"So now he keeps the Soulsword?" Kurt asked, watching Rick as he turned the sword in the light of the kitchen lamp, eyeing it with fascination.

"Yes. He'll keep it," Season answered quietly, sipping her tea.

"You know it's driven all its other holders insane," Kurt said after a moment, twining his fingers through Amanda's.

Season smiled into her mug. "Dahling, the swords other holders weren't half gods whose father created the thing."

Kurt smiled slightly, kissing Amanda's fingers absently. "Is Belasco dead?"

Season shook her head. "No, but I hid the remaining Weapons."

Kurt nodded, then craned his neck to look out into the other room, where Pete sat with Kitty, trying to get her to stop being so fearful of everything she saw.

"Will she ever be all right?" Brian asked, giving voice to Kurt's thoughts.

"Pete says no," Frost said in a hushed tone. "He says the brainwashing is total. They told her that we were her enemies. That's why she's so scared."

Rick watched the play of light across the blade and smiled slightly. "Maybe not." He looked up, eyeing Brian. "You trust me?"

Captain Britain observed the boy before nodding curtly.

"Hold Pete. He's not going to like this." With a clean motion he sheathed the sword, ignoring Rahne's cringe as it just missed plunging into his chest.

Brian moved swiftly, pacing out into the room and picking Pete up, holding him still while the Englishman struggled, shouting about how he didn't do anything. Pete was almost certain that they were going to carry out their threats of before, about hurting him if he hurt Kitty. And somehow he thought he might even deserve it.

When Rick drew the Soulsword, advancing toward Kitty as she backed away, hot knives flared from Pete's fingers, burning holes straight through the carpet as Brian grabbed the man's hands and tried to keep them away from his own body.

Rick leapt forward even as Meggan moved to stop him, slicing the sword cleaning through Kitty's body. She fell with a scream, Lockheed attacking the boy viscously.

"Wot th' 'ell?!?!?" Pete shouted as Brian let him go, appalled at what had just happened.

"Hey! Hey! Stop it already!" Rick cried, swiping at the dragon that flew around him, tearing at his face and eyes.

"Kitty?" Pete called, kneeling beside her still form. He looked up a moment later, pulling her onto his legs, confusion on his face. "She's not bleeding?"

Rick finally got rid of the dragon, glaring at it as Lockheed flew down to sit near Kitty. "I know she's not dead, dumbass," Rick snapped. "This is the Soulsword. It doesn't do that if there's something else to get at!"

Pete glared up at the boy before turning back to Kitty as she moved in his lap. "Don't speak in riddles, yer bloody yank."

Rick rolled his eyes and walked away. "I don't know why I waste my breath on you," he muttered nastily.

"I understand," Season said, eyes widening. "The Soulsword breaks any holds other things have on people, Pete," she said, starting to get excited.

"Of course!" Amanda cried, remembering when Kitty had used it against a possessed Kurt. "It just might snap the brainwashing--getting rid of any foreign things that are wrong for her!"

Pete bit his lip, never having heard of *anything* breaking through the Black Air brainwashing, terrified of hoping and yet unable to do anything but.

"Oh, my head," Kitty moaned, her eyes fluttering open as she reached up to massage her temples. "Pete?" she whispered, her voice raw.

Pete smiled, sudden tears blurring his vision as he nodded, constriction in his throat keeping him from saying anything else as the mutants behind him whooped and hollered.

"Pete, you wouldn't believe the dream I just had! And--why are you crying?" she asked, sitting up and wrapping her arms around him, glaring at everyone as they kept celebrating.

"It's nothin', Pryde," Pete whispered into her ear, "You just gave me quite a scare is all."

Kitty hugged him tighter, unwilling to let go. "It's okay. I'm all right." She leaned back, smiling into his face as she wiped away his tears. "Hey, those people in back are new. But I think I recognize the kid from those videos at Black Air--he's your cousin, right? You have yet to introduce me to the rest of your family," she said, trying to distract him.

Pete laughed and stood up, picking Kitty up and kissing her before releasing her--though even then one arm stayed wrapped protectively around her waist. "Kitty, me aunt, Season. Season, me girl--who I'm never letting out of my sight again--Kitty."

"You have to let me out of your sight sometime," Kitty said, poking him in the ribs.

Pete grinned and shook his head, no.

"Not even to shower or--hey! Pete, we have company. Be good!" Kitty cried as a lecherous light entered the light blue eyes she loved so much.

"I think introductions can wait," Rick said evilly, leaning over Pete's shoulder to look at the two people.

"You're no help at all!" Kitty cried, brown eyes flashing.

Pete looked up at Rick earnestly. "Yer know, f'r once I think yer right. Introductions can wait."

Rick howled with laughter as Pete picked Kitty up, carrying her up the stairs to her loud protests.

"Pete!" She shouted, kicking furiously. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what's gotten into him," she said over his shoulder to Season, Rick and Frost. She turned back to Pete, glaring at him furiously. "But I'm going to cure it if I have to beat you over the head--"

"Promise?" Pete said wistfully, still heading upstairs.

"PETE! You no good, lousy, scrawny--MMmmm . . . hmm," drifted down the steps as Pete shut Kitty up in his very favorite way, much to the glee of the crowd below.

Kurt held his sides, wiping tears of mirth away from his fur. "Ach, ja. Kitty's back!"

The End

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hey everyone! Geez, this was fun. :) I may have to do it again sometime. Thanks for being so great, and thanks to Luba--without her prodding/reminder I would *never* have re-started this (this was a fic I started last year sometime) and I certainly would have never bothered writing it out and sending it! Thanks, Luba. I owe you. ;-D

JBMcD

Rick, Frost, Season are copyright to Jenna B. McDonald Everyone else is not.

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