Chapter 11 - Sugar And Spice

After a whirlwind of traveling, Kari was ready to be home for a little while and not be doing anything, so when she did finally get back to Westchester, the first thing she did was head for the kitchen to see who was gathered up for dinner and to play with any of the little ones who were helping.

And she wasn't disappointed, either. Ariel, John, Chelsea, and Lily were all doing their very best to be as distracting as possible to Annie and Joulie's combined efforts under the guise of "helping." Though when Chelsea and Ariel saw Kari, they dropped everything to all but tackle her.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you missed me," she teased the two girls, who of course started to laugh and insist that Kari play with them. So, she ended up roped into helping set the table. Not that she minded.

The two little girls took turns rushing between their task and tackling Kari with giggles and kisses, so it was taking more than twice as long as it should have just to get to the table. "Uh huh!" They both shouted, giggling madly.

"They're gonna make it take as long as they can," Joulie told her when she finally got back to the kitchen with a little girl pulling on both of her hands.

Kari couldn't help but smile at that. "Spicy food again, then?" she asked. "I can't believe Annie's letting you in the kitchen so much."

"It's not that spicy," Joulie laughed. "And your sister loves it — and Remy too. No one complainin' about it." She raised one eyebrow. "Or are they?"

"Not that I've heard," Kari assured her, with Ariel nearly climbing up her side.

"Good, because I brought back plenty from home to cook with. Frozen from home is better than fresh from wherever they find it here."

Kari couldn't help but smirk at that and nodded. "Good trip home, then?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Joulie was grinning wider at the mention of the trip. "A lot better'n I thought it would be. The whole family showed up when they heard I was bringin' a boy home with me."

Kari laughed at that. "And it looked like it went great — not that I'm surprised. I mean, it's James."

"It was rough to start," Joulie said, her smile slipping a bit. "They all were watchin' the news all the time a few years ago. New Orleans was hit pretty bad with floods and storms out of nowhere, if you recall."

Kari let her smile slip as well as she nodded. "I know Amadi feels horrible still, even if she had a healthier outlook on it than the others."

"Amadi is wonderful," Joulie said, the smile returning a bit. "But that town is still pretty religious. All kinds of religious. And a lot of them thought it was the end of days comin' up."

"Well, with news reports about 'horsemen,' I'm really not surprised. Can you blame them?"

Joulie shook her head in agreement. "Nope, I can't. And it was something else bein' right there to see it, too," she said. "The family … they knew who he was when they saw him, but they'd heard a lot from me already. Not like it stopped them from bringing it up just to see how he'd react, though."

"And how did he?" Kari asked, genuinely curious, especially considering her upcoming project.

"Well … he wasn't expecting the line of questioning on what he'd done," Joulie said. "But they weren't too bad. It was my grandmother, though … she watched him the whole time he was answering questions. Scowled at him like he was some unwelcome snake or something." She stopped and gave Kari a look as she shook her head. "Until she decided to test him." She couldn't help the little smile at the corner of her mouth. "Started out quoting the Bible. Thought it was going to be real bad until she told him that he got it wrong. 'S'posed to be the horse that's pale, rider', she said … I've never seen James take more than a second to react before, but that did it."

Kari blinked at Joulie for a long moment before she burst out laughing. "That… no one has ever done that before!"

"Leave it to her," she said, grinning again. "After that, she couldn't stop herself. It was just 'oh no, Death's come a'callin', and all kinds of nonsense that she just wouldn't stop until he scooped her up and started to carry her off … and he made a point to keep kissing her cheek every time he passed her, sayin' 'Nope. Guess I was wrong," every time, with her laughing like a loon."

Kari couldn't stop giggling at that point, one hand over her mouth. "Oh, I love him so much," she laughed. "That's perfect!"

"She was inviting him back before the weekend was up," Joulie said. "If you ask me, she was just gettin' a kick out of gettin' carried around like that." She couldn't help but laugh. "She called up her cousin and told her she got kissed by Death fourteen times in one afternoon — but she was still havin' a time."

Krissy laughed. "She should tell everyone that she's unkillable."

Joulie gave her a look. "She already did one better and said next time he comes to call, he's gonna take her for a dance if he knows what's good for him."

At that, Krissy simply had to hold onto Joulie's shoulder as she laughed. "Oh, I wish I would have been there to see that. It sounds amazing!"

"They were being ridiculous."

"It sounds like they just couldn't help themselves," Kari said, grinning wider. "Where is he, anyway? I wanted to talk to him about my next project."

