The Zeitgeist Awakens

[angelique]

Chapter 11

Kassandra looked over the table, lit by the glow of twin tapers. American Kobe steak sizzled on their plates, with asparagus hollandaise and a crisp chopped salad tucked alongside. “While I agree dinner right here is a good idea, this doesn’t look like it came from the commissary.”

Kurt smiled. It was possible to surprise Kassandra, if she allowed it, or was busy enough with other things to not check certain pertinent timelines. “Old Homestead, a la teleport.”

Kassandra’s eyes shone with delight. The candlelight, the food, the soft music in the background- “Put Your Dreams Away” was the song.
“So what’s with this Frank Sinatra mood, anyway?” said Kassandra.

“It has to be you,” said Kurt, smiling. Clearly, he thought of everything, except one thing.

“Aber diesen hier hast Du vergessen.” Kassandra smirked, setting a bottle of Zinfandel on the table. “Your favorite American wine with my favorite American food. And perhaps our favorite movie, afterward?”

Leave it to Kassandra to respond to a pleasant surprise in kind. And after they sat and gave their thanks, praying hand in hand, she didn’t stop there. “Ich hab gute Nachrichten vom Doktor Strange,” she said, tapping her head. “Ich habe kein problem hier oben. He agrees with what I suspected, actually, but as for what to do about it, he couldn’t offer more than suggestions to help me relax, but…”

“But you feel better already, nicht wahr?” said Kurt.

Kassandra nodded. “Still apprehensive, but if the universe is coming undone, letting my fear ruin moments like these won’t help matters.”

“Well, I’d be happy to tell Mama that Dr. Strange has joined the ranks of those who don’t think you’re crazy, maybe when she gets out of the brig. By the way, what happened? Was it insubordination?”

Kassandra shook her head. “I shouldn’t say, but it had to do with the mission she and Howlett took in Mexico while you were dealing with that ‘misunderstanding’ in Wakanda, not how she acted toward me. And she’ll be out tomorrow morning anyway, with no court martial or anything.”

Kurt felt a bit relieved to hear that. And after dinner, he settled quite nicely with a wine glass in one hand, Kassandra nestled up against him, as the strains of the famous Erik Wolfgang von Korngold score now filled the room. This movie, while Kurt enjoyed it for the adventure, Kassandra liked for the portrayal of a rebel loyal to his king. But the exploits and politics of Robin Hood were far from their minds now. Bess was telling the Lady Marian about how being in love involved “goosey-pimples down your spine.”

She was only partially right, Kurt mused, feeling his own flesh respond accordingly as Kassandra edged even closer, her finger lazily tracing around the buttons on his shirt. And what did Olivia de Havilland say in the interview about the next scene? That during retakes of the kissing, Errol Flynn experienced, as she so delicately put it, a “problem.”

Kassandra had long removed her jacket, as he had done, and kicked off her shoes. She now looked and felt much more comfortable with the light camisole, the perfectly modest navy blue skirt that still hugged those runner’s thighs just so, and her bare feet, tucked up beside her, tempting his tail to some gentle ticklish mischief. The way she leaned her head against his chest, stretching her legs out. The look she shot him, effectively vetoing his plans for tickling her… well, he hoped she would consider other options, because he was again feeling like he was having the same “problem.”

He gently slid Kassandra over his lap, and after some fumbling with clothes, allowed the rest of the movie to play on, unwatched.

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Translations:

Aber diesen hier hast Du vergessen. - But you have forgotten this.

Ich hab gute Nachrichten vom Doktor Strange. Ich habe kein problem hier oben. - I have good news from Dr. Strange. I have no problem up here.

 

[angelique]

Chapter 12

Wanda… Braddock… Saturnyne… Wer sind diese Zeitbrecher? …und Kurt? Kurt!

Kassandra awoke with a start, again half expecting to find herself in a brig aboard an aircraft carrier, off the coast of a bombed out Hammer Bay, rather than safe and warm in her husband’s fuzzy blue embrace. Durchatmen, Kassandra. She inhaled deeply, reminding herself that while this was terrifying news, it was from a different reality, and she was in this one, just as Dr. Strange suggested. She then turned over. Kurt shifted accordingly, but didn’t awaken. Gott sei dank. It was 4:30. While he may have been a morning person, he needed his rest. He looked so peaceful, the memory of all that had so thoroughly worn him out yesterday still fresh, judging from the contented smile gracing his sleeping face.

Kassandra, on the other hand, even after she had reined in her panic and confusion, found getting back to sleep difficult. One characteristic of her healing factor was that, unless she was seriously exhausted, she could wake up completely refreshed after only a few hours of rest, quite the opposite of when she couldn’t even step out of time without putting herself in a coma. It was hardly any wonder Logan had a reputation for those occasions of complete stir-craziness. Kassandra strove, with some difficulty, to disentangle herself from Kurt’s arms and tail without disturbing him. At the very least, she could use this time to think things over, read, and above all, pray. But first, while she dared not risk waking him, she could not resist brushing his lips with the lightest, softest possible kiss. His smile deepened.

Kurt awoke an hour later to the sound of the shower running, then shutting off. “O Jesus, durch das Makellose Herz von Maria, biete ich Dir meine Gebete, Arbeiten, Freuden an und Leide von diesem Tag…”

If he didn’t always begin the day saying that prayer out loud, it nonetheless ran through his thoughts every morning. He then got up, hoping Kassandra had left some hot water for him. She stepped out of the bathroom, clad only in a towel, her hair, still damp, hanging almost to the middle of her back. “Oh, mei! I offer up my joys, and He grants me a vision in return,” he said, delighting in how Kassandra’s tendency to blush was not limited to her face.

“Du bist unmöglich, Kurt,” said Kassandra, more than a little flustered by the reminder that she’d also just promised to offer up her sufferings, particularly those associated with her visions. And speaking of suffering, Kassandra pulled a uniform out from the closet. “We’ll have to wear battle dress today. Can you meet me in the commissary when you’re ready?”

