It was not “early morning” any longer, but Rebecca felt like she had not stopped since she woke up. She got out of bed at dawn to prepare a lunch for Astrid, breakfast for the both of them in the form of fried eggs, sausage and toast, and give her handsome mirror husband a kiss that, even if left on glass, was a crucial part of starting her day.

From there, Rebecca had to, against Astrid’s wishes, reach out to veterinarians and shelters to ensure Bijou was not an escaped pet, (though given the malnourished state of the poor thing, this step was mostly a formality.) This led to bringing Bijou to the vet where she was given her vaccinations and she was chipped. Once the paperwork was filled out for Bijou Grey, (yet another addition to the Grey family,) supplies had to be purchased; litterbox, pet food and bowl, and some cat toys. The last one might have seemed unnecessary given Rebecca’s generally tight budget, but she rationalized by claiming that pet toys would make Bijou less likely to mess with the office furniture.

By the time she made it into the offices the X-Men operated out of, (after expertly sneaking a kitten into the hospital building and past security,) it was already getting to be close to noon. Rebecca was exhausted after a night where she got in so late followed by a morning where she had so much to do, and while making Astrid a neat little box lunch, the mother and team leader had given no thought to her own midday meal.

She was tired and hungry, but she could tough it out until she had to head to the bar for the night. Two nights, and two different bartenders had to call out, meaning she would be back behind the bar again, likely living off a dollar menu burger. ”Ugh,” she groaned helplessly to the empty office.

”Mew?” came the inquisitive chirp of Bijou, who was exploring the space behind the couch against the wall in the office. She was not alone, after all. For all the stress Rebecca had to deal with, seemingly on all fronts in her life, she had to take moments to appreciate the little things. Bijou might keep her company while she pulled her hair out trying to figure out how to operate a team of vigilantes on a dwindling, shoestring budget.

The paperwork was on her desk, but Rebecca held off, choosing instead to set up a spot in the corner of the office for Bijou’s food, water, and a little cushioned cat bed. The leader of the X-Men would not admit it, but she welcomed the distraction this morning.

Blegh. Late nights and early mornings were not a great combination, but apparently the city had decided that the pothole they'd left for six months really needed to be fixed. At eight in the morning. On a Saturday. Well, at least she'd finally managed to catch up on some paper work, emailed back a few clients and gotten up to date on her mission reports. Now Becca wouldn't have any reasons to lecture her, for a bit anyway. Spending the rest of her morning completing various little household tasks and practicing some music, time seemed to pass quickly. By the time she checked her clock, it was already after twelve and she was once again late for her shift at the base.

She'd had to rush over towards the hospital, nearly forgetting the freshly done reports on her way out and causing more than one angry comment on the streets. God, she really needed to get better at this, she thought after the umpteenth bus change, wouldn't it be great if she could go more than a week without Becca's disapproving glare? It wasn't her fault she had basically no free time, between missions and work. At the moment she only just managed to fit in instrument practice with Astrid, not that she would have missed that opportunity. All the grumpy looks in the world were worth it to get to spend time with her.

Upon nearing the hospital, she had the bright that maybe a bribe would smooth things over. Who could stay mad with the pretty girl bringing them coffee. If it didn't work well, hell, she'd still have coffee for herself. Maybe some doughnuts would help. Or cake. Yes cake would do the trick.

It only took a few minutes to get her bribe sorted, a quick walk and elevator ride saw her finally in their secret hidden base. This always made her feel like a secret agent, living some amazing double life. Of course it was mostly just 'holding the fort' or 'patrolling the community' as the others put it. It didn't stop Cait from playing the role. It worked wonders when she was looking for a little human interaction.

Well, this was it she thought. Now was the moment of truth, would her offer of coffee calm the head grump? Knocking on Becca's door she called through to her, "Hey Boss, it's Cait. Sorry I'm late but I've got my reports. Mind if I come in?" She was really hoping the boss was in a good mood. Cait still found her intimidating, even after so many years working together.

It was check-in time. Agnes made it a point to pop into the X-Men clubhouse at least once a day so that she could at least give off the illusion of being a team player. The truth was that she did appreciate them but only so far as they didn’t annoy her. Having to spend extended periods of time with them would quickly get on her nerves and she found their peppy attitudes to be obnoxious and for their leader to be…well…somewhat hopeless. Still, Agnes made a commitment to them and as much as they could annoy her, she was a loyal member.

Stepping into the hospital that the X-Men secretly rented out from, Agnes must had looked like quite the sight. Traveling through the hallways, the young woman was dressed in tight fitting jeans, combat boots that click through the smooth halls, and leather jacket with her hands dug into the pockets. Over her eyes she wore a pair of thick, black sunglasses that hide her eyes and loose hair bounced effortless over her shoulders with each step. Between her lips (the bottom looking like it had been recently split) she balanced a toothpick that she chewed on thoughtfully.

