All right, format problems fixed. Thanks to everyone who had something
useful to suggest to me.
Deathless
By Jeremy Harper
Note – The Astonishing X-Men are the property of Marvel Comics
and are used without permission.
For OldPrydeFan, though she knows me not.
Prologue Two – Kitty and Wolverine
Kitty Pryde looked out over the lake, watching the water
ripple and shimmer as a breeze passed over it. She was lying on her
back, her head resting on her arm, her dark brown hair tied up in a
ponytail, her eyes half-closed and her lips curved in a reflective
smile. Lockheed was curled up on her stomach, purring in his sleep.
Kitty scratched behind his horns with her free hand, and considered
following his example, the luxurious warmth of the early autumn
afternoon lulling her towards drowsiness. She turned her head and
looked up into the sky, watching a few puffball clouds roll across.
She closed her eyes and imagined falling upwards into that light blue
expanse. A shadow fell across her face. She opened her eyes then
grinned.
"Hey Logan."
"Hey Pun'kin. You mind if I join you for a spell?"
"Not at all. We could use the company." She stopped
scratching Lockheed momentarily. The little dragon lifted his head,
glanced at Logan, yawned, then promptly curled up again and fell
back asleep.
Logan smirked and sat down, stretching his legs out. He
produced a cigarillo from the pocket of his brown leather jacket,
struck a match on the sole of his boot and started to smoke. He and
Kitty sat together in companionable silence, watching the lake. They
knew each other so well that they felt no need to fill the quiet with
needless words.
Logan glanced over at Kitty and smirked again. "You two
look cozy."
"It's such a _beautiful_ day," Kitty drawled happily. She
wiggled her bare toes in the long green grass. "I've been longing to
get outside since early this morning. I nearly decided to ditch my
classes."
"Pun'kin, you're a teacher now."
"I know, but where does it say that a teacher can't play hooky
every once in a while?" Kitty asked with a grin. Logan couldn't help
but snort in good humor. Kitty giggled. "As it is, I should be inside
grading some papers, but they can wait 'til evening. Between
teaching and working with the team, I haven't had much time to
myself. Days like this shouldn't be squandered on anything as
mundane as work, if you can help it."
Logan's smile faded, and he looked at Kitty thoughtfully.
"How are you holdin' up?"
"I'm fine."
"Are you happy here?"
Kitty did not answer immediately. She sat up slowly, tucking
her legs beneath her Indian style. Lockheed grumbled briefly in
complaint before settling down in her lap. She stroked his head and
neck as she gazed thoughtfully over the lake. She turned her head to
Logan and smiled.
"Yeah, I am," she said. "It surprises me, but for the first time
in a long time, I _am_ happy. I never thought I'd enjoy teaching so
much. The kids are great – they're eager to learn everything I know
and more. I'm even enjoying the field work, and that surprises me
most of all." She glanced upwards, lips pursed. "I'm not doing
anything I haven't done before – fly in, take down the baddies, fly
away… Wait, I _am_ doing something different. I've never had to field
questions from the media." She looked back at Logan. "But even that
isn't too bad. After dealing with the likes of Magneto, the Marauders
and the War Wolves, paparazzi and investigative reporters are
pussycats." She laughed and Logan chuckled. "It feels good to be a
superhero, instead of a soldier skulking about out of sight. And,
instead of running and running and never getting ahead, it feels like
we're actually doing some good for the world."
"I wonder about that," murmured Logan. "I wonder if we're
just giving folks more ammunition ta use against us."
"I don't see how. The only negative comments about us I've
seen so far have been in the New York _Daily Bugle_, and everyone
knows its owner has a mad-on about superheroes. Every other major
media outlet is either neutral or positive. Hell, I know of at least three
papers acting like we're the second coming of the Avengers."
"Wait 'til something blows up in our face, kid. Wait 'til we're
not fast enough to save some child being held hostage, or some
gawkin' geek gets fragged in the crossfire. They'll forget all the
'good' we've done right damn quick."
"Gee, pessimistic much?"
"Just a realist." Logan stubbed his cigarillo out against his
boot and tossed it away. "I still think Scott's nuts, believin' this will
work."
"Maybe he is, Logan, but it isn't like there's a shortage of
windmills to tilt at in this world." Logan looked at Kitty sharply, his
eyebrows arching. She was leaning back on her arms, smiling softly.
Logan laughed. He laughed long and hard. It was good honest
laughter, coming from deep in his belly. "You got a point there,
Punkin. You got a palpable point indeed." He pulled out another
cigarillo and lit it.
"That's a bad habit, you know," Kitty said wryly.
"The advantage of a mutant healing factor – you can enjoy
your vices without sufferin' their consequences."
Kitty lay back down. She and Logan fell silent again. After a
while Kitty broke it.
"I know bad times will come. They're inevitable. But for
now, I'm happy with all this." Her expression became wistful. "I'm
happy the way I was when I was thirteen, when I first joined the X-
Men."
"Hard days," said Logan, closing his eyes. "For the rest of us,
at any rate. But they were ultimately good ones." Silence again.
"It never goes away," Kitty murmured- a statement, not a
question.
"No, it doesn't. But it fades some, after a time."
"I know."
"I once heard a quote – I don't remember by who. Bet Hank
would. 'Happiness, too, is inevitable'."
Kitty smiled. "I like that."
Simultaneously beepers hooked to their belts went off. A
second later Emma Frost's cool, haughty voice echoed in their heads.
_Pryde, Wolverine, suit up. There's a situation in New York_.
Kitty groaned. "I just _knew_ this would happen. Why can't
supervillains commit villainy on rainy days?"
"Fewer people to show off in front of when it's rainin'."
Logan flashed her a grin. "Thought you liked playin' superhero,
Pryde.
Kitty stood up, Lockheed cradled in her arms. "I do. I just like
it better some days than others. Whoever it is, I'm going to kick their
ass hard for making me work on a beautiful day like this."
"Now there's a sentiment I can relate to."
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