“Ja doch.”
“And I just called a brief meeting in the war room for after breakfast. I really do think it will come down to fighting, and I want everyone, you in particular, to be ready.”

“Ja wohl,” said Kurt, smiling in awe at the many ways he was willingly at this petite, dark young woman’s command, then kissing her merrily before he stepped into the bathroom to clean up.

After a breakfast that was actually pretty good by commissary standards, Kurt and Kassandra met Anna Marie, as well as Agents Toynbee and Drew, Captain Greycrow, and Colonel Shaw.

“I’ve called you in to debrief you on some pretty unsettling developments that have taken place yesterday evening, that may likely affect our mission today,” said Kassandra.

Our mission. Kurt liked that. It wasn’t just an indication of her solidarity with him as his wife, but her identification with the agents she sent into the field. He could see that Anna Marie and perhaps Agent Toynbee also rather liked that.

Kassandra continued. “According to intelligence we have just received on the Sapien Resistance League, through their own surveillance, they have become aware that Captain Howlett is AWOL and are now also tracking him, hoping that he might be useful in their plans they have against Lord Magnus.”

“You mean…” said Agent Drew.

Kassandra held her hand up, cutting her off. “I would of course prefer for Captain Howlett to return without any fuss, but there will likely be some skirmish. As dangerous as it may be, it will give us access to the Sapien Resistance League’s network that has been difficult even for me with my powers to gain. Even if we are not successful at bringing in Captain Howlett, the opportunity will likely arise for us to round up a whole hive of gangsters and terrorists, provided we act prudently.

“I will need Captain Howlett and anyone else you are able to apprehend alive, so I can root out and stop the threat this group poses to Lord Magnus. Spider-Woman and Toad,” she said, casting a particularly pointed glance toward Agent Drew, “I’ll need you two to be particularly careful. Howlett may be feeling very stressed, and will very likely lash out if you approach him aggressively.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” said Agent Toynbee.
Jessica Drew tried not to roll her eyes.

“And Nightcrawler,” said Kassandra, stepping around to face Kurt directly, “you already know what you need to do if Captain Howlett bolts. But the SRL will likely have snipers on the scene, so be ready to dodge whatever they might throw at you.”

“Ja wohl, Ma’am,” said Kurt, with quiet resolve. If Kassandra had any reservation about giving him the most dangerous part of the mission, she did not show it any more than if he was any other agent. A few people saw that as how she did not play favorites and would not let her personal feelings interfere with what needed to be done. After all, Kurt was the best at pursuing moving targets. But most others liked to write that tendency off as part of her rumored instability- her apparent willingness to send her own husband into some death trap or another as if he were just any other agent.

“Requesting permission ta speak freely,” said Anna Marie. She had thought she was in the former camp. After all, Kassandra had more than once thrown herself headlong into a fray on an agent’s behalf. But she just needed reassurance on one thing.

“Permission granted, Rogue,” said Kassandra.
“Ya said this was our mission, lahk it’s yours, too. Are ya comin’ down with us, too?”

“Yes,” said Kassandra. “I will be nearby, monitoring the situation, with backup on hand should you need it. Now let’s move!”

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“Tony Stark?” said Wolverine, to the lovely emerald-skinned receptionist.

“Sorry,” she said. “He doesn’t live in this city. He only owns the building.”

“What do you want with Tony Stark, James?” said a cool voice, accompanied by the sound of a gun cocking right by his ear. “Bosses want you brought in. They said any which way.”

“Schlechte Bewegung, Agent Drew!” thought Kassandra, listening in on her comlink. Rogue and Toad now came in, expressing their concern and support for their captain and teammate. They might as well have saved their breath. Drew’s playing tough had now effectively shot any chance that Howlett would return with them without a fight.

“SHIELD Command, this is Red Guard Agent Darkhölme,” said Mystique, remembering not to give out her rank when in the field. “We have him.”

Now just what to do with him was a different matter. “Keep trying to talk him down, Agent Darkhölme,” said Kassandra. “But be ready to shoot if he bolts… to disable, of course. I can trust you to not hurt him too badly, nicht wahr?”

“Okay.” Mystique could not bring herself to address that general properly, but her shared concern for James deserved some acknowledgment. “James, seriously, do what Agent Drew says, okay?”

Howlett blinked as if trying to get his bearings. As if he were surprised to see Kurt and Rogue there with Spider-Woman, Toad, and Mystique. “He’s popped a stitch,” said Mystique.

This was just too ridiculously perfect. Any last chance Mystique had to complain about Kurt’s wife being crazy without hypocrisy just flew out the window. “Too bad,” Kurt responded, completely devoid of sympathy.

Some more tense words were exchanged, leading Agent Drew to agree with Mystique. And let her guard down just long enough to taste a mouthful of Wolverine’s knuckles chased with her blood.

“HE’S BOLTING! DREW’S DOWN! WE NEED BACKUP!” Rogue screamed.

“Colonel Shaw, report to the Stark Tower lobby. We need to secure the perimeter. And bring Agent Foley immediately!” Kassandra changed channels on her comlink. “Okay, Cloak, Hawkeye,” she whispered, “Remember the drill… Now!”

James Howlett remembered everything about his life. Good, horrific, whatever. All the gaps were finally filled in. But he never remembered Kurt to be the sort that would fight alongside Mystique and Toad, let alone fire at him. And he never knew the Elf to be such a lousy shot, unless... well it didn’t matter exactly where he was aiming. He wouldn’t stick around to find out, not with his best friend firing round upon round in his general direction. He crashed out through a plate glass window and made for the motorcycle he “commandeered” yesterday. Doors? Who has time for them?

