So it takes him a while

[goawayleavemealone]

It takes him a while to pick up the bloody phone and call, because...

Well, things are busy. It's not an actual walk in the park to run a government intelligence agency, and he has a lot on his plate with that, to say nothing of his crazy ol' dad, who's been sick and a sister who hasn't been around much recently.

But he shoulda called sooner.

it's not that he doesn't care. He cares, it's just...

It's Pryde.

It's Pryde and she was gonna marry the bloody Russian.

Still.

Shoulda called sooner.

So he taps her icon in his contacts, sits back in the chair at his office, and he waits.

Comments

[goawayleavemealone]

"Even if you didn't have sex, you were too young, and he knew it," Pete grumbles into his coffee cup. "No way in hell he didn't."

He grins at little at her as he sets his cup down and lets the waiter set down their food, nodding his thanks, before turning back to Kitty. "Look, I'll be honest. I had no idea what was best for you. I'm fair certain it wasn't me, though. Most days, I don't even know what's best for me, not that that's a shock to you."

He digs into his eggs, letting them run into his home fries, before taking a big forkful and chewing. "As for 'simple,' I don't know if anything about your lives - or mine for that matter - was ever simple. I just...you X-People. You tend to dramatize and catastrophize everything, and there's no need, aye?"

He takes another bite, and then another sip of coffee. "It might be a very British way of looking at things, but life's gonna keep rolling along no matter what we do or don't do. You just sort of get on with it, best you can."

He grins at her again. "And you have, I think. Maybe the Rasputin thing is a mess, yeah, but...you're doin' a'right. You're gonna be fine."

[enduring_pryde]

"Of course he knew it. But fifteen year old me was persistent as ever. The whole affair has been rather juvenile. I don't think the taking advantage of was completely one-sided, me being a minor or not. Especially in the years that followed."

She shrugs. "I wouldn't say that. You always made my life more interesting and caused me to smile or start laughing. Or get pissed off or annoyed. I consider those things simple because they're very human. With all of the UK's other prejudices, the overall acceptance of mutants and altered humans there is much better than what happens here. Even with Excalibur, I felt like a person who was living her life. I didn't have to continually go out of my way to prove my ability to live a normal life." Being sanctioned by the government helped, of course. The X-Men at many times have been outlaws.

She watches Pete and picks up her tea and takes a long sip. "I'm not suggesting to you to be the rebound, but having you back in my life on a semi regular basis would be nice."

[goawayleavemealone]

"You know, if you miss Blighty, there's always a spot on my team with your name on it. Meggan'd be through the roof to have you around. Alistaire and Brian, too..."

He sips his own coffee, lifting an eyebrow. "Good. Because, if I'm honest, the last thing I can handle is being your rebound. I've got enough problems back home between work and my bloody family." He takes a breath. "But I have missed you."

It's an understatement, and he's probably just getting himself into more and more trouble with all of this; with her being in a vulnerable emotional state.

He eats more, going quiet, wondering where the hell any of this is going, and just how many dirty looks he'll get when they get to the school, or if he should just turn around and go home.

[enduring_pryde]

"I do. I really do. And it's so very tempting. I might." She nods. "I might just take you up on it. Leading the X-Men isn't what I had hoped. It feels more like I am taking up a task that nobody else wants anymore. And maybe that's for the best. Maybe..." she shrugs again and waves the waiter over for a refill of her tea.

"I know," she says, looking back at him. "And I would never put you in that position. "And I figured you did. Calling me, checking on me, even coming all of the way out here? You still care about me." She begins to pick at her toast and eggs. "And I'm not taking you away from anyone, am I?"

[goawayleavemealone]

"I bet you're good at it though," Pete says. "Leadin' the X-Men, keepin' 'em in line, I bet you're brilliant."

"Nah, there's no one right now." He gazes at her, setting his fork down. "D'you know what, though? I have an idea."

He's going to regret this.

He's going to regret this a lot and he doesn't care, because-.

Well.

"I think we should head back to the school, you should leave the Blue Elf in charge, pack a bag, and come back with me for a while, cuz I think you need a break from all this bollocks."

[enduring_pryde]

"I am. We're making a difference. We're inspiring people--which is great. The main idea I want to convey is that we have gifts that can be of service to people and shouldn't be immediately taken as a threat. I've had varying levels of success with that."