A first glance one could surmise that Agnes was, in fact, supposed to be quite beautiful, however there were some rough edges around the young woman that were hard to miss. There was a sheer lack of make-up, her skin didn’t look as supple and soft as one would think, and though her hands were hidden, they were calloused from her chosen activities. In all honesty, despite her beauty, the young woman looked more like some woman dressed up in cosplay from a Mad Max or some similar themed comic book. It was safe to say that she wasn’t someone to outwardly judge.

Moving through the hospital with ease, Agnes ignored any questioning glances that were tossed her way. Instead she continued to mindless chew on her toothpick before she found the elevator she needed, stepped in, and pushed the button. In silence she listened to the drowned out elevator muzak that echoed around the tiny room. Stepping off at the appropriate floor, Agnes left and decided to take the stairs the rest of the way up.

It wasn’t long before Agnes found herself on the appropriate floor, the “X-Men Headquarters”. Honestly there was a lot to be desired. The area wasn’t cheap to rent out and it wasn’t as if they were rolling in cash at the moment. Still, Agnes was used to roughing it when it was required of her (which technically had been her entire life) so this was no big deal for her. However, in order to try and continue to be a part of the team, she did what she could.

Walking to the one office she knew she would more than likely find their fearless leader in, Rebecca, Agnes walked directly for it, shoving the door open without a knock or a word of warning. She paused at what she found inside.

There was Rebecca sure enough, but she wasn’t alone. She was with another of her comrades, a youn woman by the name of Cait, another member of the X-Men who was brandishing coffee and what smelled like pastries. Agnes stood there, staring at the two of them for a moment before she silently continued in.

Agnes pulled her glasses off and it became painfully obviously why she was wearing them – one of her eyes was blackened. Normally such an image would fill a person’s head with the idea that domestic abuse was going on, but to those who knew Agnes, they knew that wasn’t the case. Removing her hands from her jacket pockets, they would appear as red and bruised, as if fresh from a fight. In one of her hands she clutched a white paper bag that was wrapped over and over what could be only be guessed was a stack of cash – a white paper bag that was dotted with drops of blood that wasn’t her own.

This was Agnes’ contribution to the team. She didn’t have a regular job, instead she gave what she could thanks to illegal cage fighting. Many times Rebecca tried to tell her to not do it but these days the redhead seemed to get the point that telling her this was not going to get her to stop.

Glancing between the two women – and apparently a cat that was more than like little Astrid’s contribution to the team – the bloodied woman sighed as she moved over to the desk and tossed the bag onto Rebecca’s desk. She shrugged and muttered only one thing: ”Rent.”

Another look between the two and Agnes turned to leave. However, she stopped once she reached Cait’s side and turned slowly to eye the extra coffee that she had in tow. After a second of silence, Agnes reached over and took one of the cups of coffee and proceeded to exit out of the room.

Rent on the offices could be worse. Before the X-Men located their operation out of the hospital, the upper levels of the building were being utilized mostly for storage. Most people gave them little thought, assuming they must be some small private business renting out space for themselves. A select few people at the hospital knew the truth, and those were thankfully the people who helped the team secure a preferential rent deal any business would salivate over.

Except the X-Men were not a business, or at least not one that generated revenue. The team had money once, but that became a reserve fund which became an emergency fund which was soon to become a memory of a fund. Rebecca’s employees would often joke that she must be doing alright for herself with what she had done to stabilize the Rock Bottom Pub, but they were unaware she was bringing that money back to keep her family stable and work towards team expenses. Rent, medical treatments (which, to be fair, they also received at a phenominal discount,) equipment, (at least all that was not “borrowed” government issue,) and office supplies.

There was a reason Rebecca would rather fill a cat bowl than look at the budget spreadsheets on her desk.

As she got up from Bijou’s new corner, her ears picked up the jostling of the doorknob to her office. Rebecca’s head jerked in the direction of the door since she had always been trained to assume the worst, but as over-enthusiastic as Cait could be, Rebecca could not call her the worst.

But really… it was too early in the… noon to have Cait around.

This mood was either picked up through Rebecca’s look or her aura or Cait might have even assumed it before entering, (clever girl she was,) because she started apologizing almost instantly. She was apologizing for being late and letting her Leader know she had her reports. Honestly, during the day, Rebecca was not overly concerned about her team’s punctuality; much of what they did during that time was review information gathered from missions and tips, as well as a large dose of police-scanner listening. If she was a hard-a** about Cait’s promptness, it was only to set a precedent so she showed up to actual missions on time.

