurt said with a growing smile as he walked up to her slowly, enjoying the island view.

She turned to face him and grinned. "Well, I was going to crush those little bamfs of yours in volleyball, but they've scampered."

"They are troublemakers," he said with a smile. "Not that I should be surprised."

"Well, they're learning from the best," she said, slipping on the sunglasses just so she could look over the edge of them with a teasing grin. "Or so I've been told."

"Either they've learned from someone else or someone has been telling vicious lies about me," Kurt laughed out. "I'm an angel."

"With a crooked halo," she countered, laughing as well as she took a few steps forward so she could pretend to straighten something above his head. "Remember? I like trouble. Can't hide it from a Hawkeye."

"Well," he said thoughtfully. "I suppose you would be suspicious if I tried to hide anything from you regardless."

She grinned and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "You don't have a deceitful bone in your body," she told him with a careless laugh.

"You might be surprised about that," he countered, his smile broad and a hint of laughter in his voice.

She smirked. "Surprise me."

"Oh, I think I'd like to stay on your good side," Kurt replied. "There will be time later for surprises - though if you weren't surprised by a fuzzy blue elf, I'm afraid you might just be bulletproof in that regard."

She laughed at that, the smile stretching wider as she put her hands on her hips. "My best friend Billy warps reality on a daily basis, and I used to live in a spaceship powered by teenage delusions. Your fuzzy blue self doesn't even make the top ten list."

"I'm not sure if I'm insulted at that or not, but I think … that is a bit reassuring," Kurt replied. "To not crack the top ten of strange... but you may want to reserve ranking until later."

"It's not an insult. You're on a different list for sure—not one made of strange things." She grinned at him and bit her lower lip. "Remind me to tell you about a mind-altering dimension eater who literally turned my friend into a chair. A chair, Kurt," she said. "You—you're darling. Not scary at all."

He just smiled at her sedately. "You could tell me stories all day and I wouldn't complain."

She looked down with a sudden blush and shook her head. "You've been doing this longer than I have. You must have much more interesting stories."

"I believe you've heard most of the highlights already—Magneto, Avalon, Genosha, Krakoa, Shi'ar wars, Phoenix dealings, sentinels, leprechauns, space pirates, actual pirates … there's always something going on."

She laughed again. "See? You get space pirates. I get flaming zombie bellboys."

"Yes, well… flaming zombie bellboys sounds infinitely more interesting than senate hearings—which we've had to attend as well," Kurt pointed out.

She made a horrible face. "I know all about those," she admitted. "Politicians are almost as horrible as some of the businessmen I've met. But—I met some pretty shady ones. And those guys? Those guys were the worst. Can't believe I had to dress up to be in the same room as those creeps," she said, waving her hand. "At least supervillains have the decency to own up to being evil."

He reached out to take her hand and lead her under the shade of some palm trees to relax in the sand. "So I take it your dear father is a politician? Anyone we've had to fight publicly?"

"My dad owns politicians. He isn't one himself," Kate corrected him gently, drawing little lines in the sand with her hand as she settled in beside him.

"Businessman then," he said as he propped himself up on one elbow, reaching over to complete some of the lines she had drawn into crosses with the tip of his tail.

"Bishop Publishing," she said with a nod.

"Books," Kurt said with both eyebrows raised as he inclined his head her way. "That can't be entirely evil then."

"Magazines, books, all that stuff—and yes, yes it can," she said, shaking her head.

"I didn't realize—I mean, certainly pushy salesmen, but—" He let his tease fall with a little shrug. "It could be worse."

She propped herself up a little taller. "He runs with supervillains. As in people who actively try to actually kill me on a daily basis."

"If you want to compare, my father is a demon from hell. It can be worse."

"Mine is too," she said with a little smile, and when he held her gaze, she raised an eyebrow. "Oh—you mean literally?" He nodded his head, his expression a bit sheepish. "Well then." She paused, looked down for a second at the lines they had drawn, and then looked back up with a grin. "I meant literally too."

He burst out laughing and laid back on the sand. "Then condolences on your incredibly evil father. I'm sure the two of them take tea together while they plot the downfall of humanity through horrible grammar."

She fell into laughter as well, shaking her head at the mental image. "Oh for sure. Death to the Oxford comma and all that." She was still laughing as she laid out beside him. "Do they heat the kettle or just take it straight from the fire?"

"Good question. I'll have to ask next time I pop through hell."

