"Kitty! Rachel!" Kurt was quick to greet both as they moved inside, word had traveled fast,

"Are you Alright?" Concern laced his body language, glancing over Kitty first who brushed him aside with the fond annoyance of a sibling. Rachel said nothing, he hissed at the sight of her face, a bare of fangs.

"What happened?" Kitty answered,

"We don't remember." his tail lashed back and forth irritably.

"One guess...that brother of yours does not give in easy." The words were a growl, Kitty reached a hand for Kurt's shoulder.

"Hey, we don't know that for sure." The sharp look he turned back to her had her take a step back.

"Kurt...this isn't like you. We have a lot of enemies." He considered that, blinked a few times, nodded his head with an exhale of breath.

"You're right, Katzen, es tut mir leid. I'm just glad you are both alright." He flashed a smile that Kitty returned, and Rachel joined with a more conservative one of her own. Her words came soft at last, as if not wanting to intrude.

"Safely home. That is what matters most."

"Do you think the danger is truly over? What if...who ever, returns?" Kurt was careful this time not to assume. Rachel answered as easily as reading a script.

"Then we will stand together against it."

—

Something was off. Something more than a missing memory. Charles and Jean were both away. They wouldn't be back for another week and Kitty had insisted things would be fine until then, not wanting to pressure either of them into rushing home early. Kitty knew it would all get figured out. It always did. But for now something about the hallways felt both familiar and alien in a way she couldn't put her finger on.

"Take that back!" The childs shout snatched Kitty's attention.

"Make me!" She heard a girl return. She moved towards the dispute, Ben and Amber glared each other down when Kitty turned the corner.

"Hey, hey, what's going on?"

"Amber says I can't be one if the x-men when I'm older!"

"Well yeah, duh, you're not smart enough!"

"Amber! That's a horrible thing to say!" Amber glared harder, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"Amber, how would you feel if I said you were too stupid to do something you wanted?"

"But I'm not!"

"How would you feel?" It took her a solid three minutes.

"I guess that would suck."

"I think you owe Ben an apology." The words that followed were as sincere as any forced child confrontation could be.

"Whatever. I mean, yeah, okay. Just leave me alone." Ben decided and walked away.

"Fine. I will." Amber stomped in the other direction.

"Hey, that's not...the..." They were already practically gone, leaving a bewildered Kitty.

"...That's the second fight I've had to prevent today. What is going on around here?" Maybe nothing.

"You're being paranoid, Kitty. Kids fight. It happens. You remember being that age."

Kitty moved upstairs two at a time, retreated to her room with a heavy yawn.

"Bed!" She flopped down onto it so hard she bounced twice, then rolled over to hug her plush pillow with a deep inhale and smile.

"Too early for a nap though..." the body wanted. The head warned she wouldn't sleep tonight then, so in the end she sat back up with a groan.

Which is when she noticed the box. Gift wrapped in silver ribbon. Sitting on her nightstand.

"Hello. What's this?" Her birthday wasn't for another few months. She lifted the box, there was a letter with it. She opened that to read out loud,

"Fair maiden, may I call you Snapdragon? I offer you this token of my affection, may it protect you well. A friend." She furrowed her brow at it.

"A friend?" Opening the box showed a bracelet, the pendent laid into swirls of silver iridescent rainbow.

"Pretty..." a secret admirer? Her face lit up with a giggle, the bracelet set lightly on her skin when she tried it on and fit perfectly. Who could it be? She guessed she didn't mind the mystery. That was pretty fun. She could keep a secret a bit.

—

Kurt couldn't put his finger on the why. He hadn't been able to sleep lately, and the increasing lack of rest was making his temper shorter than usual. He tried increasing his usual daily work out. He tried a solid meal that should have given him a food-coma. He tried melatonin. But no matter what he did he woke up after only a few hours feeling more exhausted than when he laid down.

Kitty was right. The suspicion and quick temper wasn't like him at all. He needed to keep a closer eye on this development.

"...can you hear me?" He glanced over to notice Rachel looking at him with some concern.

"Was? Es tut mir leid."

"My love, you've been standing in front of the open refrigerator for several minutes." He blinked, looked around himself, and noticed she was right.

"Es tut mir leid. Ich-" he shook his head, ran a hand down his face, and forced a smile.

"I'm-"

"Exhausted." She shook her head, "I have just the recipe." She ushered him to a seat and set to work pulling spices from the cabinet and milk from the fridge. He didn't have the heart to tell her he had already tried everything he could think of short of sleeping pills. Instead he offered a bemused grin and took a chair with a yawn, perching on one of the kitchen island stools as she set to work.

Milk, honey, cinnamon, and a few other spices and herbs he couldn't identify right away all went into a small sauce pan to simmer. He wouldn't dare take away what had proved to be one of her favorite ways to show affection.

"Try not to fall over." She eyed his precarious balance and earned a laugh.

"I'll land on my feet." He winked. She shook her head at him but smiled all the while. Within minutes she was whisking the contents of the saucepan and pulled down a glass. Some ice went into the glass and she poured the milk mixture warm over it, bringing him the glass.