The report was a nice touch though. Mission and patrol reports were where she could glean intel from half the time, so Cait was smart to lead with this. She was also providing herself as a proactive problem-solver by bringing in two coffees and a slice of devil’s food cake from a local bakery. Rebecca looked from the reports to the coffee to the cake, before her stern mismatched eyes focused on Cait, as she silently stared through her for a few long seconds.

She sighed, and a keen eye would catch that she almost cracked a smile, or at least a smirk. ”Congratulations, Shivs. You live.” Of course, she took the cake as payment for safe passage.

Rebecca was about to advise Cait about the new addition to the office, (feeling she might have a chance of toning down her reaction if she controlled the introduction,) but the door to her office burst open to reveal another member of the team.

Ah, Combatant. Her working relationship with Agnes was… well, combative at times. She was an asset to the team, and as much as she would deny it, she did make an effort to be the team member Impact needed her to be.

But dear. God. What. A. B****.

Most of their interactions were either quipped, snarked, or shouted, seemingly whether they were on the same side or not. Agnes respected her as a leader (she hoped,) but she loved nothing more than to get under Rebecca’s skin, and she was damn good at it.

Thankfully, Agnes was not there to chit-chat or verbally spar, as she entered the room and tossed a small bag of money on Rebecca’s desk. The split lip and black eye made it clear this cash was not earned selling lemonade. The Team Leader had, in the past, chastised Combatant for her habit of joining underground fighting rings. It was reckless. It was stupid. It was a great way to out herself to almost exclusively criminals.

But they rarely argued about it anymore, and that was mostly Rebecca’s fault. It was a particularly high-strung, alcohol-induced argument where she unintentionally came clean with the team’s financial situation. Rebecca did her best not to put that pressure on the team, because the responsibility fell on her to keep things running. She felt nothing would be gained from putting more stress on a team that had two women in their early twenties, a teenager, a surprisingly pleasant insect man, a spouse who lived in another physical realm, a loose cannon, and one Leader who was probably in over her head. Most of them were there because they wanted to make the world better, and that was all she wanted to ask of them.

Except now Agnes new better, and as much as Rebecca wanted to take a moral high ground, she was not in a position to turn down money the team desperately needed. So she would turn a blind eye to Agnes’s questionably legal activities and just appreciate the fighter being a team player in her own special way.

This special way did not include letting her teammates enjoy their coffee, as Agnes wordlessly grabbed one of the cups on her way out the door. Rolling her eyes, just before Agnes was out of earshot, she said, ”Always a pleasure, Agnes.”

With one less X-Woman in the room, Rebecca’s eyes turned back not to Cait, but to the last remaining coffee she was holding. She looked at the drink she so desperately needed, before looking back up at the cheerier redhead. ”That is a ‘thank you for all of your infinite patience, boss’ coffee, right?”

”Prrrri?”

Right! Rebecca had been so concerned with the state of her caffeine addiction, for a moment her memory lapsed and she forgot about Bijou. In that moment, the tabby cat had taken it upon herself to weave between Rebecca’s ankles so she could look up at the new presence in the room, chirping curiously.

Rebecca braced herself for what she could only assume would be all the energy and enthusiasm contained in Cait’s body.

As she entered with her shameless bribes in full view, she tried to keep eye contact with Becca, she really did. But she had a stare that could fell a cow, literally. She also looked tired, so Cait was fairly sure she was going to receive an ear blistering lecture. Preparing for the barrage of what were actually fair points, delivered with extra volume and swearing, she was genuinely surprised when it didn't. In fact she was a little bit worried about the boss. She was looking pretty fried right now, maybe things were worse than she knew?

Her serious musings were interrupted by the sudden appearance of one of the grumpier members of their little family. Looking a bit worse for wear, Cait was really worried about the state of the person Combatant had been fighting. She might be somewhat, abrasive to deal with, but there was no getting away from the fact she could kick butt. It was honestly pretty terrifying to watch. Fascinating as well, in a morbid, grim sort of way. She was so quickly in and out of the room, Cait barely had time to register why she here before she'd taken a coffee and walked out.

What had she meant by rent? Things were bad, if Becca was taking money from wherever Combatant was getting it. She'd heard the arguments between the two of them more than once. Christ half the city had heard the shouting last time they got into it. "Nice to see she was in a good mood today. I think that's the only time I've heard her speak this week."

Grinning broadly at her question, the scot offered the last coffee to the boss lady. Losing her own seemed a pretty small price to not have the office turned into a swearing match again. Moving to hand off the coffee and cakes, a small, perfect little noise stopped her in her tracks.

Looking up at her from between the ankles of one of the most intimidating people she knew, was a kitten. A little tabby kitten, staring at her with the cutest eyes possible.

