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 9 Food for Thought

"Pete, say hello to Rahne. You didn't really meet her yesterday." The young Scots girl watched suspiciously as Meggan latched onto the man her foster mother had been castigating off and on during the past few days as soon as he walked into the large kitchen, and dragged him over. "She came to visit Moira while you were away in London. Rahne, this is Pete."

"You *want* t' be around that foul ol' harridan? I'd pay good money t' get away from her, meself." His mind wasn't really on the conversation -- Pete was much more interested right now in enjoying his long-postponed cigarette, while he resolved to test the effect of their new relationship on Kitty's past hostile attitude toward his smoking as soon as possible. Surely his not blowing up at her over hiding their becoming lovers ought to merit some equal indulgence towards his own obsessions.

"Dinnae ye say nae bad things aboot me mum, ye rude Sassenach!"

"Oh, bloody hell," Wisdom almost swallowed the tail end of his butt in his surprise, staring at the short red-head glaring back pugnaciously. "Wot are you, her 'puir wee bairn' then? Or one evil Gaelic battleaxe ain't enough, she wanted a soddin' apprentice?" He noted Rahne's nose wrinkling, and an odd expression replacing the scowl on her face. "Wot then? You don't like me fags? Yer another soddin' healthy-enviro-livin' green?"

Actually, there was much less alcohol and cigarette smoke on him than Rahne had expected from Moira's diatribes, but that wasn't what had caught her attention. "A smell Kitty on ye." And something else that seemed oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite think what.

Pete was more than a bit taken aback at that bald statement, quickly blustering, "Well... right, then, o' course you do -- she hauled me bum down t' London an' back just th' other day."

"Mr. Wisdom doesn't seem to be too terribly prompt about freshening his unusually limited wardrobe," Brian interjected snidely. "And I still don't understand why Kitty bothered bringing him back here."

"At least I don't wear the same friggin' spandex body condom every bloody minute of every bleedin' day," Pete riposted half-heartedly, still a bit upset that Kitty didn't want to acknowledge him in public.

Before the conversation could degenerate further, Meggan pulled Brian away just as the door opened and Kitty and Moira came in. All thoughts of her obnoxious companion forgotten, Rahne rushed to her obviously exhausted foster mother while Pete, mindful of Kitty's recent strictures about not being seen together as a couple yet, faded into a corner after grabbing himself a beer, to replay his memories of the day so far, and plot further fun and games for later.

But the Scots weregirl was reminded of him again almost immediately, as her sensitive wolfen nose caught a definite whiff of Wisdom's essence coming from Kitty, despite the much stronger fresh shower scent. And she smelled something else also -- a musky odor of pheronomes she'd learned to associate with Alex and Lorna's togetherness. Casting her mind back a few moments, she realized the same aroma had been on Wisdom also, just harder to distinguish from all the other miasma surrounding him. Rahne almost blurted out all that to Moira then and there but, worried by her adopted mother's haggard expression reflecting long hours of tending the injured Rory Campbell, she decided it could wait for later. After all, despite his unprepossessing appearance and her mother's grousing, nothing about the man was raising her hackles, and she'd learned to trust her instincts. Besides, arguing with and about the Englishman seemed to take Moira's mind off her own illness and Rahne would welcome anything -- and anyone -- that helped keep her mother's feisty spirits up.

Beaming a welcome, Meggan waved for Pete to take the seat next to her, ignoring her fiance's automatic complaints. She'd never understood or accepted Brian's and Kurt's antipathy and distrust for the poor man -- Wisdom was shadowed, yes, by old sorrows and new, but she'd never sensed any evil in him. All she'd ever felt within him was a little boy hiding, afraid of being hurt again, striking out at the world in futile payback. But the good man buried within was beginning to shine through his gloom, especially tonight -- and most especially whenever he looked at Kitty across the room.

Reaching out a gossamer-light empathic tendril, the elfin blonde found herself basking in a warm sea of hazy contentment, a soft cloud of sexual satisfaction that she'd never felt from Kitty before, an inner glow rivalling Pete's stunned joy. They were both so happy she wanted to throw a party for the two of them, but she had a sinking feeling Brian and the others wouldn't want to join her in celebrating. But she *knew* she'd been right about Pete, Meggan congratulated herself smugly -- only a good, kind man could have made a young girl's entry into womanhood so wonderful.