"He's out with his dad," she replied. "Something came up, and the two of 'em took off."

Kari nodded. "There's always something," she said, though she didn't get to dwell on it too long when the girls grabbed her by either hand and simply dragged her off to play with them while they waited for everyone else to come down for dinner.

"Oh my gosh, have you girls been hogging my little sister this whole time and didn't tell me?" Krissy asked from the doorway, her hands on her hips. She wasn't far enough along to be showing, but Ariel still rushed over to give her mom's tummy a kiss anyway.

"She, too, was dyin' for a lil' bit of spice in her life," Joulie said as she went back to work.

Krissy chuckled at that, though she did make her way over to swipe a finger through Joulie's hard work and stick it in her mouth with an "mmm" that had Kari laughing.

"You'd be miserable if I wasn't here," Joulie said before she slid over a little plate with something that Krissy hadn't seen before. "Too spicy for the rest of the group."

Krissy's eyes lit up, and her ears perked up — and sure enough, as soon as she had a taste, she let out a laugh and declared, "Yes, this is exactly what I wanted!"

Joulie leaned toward Kari with a conspiratory grin. "One of my Granny's best recipes."

Kari grinned at that and leaned forward as well. "I'm so sorry that my sister is using you so," she said, though her tone suggested she wasn't sorry in the least and was clearly entertained with the whole thing.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Joulie said, still smiling. "Miss Annie has been picking up a few tips for the more spicy styles."

"And probably appreciates the help with my imps of a niece and little sister," Kari said. "Granny Annie isn't as fast as she used to be — but don't tell her I said so."

"I don't know what you're talkin' about," Joulie said with her chin tipped up. "She's learnin' fine. New style of cookin' for the Southern chef is all."

"Oh, I think Annie can make anything," Kari said. "I just meant an extra set of hands when there are a zillion tiny little ones is probably welcome."

"And the big kids are missing," Krissy added. "Though they should be back any time, if the way Scott was headed was any indicator."

"Oh good, because I wanted to talk to James and Sying … and a few others," Kari said.

"You have time," Joulie said. "Even if they show up late, this isn't done yet." She tapped the lip of the pot with the big wooden spoon. "And so you know, the less spicy one has the seafood. The spicy one is all chicken and andouille."

"Because she loves me," Krissy sang out happily, sitting on the counter with her feet kicked up with her own plate of food.

"Impossible not to," Kari teased, though she couldn't help but mess with her big sister by stealing some of her food as well.

With that, the little kids in the kitchen had clearly decided enough was enough and attached themselves to Kari, since Krissy was eating and Joulie was cooking. And there was no deterring them in their determination to play, so Kari ended up somehow at the bottom of a pile of little ones by the time dinner started up.

So she was in an excellent mood.

When James and Logan came out of the debrief with Scott, they made a beeline to clean up, easily skirting around the kitchen and everyone gathering up so they could clean up from the mess. It had been a pickup run, and when they'd gotten there, of course, there was a fight. And, of course, the two of them both got bashed around pretty good by the size of the crowd that sprang up out of nowhere, which just meant that the pickup had been bait.

Scott wasn't pleased to hear it. The kid they'd gone to get had gotten out with Logan and James taking the brunt of the damage, but the traps from military programs and less official groups would likely only escalate as things went on if they were using people as bait.

James rushed getting cleaned up, though it didn't miss Joulie's notice that he was in an entirely new set of clothes. Which, traditionally, meant that he'd needed to reset after the 'simple' mission. But dinner was exactly what both of them needed, and it set the tone for how part of the dinner went, anyhow, since everyone knew what was driving the two ferals.

True to form, both Logan and James looked like they were just about ready to take a nap by the time Annie had pushed dessert on everyone there, so Kari knew she'd have to make a move quickly before James simply crashed.

She teleported over to catch his arm after dinner and then couldn't help but throw her arms around him in a hug. "Hello! Did you miss me?" she teased.

"Hey, stranger," he said before he picked her up in a hug. "Did you return with souvenirs from the biggest ball of yarn?"

She laughed and shook her head. "No, but I took plenty of pictures. And I wanted to see yours … and… I wanted to tell you about the sketchbook," she said, adding that last part in a whisper.

He simply nodded along to that. "Okay. Well. Where do you want to start? Prioritize, because I don't mind admitting it: I'm wiped."

"Well, I can always see the pictures tomorrow, but I really wanted to let you know before anyone else that the sketches are being published, and I'll be going back out on tour next month."

He paused, looking slightly surprised for a moment, before he broke into a smile. "That's great," James said before he gave her another hug. "Not that I'm surprised. You'll sell that thing out before you hit the tour."