"Erm, boss? Did we, did we get a cat?" Her voice had already risen an octave, the little ball of fluffiness still watching her and making adorable noises. The day had just gone from bad to brilliant in her mind, who could honestly feel bad with a kitty in the room. Well, maybe Combatant could, she conceded. But she, she didn't care about that now, or the fact she firmly sat in front of her bosses desk trying to tempt out the new X kitty for cuddles.

"When? How? Oh my god whats it's name? Why is it here? Can we keep it?" The questions quickly got unintelligible and descended into quiet, happy squealing. She might be out of her mind with cuteness, but she tried not to scare the kitten with her screams.

Rebecca was not a huge fan of Cait being around while Agnes came by to drop off money for rent. Beyond telling the team to be good to equipment and avoid being wasteful, she kept conversations about financials quiet. Jesse was aware of their tight budget because Rebecca saw her spouse as her confidante. It was another one of the many reasons she loved her shapeshifting lover, regardless of what plain of existence they had to live on.

If Cait picked up on the interaction, she kept it to herself for now, which Rebecca could get on board with. Her fellow redhead instead made a cheeky comment about Agnes, which was another way to get on her good side in addition to the coffee and cake she offered as tribute. ”I don’t know,” she mused, mostly to herself, ”I’m just fine with Combatant choosing to stay soft-spoken.” She did appreciate the quiet, after all, especially when it came to her most challenging member.

Speaking of quiet, that was exactly what Rebecca’s morning would not be. As predicted, Bijou made herself known to Cait, and as predicted, the younger X-Woman’s excitement was barely contained. At first, it sounded like she was almost in thrilled disbelief, wondering if maybe she was dreaming. Soon enough, Cait was sitting on the ground trying to coax her new cat friend in her direction.

Once she overcame her initial shock at the introduction of a new pet, Cait’s voice raised in octave with each rapid-fire question until she was just a high-pitched sound of joy that could likely be heard two floors down.

”Ow,” Rebecca replied flatly, but one she was done cringing through the cat-siren, she smiled. Cait could be… much. A lot. Extra. But despite all those things, she was a good kid, and Rebecca could empathize with her innate love of kittens. Rolling her eyes, Rebecca got to her knees to lightly nudge the tabby over in Cait’s direction. ”In order: last evening, I can’t say no to my daughter, her name is Bijou, our apartment does not allow cats, and yes,” she finished with a smirk, ”We will be keeping her.”

Having taken care of obligatory introductions, Rebecca took a sip of the coffee her teammate had given to her. The moment it hit her tongue, she could feel her body relaxing. No cream, at least two sugars, and hazelnut. Like she said, Cait was a good kid. With her first swallow, she could already feel the warmth moving through her body, and with it, the promise of a second wind in the near future. ”Bear in mind, Shivs, if I find out you’re ignoring the police scanners to play with Bijou, you will be banned from playing with the team kitty for at least six months.” Sure, she had no clue how she would enforce a rule like that, but if she knew Cait well enough, the idea of having a kitten so close, yet out of her reach, would be the truest form of punishment. She would not risk such a thing.

Nothing in the world mattered right now. Not even the stern gaze of Impact could dampen her enthusiasm. There was a kitty in their base and they were keeping her. Cait was going to hug Astrid so much the next time she saw her. What ever black magic she'd used to get her mom to say yes to keeping a cat was something she desperately needed to learn. That however, was the furthest thing from her mind as she played with the gorgeous little ball of fluff. "She's soooo cute! Where did you find her?" She looked a little ragged and under fed. Cait had a feeling she was another stray Becca had picked up. Also another girl, apparently. They should really change their name at some point, the X 'Men' rang a little hollow now.

The kitten, after a few tentative sniffs, was happily playing with with her, batting at her fingers whenever she wiggled them. So engrossed in the utter bliss of the moment, she nearly missed what Becca had said next. Nearly. "No, no you can't. Thats just cruel boss." What kind of monster did she work for? Who could possible show someone a kitty, let them play with it and then threaten to take that away? Maybe this was all a plot to get her to be more responsible. Well it wouldn't work. Not at all.

Any lingering thoughts of resistance crumbled when Bijou started nibbling on her hand. "I promise, I will never risk that boss. I will take every shift possible if it means more time with Bijou." She didn't think there was going to be any problem getting here on time now. Chances are she would arrive early as often as possible now. 

Grumbling as her new favourite team member wandered off for food, she reckoned it was probably time to get to her shift, as late as it was. Slowly standing and stretching her aching muscles, she turned to the woman behind the desk. With the cuteness wearing off, she remember her previous thought process. Money was tight, or more so than usual. Cait had a fair idea that things had been getting worse for a while. With Mirage currently, absent, income for the team was low. That and Becca had been looking increasingly stressed lately. She'd been having issues at the bar as well, if she was guessing right.

