WARNING:
THERE IS EXPLICIT SEX IN THIS STORY. I marked this clearly in the header. The sex is graphic, but all loving and consensual (and not that much worse than a typical romance novel). If reading sex scenes like that would offend you, please don't read this.

If you want to comment, send email to <luba@lubakmetyk.net>

Part 10 Planning for the Future

Nightcrawler ushered the dark, wiry Englishman into one of the small formal meeting rooms, and firmly shut the door behind them. Leaping up gracefully to crouch on the edge of the conference table, reminiscent of a gargoyle perching on a church roof, he motioned Pete to one of the seats, but the other man shook his head. Wisdom instead strolled over to lean against the wall in a seemingly casual slouch, then pulled out a battered pack of Marlboros. As he lit one, Wagner waved his three-fingered hand at the thin white cylinder, asking almost plaintively, "Must you?"

"Sod off, mate," Pete snapped back. "I have t' take that bollocks from Pryde, but not from th' rest o' you lot." He fell silent suddenly, afraid he'd just given his new relationship with Kitty away, but Kurt merely interpreted his retort as acknowledgement that she was the one who fussed most about his smoking. Nevertheless, Pete decided to change the subject. "So, wot was so friggin' important you had t' talk t' me?"

"Very well, then." The normally exquisitely courteous Nightcrawler might have preferred a more oblique approach, smoothed by a few polite pleasantries, but that would probably be wasted effort on the abrasive Black Air agent. "I am concerned about your current position vis-a-vis your employers, and the potential impact upon Excalibur in general and Shadowcat in particular."

Before Wisdom could start to sputter a response, the blue-furred team leader held up a commanding hand and continued, "You were seconded to us as Black Air's liaison for our unofficial fact-finding mission to Genosha, your presence and our expedition there both at the official request of your agency, reportedly WHO's legitimate successor in dealing with alien and mutant matters. Quite candidly, Herr Wisdom, I must tell you I had not expected your individual association with us to continue beyond our return from that essentially futile visit -- especially given your rude, loud and oft-repeated scorn of 'bloody silly clown-costumed wankers' as I believe you consider us. Now, not only are you still here, for unclear reasons, but, during your recent trip down to London, you have apparently started a personal war with your erstwhile employers -- and involved us."

Intense blue eyes staring back at Nightcrawler coldly, the rumpled, black-haired figure stubbed out his cigarette end and immediately started another one, muttering, "Them soddin' bastards murdered Culley, same 's if they'd shot him..."

A rapidly lashing tail the only sign of his own anger, Kurt went on, "You came back here to Muir, *after* destroying one of Black Air's bases, *after* guards aware of your presence -- and Shadowcat's -- had left that base, presumably to immediately report the probable perpetrator. What were you thinking, Herr Wisdom, to drag Kitty along with you, to place us in such a position? Were you attempting to force us to support you?"

Wisdom was not going to tell Wagner he'd come back just to be with Kitty, just as he wouldn't mention Kitty had suggested he join the team. She'd made it clear she wanted to be the one to decide when and how to tell the others about their relationship -- if she didn't change her mind, if her friends didn't talk her out of it, if the others were willing to accept him staying around.

Pete firmly pushed away those errant thoughts, and the icy little frisson of fear accompanying them, and growled instead, "I *thought* you idealistic X-folk frowned on killin' fer convenience, like, so I figured you ought t' approve all them friggin' stormtroopers an' everybody else gettin' out nice an' healthy 'fore we blew the damn place t' matchsticks." Actually, he could have killed all those Black Air goons with a flick of his fingers -- he was more than fast enough. No need though to tell the sanctimonious Wagner that he was sick of killing low-level flunkies and innocent bystanders, when it was those in charge that needed weeding out.

Before Nightcrawler could reply, the scowling Englishman ranted on, "An' I *thought* you stupid sods might be interested in knowin' Black Air were developin' anti-mutant tech. *And*, fer yer bloody info, *I* didn't drag Pryde nowhere. She kept doggin' me, even after I kept tellin' 'er t' go off shoppin' or some such. But I *ain't* sorry she came along -- right useful she turned out t' be." Let Excalibur's fearless leader take that however he wanted.

White teeth gleamed against blue fur as the last remark got a wry smile out of the German mutant still perched atop the table. "Very well, I accept that you did not 'persuade' Kitty to do anything she herself did not wish to do." Pete almost swallowed his cigarette at that unintended double entendre, but Wagner merely waited out his sudden coughing fit with nothing but a disapproving frown. "And, yes, I will admit we certainly do wish to be informed of any such potentially adverse developments within a supposedly friendly government organization."

"That's big o' you, mate," the ex-agent snorted caustically, after he'd caught his breath.