"Maybe," she said with a shy smile. "And it won't be too much of a tour, either. Just a few opening nights. Since it's a book, there will be signings, but… it's nothing like a string of galas."

"That's too bad," he said, shaking his head. "I thought you liked that part."

"I do, but I have missed being home," she admitted. "And… Lucas invited me to stay in Amsterdam for a while, and I might take him up on it."

"Sounds serious."

Kari blushed and nodded. "I think so."

He gave her a warmer smile at that. "As long as you're happy."

She beamed at him and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Don't think that means you can get out of helping me," she warned him. "Your pictures are the best inspiration. That one from New Orleans in the storm…!"

He shrugged at that. "That was about two minutes before all the lights went out in half the city," he said. "I know when a storm is going to trash the place, that's all."

She nodded. "Yeah, but it gave me a great idea for a painting looking up into a storm, like you can almost feel the rain in your eyes…"

"Oh, well." He shrugged lightly. "You can dig for yourself."

"I will," she promised, then gave him a quick squeeze. "Oh, and Joulie told me about the pale rider, so you know. I think it's hilarious."

"Oh, that," James laughed. "Her grandmother is hilarious. I was pretty sure she was going to kick me out after the line of questioning the rest of them had going."

"Joulie sent me a picture of the bridal carry, and I swear, James, I'm going to save that for rainy days," she giggled.

"To go with the rain pictures," James teased. "Makes sense."

She just laughed at that and gave him another hug. "You know something? I totally missed you. E-mailing is so not the same."

"Yeah, it's been harder than the last time we had an e-mail chain going on," James agreed before he ran a hand through his hair. "If I'm not here — and Dad is pushing for me to be here more — then I'm running with Steve and Tony, or just … at the lab."

"Do you even have time for a life?" Kari asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Lil' bit," James said. "But I'm not the only one busy."

"I know, but you also tend to hide away in being busy where no one can find you, and I see you so rarely as it is…"

"So give me your tour dates," James said.

"Really?" Kari asked, lighting up with her ears perked up.

"Why not?" James smirked a little wider. "Not like I haven't got a few favors coming my way if I ask."

Kari beamed delightedly and threw her arms around him again. "You're the best!"

"Says the girl with a giant fan base," James laughed.

Kari shook her head. "I could say the same thing to you, but since I'm in a good mood, I won't," she teased. "Besides, you, Mr. Has Lots of Touchy Fans, need sleep."

"I really do. Preferably away from anywhere that might end up with my backside on someone's website."

"Well, I've heard about this new craze called sleeping in your own bed, but I think it's just new wave nonsense," she laughed.

"Sounds overrated," he agreed before he gave her a one-armed squeeze and kissed her temple. "But maybe I'll try it."

"Thanks, James," she said with a warm smile. "Now go to sleep before you fall over," she added, grinning and pushing on him lightly just to tease him.

Kate had a lot on her plate at Bishop Publishing in addition to the team, and as always, when she went into town, she ended up holed up in her office with a pen behind her ear and one that she was chewing on because she'd forgotten about the one in her ear at some point or another. She was seriously considering reaching out to James' friend Alyssa about working with her on a new project and opening up Bishop Entertainment to not just movies but television. And a show like Alyssa's would be amazing.

There was a lot of work involved with getting a network, of course. Digital content was much simpler than movies, and that was how most networks went now, but she still had to do a bit of wrangling.

So, she was so wrapped up in what she was doing that she almost missed what the news was saying. She kept it in the background — in case something came up that involved the X-Men or Avengers. But this wasn't about either team. It was an obituary about JJ, and it had Kate sitting up and taking notice. He had been slowly fading away from television — that heart of his couldn't have been happy — but still. She hadn't expected that.

She honestly wasn't sure how to feel about it, either. She had sort of an almost… frenemy relationship with him by this point, knowing that she could work with him but knowing that they would more often butt heads than not. But it was hard not to feel like a big part of her life — especially since her debut as a businesswoman — was gone, for good or ill.

She turned up the volume to listen as the news went over his accomplishments — including, she was pleased to see, the book they wrote together — and then found herself pleasantly surprised to hear the lineup that would be replacing him. It would be a rotating cast, but her old student Nolan Clark would be one of them. And as badly as things had gone with him and Elin, Kate had to admit that, on a professional level, the kid was a good journalist. And it would be good to have someone on the news to represent Xavier's alumni.