"Look, boss, if things are bad you can talk to us you know? We can help, push comes to shove." Yeah, she was probably going to get a curt response, but Becca needed to hear it. They did depend on her, she was the reason they were able to help as many as they did but she needed to lean on them as well. They were a family, no matter what others might think. "I've got some money saved and if need be, I can take more jobs, get some more money coming in." Punctuating the statement with some eye contact, she knew it was best to finish there. A gentle push was the best start. That and anymore and Cait would probably melt under her gaze.

"That aside, I should head off to the scanners, which ever poor sod's covering my shift deserves a reward." She was going to hug them so much. And get them cake when she was free to make a run. "Is there anything else you need?" 

Cait falling instantly in love with the cat was not a surprise; in fact, after knowing the girl as long as she had, any other reaction would have been more unexpected. Cait’s sunny disposition and loving nature could be over the top and, frankly, exhausting, but it was hard to say she was not a good person. There was still reason to worry that the young woman was too naïve and kind-hearted to do what might need to be done, but Rebecca gave into Cait’s pleas to join the team because she was able to convince the leader she was joining for the right reasons. She was not the typical selfish young woman looking out for herself or her glory; she knew she had a power and she could do good. A woman like that would love and dote on a stray kitten.

Maybe beyond the cheerful attitude and innocence, she could see a little bit of herself in Cait. Not that she would ever say something like that. As far as she would admit, the X-Men were desperate for members who could shore up the numbers and keep things running.

Rebecca sat her butt on the edge of her desk, breathing in the scent of her coffee, not wanting to rush the experience. ”Astrid found her, and since our apartment has a strict no-pet policy, this is where Bijou will be staying. And for the record, I can,” she added, addressing the idea that she would not ban Cait from seeing Bijou. ”Don’t doubt my capacity for cruelty, Shivs.” Maybe it was an empty threat, but the key to selling it was commitment, and she got Cait to promise not to shirk her duties in the pursuit of kitty playtime.

Putting her coffee down so she could pick up the small paper plate with her chocolate cake and an accompanying plastic fork, Rebecca stopped just short of taking her first bite at Cait’s next comment. She watched the younger redhead, stone-faced as Cait pointed out that she did not have to keep secrets from the team. Being a sunbeam of a person did not make her dumb, and she was clearly able to pick up on the clues that their financial situation might be less than stable.

It hurt something in Rebecca to hear one of the younger members of her team suggesting that she could help with the team expenses. Maybe it was her pride, or maybe Rebecca hated the idea that she could not handle taking care of her team of misfits, runaways, and strays. She struggled to give herself a break; the team had never been forced into the corner she found herself in, and that was not entirely on her. There was strength in accepting help, some people said.

Sadly, it was not a strength Rebecca possessed. Maybe she would find it along the way, but she wanted to do all she could until there was no option but to ask for the help of her team. Placing her plate down on the table, she got back to her feet and walked closer to her teammate. ”Cait,” she started, choosing for the first time all morning to forgo codenames. She placed her hands on the girl’s shoulders and looked straight into her eyes, her face still serious. ”Things are tight, but they’ve always been tight. I’m going to figure out what has to be done, but unless it is totally necessary, I don’t want this to be something the rest of you have to worry about.” It was not the right choice to close the door on the idea forever; one day, maybe she would need to ask everyone to help where they could. Until then, Rebecca would find a way to turn a penny into a dime.

Still, her face softened, and in the end, she gave Cait’s shoulder an affirming squeeze. ”You’re a good kid, and you’re not a half-bad X. Just do me a favor and keep this to yourself.” Shivs needed to learn when it was time to be serious, but she was good at accepting responsibility, and put herself on the line for others. She was worth the occasional headaches.

”That’ll be all. Get your butt to the scanners,” she answered, releasing the girl from her grip and turning back to her cake, making sure Cait did not see her smirk. She was more of a softie than people gave her credit for, but that did not mean she wanted that news getting out.

OK, maybe Becca was cruel, and smart enough to deny her kitty access. If anyone could find a way to keep her so close, yet so far from such cuteness it was the boss. That look from her was enough to firmly convince Cait that any slacking, any small infringement would be used against her. Yes, she might have 'attention problems' and yes she had, issues, with being prompt for base duty but she always came through in the end. Eventually. Most of the time. All of that was B.K. Before kitty. Now she was sure she would have no trouble dealing with the more mundane aspects of base work when there was a fluffy reward available.



She was sure of one thing right now, maybe she had said too much. Becca was a lot of things, mom, leader, bartender, but flexible had never been on the list to Cait had in her head. Half expecting the big scary boss to melt her on the spot for her prodding, she nearly freaked out when Becca walked up to her. The serious expression and use of her first name did not but her mind at ease, at least at first.

