She was convinced there was no such thing as normal anymore. Not that the school ever could be remotely classified as normal, but things were just... insane.
Two weeks after the bridge incident, she'd been awakened by a screaming fight in the hallway, and words she hadn't known Marie knew. She'd always seemed so ... quiet, and sweet. Kitty had no idea Southern Belles could use words like ... well, like the ones Marie was using.
Kitty eased out of bed, grunting faintly as Lock landed on her shoulder. She wasn't surprised; the tension made him fiesty. "Behave yourself," she muttered to the purple dragon.
She opened the door in time to see Marie stomping by, and the girl glared at her like she was... well, really evil. Kitty could only stare speechlessly after her, before she glanced down the hall to Bobby, who was staring helplessly after Rogue.
"The cure didn't work," he offered by way of an explanation.
"Oh." What else could she say to that? "I'm sorry?"
Bobby shrugged, then - ever apologetic - "I didn't mean to wake you."
"It's oh-"grunt"kay." She glared after Lock, who'd launched off her shoulder to flutter across the hall to Bobby, landing on him instead.
The ice mutant turned his head slightly to watch the dragon, a little grin on his lips as Lock's scaly head bumped against his cheek. "He's never gotten this close to me."
She smiled, but it wasn't like she could explain why the dragonesque creature did what he did. Still, as the dragon moved around behind Bobby's head, biting curiously at his hair, Kitty shook her head and started toward them. "Better let me get him before he sets your hair on fire."
Bobby grinned, but stood still as Kitty lifted her 'pet' off his back. "Thanks."
She nodded, setting Lock down, watching as he darted back into her room. She probably should, too, but Bobby was her friend. "Are you ... are you okay?"
He shrugged. "I guess. I mean...she's really upset. Really upset. Says I don't understand. It isn't like I don't try to, it's just..." he trailed off and shrugged.
"So you guys are still together?" She tried to keep her voice neutral, but ... well.
He was quiet for a minute, then lifted his beautiful ice blue eyes to meet Kitty's doe brown ones. "Yeah. I mean, I guess. I think so."
She tried not to look disappointed, but she'd never been good at hiding her feelings. "Oh."
He felt some crazy urge to apologize, but that was silly. "I should go after her."
"Yeah." He should. She started back toward her room, then stopped as he grabbed her wrist. It wasn't rough, but it was firm.
"Thanks, Kitty."
She wasn't sure what he was thanking her for, but she nodded. "Well. That's what friends are for." A smile was forced before she eased her hand free, and disappeared into her room, closing the door.
Bobby stared at her door for several minutes longer than he should have, before he sighed, and began to walk. Hopefully, he could find Marie. He did hope he could find her, didn't he?
Of course he did.
Yeah.
** ** **
Bobby spent the next couple of hours looking for Marie, but she knew the mansion as well as anyone, and when she didn't want to be found ... well, she wouldn't be. When he didn't see her at lunch, he officially gave up on the search.
He was on his way back to his room when he heard a noise. He couldn't identify it, and it wasn't repeated, but he started in the direction he'd thought it had come from.
Toward Logan's room.
The door was ajar, and he pushed it open a bit more, peeking in. The sight that greeted his eyes froze his feet quite literally to the floor.
Marie was straddling Logan's lap, her shirt on the floor behind them, her bra halfway off,and his gloved hands were teasing at and tweaking her nipples. Her head was tilted back, streaked hair dancing as she thrust her jean-clad crotch against his.
Logan noticed the boy; he'd smelled him coming. His hazel eyes shifted to Bobby, almost as if daring him to make a noise, to stop this. There was something feral and possessive deep in them, and Bobby caught the doorknob, pulling the door to its former position before he focused on melting the ice under his feet, and walking away.
** ** **
"Lock, leave it." Kitty was depressed, and Lockheed's insistent scratching at the door was getting annoying. They'd had to reinforce the wood with metal early on, and the metal was well-marked, nearly worn through in spots. She'd have to have someone come replace that, pretty soon.
The dragon snaked his head back a little to regard her, before he puffed fire at the door.
"Lockheed!" She twisted off her bed, tossing the contents of a glass of water at the door to extinguish the flame. She grumped at the dragon before she opened the door. He was probably just bored.
She followed him out as he started toward the front door, and she passed Bobby in the hall. When he walked by, fists covered in ice, jaw set, she wondered what had happened. "Bobby?"
If he'd heard, he gave no sign; he continued on to the stairs. Toward his room. She was tempted to follow, but...Lockheed unattended wasn't ever a good thing. With a sigh, she followed the dragon, letting him out onto the lawn by way of the front door.
** ** **
"Pete, have you seen Bobby?"