All things considered, Kate honestly wasn't sure how she felt about it, and she was still thinking about the news when K showed up; she had completely forgotten that she'd called K to ask for her help with the mail again.

She quickly tried to look less distracted and smiled at her friend. "Oh, look, it's my secretary," she teased.

"I've been really bad about showing up to work," K said dryly, though she was watching Kate openly. "You okay, Hawkeye?"

"Trying to decide if I am," she admitted. "JJ just died." She waved toward her television. "They just announced it."

"Yeah, it's on everywhere," K said. "All of your regular staff is kind of wigging out."

"It's hard to know how to feel about it," Kate admitted. "He was a big part of Bishop Publishing, even if he wasn't part of Bishop Publishing."

K shrugged. "He had a long, loud, outspoken career," she said. "And he was in it for a long time. He had a good run."

Kate nodded. "It's just… he even named my team when I was, like, seventeen." She shook her head. "I might not have been close to him, but that's a big part of my life, and I can't decide how to process it?"

"Well," K said as she made her way over and took the seat across from Kate. "The smart thing to do to start with is decide what you're sending to your Grampa JJ's memorial service."

Kate chuckled at that. "Yeah, I'll have to figure out what to write on the card," she agreed, then tried to shake it off as she leaned forward. "But, right, that's not why I asked you to come into work, oh secretary of mine."

K smirked at her. "You're not yourself. Would you feel better if I jumped up on the desk and yelled at you for a few minutes? Just until I pass out."

Kate couldn't help but laugh at that. "No, but I could use your help sorting through some mail again. Fun, I know." She pulled a horrible face to illustrate the point.

"At least I don't have to make it under Tony's employment tests again," she said. "What kinds of threats have you been getting now?"

"It wasn't anything beyond the usual until I got this one," she said, showing K the card that had been left outside her office with the telltale purple Superior Rising logo, with the 'S' curling around the 'R'. There wasn't anything else written on it, just the logo. "It was in the building, which is what's concerning."

K nodded, took the envelope and dropped it in the trash. "Done."

Kate laughed at that. "There's been more than just that, but this was my big tipoff that they're escalating," she explained. "A lot of threats about me still being on the team — nothing that creative, just the usual 'you're the one who started the corruption' and all that. I guess they're targeting me again now that they're figuring out Chance is so hard to kill." She tried to sound blase about it, but it was obvious the fact that they'd gotten into her company was bothering her badly.

K nodded and looked over her shoulder. "Want me to get James to program an inducer?"

"I was hoping first we could go through these and see if I need the bodyguard," Kate admitted. "I've stepped up the security since the letter, but…"

"Of course you need the bodyguard," K scoffed.

Kate sighed. "But Mo-o-o-om, I hate being babysat," she whined with a smirk.

"If you don't behave, I'll ban that troublemaking boy that keeps sniffing around."

"But we're in love!" Kate insisted, her eyes wide and twinkling with laughter.

"He's far too old for you, and the way he traipses around on the ceilings, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he was dabbling in more than just tomfoolery, young lady." K gave her a harsh look. "It's just not natural."

"You just don't understand him," Kate sighed dramatically.

"He doesn't try very hard to be understood, princess." K threw up her arms and stole Kate's coffee. "It's all 'yarg' and 'auf wiedersehen', and who can keep up with that kind of nonsense?"

Kate was still giggling as she shook her head and stuck out her tongue. "Well, we're running away together, so there," she said with a definitive nod.

"Are you pregnant?"

Kate burst out laughing. "Oh yeah, I'm definitely that," she said. "Due the same time as my daughter!" She kept chuckling to herself as she got up and headed down the hall with K. "Alright, I wouldn't say no to someone on the team being around when I'm in town. Just to be safe."

"Lord knows we need to be more aware in your advancing years. Gotta make you last as long as we can for your horrible swashbuckler."

"I can't even argue with you there," Kate said, smiling and shaking her head. "Especially because it works both ways and I want as much time with him as possible too."

"Maybe we can give you a quart o' me," K said with a smirk.

"No, no," Kate said, holding her hands out in front of herself. "I am 100% pure Hawkeye."

"You're right. The sheer shock of no bandages would probably kill you on the spot."

Kate laughed and shoved K in the shoulder. "You're hilarious."

"I am."

Kate shook her head at that before she gestured with one arm thrown out to the mailroom. "Well. Shall we see how many people want to kill me today?"

"We shall," K agreed. "I just need a walk though the place and then a laptop with the names of everyone on staff."

"One guided tour, coming right up," Kate said with a smile, linking her arm through K's as the two women headed off together.