When her stone faced boss started talking, using her name rather than codename, she was able to relax a little. This wasn't a lecture, Becca just wanted to put her mind at ease. It did, at least a little and she hadn't said absolutely no. If things did get bad, she was glad she had put the offer on the table, made something unspoken slightly less scary, a bit more real.

Having her usually stoic role model praise her, and offer her a level of trust like this meant a lot to Cait, even if it hadn't exactly been by choice. The only reason any of them could do what they did was through Becca's work and she meant more to them than just being their boss. They were a family. A very strange and slightly disjointed family but a family all the same. "Don't worry, I know you probably don't want me knowing either, but I'll keep it a secret." She wasn't about to risk some of the trust she'd been afforded. Or kitty access, that was too precious to throw away as well.

Finally being dismissed, she nodded to her boss and headed out, giving Bijou one last longing look. Best not linger though, she thought, her good will could run out quick if she already proved to be unreliable. She hopied it was someone more, huggable, on the scanners right now. She needed one right now.

Candystripers weren't a thing anymore. Now hospitals just called them what they were: volunteers, and Raine was a serial volunteer. There were so many ways to help and so much help was needed. It had looked good on her college application and would look equally good on her job resume.

Her least favorite was working behind the counter in the cafeteria. Food was already gross to deal with when it wasn't yours, but bulk food was hands down the worst. And today was no different.

"There are some lovely pre-packaged salads.~" She tried to entice hospital patrons to buy them whenever she could. The fact that they were healthy and all that, only helped her avoid scooping out mashed potatoes in an ice cream scoop.

After her volunteer session, Raine grabbed herself a complimentary volunteer's lunch; and, since she was so totally on top of things, she grabbed a couple spares that were close to expiring and took them with her to the elevator.

Raine volunteering at this hospital was no accident. This was where the X-men were hiding out.

Ding! All alone by the time the elevator got to the top floor, Raine bounced past boxes and office storage to the most humble and unassuming metal door. She didn't bother knocking (maybe she should have) and she didn't bother stopping (she definitely should have).

"It's a lovely afternoon~!"

Something furry darted between her feet and tried to murder her by tripping her up on its way out the door.

Rebecca’s explanation eased Cait’s concerns enough that she dropped the topic. She took the request to heart, so hopefully no one else would come to Rebecca’s office that day asking if they were financially in trouble. She watched as the chipper redhead gave her a nod and left the office to get to her shift listening to police scanners and answering phones.

Finally left alone with her peace of mind and a silent office, (minus the occasional little “mew” from Bijou,) Rebecca returned to her desk and took another sip of her coffee, wanting to get as much enjoyment out of it before it started to cool off. With her body sufficiently warmed up and the energy promised by caffeine finally starting to hit her, she turned to the piece of cake resting on her plate. It was beautiful, with only one moist morsel torn from it, still resting on her fork. That cake would not be long for this world.

Rebecca picked up the fork and was once more within inches of eating her first bite of food all morning when her door opened again. The tone and enthusiasm were similar to what just left her office, but the voice was distinctly different. Raine Faust was reporting in, fresh off her volunteer work at the hospital on the lower levels.

And as quickly as the perky young blonde made her appearance, Bijou made her grand exit, slipping through Raine’s legs. Maybe Rebecca should have been more aware of where the cat in her office was, but she had no clue she was receiving another visitor, and honestly, why was the universe so opposed to letting her have a private, intimate moment with her cake?

Rebecca could only sigh. It was not the worst thing in the world; their floor required special access, so Bijou was not going to sneak her way down to the hospital. Honestly, the idea of just letting Bijou wander the floor was appealing; she might appreciate the space and subsequent ability to seek out attention. Still, her cat was new to the offices, so she wanted to get her used to the office as her main “home,” so letting her wander already was not the goal.

Flatly, she replied to the gravity-bender, ”Hello, Zero.” Glancing at the packaged lunches the young woman brought up from the hospital cafeteria, she felt her stomach growl. Food was food, even if it was subpar hospital food. ”I hope one of those are mine, and I hope you are in the mood to look for an energetic young kitten.” Maybe Rebecca could get away with snacking on a salad while they prowled the halls.

Ugh, prowl. This precious kitten was going to turn her into one of those moms who uses puns constantly. She was becoming old and lame in real time.

"Ohmigosh a kitty?" Her voice, while excited, did not go thermonuclear rainbow glitter like Cait's had. A Kitten? Of course it had almost killed her! What other way was there to show proper affection for a feline?

Raine, known within these halls as the X-man Zero, tossed a last-ditch effort gravity tether after the little zip of fur, but she only caught boxes which fell toward her as soon as she tapped herself to set herself as "down" for whatever she'd caught. Disappointing, but not unexpected. The kitten was already long gone. Zero dropped the gravity on the boxes and danced on her toes over the last slide of momentum the boxes had as they came to a stop.

