Galatea

Galatea Chapter Eighteen (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE (tm), Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta...I over poi'd again. *sore * InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink and Dracena are extra sparkled for archiving/hosting. :) And ProPhile is nearly there....Whoooo! Readers/Reviewers: I have to wonder sometimes...don't people realize the cows have a damned fine reason to be mad? *sigh * And the ducks send their love and regards, though I highly suspect them of being manipulative so watch out for that...


Storm sighed and rubbed the dirt on her hands onto her apron. The portable phone she had taken with her out to the greenhouse was ringing incessantly, squashing her hopes that someone in the house, most likely a phone crazy teenager, would answer it. "Xavier Institute, Ororo Munro speaking," she said briskly, eyeing her late blooming poinsettia. There was a long pause in which she could hear very faint traffic noises and a slightly r bre breath. "Hello?"
"Miss Munro, called Storm..."
"Who is this?"
"We have your nephew with us. He would like to see you before he commits to our ways..."
"What the... Who is this? Evan, this isn't funny..."
"Someone will be by for you at dark. Wait for them at the gates. You will be alone."
Storm did not even notice as her fingers crushed one delicate stem of the red leafed plant. In her most frightening goddess voice, she demanded, "Who in the name of the Bright Lady is this? Tell me now and I'll do as you ask."
The breath rasped in a laugh. "You don't want to know."

Kurt twirled the phone cord between his fingers abstractly. The other line had beeped twice but he was on long distance... Besides, he reasoned as his mother went on about Willa's new baby, it's not like anyone important will call at nine on a Saturday morning. He sighed wistfully as he heard Kitty's familiar tread on the stairs over the phone room and wondered why she was not going to temple that morning. So distracted was he that he missed his mother's first pass at a heavy hint. "Was?" he broke into her second attempt. "What about Piotr Rasputin?"
"He's coming to visit his family in March, I think during Spring break. He and your sister have been talking quite a bit lately..."
"Nein."
"Ja..."
"Nein. He cannot visit her!"1 Kurt stopped just short of pulling a Kruschev2 and slamming his shoe down on the counter next to the phone.
"I really don't think that's your place to decide who your sisters see," Astrid said frostily.
"Mama, he's gone to the Brotherhood! Do you know what that means?"
"Nein and I don't care right now. I just know the Rasputins are a very nice family and have been over for dinner many times since joining the troupe. I talk to Piotr every time he calls for Katja and he is very polite and considerate. Your papa and I both think it will be fine for him to spend time with your sister. You know she is of age..."
"Arrrrrgh!" Kurt pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to ten in every language he knew. "Mama, bitte..."
"We'll talk on Wednesday, Kurti," she said, ending the call much sooner than was their usual. "We love you and miss you."
"Ja, me too..." He sighed and hung up the phone. As an afterthought, he slammed the receiver down several times and cursed it for being the bearer of bad news. Gloomily, he 'ported into the rec room and flopped down on the sofa, glaring at the television.
"What crawled into your fur and died?"
"Was?"
Bobby held up a placating hand as he flipped channels. "Don't bit my head off, Elf Boy. Just asking why you're in a mood bluer than your fur."
Kurt tried to glare and failed. "What's with the analogies?"
"Wrong grammar term but points for effort."
"Bobby!"
Bobby shut off the television and shifted to face Kurt. "Why the bad mood?"
Kurt told him about the phone call, ending with, "And I don't see why she thinks it's a good thing!"
"Kurt, Kurt, Kurt," he sighed. "You are one step away from peeing on everything to mark your territory."
"Pardon?"
"I'm not the only one who's noticed you're being territorial lately. Even St John said the way you were acting about Kitty piercing her belly button was barbaric."
"Barbaric? It's not like I was taking over Mongolia or something! I just didn't like her piercing!"
"She hasn't said one word about your smelly old gym shirt you insist on wearing all the time. Or that one," Bobby nodded to indicate the garish yellow t-shirt bearing the Gut Bomb logo in bright red.
"What's wrong with my shirt?" he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest to cover the logo. "It's a nice shirt."
Bobby rolled his eyes. "Look, the point is, this whole changing thing isn't a one way street. You two are disgustingly happy together so this fight is going to hurt like Hell, but dude...you can't force her to be someone she's not."
Kurt blinked at the empty sofa cushion between them. "I wasn't..."
"Did you tell her she makes bad plans?"
"Ja..."
"Mmmm...What else?"
"None of your business."
"Fair 'nough." Bobby stood and stretched. "I'm due to help Scott with the first years in the garage in ten. Just think about what I said, okay?"
Kurt considered and abandoned a snide comment and settled for a nod. "I will." He tucked his knees under his chin and stared at the coffee table in abject misery. "I am not territorial..."
Kitty chose that moment to bound through the rec room on her way to the kitchen. "Oh, hey," she smiled, then paused, her hand drifting over her stomach. "Just to make sure, you know, you're, like, okay with everything else, right?"
"Huh?"
"I mean," she did a turn, "Okay?"
"Wunderbar," he breathed. "Always."
"Hmm." Kitty glanced down at herself and frowned. "I'm going to change shirts."
"Wait...Where are you going?"
"I need to go to the library and check some stuff out that we don't have here," she shrugged. "Want to come with?"
"Ach, no. I have to help Logan in the Danger Room, demonstrating new sims to the younger students." He rose to his feet and made a plaintive gesture towards her. "Katzchen, are you...mad at me?"
She smiled thinly. "Of course not, Kurt. You were right...I do need to change some things."
"Was? I never said..."
"Later, babe," she cut him off, kissing him quickly before heading upstairs to change tops.
Kurt groaned and flopped back onto the sofa. "Gott, what have I done?"

Professor Xavier leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Monday."
Sean made a face. "All of us?"
"Every last one. I suggest you gather all of the foreign national students so I can go over this with them."
"Jean says all the papers seem to be in order, except Amara's..."
"Yes..." Profe Xav Xavier closed his eyes. "I need to see her myself before the meeting..."
Sean nodded. "Of course..."
"Before you go..." He opened one eye and peered at his fellow mutant. "I've known Emma a very long time and have never seen her cry. Until yesterday Whatever you did, never do it again."
Sean nodded shakily and hurried from the room, only exhaling when he was well clear of the study.
1 Rather than ask Foxy to translate the rather long conversation between Kurt and his mother, pretend it's all in German, okay? LOL...
2 Nikita Kruschev had a little temper tantrum one day and slammed the table with his shoe during a meeting and proclaimed "We will crush the United States!" or something to that effect. He was...er...retired...