"Drink that, and take a nap."

"Danke. I might sleep better if you joined me though." He was only teasing, but she returned without pause,

"Perhaps I will." As she rinsed out the saucepan. The calm acceptance put his fur on end, as he sipped at the beverage she'd provided. All he could taste was milk sweetened by honey, the warmth of the drink mingling with chill of ice to create a dance of opposing forces in his mouth. Not unpleasant, sweet and refreshing, he drained the glass with a content lick of lips, eyeing the empty container. She gently tugged it from his hand and kissed his forehead, turning to dunce out the glass as well and dry her hands on the kitchen towel.

The sun was coming through the window in front of the sink, framing her in a glow of light. Her sleek hair had a small layer of frizz that looked golden in the light, and when she spun back to look at him the skirt she wore flared around her knees, the motion drawing his attention very briefly to her calves above the wedge sandals she wore. As if she could tell he was staring she paused, not striking a pose, but letting his golden eyes move back up the light silk blouse and past the scar at her neck, to the deep green eyes.

"You're staring."

"It's hard not to, when given such a vision." She raised a brow above her smile.

"Alright. Into bed with you. Come on."

She walked beside him, and he felt his limbs growing heavy as they climbed the stairs. Perhaps he had underestimated her home remedy, because by the time he reached his room he all but dropped to the bed with a sigh. He felt the weight as Rachel sat on the edge and drew a blanket up over him.

"You said you'd join me." He murmured, his tail snaked over to tug at her skirt to beckon her closer.

"I said I might." She corrected, but when he turned over she settled in next to him.

His arms instinctively wove around her waist, head finding the crook of her neck with a sound not unlike a purr. She obliged the sound with an actual laugh, and brought her hand to rest where she could absently run her fingers through his hair. He breathed in her perfume and shampoo, almonds and apricots with an earthy undertone of depth, and began to drift off to sleep before he could think to do anything else at all.

—

It was obvious when his breathing grew heavy enough to indicate sleep had pressed it's weight upon him. She still laid there, staring up at the ceiling for several minutes longer. The sleeping powder she had slipped into the beverage had done the trick for him easily enough, though she didn't have much left. She would need more. She gently pulled his arms from around her, and as she moved her rolled over. With a nod she sat up, only to find his tail still curled around her wrist. She frowned down at it with a sigh, and spoke softly even though he couldn't hear her.

"If I stay here, you'll only have nightmares. It can't be helped. Rest." A kiss on his temple earned a content little noise, and loosened the tail enough for her to pull it from her wrist and tuck him in properly.

Rachel moved down the stairs with a slow contemplation, her lips pulled into a terse line. She didn't even notice the gift of wild pink and bright purples and blue on the railing beside her until she had passed the figure completely. She paused, and a second later wires snapped out of skirt pocket, reaching to ensnare the figure, who disappeared quickly. The wires were left to hover in the air, as she glanced both ways for witnesses. No one else was around. The colorful boy appeared at the door of the stairs with a face-splitting grin.

"Who's your boy toy?" The boy asked casually. She only narrowed her eyes as the wire slid back into her pocket.

"What are you doing here, Jedediah?" The gently sparkling creature looked around the grand staircase with a whistle.

"Nice digs. Not as nice as your old ones. But I guess it does get chilly out there, doesn't it? Maybe I'll transfer over."

"You're not a mutant or a human."

"Neither are you." He said it with the chipper expression of a high school girl who knew she was pretty enough to get away with murder if she tried. Rachel gave him no emotional reaction.

"Why are you here?"

"Message for you from Tim. He's back, by the way."

"I noticed. And your debt is repayed. I suggest you leave."

"What? Don't want me to mess up whatever you're scheming?" This time she sent a slash of disquiet at him, but he laughed as he shook off the shiver.

"Folder, bottom of the stairs. See you around Spooky." He winked, blew a kiss, and was gone. She doubted he had even been standing there to begin with.

Rachel came to the bottom of the stairs and found the sealed envelope with her name on it. She opened it to find a letter.

"Dear Rachel,

Good to know you're still alive. Was worried about you after my return. No hard feelings about that stunt recently, Willie can be a real dick sometimes, I get it.

Anyhow, you know how we were trying to work out your memories? But I couldn't get past what ever those blocks are? Well I found a loop hole. I dug through Willies head. Here's what I was able to dig up for you.

You've still got a home with the guild if you need it. Good luck with your new friends.

Miss you,

Tim."

Her eyes narrowed as she read over it again for hidden context. Tim trusted her. He expected she would return on her own time. Likely expected a returned message stating her continued pledge of loyalty to the group should they need her. That would be a wise course of action, keeping both doors open should they be necessary. She pulled the other sheets from the folder, and began to read over the files. Her eyes doubled at what she was looking at, and she quickly looked around her, not seeing anyone else. She tucked the folder away, took the stairs two at a time back up to her room, and closed the door. There, she pulled out the documents to look over them again with shaking hands.