"Well don't go dying on my account," she said, shaking her head. "And I'm pretty sure you wouldn't go to hell. For the record."

He smiled at her for a moment before he took a deep breath and came mostly clean with her. "I pass through regularly, actually. When I teleport. That's where the brimstone smell comes from."

She sat up off of her elbows, peering down at him so she could watch him better. "Really?" she asked, both eyebrows up, almost like she couldn't quite believe him.

"Yes," he said with a nod. "It's not something I was entirely familiar with until fairly recently, though I've been doing it for years." He tilted his head a bit. "So technically, I flit through dimensions too I suppose."

"Oh, well that part I can understand," she said, settling back down on her elbows before she just waved it off. "Makes sense."

"You're the first to say as much quite so quickly, but enough of that for now," Kurt said. "Can I interest you in a swim?"

She propped herself up on her elbows and looked him over for a second. "I bet I can beat you to the water in a fair race," she said, eyes sparkling.

"Define fair," Kurt teased.

"No teleporting."

He acted put out for a moment, as if he couldn't believe his ears. "Even if I take you with me?"

"Oh, well, that is entirely different," she teased.

"Well then, if I haven't scared you off," he offered his hand to her with an almost shy smile, and she not only took it but pulled his hand so they were closer.

"Going to have to work harder to scare me off," she told him as she poked him in the chest with her index finger. "You're still not in the top eight."

"But I've broken the top ten?" He asked with a raised eyebrow as he leaned forward a hair.

"It was the hellfire thing," she admitted.

"Ah, well. I try to keep a policy of honesty," Kurt told her. "Even if it makes me look bad in the long term."

"Honestly? I'd have been madder if you didn't tell me," she said with a light shrug. "And as long as you say it's not a permanent trip, it's… kind of fun. The teleporting thing."

"No, it's not permanent. I don't think anyone has ever gotten a glimpse of it when I 'port with them, to be honest." He paused and leaned a bit closer. "But I wouldn't advise even a Hawkeye to try."

"Well now I'm stuck between curiosity and self-preservation," she laughed.

"If you want details on what that's like, you'd be better off to just ask Logan when he's feeling down on himself. He's been through it a few times."

She looked downright shocked. "Why?"

"Ah, well," Kurt said looking down. "The truth to that story—he and my mother do not get along at all, and she managed to send his soul there. I don't believe she was ever so in fear for her … well... everything as when he came back."

"And Logan brushed me off when I said coming back from the dead was the usual for you guys," she said in a low mumble.

"Technically, he wasn't dead at that point," Kurt said.

"Well. Details." She said, ignoring the urge to just… look at him in total disbelief as she instead shrugged up to her ears. "You don't hear Avengers talking about this kind of stuff, you know."

"I suppose they don't deal with the same issues as we do," Kurt said with a sigh. "The short version is that his soul was in hell while his body was possessed by a league of demons. They truly enjoyed his near indestructibility a bit too much."

"That… sounds all sorts of dangerous," she agreed.

"Terrifying," Kurt nodded. "He only got out after fighting his way through hell—besting the devil himself—and forcing the demons from his body. It was a hard week for him."

"Week?" She shook her head at him after a moment of surprised silence. "He's just surpassed you on the list."

"About a week, yes—and I'm still surprised he made it through." He watched her expression of disbelief for a moment. "I'm glad he's higher on your list. He definitely has dealt with more horrible things than I have."

She just shook her head again, a little disbelieving chuckle escaping her. "Remind me to just… next time I see him, take back all the things I thought about older him. He has every right to be a grumpy sourpuss if he's that old and the younger version's already got stuff like that on his resume."

"To be fair? I'm not entirely sure the older one had all the same experiences, from what I understand. The fact that this one isn't a completely vicious beast hiding in the wild is nothing short of a miracle."

"Has anyone ever told you that you have very strange taste in best friends?" she asked. "Not bad—just… strange. Not that I can talk."

"We complement each other well, I like to think," Kurt said. "We've both learned a lot from the other, or - I'd like to believe as much."

She grinned at him. "Well—seeing the two of you fight alone, I think, should answer that. You can see it in the styles when you get into a good fighting rhythm with each other. But... I notice things like that."

He smiled at her for a moment before he leaned in to steal a quick kiss. "I'd like to hear about your other observations," Kurt told her. "Right after we go for a swim." He gave her a quick smile before he scooped her up and teleported about ten feet over the surface of the water.