Piotr was starting to wonder if he was somehow a walking student locator. Where's Rogue? Where's Bobby? He hated that Kitty was asking about Bobby - he knew well enough her inclinations. Still, it wasn't polite not to answer. "I have not seen him, Katya." He glanced to her briefly before looking away. Why Bobby?
She nodded, pushing her food around her plate. She was sure he'd be at dinner. Maybe she'd bring him something. She wished she knew what had happened, but given the way Piotr's jaw was setting, she didn't think she'd ask him about it.
Kitty did notice that Rogue (apparently, it was Rogue again) wasn't at dinner, either. Logan's absence wasn't a surprise - he hardly ever ate with them - but she didn't connect any dots.
In her visual wandering, she noticed that Angel was watching Piotr an awful lot. Sometimes staring, really. That caught her attention, and her head cocked curiously to one side before she shrugged it off. Lots of people stared at Piotr; he was huge. She glanced to Piotr, to see if the Russian had noticed, but he was glaring down at his plate. She nudged his foot under the table, and he glanced over to her.
Her eyes shifted again to Warren, but he'd lowered his eyes when Piotr had looked up. Piotr followed her gaze, then looked back to her, brows arching, then furrowing, before he returned his attention to his plate. "You might check his room," he muttered gruffly.
That had been the plan, but she nodded. After finishing off what she could of dinner, she carried her plate and glass back into the kitchen to rinse them off and put them in the dishwasher.
Some things remained the same.
** ** **
She had been somewhat hesitant to venture to Bobby's room. She didn't know what was going on - obviously - and she wasn't sure if he was up for company. By way of a peace offering, she'd brought up two sundaes she'd made.
Blancing the bowls against her arm and body, she knocked cautiously with her freed hand. "Bobby, it's me. Kitty." In case it made a difference. She waited, listening, and then the door was opening and she was gazing at his retreating back.
"Brought you some ice cream." She eased into the room, a bowl in each hand, one offered to him.
He sat down on his bed, then took the offered bowl. "Thanks." He pushed the ice cream around with the spoon before he gestured for her to have a seat.
She settled down on the empty bed. John's bed, she realized, and bit her lip. That wasn't fair. It hadn't been John's bed for...months, now. Still, she knew they'd been good friends. "How... um. Is everything okay?"
He stared down into his ice cream, lifting the spoon to his mouth slowly, sucking the ice cream from it. He turned his blue gaze to Kitty, and shook his head. "Rogue and I split up." They'd done so officially when he'd encountered her coming out of Logan's room. She'd at least had the good grace to look apologetic.
"I'm sorry." And she was, but only because he was hurting. Not because of Rogue. He was too good for her, anyway.
He studied her as he took another slow bite of ice cream, and she squirmed a little before turning her attention to her own. "Are you?"
She lifted her head, pushing back a lock of hair that slid forward. "Only because you're in pain. You're my friend, Bobby." She hated to emphasize that fact - they were friends - but she was his friend. She wanted to be more than his friend.
He nodded, and for a long time, they sat in silence, finishing their ice cream. When he set his empty bowl on the nightstand, she set hers inside of his, both of the spoons in hers. "I should take these back downstairs."
"It can wait."
There was something in his voice that tightened things low in her body, and she was slow to turn her eyes to him. He was gazing up at her, his eyes a little darker than usual, but as sincere as ever. "I like you, Kitty."
She licked her lips, aware of how dry they were, and wasn't sure how to answer that. Or if she even had the breath to. Her heart was thundering so loud, so fast, she was surprised it wasn't echoing off the walls of the room. "I like you too," she finally managed to whisper.
In the back of her mind, there were worried thoughts. Rebound relationships never worked. She was just the other girl. His heart was still Rogue's, even if she didn't want it. But then his chilly hand was cupping her cheek, just stroking her skin, and his eyes were on hers, and she couldn't help but part her lips in silent invitation.
He kissed her. Softly, slowly, fully, with gentle, lingering pressure that made her lips tingle. She closed her eyes, her arms sliding over his shoulders, and then his kiss was more demanding, lips pressing down against hers, tongue probing, teasing.
She gasped quietly against his lips, a shiver running down her spine as his icy fingertips stroked the skin of her waist. His hand was easing up, slightly higher, though no higher than the middle of her ribs as he held the kiss, deepening it.
Her tongue slid across his, wiggling, teasing, curling, and somehow, she was on her back, on her bed, feeling the weight of him resting against her, the hardness of him pressing against her thigh as his hands ran through her hair, and his lips traveled across her cheek to her earlobe, and he whispered. His breath was chill against her ear, but his words warmed her deep inside. "I think I might love you, Kitty Pryde."
She tilted her head back, a smile on kiss-swollen lips, and she knew she didn't need to say it back - he could see it in her eyes.