He should be sitting with Kitty right now, the big silly, holding hands, whispering to each other, but if they wanted to play some foolish game pretending to ignore each other, she'd be happy to help.

During dinner, Amanda watched in fascination. The new man had taken a seat between Douglock and Meggan. For much of the meal, the blonde elemental chattered happily about the latest episode of 'Drop the Dead Donkey.' Brian, seated on his fiancee's other side, had ignored her, all his attention going into trying to talk a tired, distracted Moira into his proposed enlargement of the research station's main power generator. But Wisdom listened to Meggan with a benevolent patience Amanda wouldn't have expected after all Kurt's complaints about the man, asking for details of the show he'd missed the day before, and engaging her in a lively debate about which past episodes were her particular favorites and why. Both participants confused Douglock terribly with their replies to his earnest questions about the show, each in their very different ways -- Meggan unintentionally, with her serious but rambling explanations, the dark Englishman quite deliberately with his sarcastic cracks. Despite Pete's acerbic barbs and provocative quips, however, Amanda thought Meggan seemed quite pleased with his company, her empathic abilities apparently sensing nothing unpleasant or worrisome in the enigmatic Black Air man.

But no matter how involved Wisdom seemed in his conversation with Brian's lady, Amanda could see his gaze constantly sliding away from her elfin face and voluptuous figure to the slim brunette sitting opposite him at the table, rapid subtle glances that she didn't think anyone else would pick up on in the overall suppertime rush and babble. And she fancied she could see more than just a hint of softening in the dour sneer permanently distorting his craggy features whenever those intense blue eyes fell upon his recent partner in misadventure.

Turning back to Kurt Amanda asked him, "So, what's the latest gossip from Westchester, fuzzy?" Then, listening to his response with only half an ear, she shifted her weight just a bit so that she could look over his shoulder surreptitiously, and studied Kitty in turn. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there seemed to be something different about her friend, more than just being a year or two older. Kitty was listening to Rahne next to her telling a story about one of X-Factor's missions, making a few encouraging noises whenever the weregirl slowed in her account but otherwise seemingly concentrating on her meal.

Despite her efforts, Kurt noticed where her attention was directed. "I am concerned that Herr Wisdom has in some fashion upset our Katzchen during their recent excursion together," he murmured to her. "She has remained in seclusion all day, and now seems more subdued than her wont. I do not wish her to feel obligated to omit all normal activity with her friends and teammates, in order to avoid any contact with him."

Although she knew his concern was sincere, his scenario didn't sound very likely to Amanda. Kitty wasn't one to hide from things, she faced and fought everything head on. Wisdom was sharp -- much smarter than her boyfriend realized, judging by Nightcrawler's condescending attitude and tone -- he'd certainly know if he'd bothered Kitty, whether on purpose or not, and she hadn't sensed anything like that from him earlier, in the kitchen, when they'd been introduced. If anything, Pete had had more of a smug 'I know a secret you don't' air when Kurt had mentioned Kitty.

It took Amanda several moments to catch it, because she was trying not to let her boyfriend notice her attention still focused elsewhere, but eventually she noticed the faint pink blush staining Kitty's porcelain skin every time Pete's eyes wandered toward her. That, and the coy arch in her neck, the way she straightened up in her seat while thrusting her shoulders back -- Amanda had to struggle to suppress a delighted giggle -- quite unselfconsciously, Kitty was preening each time Wisdom glanced at her, obviously fully aware of every look from those smoldering blue eyes, even if no one else was.

Amanda surveyed the others at the table quickly. Most of them seemed quite oblivious to the ages-old mating dance being performed right under their noses. But at least one nose had definitely noticed something -- Rahne's wolfen senses must be registering some subtle cue, since the young Scots weregirl kept staring at Kitty with a decidedly puzzled look on her face, interspersed with frequent covert glances across the table toward the black-haired Englishman. But she didn't seem too upset by whatever it was she was picking up, and she didn't seem on the verge of revealing whatever it was she was starting to suspect.

