Need

Kitty walked through the door and went to the garage. She borrowed the Volvo and drove back to the ruin of her old home. She was forced to park almost a block away because of the number of construction vehicles that were lining the street. She zipped up Amara's coat against the chilly wind that blew and hurried to join Rogue who stood inside the restricted area marked by yellow tape. She understood why when she got close enough to see the half-dozen people who stood around on the sidewalk. Some carried cameras and others were shoving microphones at a tall man in a long black coat.

Kitty recognized the man as Warren Worthington III. She joined Rogue who watched the news crews with an essiossion of disgust. They stayed far enough away to keep out of the attention of the cameramen, but unfortunately, they couldn't hear what Warren was saying. He patiently answered questions before excusing himself and walking toward where the girls were standing. Kitty wished that Kurt would appear and whisk her off to anywhere but here. It was depressing to look at the ruins of the place that had so briefly been her first apartment. She still hadn't seen her fuzzy blue friend since the wee hours of the morning.

Warren approached and Kitty could see the circles under his eyes, indicating she hadn't had quite as much sleep as she had. But he gave them both a friendly smile and winked at Kitty.

"Hello Rogue." He said, giving the girl a quick hug. They'd been friends ever since she and Scott had met him in New York City. He turned to Kitty and raised his eyebrow.

"Ms. Pryde, we meet again, and so soon." He lifted her gloved hand and kissed the back. Kitty tried to stay serious, but the man's humor was infectious. She grinned, in spite of her dark mood.

"Mr. Worthington, you 're surprised? I wouldn't miss the chance to see you. Even if it is outside of bed." Rogue snorted and covered her mouth with her hand. After the clever banter was finished, the young man got down to business.

"I've got checks for you both. He said, reaching into the breast pocket of his coat. "It should meet your basic needs till I can get my accountant a list of the lost items so he can give you adequate compensation." He handed them each a slip of paper. Kitty stuffed hers into her pocket without looking at it.

"Thanks." She said. Then she turned to Rogue who was staring at her check with a slightly open mouth. "I've got the Volvo parked over there if you want to get some stuff while we're in town. I can drive since I think the van is blocked in by construction workers." Rogue wasn't listening, her eyes were still on the check.

"Uh, thanks, Warren." Rogue said, looking back up at him. "You know if you really are making indecent proposals, this should cover a little-"

"Rogue!" Kitty elbowed her friend in the ribs. Warren threw back his head and laughed heartily. "You girls are going to be the death of me and my reputation." He reached into another pocket and pulled out an envelope bearing the embossed logo of a nearby hotel. "Here, I've rented you each a room at the Springvale Gardens hotel." He handed Kitty the envelope with a wink. "Don't worry, I gave you the only keys." He walked away whistling and approached the foreman who directed a group of men running around, clearing away the most hazardous of the debris.

"Did you see how much he gave us?" Rogue asked. Kitty took the check out of her pocket and looked at it.

"Wow, two thousand bucks should keep us comfortable." She said, then gave her friend a grin. "Too bad it won't even be a drop in the bucket compared to what you could spend on shoes. She ducked as Rogue aimed a playful swat at her.

"All those clunky boots are expensive." She whined. Then Kitty opened the other elvelope and took out two smaller folded cards. Each held two plastic key cards and the corresponding room number. She handed one to her friend as they approached the Volvo. Kitty drove them to the bank and they deposited the checks. Since the bank was owned by Worthington Industries, the funds were available for immediate withdrawal.

With debit cards at the ready, the two girls attacked the Bayville mall with a vengance. They started with underwear and worked their way out. In the lingerie shop, Rogue pouted slightly when Kitty lingered over a few sexier items.

"Ah'm never gonna be able to wear one of those things for anyone unless he's got a deathwish, or Ah'm tryin' to kill him."

"That brings up some really interesting ideas regarding some of the covert missions we'll eventually be sent on." Kitty said, she tossed a black nylon body stocking at her friend before bringing her own purchases up to the counter. She paid for them and walked out of the shop. She pulled Rogue over to the food court and bought her a chocolate chip cookie to cheer her up. They drank coffee and ate cookies and planned their next assault.

In a boutique, Kitty was just slipping herself into a wool, cable knit sweater when a muffled Bamf followed by a cloud of smoke announced the presence of the man she longed to see. She turned around and smiled at Kurt who was leaning up against the wall and looking at her appreciatively.

"Nice legs, Liebchen." He purred. There was very little space in the dressing room, but Kitty didn't mind. She wore only her panties and the sweater.

"Thanks." She replied. She stepped forward and wed hed her arms around his neck. She leaned into him and kissed him soundly on the lips. He responded with fervor that matched her own.

"So, are you staying at the mansion tonight?" He asked hopefully.

"Actually, Worthington rented a hotel room for Rogue and me." When his face fell, she added, "Each." His eyes gleamed with excitement. And he accepted one of her key cards and wrote down the room number on a torn off piece of the envelope.

"Ya get lost in there?" Rogue called out. Kitty kissed Kurt quickly before tugging on a pair of jeans and zipping them up. She stepped out in front of the mirror and gave Kurt a quick glance before he teleported out of the fitting room. She wondered where he'd been earlier since he had to visualize his destination.

"Nice." Kitty said, admiring the long black skirt that Rogue wore paired with a cranberry colored top and a pair of knee-high lace up black boots. The heels on these boots were a bit less clunky than usual, and the shirt was a great step in dragging Rogue into mainstream adulthood. She still preferred darker colors, but she was edging away from the Gothic theme.

"Ah figure now is as good a time as any to change my look a little." Then she sniffed the air. "Do Ah smell sulphur and brimstone?" Kitty's smile froze in place.

"Uh, I don't smell anything." She said. "Ri"Right, and Ah'm gonna take over Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood." Rogue said. "Fess up about you and my brother."

"There's nothing to confess, yet." Kitty said. "We haven't had time to talk much about what we're going to do."

"But y'all are going to do something right?" Kitty was surpri Rog Rogue hadn't been this interested in her relationship with Lance other than to make the occaasional snide remark. "Ah mean, you and Kurt were meant for each other." They talked while they shopped for the rest of the afternoon and Kitty discussed her feelings frankly with her friend. Rogue showed a surprising amount of insight for a woman who'd been sorely lacking in the relationship department. To explain this, she simply said, "Ah live vicarioulsy through you, so Ah want our next relatioship to be good."

"Even if it's with your brother? Ewww." Kitty wrinkled her nose.

"Ah never liked Lance, but Ah enjoyed listening to you talk about him when things were good between you." The closest Ah've ever been to a man, besides absorbing them, is a few stolen moments with a thief." She looked down at her coffee cup. "All Ah had to show for that disaster was a damned playing card, and Ah lost that last night."

"I didn't know you really had feelings for Gambit." Kitty said. "But then, you did keep Wolverine from turning him into a big Cajun Kebab." Rogue smiled.

"Ah guess he's the only man who didn't seem afraid to touch me." She shrugged. "It's weird."

"You know," Kitty said dramatically, "It's not like you're without options, this is the latex era." Rogue blushed.

"Ah'm gonna be a virgin till Ah die." Rogue said, laying her head on her folded arms in mock dispair. Unbeknownst to both girls, a man with burning red eyes watched their little conversation from behind a newspaper.

"Not if Remy got anyt'ing to say bout' it." He said to himself.

Once they'd changed into new outfits, complete with new shoes, they left, exhausted, for the hotel. Kitty called the mansion and spoke to Logan. She gave him the phone number to the hotel and told him that they were going to get take-out and eat in their rooms.