Kurt teleported after him, getting closer to catching up with each port. “Nightcrawler,” Kassandra’s voice came, clear enough despite the interference his teleportation caused. “Remember. Catch him from the side, not… NEIN!”

Communication went dead as searing pain ripped through Kurt’s neck and back.

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Translations:

Wer sind diese Zeitbrecher? - Who are these Timebreakers?
Durchatmen - breathe deeply

O Jesus, durch das Makellose Herz von Maria, biete ich Dir meine Gebete, Arbeiten, Freuden an und Leide von diesem Tag.- O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my intentions, works, joys, and suffering of this day.

Schlechte Bewegung - Bad move

 

[angelique]

Chapter 13

Strange. Kurt was never one to sleep on his stomach. He preferred sleeping on his side, particularly with an arm and a tail draped over a particular beautiful woman, perhaps resting in the memory of a blissful moment together. Where was she, and why… Oh, Lieber Gott, es tut mir weh!

“Ich bin hier, Kurt,” said Kassandra, placing a hand that felt strangely warm and sticky right where it hurt worst. “I just pulled three arrows out of your back.”

“So that stem cell soup in your veins is type O negative? So you are good for something!”

“Kommandeur Darkhölme,” Kassandra said, ignoring the jibe as she again pushed up her sleeve and sliced the rapidly healing cut in her forearm, hoping her blood in Kurt’s wounds would speed healing. “I need you to apply pressure here, and here, and… Elixir! We could use your help here!”

“Right away, Ma’am,” said Agent Foley, who’d been attending to Agent Drew’s broken jaw and Toynbee’s severed tongue. He was trained as an interrogator, mainly to keep suspects from dying at Wither’s hands before they’d given up their answers, but his ability to accelerate other people’s healing capabilities meant the occasional chance to serve in a less despicable capacity as field medic.

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Oops would have been the understatement of the century. Hawkeye might have suspected Black Cat might have been sabotaging this mission, except that he knew she’d been having difficulty controlling her luck powers over the past couple days. Regardless, it couldn’t have gone worse. He had failed to shoot out Wolverine’s tracker before Cloak snagged him. And Nightcrawler… well…

A firm kick to the kidneys nearly sent him hurtling off the rooftop. “I said disable their trackers, not my husband!” Zeitgeist shrieked, blurry and transparent, sword and a very bloody dagger drawn. “And you call yourself Hawkeye? Cloak, get him out of here before I do something we’ll all regret!”

She disappeared just as Hawkeye wondered if he’d be that dagger’s next destination.

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“Kurt, du kannst jetzt durchatmen,” said Kassandra, helping Kurt up.

Kurt cautiously inhaled deeply, pleasantly surprised to feel no more stabbing pain and the kinks in his lung and muscles dissipating.

“You check out as good as new now, Darkhölme,” said Elixir, “though I can’t say the same about your jacket.”

“This wouldn’t have happened if we used unstable molecular fabric in the uniforms,” said Kassandra.

“What are you talking about?”
“Never mind,” said Kassandra, dismissively, remembering that with the death of Reed Richards in this reality, the standard material for body armor hadn’t been invented. “Kurt, ich hasse es das zu machen, aber Deine Einheit braucht dich...”

“If I am fit for duty, I should be here,” Kurt whispered into her ear, arms still around her even though it was plain he could stand well enough on his own. “Sei unbesorgt, Liebling.”

What might have been as tender a moment possible on the field was interrupted when Kassandra powered up. Kurt let her go. “Okay,” she yelled. “Who called for a sentinel bombardment in Hell’s Kitchen? Colonel Shaw, who ordered it?”

“They say Howlett’s tracker went offline, General. It’s standard procedure.”

“And did I not just say we need them all apprehended alive?” Kassandra exploded. “Call off the sentinels, NOW! I’ll give the signal when to take these people.”

Kassandra began to storm off, but rethought that for just a moment. “Es tut mir leid, Liebster. Ich muss gehen,” she said, kissing Kurt lightly, then walking off, “I have a bit of a mess to clean up here before I head back to Genosha! We’ll talk later.”

Kassandra ducked under the police tape, overhearing a brewing argument some reporter was having with one of the reinforcements, and disappeared. She reappeared outside the office of Wilson Fisk, then made a quick phone call. It was quite clever of Cloak to choose that place for them to regroup. Whether or not Cage or his people were responsible for beating the Kingpin into a coma, his office would be the last place most people would expect them to turn up. Most people. She had to be careful, however. It was likely she’d bear the blame for the sentinel attack in the form of a bullet in the head.

The sound of metal slicing metal followed by the door swinging open cut short Logan’s and Cage’s discussions of their memories on top of memories and what it all meant.

Cage hastily shoved a magazine into his gun and fired off three rounds.
“It’s her, that sneaky little…”

Layla shrieked, her eyes emitting a burst of green light in her panic. Kassandra hit the floor.

“Don’t shoot!” said Wolverine. “Let me deal with her.”
“The sentinels were sent in without my authorization. I’m sorry,” said Kassandra, breathing shakily.

“You okay, Little Elf?” Logan offered her a hand up.
Kassandra remained still for a moment, apparently struggling to catch her breath, before she accepted. “If by that you mean was I hit, I’m fine.”

“Ya remember now, dontcha, kid?”

Kassandra shook her head. “Nein, Logan. It seems I always remembered, but in bits and pieces. It just all makes sense now. Thank you, Miss Miller, but I think I should warn you that the people you’ll help next will not handle it quite this well.”

Well? That general, whom Layla imagined should have been more than just barely taller than her, looked like she was only barely restraining the urge to cry, faint, throw up, tear her hair out and scream in rage, or everything at once.

“Anyway,” Kassandra continued, valiantly pulling herself together, “I see your plan, Logan, and I agree that our chances for setting reality ‘right’” – here she grimaced at the word- “will improve if you follow through. But you weren’t planning on teleporting all the way to Hartford, Cincinnati, Chicago, all those places, were you?”