Impact sounded about par for the exhausted course. Zero set the few sack lunches down on the table in front of their leader and took a few peppy steps back toward the door.
"Oh, yes! I'll get it! You sit and eat and I will go rescue the the kitty!"

She did hesitate at the doorway glancing between the hallway and the seating area. Time was of the essence, but then again so was lunch. She shouted back as she tapped one end of a tether to herself. "I thought I'd bring some lunches up for whoever was passing through so feel free to pass 'em out, okay?" She tossed the other end of her tether to the ceiling and the effect was immediate as soon as both ends were placed. She had to turn quick in order to catch herself in a crouch on the normal height ceiling. More space would have been ideal, but they so rarely got to work with ideal situations. "Just save me one!"

She waved one arm down through the doorway and took off running across the ceiling.

If she were a kitty, where would she go?

Geo hesitantly tread down the sidewalk up to the entrance of the hospital. For a moment he hesitated by a small tree, enclosed into the ground by the cement to where only a minuscule circle of soil that nourished it. Basking in the feeling of the dirt as he took the last drag of a cigarette. He hated this part. It made his feel funny ever time. The elemental didn't do well with heights. It wasn't your run of the mill acrophobia. His physiology craved a connection with the ground and working way up in the upper floors of a building...well it wasn't comfortable. At least at first. He had to get crafty. It was amazing how some sand in the shoes and pockets could take the edge off. Of course then there was trying to convince Becca to let him bring some sand up into the would be office he had turned into a room. Not to mention the task of moving hundreds of pounds of the earthen material through a hospital. Thank god for totes.

Shaking off a bit of sand that had collected on the sleeve of his gray two piece suit Geo made his way into the entrance. The heels of his loafers clicked against the tiled floor as he followed the familiar path to the main elevators. While he waited for a chance to grab an elevator all his own the man adjusted a heavy messenger bag that was slung over his shoulder. As a rather attractive nurse walked past Geo ran a hand up his green and gold tie to adjust the knot. He had seen the lovely blond nurse several time before but so far she had avoided his advances. Holding out a hand to catch her attention with a grin on his face.

"Excuse me, miss?"

"Not in your dreams."

"Pleasure talkin' with ya." Geo grimaced slightly in the direction of a small boy who seemed to have watched the exchange while waiting for the elevator. Win some you lose some. His job in the school systems had gotten him plenty of face time with beautiful teacher, librarians and the sort. But he could never help himself around the nurses. Something about a woman working in medicine brought a special appeal to the elemental. The ding of an elevator opening brought him to the present with a start as he strode forward into a vacant elevator and pressed the button to close the door. As the mechanical doors slid shut Geo moved to the back of the elevator and closed his eyes, heaving a large sigh as the metal box lurched into it's ascent.

As he started gaining floors he felt a lurch in his stomach. He could feel the ground below him as it fell from his range and he was left, suspended above what felt like nothingness to him. Geo was never a fan of having his feet off of the ground. It was a security blanket of sorts. Nausea began to set in for a moment before he felt a beacon of hope above him. The large body of sand that he had amassed in his room. It had taken a lot to get to the point he was comfortable in the upper floors of the hospital. Probably about three times more than Becca was comfortable with anyways. As the elevator came to a stop Geo stumbled out of the box hastily into the small opening at the entrance. Several boxes and unused furniture from the hospital sat right outside the entrance, a healthy layer of dust greeted his senses. A touch he had added to deter anyone who might stumble onto their floor.

He saw Raine run across the ceiling ahead of him, seemingly searching for something. The elemental opened his mouth to speak when he felt a shift in the sand over in his room. Curious, Geo followed in the direction Zero had gone though stopped short as he came to the door that led to his makeshift room. He apparently had left the door slightly ajar, a small dusting of sand led from the room. Reaching out a hand Geo pushed open the door to reveal the horror of a small tabby kitten squatting onto a pile of dirt in the corner of his quarters. His sand filled sky high sanctuary had suddenly been turned into a litter box.

"When did we get a cat?!" Geo called out into the open halls before moving forward to lift the kitten into his arms as it scratched away at the sand. Pleasant little demon spawn it was. Looking down at the creature in his arms Geo walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. A soft mew from the ball of furry terror melted the elemental's stone heart.

"You're lucky you're wicked cute kid." He spoke softly before lifting his head to see where the kittens pursuer had gotten to. Seeing the door to the bosses office open he strode into the doorway, cradling the kitten.

"We have a litter box other than my room right?"

Before Raine had a full grasp on the situation she had just walked into, she had to rejoice in knowing there was a kitten in the X-Men base. Her reaction was more reserved than her friend’s, but not by much. Raine and Cait could often be two sides of the same overenthusiastic coin, hellbent on balancing out Combatant’s grumpy presence.