When he tells her that there isn't anyone else, her smile brightens a touch.

"Oh goodness, I can definitely use a break." And it wasn't like she wouldn't be among her friends and family. Brian, Meggan, even Alistaire she had known for years. These were the people who had been there during her late teens and early adulthood. Completely different environment.

"And if Kurt doesn't want it, Ororo is there too. It's not like I won't be leaving the X-Men in the best of hands." She nods and adds cream and sugar to her second cup of tea. "Yeah. Let's do this."

[goawayleavemealone]

He snorts. "Did you just 'goodness' me?" he teases. "Blimey, Pryde, I hadn't realized being leader of the X-Men meant you couldn't swear. Mind you, Scott Summers, so I shoulda guessed."

He grins widely when she says yes.

This is a terrible idea.

But he's not at all mad at it. Or himself.

He probably should be though.

He should be terrified of this. He should not at all being doing any of this. And he knows that when he tells Lady Jac, she's going to give him That Look. That Look that says "Oh, Peter, no."

"Right. Lemme just..." he fishes his phone out of his trousers. "I'll call home, let everyone know to expect you, an' I'm sure The Braddocks would kill us both if you didn't stay at the Lighthouse with them."

[enduring_pryde]

"I did just 'goodness' me," she laughs and rolls her eyes. "You know, all of the impressionable minds that are in my charge."

While everyone probably wasn't going to like her taking a leave, they would at least be supportive of it, even with present company. Though the one to really say something about it would be Gambit, which would be the most amusing of it. From what she had gathered, he still owed Pete a favor.

"Perhaps. But if the offer was out there, the space available, I wouldn't mind staying over at your place since I think there's a good chance I'm going to be finding my way there anyway." What was this about not being a rebound? She also knew Pete and herself well enough to know that it's hard to keep her hands off of him if she's around him for very long.

[goawayleavemealone]

He shakes his head at her, giving her a pained look. "Bloody dangerous. That's what you are, Pryde. A hazard to my sodding health."

He blows out a breath and rubs his eyes. "There's a guest room at my flat. Not that you should be taking it. Not that I should be letting you. You should be...I dunno. Havin' girl nights with Meggan an' heartfelt conversations with Braddock."

Kitty Pryde in the room next to his is the worst idea, because he'll never get any bloody sleep, but still, he just can't say no to her.

[enduring_pryde]

"True, but I also pull your ass from the fire," she states with a smile.

"You know I can have those and still stay with you. Getting drunk was always the most fun with you, and something I don't plan to subject Brian to given his sobriety." Her eyes are doing that mischievous twinkling they always did when they were adventuring together. "I promise it'll be fun and this isn't something either one of us will regret."

[goawayleavemealone]

He watches her for a long, quiet moment. "Regret's not what I'm worried about."

He shakes his head. "Right. Let's stop by that school of yours, and then get out of here, aye?"

[enduring_pryde]

She smiles softly. "What are you worried about, Peter?"

Now it's her turn to listen.

[goawayleavemealone]

He freezes and stares at her for a long moment.

He can't actually tell her the truth.

He's worried about so many damn things.

That he'll get used to having her around.

That He'll fall in love with her all over again.

That When she leaves (because she will, and rightfully so), his life will be quiet and just this side of too cold.

That all he'll have is his job, a father suffering from Alzheimer, and a sister who is, on her best day, a nutter, and on her worst, dangerous.

That he's fooling himself to think she would ever choose to stay with him.

"That you'll hog the bathroom," he deadpans, before getting up. "Come on."

[enduring_pryde]

She finishes her meal and her tea and smiles and shakes her head. "I think I should be asking what aren't you worried about." The look on his face spoke volumes.

She stands up and offers him her hand.

[goawayleavemealone]

He takes her hand, and moseys toward the exit with her.

"You getting along with the team," he tells her. "That's a given."

His shoulders untense a little as the subject changes, relieved to be moving on.

He smirks at her. "So. How badly do you think your x-people will take my carting you off to England? Cuz I tell you, Pryde, me ribs are not what they used to be. I don't know if they can handle another beating."

[enduring_pryde]

"It helps that the ones who know me already think of me as family." Meg and Brian adored her.