All eyes turned to Cloak. “How far do you need me to go?” he asked.
“Right now, only as far as Fort Hamilton. Logan, it took some doing, but I’ve arranged your clearance, and a cover for your jumping ship, too. So it all looks clear. There’s a plane waiting for you there. Sorry, but for the moment, you’ll all have to pretend Logan’s taking you into custody.”

“Not a chance,” said Cage.
“Now listen, I know you are all well within your rights to not trust me, but you trust Logan, right?”

“More than I trust any other mutant.”
“Let’s get going, then,” said Logan. “Ya comin’ along, kid?”

“I can’t. I have to fly back to Genosha immediately,” said Kassandra. “Besides, it’s just as well that you take it all from here.”

With that, Kassandra disappeared. But midway over the Atlantic, after Cage’s people had enough time to get back, she radioed the helicarrier. “This is General Darkhölme requesting a secure line to Colonel Shaw… yes, thank you… Colonel Shaw, send the Red Guard to the office of Wilson Fisk. We have them.”

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Translation:

Oh, lieber Gott, es tut mir weh! Oh, dear God, it hurts!

 

[angelique]

Chapter 14

Memories on top of memories. Temporal double vision. Kurt now knew what that meant. They went to follow up a sting operation and roll up some terrorists, and in a flash of green light from a little girl’s eyes, everything changed. Happy memories of his wedding and settling into married life now gave way to horrific recollections of grievous partings, battling the Weaponeers in Zanzibar, then suddenly finding himself… not in Zanzibar any more.

Kitty Pryde ran over to him, apparently taking her discovery that she wasn’t an Ohio schoolteacher in better stride. “Kurt, where’s Pietro? Where is he?”

“I don’t even know where I am, Liebchen,” said Kurt, rubbing the back of his neck.

After a few seconds of attempting to pull themselves somewhat together, the group decided to head to Genosha via the helicarrier. That Kurt could be given, if not everything he ever wanted, something, someone at least worth that much to him, and then find out the whole thing was a lie used to manipulate him- it was worse than merely having Kassandra’s worst visions confirmed. It played havoc on his heart. And so it was almost with Wolverine’s cold resolve for vengeance that he led the others to the command deck.

And with Emma Frost along, convincing Captain Greycrow that he was indeed under orders to set course for Genosha was a relatively simple matter. Eating, on the other hand, wasn’t. Rogue summed up the feelings Kurt and most of the others had about Cyclops’ suggestion that they eat. “I ain’t hungry. Ah’m pissed.”

“Kurt…” said Kitty, struggling in vain to figure out something to say to get his mind off of what knit his face in such a gloomy expression and caused him to curl and uncurl his tail in deep, disturbed thought.

“Just thinking about some things Kassandra said over breakfast yesterday… I mean…”

“What?” said Kitty, finally noticing the band on Kurt’s finger. “Oh my God! Kurt, you mean you and Kassi finally got married, and I wasn’t even a bridesmaid? It goes to show that Wanda didn’t get everything right!”

“I don’t doubt that,” Kurt replied, wondering how some people, like Spiderman, had apparently never lost family or friends long dead in this other reality, but Kassandra had still lost her father. “But what do you mean, finally?”

“Come on, Kurt! You think just because she broke it off with you, she’d stopped loving you? Think, Kurt. Even if we didn’t quite get everything we wanted, we got something pretty close. And I don’t think you’d have ended up together if either one of you didn’t want that.”

Kätchen had a point. But what purpose did knowing all this serve? “Well, she did say as much, for all the good that does.”

Logan slapped his plate down on the table beside him. “Well, it’s good ta know that it wasn’t just because I was pullin’ for you to get together with her, then. Hey, the meatloaf isn’t half bad. You should get some.”

This from a guy who didn’t even turn up his sensitive nose at raw whatever animal just slid off his claws. Kurt was about to decline when Cyclops spoke up.

“All right, listen up!” Cyclops began outlining a plan to find Xavier, if possible, or persuade Wanda to restore reality.

Kätchen and Drew interrupted, questioning if they should try to restore reality. What if they made things worse? Weren’t they happier in this reality?

“Magneto got what he wanted,” said Drew, referring to his world domination, “but so did we. Isn’t it a wash?”

“What?” said Kurt, so beside himself he almost lapsed into German. In the ensuing argument, it became clear that they had missed something, like how all reality would unravel prematurely if they didn’t try to do something about it. Restoring reality to its previous, unaltered state would not by any stretch be pleasant, but he figured Kassandra would say it would beat the alternative.

“Everybody done? Okay. Three teams.” said Cyclops.
“Wait,” said Kurt. “If we are going to attack the palace, shouldn’t we consult my wi… I mean, Kassandra… first?”

“What for?” said Cage. “So she can then sic the royal guard on us?”
“Logan,” said Kurt, “Kassandra told me that both you and she knew of the reality we’re now trying to get back. Just what do you know?”

“I got all my memory back, which is just what I wanted, Elf. And I talked to her. She knew bits and pieces until the little girl zapped her and it all fell into place. So now she knows everything we do.”

“And then some,” said Kurt. “She was given special command of the royal guard and should already be at the palace. Her advice should be invaluable.”

“If it doesn’t take us into another death trap,” said Felicia. “How do you know she’s on the same page?”

“She told me about what she sees happening if reality isn’t set right. And she doesn’t want our world to be prematurely destroyed any more than you do.”

Just then, Cyclops’ cell phone rang.
“Scott.”
“Kassandra? Why are you calling my phone?”

“Because I’m not stupid enough to phone this to the helicarrier. Layla is in no shape to wake everyone up there. And some of these people, like Shaw… do you really want them to remember who they really are now?”

“So what? Were you listening in on my timeline or something?”

