Times may change and so do we. ~open~

[Kitty Pryde]

Kitty entered the rec room looking around at the empty space. Time had seemed to be standing still for the teen and at moments she felt all alone in the school. She had been distancing herself from everyone once again and it had caused a rift to build between those around her and herself. Spending time either away or just locked away in her room had proven to be her norm and it seemed like most had their own agendas to begin with. She felt like she would not be missed anyway and for her to emerge finally was a bit of a surprise.

Clothed in jeans and a tshirt she made her way to the sofa, a dazed look on her face. Little was known about what she had been doing recently and she tended to want to keep it that way. The lack of social interaction had helped her in that aspect. Being away from the rest had given her a time to think and reflect on what had been going on in her life. Truth be told she had just arrived back at the mansion two days before and no one had seemed to notice her disappearance or her return. Her room had been the same as she had left it and everyone had seemed to be gone or busy when she had walked through the door.

Leaning back against the sofa and resting her head she reflected back on the day she had once again entered the school and found that no one had paid any attention. It was like she was invisible and she even had to look down to check and make sure some other power hadn't manifested that she was unaware of. It had been the same when she had been gone. She walked the streets without getting a look from anyone. She was anonymous then and she was once again now.

Heaving a sigh she relaxed into the place she currently laid, her mind never coming off of staying solid. She seemed to still have to concentrate to just stay in one place. If her mind wandered then she phased without wanting to. This was becoming more and more of a problem recently. She had thought with the change of scenery it may get better, but even that had proved her wrong.

[Bobby Drake]

Walking through the rec room on his way from the kitchen to the stairs, Bob initially fails to notice Kitty laying out on the couch… he just waves vaguely to whoever-it-is with his sandwich on his way back to his room. He’s been spending a lot of time there since Ororo let him out of the medbay… he’s got lots of work to catch up on, and it’s someplace he can keep warm enough to be comfortable, and the truth is he still feels a little weird walking around the Institute now that he’s not a mutant anymore… not that anyone gives him any grief about it, he just doesn’t quite feel right.

But he does a double-take as he walks out, turning around as he recognizes her. "Kitty?" He grins broadly and runs to the couch, giving her a hug while careful not to smoosh his sandwich against anything, and winces a little at the twinge in his shoulder. "Man, it’s good to see you. When did you get back? I haven’t seen you around since, geez, since that business in D.C., right? Where’ve you been, anyway? I thought I was the only one taking the semester off…"

It occurs to Bob that Kitty’s probably unaware of all the excitement she missed – the craziness around Halloween, his kidnapping, John’s return to the Institute, the second Alcatraz invasion, all of that. Well, she can get the debrief from somebody else… it’ll actually be kinda nice to talk to someone from the “old days” without all of that coming up.

"It’s good to see you," he repeats, a little inanely, and waves his sandwich vaguely in her direction. "Want a bite?"

[Kitty Pryde]

Kitty waved off the sandwitch as Bobby offered it to her, a smile on her face. It had been a long time since she had been actually seen by someone she knew and the hug she got with the recognization made her feel a bit better. Seeing Bobby and him acting as if she hadn't been gone for months was as good a reason as any to cheer up.

When he finally stopped speaking she sigh a bit still smiling. "Its good to see you as well. Sorry its been so long since i was here. I'm sure all kinds of things happened around this place without me. I had some things I needed to take care of and some time alone seemed like a good idea." She said vaguely. She knew that if he pushed her to tell him what had been actually happening she would. he was one of her oldest and best friends and it was hard keeping everything from him to begin with.

So much had changed since she had left, though the one major thing that she had wanted to change hadn't. She still struggled with her phasing, along with a slight new problem she was beginning to develop. "So tell me what has been going on with you. You said you took the semester off as well, did you go anywhere?" She was good at deflecting back on the other person, she had to be to keep her own secrets.

[Bobby Drake]

> " I had some things I needed to take care of and some time alone seemed like a good idea "

"Yeah, I can relate. So… did you? Get them taken care of, I mean."

> " So tell me what has been going on with you. You said you took the semester off as well, did you go anywhere?"

"Nah." Well, there was the overnight trip to Brotherhood HQ, but getting into that can wait. " Stuck around here. "

" Been some new students around lately… Laurie, um, I think her last name is Collins. You and she’d get along, I think. And a kid named Toby; haven’t met him yet. And, um… " he ducks his head involuntarily before continuing, " John’s back. Left the Brotherhood. "

He’s aware he’s dodging the question about what’s been going on, and feels a little bad about it, but on the other hand he’s completely unpsyched about explaining all of it, even in “previously on ‘Mutant High’” mode, so he’s willing to let it go at that.