Kurt ignored his retort, concentrating on his own thoughts and plans. "Since you *are* here, Herr Wisdom, and since I assume you prefer not to return immediately to your normal abode, where your Black Air colleagues will certainly be looking for you--"

Pete pushed himself away from the wall suddenly, and stalked over to glare at the demonic-looking form still balancing gracefully on the table. "I didn't come back up here to hide out!"

"No, no," Nightcrawler forced himself to ignore the insult. "But -- whatever the reason -- since you are here, Herr Wisdom, and you are so concerned about Black Air's activities and capabilities and motives -- and rightfully so," he hastened to assure the still-furious Englishman, "I would request that you remain as our guest for some additional time, with the understanding that you will share with us your knowledge of your 'former' employers -- an arrangement of some mutual benefit, ja?"

Yeah, even if not quite the way Wagner thought, Pete reflected a bit sourly. It would give Kitty some more time to get used to being involved with him, and it would give the others a chance to get used to having him around on the island. Plus, the blue devil had been right about one thing -- blowing up Dream Nails and all Black Air's alien/mutant research there went far beyond any personal crusade Scicluna might tolerate from him. His bitchboss knew him well enough to know Culley's death would be the final straw destroying his ability to compromise with Black Air any more. The failed assassination attempt in London and his destruction of their base were the first shots in a war that would be fought without quarter. If he and Pryde were together, she'd be one of Scicluna's top targets. And it wasn't fair to involve Kitty in that without first explaining the whole situation to her, and giving her the opportunity to opt out.

He was pretty sure Pryde could take care of herself, no matter what. He hadn't much believed the Black Air briefings he'd initially gotten on Excalibur, especially not the part about a spoilt Jewish-American princess from middle-class American suburbia being one of Logan's string of adopted kid sidekicks. But it had only taken his an hour or two of watching her, listening to her, to see the old man's fine hand. Pete didn't know about Logan's latest protegee, but Kitty easily lived up to the high standard Dom had set.

Still, he doubted most of this lot of well-meaning amateur sods would be able to do much against the cold-hearted, cold-blooded professionals in Black Air. Since Kitty would be upset if her friends got hurt or killed, he would need to stay and babysit the silly gits. The twisted scowl on his thin, shadowed face deepened -- this relationship shit was starting to get more and more complicated with every second; then he had to struggle to keep his sour look in place when a soft, foolish, warm smile threatened to break out, as he reminded himself Kitty was more than worth the effort.

Kitty was prowling around her room, dithering, stopping at her clock every so often to shake it, wondering if it had stopped or slowed down -- its objective time was passing so much more slowly than her internal time.

At first she'd left her door ajar, worried that Pete wouldn't knock, especially after she'd made such a fuss about the others not finding out. Then she closed the door, afraid one of the others would come in and grab her for something or other before Pete got out of his session with Kurt. Then she kept being drawn to the closed door during her restless pacing, to phase her head out for rapid, nervous glances up and down the empty hallway. She started to leave Wisdom a message several times, but always stopped and aborted the recording because she kept knotting herself up in a confused verbal tangle rather than sound calm and self-confident as she wanted. She thought about going to his room, to wait for him there, but she'd hinted she'd be waiting in her own room -- well, there hadn't been much time to think or plan when Fuzzy had insisted on grabbing him for some silly debriefing that could have waited. After all, it wasn't like Pete was going anywhere any time soon.

But Kurt didn't know that. Kitty kicked herself mentally, for not bringing up Wisdom's joining the team as soon as they'd gotten back from Dream Nails. She'd felt awkward about it then, awkward about him and her new feelings for him, and she'd known she couldn't insist on his joining Excalibur without revealing her personal reasons for wanting him around. She should have made her announcement today. Of course, he'd been the one insisting they stay in bed all day -- she felt a delicious shiver running along her entire body at the flood of memories and sensations -- but he'd wanted her to tell the others during supper. She'd refused him, wanting peace and privacy for a while longer, but that was really unfair to Pete. She wasn't ashamed of being with him, and she'd start proving it tomorrow.

Planning their appearance together at meals led her to musing on the intriguing possibility of working out with him, comparing fighting moves. But she couldn't forget his suggestive comments earlier on his preferred form of physical exercise, and smiled to think they still had tonight left to be together before she had to worry about tomorrow.

Debating whether to stay dressed (remembering her new lover's lecture and demonstration during that afternoon of the erotic potential of taking one's partner's clothes off), or whether to change into either the slinky lingerie she'd borrowed from Rachel's things or into Pete's wrinkled old shirt which she'd appropriated that afternoon (to make perfectly clear to the still slightly insecure Wisdom that his attentions were wanted and welcomed), Kitty quickly discovered that she really didn't have a choice. Sometime during supper, Lockheed had pulled the silk-and-lace slip and wrap and Pete's shirt all off her bed and was curled up in the soft nest, snorting and swiping at her hand trying to tug the mass of tangled fabric out from under him.

Continued in Part 11... Second Thoughts