“Only to spare you the trouble of having to repeat yourself to me. I’m glad to see now you’re interested in restoring reality, rather than putting Wanda down. Disgusting idea, by the way. You all should have left plotting assassination to the professionals. Not that that would have happened anyway. Anyway, the best we can do is keep everyone else occupied while someone tries to persuade Wanda to do her part to set things right.”

“The best we can do? Is there any guarantee it will work? What can you see?”

“There is no guarantee, Scott.”
“Oh, great.”

“You don’t understand. Wanda’s meddling has created tears in the fabric of space and time. There is one in England that the Braddocks are dealing with as we speak, and something strange going on right here in Hammer Bay that even I am having trouble figuring out. And Saturnyne’s out to put our whole universe down if we don’t stop it.

“So as for what you can do about it, the plan we have now is as good as we’re going to get. Havok, Northstar, Revanche, and Pyro are the guards on duty tonight that will give you the most grief. Sasquatch and Sauron are also there. But I would suggest you try to take Magneto directly. He’s far more dangerous. And Pietro will also join the fight if he thinks Wanda is in any kind of danger.”

“And our greatest risk?”
“Me. I’ll try to stay out of the fight, but as far as most people know, in this reality, my allegiance is to the House of Magnus.”

“No kidding. After what Cage said about you…”
“At any rate, I’ll be busy trying to hold time together, so anyone who interferes with me should be ready to kill or be killed.”

“Well, that’s nice to know!”
“One more thing. Can you get Kurt on the phone?”

“All right.” Scott could find this one a relatively easy favor. After all, while he could relate, having discovered he really wasn’t married to Emma, they would be free to continue seeing each other, assuming they’d succeed in restoring reality. Yet it would take nothing short of a miracle for Kurt and Kassandra to have that option. “Here, Kurt. Kassi wants to talk to you.”

“Hallo?” said Kurt.
“Kurt, remember what I said yesterday. Ich liebe dich noch immer.”

Kurt could only nod, choking up, resolving, once they set reality right, to, if possible, also set right the matter of their marital status.

 

[angelique]

Chapter 15

“Lord Magnus,” said Phantazia, dropping to a full kowtow. “General Darkhölme has just reported that she will be arriving at the palace any second now.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant Harsaw,” said Magneto.

“So I understand you and this young prodigy of yours do not always agree, yet she is nonetheless loyal to you,” said Victor von Doom, ruler of one of the few more or less independent nations remaining. “I should like to meet this General Darkhölme.”

“And so you shall,” said Magneto, ushering Dr. Doom to the foyer. “Very soon, too. She is quite known for, among other things, her promptness. And here she is.”

The royal guard presented arms. Kassandra smiled as she walked past, returning the salute, fully understanding now the delight she took in the fact that some, especially Allerdyce, were saluting her. Most had wronged her in one way or another, and all but one of those now answered to her. She reminded herself to remain in the role she was committed to play, and restrained the urge to gag as she dropped to her left knee in the presence of Lord Magnus.

“General Darkhölme.”

“My lord,” said Kassandra softly, hoping she still at least sounded deferential as she rose, trying not to step on the hem of her long mess uniform skirt.

“Please allow me to introduce Victor von Doom, King of Latveria.”
“General, it is a pleasure to finally meet you,” said Dr. Doom, with a slight bow, taking her white-gloved hand.

“The pleasure is mine, Your Highness.” She curtseyed, careful to not tip under the weight of her decorations or say anything about how he’d been looking well lately.

“But I expected a warrior of your repute to be a bit taller,” said Doom.
“My size has served me well in reconnaissance and in battle. It’s one more thing that makes me hard to see and harder to hit.”

“Still, I am curious as to why you would willingly put that and your considerable skills to Lord Magnus’ service, when your dissatisfaction with the human rights situation in Africa is well-known.”

“Peaceful and equal coexistence is my objective, Your Highness, and so I side only against anyone, mutant or otherwise, who would interfere.”

“And so I hope you understand why she is so important to me,” said Magneto. “But tonight we celebrate. Care for a drink before we make our appearances? You too, General. Your mother sent this shiraz with her regrets.”

“Thank you, Sire, but I am afraid I must decline,” said Kassandra, hoping this gracious host would drink enough to let nothing faze him. Using her temporal powers would be hard enough with time running out for this reality and perhaps for the universe, and a mentally unhinged causality-altering mutant holding the reins. She did not need him to interfere by throwing his magnetic powers into play. She then turned to Dr. Doom. “I am, after all, still in command of the royal guard. Even if I am also here as a guest, it’s still my responsibility to make sure everything goes according to plan.”

“Very well,” said Magneto. “You are dismissed.”
“Thank you, Sire,” said Kassandra, hastily genuflecting again and backing out. Indeed, she was grateful to get out of that room.

“One of the other reasons why I’m glad to have her commanding my army,” said Magneto, pouring out two glasses, “is how she always takes her responsibilities so seriously.”

“Indeed,” said Dr. Doom, accepting a glass. “And so you expect having an officer such as her, who doesn’t always agree with you, will actually help consolidate your power?”

“To help maintain order in my realms, rather,” said Magneto.
“A bold move.” Dr. Doom raised an incredulous eyebrow. “It might almost work.” If only because there was something to the line about keeping friends close and enemies closer.

“As you were,” said Kassandra, striding down the lines of armed guards giving full salute. She knew of a nice place to take her post, far enough out so she could power up without alarming anyone, yet close enough so she wouldn’t look like she was avoiding people. It was a nice semicircular terrace set just a bit above the main courtyard, a perfect place, to the casual observer anyway, for a shy party guest content to be a wallflower to sit and people-watch. And so she wound her way through the guests, smiling at those who’d greet her, answering a few questions, trying to look casual. And wishing Kurt was with her. He was always much better at events like these than she was, despite, or, depending on the circumstances, sometimes even because of his appearance. She sighed as she sat on the bench that rounded the terrace, thinking of that and all the many other reasons she loved, needed Kurt as she looked over the curtained dais from which the House of Magnus and the other dignitaries would make their entrances. She then shut her eyes for a split second.