[Kitty Pryde]

Kitty nodded a bit as he asked if she got things done that she had wanted to accomplish. "Yeah I got a few of them taken care of. Still a bit that needs to be done but that can wait." She had almost slipped on what she didn't want to say. it was a risk she knew she was going to take to begin with, but the hiding was getting a bit annoying.

At the mention of John returning Kitty perked up a bit more. It had been to long since she had seen him, and in the back of her mind she would admit that in a way she had missed having him around, though it could complicate things. Though she didn't need the complication she now looked forward to seeing John as well and having a few of them get together like the old days. "And how exactly did John end up coming back here? I bet there are a few that are glad to see him and others that are not." She was of course talking about the small group of them that had all hung out together pre-loss of John. There hadn't been many of them, but Kitty still thought back to the day she had spent drinking with him in the danger room right around Christmas.

[Bobby Drake]

> " Yeah I got a few of them taken care of. Still a bit that needs to be done but that can wait."

Bob laughs… apparently he’s not the only one dodging questions tonight. " Well, good for you. I bet ‘ro will be happy to see you back; the X-Men are fighting under-staffed for a while. "

> " And how exactly did John end up coming back here? I bet there are a few that are glad to see him and others that are not. "

And from the way she perked up at the mention of his name, she’d be one of the “glad to see him” set. Well, that’s good, he insists to himself, despite the skeptical twinge that suggests otherwise. For crying out loud, Drake, grow up. Not everything is about you. "How, exactly? Um… a little bloody but mostly unbowed, I guess you could say. Frankly, it’s a long story and I don’t feel like getting into the details, but the ultra-short version is that I got myself kidnapped by the Brotherhood and John helped Josh and Toni and Warren bust me out. Really there wasn’t anywhere else for him to go."

He finishes his sandwich and adds, trying hard to keep the wounded bitterness out of his voice, "Actually, I think he and Marie – I mean, Rogue – have kinda hooked up, now. Which might have had something to do with it, too."

[Kitty Pryde]

Kitty was a bit in shock from the statement that John and Marie were an item. Even back when they were all together at the school she always had the impression she only tolerated him because he was Bobby's friend. "Well thats a bit of a surprise. I wouldn't think that they would end up together. Are you alright?" She said leaning toward him and placing her hand on his shoulder. She was sure it had to hit a nerve seeing Marie and John now.

Thinking for a moment and leaving her hand on his shoulder a thought popped into her head. A thin smile formed on her lips and a deviant look came to her eye. "Lets go do something just the two of us. Just something fun for old times sake."

[Bobby Drake]

> " Well thats a bit of a surprise. I wouldn't think that they would end up together. Are you alright? "

Bob tries for an indifferent snort, which mostly comes out sounding like a stifled hiccup. "Yeah, it sorta surprised me, too. Hell, maybe I’m just reading too much into it. Anyway, he’s back." He shrugs. "And, well… no, actually, I’m not all right. And I appreciate the concern – seriously – but I really don’t want to get into the gory details, if that’s OK? A lot of things have changed since you’ve been gone."

> " Lets go do something just the two of us. Just something fun for old times sake "

This time Bob does snort. "Ah, screw old times. They’re over-rated… let’s have fun for new times’ sake, shall we? What have you got in mind?" There’s about seventeen other things he ought to be doing right now; he’d just ducked down here for a sandwich. But how often does a vanished student return like this, after all? (Well, this week there’s a fire sale on them, granted. But in general it’s a big deal, right?)

[Kitty Pryde]

A smile formed on Kitty's face at his response. It was true that old times were a bit over rated, but she was more concerned in just spending time with a friend. There had been to much time that had passed since they had been together and just hung out. She wasn't even concerned with probing him about what had gone on when she had been MIA for a bit.

"No definite plan, but anything is better than just sitting here. We use to be the active ones around here. Lets just get out of here and do something fun for a change." Kitty said standing and taking his hand. The contact between them felt good actually. It had been so long since she had be able to just touch someone who was familiar. "What do you have in mind? Anything you want to do more than anything else." He had seemed like he felt similar to how she did and getting their minds away from what bothered them seemed to be the best idea she could come up with.

[Bobby Drake]

> " We used to be the active ones around here. Let’s just get out of here and do something fun for a change. "

Of course, most of the fun stuff they used to do was actually instigated by John and Marie, who tended to drag Bobby away from his textbooks and along for the ride. Which, given current events, leaves Bob wondering uncomfortably just what exactly was really going on, but none of that seems worth thinking about, let alone mentioning, under the circumstances.

