Galatea

Galatea Chapter Seventeen (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE (tm), Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch, and Uberbeta...have you ever thought of torches? *ponders possibilities * InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink and Dracena are fluffy loveliness for archiving/hosting. :) ProPhile...Whither art thou? Readers/Reviewers: *Twirls around * I love you people... Morgan? You still there?


"I can't figure it out."
"What's that?" Kitty did not look up from her computer as she scanned page after page of government documents, one eye on the file beside her as she did so.
"How did Amara not get noticed before now?"
"You mean officially?" Kitty shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "She came in under the radar and stayed there."
"Until this past year," Jean sighed. "I think we should just move into Bayville General sometimes."
Kitty snorted. "It's bad enough Beast it threatening to name this the Kitty Pryde Memorial Infirmary."
The red head smirked. "If you lose any more DNA around here, we could make a cloned Kitty army."
"Ugh. Don't say that around Forge or he'll invent a machine to do it. Did Scott tell you his latest deal?"
"Don't say that name to me," Jean sighed. "We're not on speaking terms."
"You and Forge?"
"Scott and I."
"Now what?"
Jean frowned at that. "What do you mean, 'Now what'?"
"Between your temper and his, I'm surprised you're still married sometimes is all..."
She let that pass, the comment hitting too close to home for her liking. Instead, she continued, "Scott doesn't even seem to care the ring and my necklace are missing. I asked Storm to hide my grandmother's jewelry I inherited and not tell me, just in case the person doing this is a teep."
Kitty winced. "Damn it. I meant to go look for you last night but things came up..."
"That's okay... you think you might be able to today, though?"
"Sure," she nodded. "Just cover for me and I'll do it now."
"What about Amara?"
"Ah..." She sat back down and frowned. "Damn..." Kitty frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe I could make something for her to be legal."
Jean's eyes widened. "Kitty, are you talking about potential felonies here?"
"I think it's called something else on the federal level," Kitty muttered, hunkering over her computer again and tapping madly at the keys.
The older girl felt the blood drain from her face. "Kitty, don't."
"I'm just testing something," she said airily. "Hmmm..."
"Hmmm? Is that a good hmmm or a I'm screwed hmmm?"
"More of a this is going to take a long time hmmm..." Kitty sighed and closed down her computer. "I think we're going to have to do this the old fashioned way."
"Hide her?"
"No...I have a plan."
"Kitty," Jean said sternly, "I thought you were going to lay off that."
"Only ill thought out ones," she said innocently. "And only for Kurt. This is for Amara."
"Where *is * Amara anyway? You'd think she could be helping us out down here!"
Kitty tsk'd Jean. "I'm not that easily distracted." She stretched on her toes and yawned, revealing a sliver of stomach with a silver ring winking in the light.
"I thought you said Kurt made you take that out."
"Oh, that..." She grinned. "I figured, if I can phase through things, why not phase something through me? If I'd thought about this yesterday, I wouldn't have had to pay some guy forty bucks to cause me pain." She fingered it lightly, the skin still sore from the piercing incident. "I just phased it in."
Jean rolled her eyes. "Kitty, don't do whatever it is you're planning."
"Jean, stop mother henning. I'm not going to get in trouble!"
She frowned again. "I'm not mother henning. I'm trying to keep you from federal prison."
"I'm not going to hack anything, if that's what you're suggesting. Nothing important anyway," she amended.
"Kitty Pryde!"
"Later, Jean! I have to help Storm in the greenhouse! I'll look around for you after lunch, kay?" She waved and phased through the door as if she did not hear Jean's sputtering irritation.


"Whatcha doin'?"
"Jamie!" Scott cried, dropping the purple sack in his hand. "Stop doing that!"
"Doing what?" he asked innocently, picking up the lost item. "Ooooh...fancy."
"Shut up. Gimme that!" He yanked the sack from Jamie's grasp so fiercely, it tore the paper bag. "Damn it."
"If you weren't so twitchy, that wouldn't have happened," Jamie said primly, folding his arms over his chest and blocking the doorway into the mudroom. "You've been acting weird lately. Weirder than usual," he added.
"Have not. Now move. I gotta get this inside."
"I mean," Jamie continued, shifting to stay Scott, "first you're all blasé about Jean's jewelry getting stolen then Rahne calls me all twitty about seeing you in town with some blonde girl who looks a lot like Taryn."
Scott paled slightly before sniffing and straightening to stand a good five inches taller than Jamie. "Why is Rahne in town? Isn't she on Danger Room duty today?"
"Not till noon," Jamie shrugged. "She went to town with Rogue to go grocery shopping. And you're avoiding the question."
"There wasn't a question," he pointed out, starting forward again.
Jamie stomped his foot and a second Jamie appeared beside him, fully blocking the passage. "Okay, so here's one then: Who was the blonde girl and why are you sneaking?"
Scott's jaw set and he stepped forward until he was toe to toe with the Jamie he knew to be the original. "It's none of your business."
He shook his head. "You're wrong. Jean is my friend. She's one of the few people who gave a damn about me and didn't treat me like some stupid kid when I first came here. She's like a sister to me. And I thought you were my friend, too, Scott. But if you hurt her, I'll have to kill you." He paused. "Well, at least do something really mean to you."
Scott growled. "Back off, Jamie. You don't know what's going on."
"I have ways of finding out," he sing-songed as his multiple popped out of existence. He stepped out of the way before Scott could shove him, calling after the departing youth, "There's more of me than there are of you!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Lots more eyes..." He shrugged nonchalantly. The door to the kitchen slammed and Jamie winced. _I'd hate to have to kill him. I have no idea where to hide bodies. _

Sam frowned over his shoulder in the direction of the library. "Hey, Todd, wait up..."
"Yeah?" Todd paused mid-stride, shifting to face the taller teenager. "What's up?"
"You notice something weird lately?"
"Other than the usual? No. Unless you count Storm's tofu-loaf at dinner last night..."
Sam shook his head, still frowning. "Theresa just giggled...she never giggles."
"Rogue's kinda squirrelly since last night," he said ponderously. "And Kurt said Kitty's talkin' weird again."
Sam's frown shifted to an expression of worry. "Dude...what if something's up with all the girls?"
Toulpeulped. "Aw, shit...widespread mutant PMS..."