“We have to assume they know we’re coming,” she could overhear Cyclops saying. True enough. Phantasia already suspected something amiss. But the plan was so atypical for the Red Guard, something so unlikely to happen since Magneto and Shaw had taken over the sentinel program, that Kassandra could do a convincing job acting surprised. Still, she got back up and strode back over to the assembled guards.

“At ease,” she said, before any of them could salute her. “Lieutenant Harsaw, I see that something has caught your attention. What is it?”

“I’m feeling the electrical signature of an approaching aircraft, Ma’am. Possibly a helicarrier.”

“Ah, yes, the reinforcements,” said Kassandra, technically not lying through her teeth. “The Red Guard had been called in to help step up security around the whole island, remember? Still, I’ll alert you if I suspect anything will go wrong.”

And so the delegates and dignitaries were presented amid much applause, salutation, and a bit of confetti.

“I see it now,” said Kassandra. “An impending sentinel malfunction. I’ll alert Lord Magnus.”

She disappeared, leaving Phantazia to cast her eyes skyward, wondering what to expect. “Uh-oh,” she said. Indeed, this already looked to be worse than a typical malfunction. A sentinel left formation, and flew directly toward the palace, head first at top speed. She had magnetic powers. She could stop it. Oh, but Lord Magnus beat her to it, stopping the sentinel in midair, even taking it apart with one outstretched hand, before it could smash into the very dais upon which he and his family sat. And here came the reinforcements… but who were these other people? Why did the Red Guard, rather than serve as reinforcements, seem to be attacking with the rebels? And where did the general go?

If the palace guard was confused by that little bit of disinformation, the way they rushed to the defense of their king, with minimal hesitation, only barely belied that. Kassandra could almost feel proud of them. As it was though, so far, so good. Magneto was occupied. Emma, Tyrone, and Layla were already checking one of the two places Kassandra figured they might find Xavier. Wanda and the children, despite being knocked around a bit, would remain safe as long as Lorna could hold her protective magnetic bubble around them. But Wanda did not like what was going on, and literally went to pieces before everyone’s eyes.

Mach fest, Kassandra thought, remaining powered up, bracing in anticipation of being tossed amid some pan-dimensional tempest. Layla Miller had anchored Kassandra to her reality, but still…

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY SISTER?” Pietro screamed.
Kassandra fought back a wave of faintness to see a thought in Dr. Strange’s timeline. His job was to simply try to gently persuade Wanda to restore reality. At any rate, he had found her and the children, safe and comfortable, playing together in the east tower. No matter. Pietro would hear no reason. And it was now time for Kassandra to enter the fight.

Kurt could hear a familiar voice screaming with disconcerting volume, “Non-lethal force, only! We can take them!” With so many people charging the palace, Kurt almost felt powerless to watch all their backs. It did not help that even “non-lethal” force from most of the guard could very easily kill. And when he teleported upon Revanche wielding her psi-blade with murder in her eyes- wasn’t she supposed to be dead? - he expected to soon share that fate. He teleported a short distance away to help out Cyclops, but not before catching a glimpse of a barely visible wraith, a vision of graceful ferocity in a skirt ripped up the side, jacket unbuttoned, pulling a dagger out of Revanche, spinning to clock Pyro with the pommel of a bloody sabre.

“I said non-lethal force… oh, nein! Barton!” Kassandra braced for yet another buffeting from Wanda’s powers. Such was the extremity of Wanda’s power and her illness that if things didn’t go exactly the way she liked, she would just change it. Without even trying. She regretted having killed Hawkeye in one reality, so she brought him back in this one. Of course, thanks to Layla Miller, he’d remember enough to follow Wanda here with vengeance on his mind. She didn’t like that, so she erased the arrow he’d put in her back, and then him.

Kassandra regained her bearings, then powered down to broadcast a thought to Emma, simple and short, as she usually kept her words and thoughts toward Emma minimal. “Alert the others. Watch out for Pietro!”

Of course, as he was responsible for talking Wanda into creating this mess, Pietro would remember. Magneto, newly awakened by Layla Miller, stormed onto the scene, furious with him. All Kassandra could see was him overreacting, and Wanda...

“WHAT RIGHT?!” thundered Magneto, sending chunks of the dismantled sentinel crashing down upon his son, eerily echoing something Kassandra remembered screaming out of desperation rather than fury to Saturnyne, or Wanda, or perhaps both. About as much right as Magneto had to do this, Kassandra fumed.

“Brother!” cried Wanda, descending from the tower to the carnage below, willing Pietro back to life.

Emma maintained an open line of telepathic communication with Dr. Strange, but also perceived a need to be alert for any thoughts or empathic broadcasts directed toward her from Kassandra. She was more than aware that Kassandra disliked her rather intensely, and if she could admit to having any feeling whatsoever toward her, it would have been disdain. Nonetheless, if Kassandra was willing to put that aside to set reality right, Emma could respect that, if not her.

“Hang tight. She might just do this.”
“Might?” Emma thought incredulously.
“Emma, you just try predicting what Wanda will do, with causality being only as stable as she is.”

Kassandra had a point. She could only see probable futures take shape. But Wanda could just as easily turn herself into a warthog as restore reality, thereby presenting too many possibilities for Kassandra to be able to anticipate anything with any certainty. But what was this? Wanda was now raving against the arrogance of her father, as if there were no hubris in assuming her way was best. Emma’s eyes widened in horror as an empathic shriek seared through her mind. “Oh, no…”

Time was up. Kassandra could see Meggan Braddock charging through Otherworld to face the chaos that threatened all existence. The cosmos would heal. Life would find its way until its natural conclusion, as God intended, barring no further interference… Was? WAS BILDEST DU DIR EIN, MAXIMOFF?!