And then Meggan caught her roving eye, and gave her a sunny smile and a happy nod, and Amanda grinned in return. Young love was always sweet, but little Kitty with a man the gallant but overprotective Wagner didn't like or trust? Oh, this was going to be such fun... Then her blue-furred lover leaned toward her, "Liebchen? You seem somewhat distracted," and she had to turn her attention back to their own desultory conversation. She'd let Kitty and Pete break it to him in their own time, in their own way -- but she definitely wanted to be around when he finally found out.

Kitty had thought her plan to keep their new relationship private for a while was a good idea, but she hadn't realized how hard it would be, to be in the same room with Pete and act toward him as casually and callously as before. Every time he'd gazed at her, she'd found that newly familiar desire rising, and she couldn't get much satisfaction from just looking back. So she took advantage of the general chaos as everybody got up from the table to move closer to him, hoping for a hidden touch or word, just in time to see Nightcrawler cornering the agent firmly. "Herr Wisdom, you agreed earlier to a more detailed debriefing after a rest. I would assume that the past many hours have sufficed?"

"What more do you need us to tell you, fuzzy?" She was amazed at the sudden surge of protectiveness she felt. She knew without being told that things had happened while she and Pete had been separated in Dream Nails that he had no intention of revealing, and she feared that Kurt would find that suspicious.

"In fact, I do not require anything further of you, Katzchen. You gave us a sufficiently detailed report upon your return, both of your experiences while together with Herr Wisdom and while you were separated. Thus there is no need for you to suffer more of our visitor's company." He was looking at Kitty as he said that, so Wagner missed Pete's scowl -- but Kitty didn't. "However, Herr Wisdom was in Moira's tender care upon your return. It is his individual experience, and his interpretation of events based upon knowledge of his employers, I am interested in -- that, and what difficulties his precipitous actions may present us."

Kitty didn't have time to come up with a protest or alternate plan before Wisdom flicked an eyebrow at her, while growling at the determined team leader, "Right, then, mate. Let's get this over with."

"Ok, but if you need me, I'll be catching up on some work in my room. Just come by and interrupt me anytime." Watching the two men turn away with a worried look on her face, she hoped Pete had picked up her thinly disguised invitation.

As Nightcrawler ushered the thin, dark Englishman out of the kitchen, back in a corner Braddock was bitterly complaining, "Why do I have to do the dishes? I need to go finish a complete systems check on the Runner."

"Oh, hush, you big baby. You can go play with your toy later."

"It's ok, Brian," Amanda interrupted. "You go ahead. I'll stay and help Meggan clean up."

"Oh, but you just had your turn with Kurt. It won't hurt Brian to do his fair share," Meggan pouted.

"It's all right, Meggan, really," Amanda hastened to assure her, as a relieved Braddock hurried to the door, collecting Douglock along his way. "Sounds like Kurt will be busy for a while, and it'll give us a chance to talk." As the blonde fay perked up at that, the voluptuous sorceress went on, "In fact, let's make it girl's gossip night. Rahne, want to join us? I want to hear more about Guido's practical jokes."

Before the weregirl could demur, Moira put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Aye, ye stay fuir a wee bit, lass. A'll check on Rory, change his dressings, then ye can relieve me fuir a spell later?"

At Rahne's hesitant nod, Meggan beamed, and handed her a dishtowel. "Good, that's settled."

"How about you, Kitty? Up for a nice, late, slumber party?" Amanda hid her grin at the other girl's badly hidden wince. "No men allowed."

"Err... umm..." Kitty floundered gracelessly, "I'd love to, Amanda, really I would... but I'm so behind on this computer program I need to get ready for Moira, I really should go work on it..."

As soon as the door had closed behind her, the two quite different -- but both lovely -- blondes traded knowing looks, bursting into laughter. Rahne looked from one to the other, eyebrows climbing in surprise, then began giggling herself as everything started making sense.

Continued in Part 10 Planning for the Future