Rebecca watched as Raine tried to use her power to catch Bijou, but the sound of boxes toppling suggested she missed her mark. Another sigh; the boxes were nothing important, but it was just another element of chaos in her life.

Lunches were dropped on Rebecca’s desk, which was admittedly a little blessing. Cafeteria food was nothing special, but Raine usually grabbed some edible options when she could sneak some bags up. As much as the cake was still calling to her, having real food first would make the cake more delicious. She needed some nutrition, after all. ”There’ll be something for you when you get back, Raine,” she replied, looking through the bags for a lunch to call her own as the young blonde left her office walking on the ceiling. It was amazing the things that became normal when you spent enough time in an office of mutants.

Looking through her options, there was a salad packaged in plastic, and a chicken salad on a croissant that sounded like it would hit the spot while still being relatively healthy. The voice in her head that wanted her to make good decisions guided her hand to that bag, but the voice reminding her of the morning she was having moved the hand past the sandwich and to the bag with a bacon cheeseburger and fries.

It was going to be an incredibly lackluster burger; the meat would be a little too dry, the bun might be kind of stale, and the bacon would not be crispy. Even knowing all those things, she was craving a hot meal that involved the sacrifice of at least two different kinds of animal. Also, the fries in the cafeteria were surprisingly good.

Rebecca was tearing a ketchup packet and pouring it over her fries when she heard the voice of one of the few “men” in her X-Men calling out from down the hall. ”Huh, guess Geo found Bijou,” she muttered to herself, taking a bite of her burger and savoring its subpar flavor. ”Makes sense, I suppose,” she continued to muse to the empty room with her mouth still full. She grabbed a fry and popped it in her mouth. ”His room is filled with…”

…Oh.

Rebecca was already getting up from her seat, oblivious to the smear of ketchup on the corner of her lip, when Geo entered brazenly into her office carrying their new pet. His comment confirmed what Rebecca assumed, given the kitten’s unfamiliarity with the new space and where she could and could not relieve herself.

Walking over to take the kitten from Geo into her own arms, she groaned and apologized, ”I actually feel bad about that. It’s been a morning, and yes, we have a new cat, and honestly Geo, you should not be leaving your room open anyway, and—” and somehow Rebecca had transitioned from apologizing to chastising. It was like scolding was her default action. ”Anyway, very sorry for any… mess. Just, as a heads up… maybe leave your door closed when you head out.” Teaching Tristen to deal with the cat was going to be easier than teaching the cat not to piss on sand.

She considered running off to let Raine know the kitten was found, but the young woman would return soon enough. Honestly… Rebecca just wanted to eat. She cradled Bijou in her arm, scratching her stomach with her free hand. The kitten pawed at her fingers harmlessly; it was hard to be frustrated when there was a cat to play with.

Rebecca looked back to Tristen and remembered what Raine had said about the presents of food. ”Are you hungry, Geo?” Ugh, she was even starting to sound like a mother when she said something like that. ”We have some bagged treats from the cafeteria, courtesy of our resident blonde candystriper.”

Zero dashed through the halls and through an open doorway. She slid baseball base-stealing style across an exposed beam and then hopped over a lintel and into an adjoining conference room in hot pursuit of a fast moving fluff ball.

Boxes, filing cabinets, and the ghosts of old retired medical equipment covered in sheets filled the space and gave the little bugger plenty of little cat-sized spaces to squeeze through. Raine didn't dare throw a tether at him with all the large objects that could smoosh her, or the cat, or the other objects. They were just renting, after all.

"Fine." She grumped and stomped a foot on the ceiling, putting one ballet flat through a ceiling tile and into the insulation. "Ugh. I didn't want to catch you anyway." It was classic cat negotiation. They were only interested if the person around them was not.

> "When did we get a cat?!"

How did he know? Zero caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye and continued to extricate her foot from the fiberglass. Uggggh. It wasn't asbestos, was it? That wasn't allowed in hospitals anymore, right?

Geo and Impact were chatting away. The most Zero could hear from them was the cadence of their conversation. That was fine. She was on an important mission from Impact. She would never quit until the job was done.

"I guess I'll just leave..." She readied a tether in her hand as she set herself in a crouch on the metal bars that held the weight of the ceiling tiles. She was silent and still, waiting until she saw movement again.

THERE! It looked as if the kitty was sniffing around under one of the sheets on a big piece of equipment. Naww. It was so tiny! As soon as she saw a nose, she pegged it with the other end of the tether and then tapped the ceiling... and screamed bloody murder as a big gray rat flew screeching toward the ceiling.

Zero shrieked as she streaked back through the conference room door.