No more mutants? Kassandra desperately threw up the largest temporal warp field she ever could, hoping to preserve the integrity of as many timelines as possible. Probability shifted. It would happen. Time snapped, and the recoil hurtled Kassandra into oblivion.

 

[angelique]

Chapter 16

Kurt retreated to his room to pack his bags for England, and found a message on his own answering machine. “Kurt, es ist Adimu,” said Dr. Altheim in a choked whisper. “I would have called the Institute directly because I think Henry should also know this, but with all that’s going on, I figured I would not get through. I heard from the Department of Mutant Corrections. Kassandra had been in some kind of fight, worse than usual. She’s in critical condition. Broken neck, skull fracture and massive head trauma, and they don’t know yet if she still has any of her powers.”

Kurt collapsed into his chair, head in hands. All morning he’d been comforting distraught youngsters who’d lost their powers, fielding calls from concerned parents, and now being rushed off to England with Kitty, Nocturne, Rachel, Psylocke, and Juggernaut, to help Brian Braddock deal with problems there. He couldn’t afford to spare a moment to figure out how he’d even woken up in Salem Center when he was in Zanzibar fighting the Weaponeers. And the weather was going crazy, like that scientist Dr. Pym suggested would happen with so many mutants, some of whom controlled elements and magnetism, suddenly losing their power. Snow in August? It wasn’t helping. What more could go wrong? Still, to say Dr. Altheim had been through a lot lately would have been a terrible understatement. And what was having to console one more stricken soul, especially if that was Kassandra’s mother? He quickly punched her number, trying not to think too hard about the potentially lethal implications of Kassandra losing her powers.

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Kassandra awoke, half expecting to feel Kurt’s arms around her, perhaps fangs gently worrying her earlobe, wondering where that splitting headache and the searing, allover pain came from. “Kurt?” she murmured, surprised at how much effort it took to produce that single cracked and slurred syllable.

“So you’re finally awake,” said a voice that, while not Kurt’s, was still comforting and familiar.

Dr. McCoy? Hank? Kassandra tried to open her still swollen eyes, only for her stomach to lurch in some combination of fear and reflex as piercing white light stabbed through her head. “Oh, mei,” she moaned.

“Easy. You’ve been unconscious for two days. In fact, they did not anticipate that you would survive, but you apparently still at least possess your healing factor.”

Still has the healing factor? Had she lost any of her powers? “What happened?”

“They said it was some explosion, in the old church in Hammer Bay. You were thrown against the wall, hard, sustaining a basilar skull fracture, as well as fractures to the craniocervical junction. A very good thing they knew I’d treated you before. They flew you in once they stabilized you, so I could have the privilege of trying to repair the damage to your spinal column. How are you feeling?”

“Hurt all over.”
“That’s a good indicator that the nerve damage is healing. You should make a full recovery, then.”

“So where am I?” said Kassandra.
“Allow me to handle that,” said a curt female voice. “I’m Doctor Valerie Cooper. The Office of National Emergency has taken over all mutant affairs now, and once your status is determined-”

“Status?”
“You still scan as an active mutant, but that may be because of the transplant you got from Wolverine. Whether or not you can still control time remains to be seen, and we can only decide what more to do with you when we find out. Meanwhile, you’ll be staying here.”

“Where?”
“You’re back at the Institute,” said Beast. “Meanwhile, is there anything we can do to make you more comfortable?”

What to do? Request that Emma or Rachel telepathically convince Kassandra her head didn’t throb with an ache that shot down her spine, tore through her limbs, and knotted her stomach? Shoot her full of drugs that wouldn’t do anything except make her feel worse when they’d wear off, all too quickly? Kassandra ran her tongue over her parched lips. She might not be able to keep it down, but it was worth a shot. “Water,” she whispered.

“Here, allow me,” said a gruff voice.
“Careful…”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

Kassandra felt delicious coolness upon her lips, washing down her throat. She wished she could sit upright to take more than one infinitesimal sip at a time. And while the pain did not abate, her mind began to clear. “Logan, can we talk? Alone?”

“Well, it depends on how you define alone, kid,” said Logan. “Can you open your eyes?”

Kassandra cracked one open cautiously, then the other, finding that the light, while still too bright for her liking, was a little more tolerable. She saw that Beast and Doctor Cooper had stepped back to check on some other patient. “What happened since the House of M?” she whispered, furtively.

“You remember all that?”

Kassandra would have nodded but for the halo brace that still immobilized her neck. “Yes, I do.”

“Oh, damn.”
“Last I saw was all of that reality’s timelines whipping around into some kind of loop. They found me at the church. It’s all… all… as if none of it…Kurt and I…” Kassandra fought back the tears.

“Never happened. You two don’t even smell like you’d…”
“Where is he, anyway?” sobbed Kassandra, tears finally spilling over. “Not that I’m not glad to see you, but…”

“Yeah, I know, kid. Your mom called him and he knows, but he was ordered to England to help out over there, and I’d say that’s kind of a good thing.” Logan leaned in to whisper. “There are sentinels posted all over the place, supposedly to protect us. But I have to get special government clearance to go to Africa and help out ‘Ro. Let me tell you, it’s little better than a prison here.”

“You don’t need to tell me. That’s precisely why I’m here,” said Kassandra. “And why Kurt must not come back, though I know he’s on his way anyway.”

“Ya do?”
“I don’t need to check his timeline to see that. He believes his place is with the X-Men, no matter what.”

“Well, yeah, there’s that,” said Logan, furrowing his brow, “but I was thinkin’ ‘bout you. He about lost his mind when your mom called. Kept his game face on as he headed off, but I could smell it. He wasn’t happy, and he’ll want to see ya first thing when he gets back. Something you should know, though, Little Elf. Most people don’t remember a thing about what happened. Kurt included.”

