Subject: [FFML] [FanFiction][Astonishing X-Men] Deathless Prologue 2
From: DorianVal@aol.com
Date: 7/1/2006, 12:26 PM
To: ffml@anifics.com

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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