"They will think I've lost it, but they know I need to get away when things get personally tense for me. They'll be surprised that I'm going off with you. They aren't going to lay a hand on you." She kisses him on the cheek, unlocks the door, and gets into the car.

[goawayleavemealone]

He gets into the passenger's seat and sits back, the jet lag hitting him a bit. He regrets not drinking more coffee, but it can't be helped now.

He glances at Kitty as she drives, and takes the opportunity to clock the changes. Her hair is shorter, and her eyes are more tired. She looks older, but more beautiful, which isn't an incredible shock to him.

She's just as muscular as ever; short and lithe (and bloody perfect and that's enough of that).

He knows he's changed as well. A bit more weathered, but he's a little less wirey than he was, and a little healthier since he's (mostly) kicked the cigarette habit and let Braddock talk him into some exercise.

They've both changed; they've both grown up.

[enduring_pryde]

It's another half an hour to the Mansion. As she promised, there it is on the edge of Central Park.

"Yana helped me get it here," she chuckles and parks the car. "It cost us a fortune in taxes, but well worth it in the long run."

She's admiring him as they go to the front door. He's broader than he used to be. A little bit of gray in his hair. His eyes are still one of her favourite features. They seem to be as expressive as ever.

Kitty doesn't bother opening the door but takes Pete by the hand and pulls him inside.

[goawayleavemealone]

He lets her, stepping inside.

"Yep. That still feels a bit weird," he says, grinning wryly, before looking around at the enormous front hall.

"Y'know, I never actually made it to the one in Westchester," he comments. "This is well nice, though." He steps aside as a pack of kids run past, obviously heading for class.

He wonders if he'll get to see Wagner before they go. He always liked their former team leader. Yes, blue, fuzzy and vaguely demonic looking, but level-headed and kind, too. And a great drinking buddy.

"So," Pete says. "Let's get you packed, aye?"

[enduring_pryde]

She laughs. "I always love the expression you make when you're intangible."

She glanced up and takes his hand again. "Here we go." She walks up on air as if there are invisible stairs, taking him up three levels. "We've rebuilt it a lot of times over the years. I think most of the student body likes being here. We're not too far from the Central Park Zoo." She leads him to the door to her room and this one she opens and leads him inside. It's tastefully decorated and Spartan. No sign of Piotr's touch at all.

She opens her closet and begins taking out luggage. Then she looks back at him. "How long should I tell them that I'm staying in England?"

[goawayleavemealone]

"I hate to admit it, but I probably woulda loved goin' here as a kid," he says. "Then again, the staff probably woulda hated me. Wasn't exactly a joiner."

He leans on the door jam, crossing his arms and watching her, glancing around nice, but sparse room. It's nothing like the homey way she'd decorated her room on Muir, and it speaks to her comfort level.

Or to how much she's changed. He's not sure which.

"That's up to you, Pryde," he tells her. "However long you wanna stay is fine by me."

[enduring_pryde]

"It wasn't like this now. I was the first student after the second wave, with Piotr, Ororo, Kurt. I was first with the adults and then got saddled with the kids. I hated that." She nods and pulls out give suitcases and begins finding clothes, books, and various nick knacks to pack.

[goawayleavemealone]

He nods, but doesn't comment on the incompetence of letting a child run around on a dangerous superhero team.

He blinks when his phone buzzes, and looks down at the text message that's come through from Lady Jac.

"Peter you are a moron," it reads in response to his message about Pryde coming back with him.

It buzzes again as Meggan misspells how excited she is, and Brian inquires as to where Kitty will be staying, along with Alistaire's query about how long she'll be staying.

"So the team's excited to see you," he comments with a smirk. "Fair warning, though. I think Jac is feeling a bit protective. She won't kill you, but she may make you feel very much like the heathen American you are."

[enduring_pryde]

"I'm excited to see them again. It's been over a decade since I saw Alistaire. I used to have a crush on him too." She laughs and starts packing some of her sensitive to software and other equipment. "I'll be doubly sure to wear my Cubbies gear and play up to that stereotype." She tilts her head. "You know, we could get a lift back via the Blackbird."

[goawayleavemealone]

Pete wrinkles his nose a little at the knowledge that Pryde had had a crush on Al, but doesn't comment.

"Probably beat the hell out of taking a commercial flight back, he says as he watches her.