Kassandra blinked and swallowed hard, trying to digest the implications.

“But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel the same. I’m thinking of something Kitty said. You two wouldn’t have wound up together in Wanda’s magic play land if either of you didn’t want it.”

Kassandra wrinkled her nose. “But that would mean that you wanted to wind up with…”

“Yeah, kid,” said Logan, looking somewhat embarrassed. “A redhead. Now are we gonna call Kurt and let him know how you’re doing?”

 

[angelique]

Chapter 17

Well, if this was the Scarlet Witch’s idea of revenge, Kassandra supposed she might deserve it. She did, after all, commit treason against Lord Magnus, kill at least one subordinate, and like a total ingrate, seek to actively dismantle a reality in which she was actually happy.

“I’m not poking around that contused cerebrum of yours just because you’re entertaining regrets,” thought Emma Frost. “I’m hardly qualified to play confessor to you.”

“You know why Hank needs you here, so cut that out,” Kassandra thought.

She had a point. While Kassandra no longer wore the halo brace and was allowed up and about periodically, she was by no means completely recovered. Beast wanted Emma to confirm some details about her most recent MRI and CT scan. “The imaging indicates that the characteristic developments in her hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and suprachiasmatic nuclei have not been affected,” he said pushing his glasses up the bridge of his short, broad nose, “but then, I’ve never had a chance to observe how the possible depowering of an extratemporal could affect the brain. Any difference might not be apparent, judging from imaging alone. Also, I will need you to check for any lingering damage that the imaging might have missed.”

But Emma sensed a lot of other things in Kassandra’s mind. If she were inclined to even care, she’d almost worry about the anger that simmered against her, about battling, then joining the X-Men for reasons they both knew were purely Machiavellian. Getting involved with Scott while Jean was still alive and married to him. That’s right, Jean was a friend of the girl’s. Suggesting they euthenize Wanda Maximoff as if she were an old dog rather than a mutant who happened to be criminally insane. That seemed to touch an especially raw nerve. And now expelling all the depowered mutants from the Institute, no matter that some, like Jubilee, had no other place to go.

“Control your feelings, child. I need to focus.” Emma felt almost physically buffeted by the barrage of emotions and memories.

“Quit poking through those memories then,” thought Kassandra.

“I figured I might see if you have any memory of what that daughter of Magneto did. It might help us figure out what to do with her. Or are you afraid I’ll blackmail you with what I can see here?” Emma thought, with a smug mental smirk.

“I wouldn’t allow you the chance.”

“That’s assuming you still can-”
Emma suddenly gripped her head and reeled back as Kassandra’s eyelids fluttered.

“My stars and garters, what happened here?” said Beast.

“She cut me off! The little-” Emma smoothed her hair, in an attempt to regain her composure. “I don’t think there’s any need to fear she’s lost her powers.”

“However, you,” said Beast to Kassandra, “do not appear to be in any condition whatsoever to be using your powers regularly. The Office of National Emergency will have to wait until I give consent before they decide what more to do with you.”

“And that won’t be for a long time, I take it,” said Kassandra. Beast could be just as overprotective as Wolverine. He just tended to be much subtler about it.

“And,” she broadcast this thought to Emma, “I do remember. There’s no use using Cerebra to try to find Wanda. She depowered herself along with most everyone else.”

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Kassandra scooted the piano bench up to position. From the time she had awakened at the Institute, her days were marked by hours of examinations and therapy that left her exhausted, and her nights by pain, insomnia, and frequent requests for Emma, or when she returned, Rachel, to telepathically put her out. At least she had the pleasure of company that was, for the most part, friendly.

She may have bristled at the injustice of everyone at the Institute being under constant surveillance. She and perhaps Emma may have deserved it. But not anyone else. Still, this was more freedom than she’d enjoyed in a long time, and she relished it as she warmed up her fingers, even as her hands, still a bit out of condition, stumbled a bit on her scales.

Then, oh, what should she play? It had been a while, and she had witnessed and experienced so much. What would most effectively convey that?

The crescendo and decrescendo of the steady rainfall of chords was what drew Kurt into the parlor. Kassandra may not have been the only one at the Institute who could plunk out a few tunes on the piano, but this sounded like her. And even after he got back from England, he hadn’t seen anything like enough of her. Therapy, exhaustion, and telepathically induced sleeps on her end, and battling the death commandos trying to assassinate Rachel Grey on his hadn’t exactly afforded them the quality time he was hoping they’d get. Up until now.

His skin erupted in goose bumps, and tears came to his eyes as the melody washed over him. So haunting, wistfully yearning. So melancholy. The sadness Kassandra evoked in that piece matched what he discovered was his own.

Grief for those who’d lost their powers. Concern about how the government was handling the situation. Worry about Rachel. And some other ache in his heart that he couldn’t understand, but seemed to sharpen in Kassandra’s presence. A reminder perhaps of a cherished dream forgotten upon waking.

He slid next to her, settling his hand on her shoulder and his tail around her waist when the piece softly concluded. Pulling her close, feeling her slip her arms around him in return, giving and receiving comfort like this just felt right. Sure, before she was sentenced and imprisoned for the incident in Montana, she had asked him to not wait for her, to feel free to see other women. And under the watchful eyes of every sentinel stationed around the Institute, nobody there was free to do much of anything anyway. Convicted criminal or regular mutant, they were all effectively prisoners. None of that mattered now. She was here.

For a long time, nothing whatsoever was said as his lips, seemingly of their own accord, sought and eventually found hers. “Sehr schön,” he breathed, as he finally retreated.

“Gestimmt,” said Kassandra, smiling, blinking away her own tears. “I must admit I still enjoy your kisses.”

Kurt smiled. “I was also talking about the piece. I don’t remember hearing it before. What is it?”

“My own arrangement,” said Kassandra, all seriousness restored, “of Faure’s Aprés un Reve.”