And he is kinda busy, what with catching up on pre-reqs for next semester and all the target practice and, well, everything, but on the other hand he has to take a break sometime, right? Besides, he has time… it’s not like their enemies are going to come crashing through the door any day now, or anything like that.

> "What do you have in mind? Anything you want to do more than anything else."

That makes him laugh, and he resists the urge to list all the things he wants to do right now and can’t. The truth is, a lot of them seem far more appealing now that he can’t do them than they seemed at the time… which is dumb, but there it is. And he can’t really think of anything, which leads to an awkward pause that seems to stretch on forever.

Finally he shrugs and plumps himself down on the couch. "Honestly? Right this moment I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than catch up with an old friend. How about you tell me all about where you’ve been since we made Washington DC safe for democracy?"

[Kitty Pryde]

Watching as Bobby flopped back down Kitty sighed. There was so much that had gone on since they had parted and she had left for the few months. She had pushed all that she usually thought of out of her mind at that time and now that she was being confronted by it all it made her a bit nervous.

After a few moments of silence she finally sunk back down next to him and raised her head to let her eyes meet his own. "Well so much has actually gone on. I left to try to get my head on straight again and take care of a few problems I've been having with my phasing." This was the first time she was mentioning her problems with her phasing and it was a bit difficult to admit there was a problem.

A sigh escaped her lips once again and she continued. "I've been phasing unintentionally for a few months and it seemed to be becoming a problem. I thought the change of scenery would help a bit but it seemed to just make it worse." Even speaking about it was making her a bit nervous and stressed. This did not bode well for Kitty because it seemed recently that every time she became stressed she would not only phase unintentionally but would start to disappear.

As she talked she didn't realize that she was becoming transparent. This was the major problem she had been dealing with recently. Not only did she feel invisible, she was becoming invisible.

[Bobby Drake]

> " I left to try to get my head on straight again and take care of a few problems I've been having with my phasing. "

Bob blinks, puzzled. She has trouble with her mutation and she leaves the Institute? Weird… it’s like moving out of the hospital because you feel sick. He lets it go, though, and continues listening… then blinks again when she starts fading out. Wow, she wasn’t kidding! He’s not sure whether to point it out to her or not… she might be able to get it under control, but then again she might freak out and lose whatever control she has left. Ultimately he decides to play it casual for now, and continues to talk in the direction of her seat.

"Um… right. Any idea what’s causing it?" He thinks a bit. "This started after the fight in Congress, you said? Maybe one of those goons has something to do with it. The tubby guy had some weird mass thing going, maybe he…" he waves his hands vaguely, not really having any idea what he’s talking about, "…screwed up your mass-shifty phasing thing?"

[Kitty Pryde]

Kitty continued to talk watching Bobby closely. She didn't even realize she had been fading out at all. When she didn't look down at her hands or anything she never realized it. "The phasing has been going on since before all that mess. Its not like I can't get it under control. I just have to concentrate to stay solid. Though there has been other new problems." Again she did not mention what they were, still not realizing it was happening right in front of him.

She sighed reaching out to lay a hand on his arm, wanting the comfort of physical touch to help calm her. It had been so long since she actually touched someone that just any contact would be good.

Her hand passed through his arm as if it was just her phasing, but she realized that she was almost completely invisible and freaked a but gasping as she pulled her hand back and disappeared completely. Her stress level shot through the roof as she reveled her new power for the first time. A power that scared her a bit.

Breathing quickly she finally spoke again. "Oh no not again. This is not happening again." She was a bit hysterical now and couldn't bring herself back no matter how hard she tried.

[Bobby Drake]

"Kitty? Just try to stay calm, OK? " Bob tries to keep his voice calm, and squelches the urge to say something stupid like “Where are you?” Of course, he isn’t at all sure she can hear him in the first place – she used to be able to hear while phasing, but things have clearly changed with her.

He really has no idea what to do… this sort of thing is way out of his league. Even if he had his powers they wouldn’t help… it’s more up Hank’s alley, except he isn’t around. The new kid, Laurie, might be able to calm her down… but might just as likely freak her out further. Maybe a telepath could help her out?

He pulls a phone out of his pocket and dials the Institute’s emergency number… it seems a better plan than running around looking for someone and then forgetting where she is. "Just don’t move, OK? I’m calling for help," he explains around the phone mouthpiece, trying to keep his voice calm. "Is there anything I can do?"

[Kitty Pryde]

Kitty's stress level wasn't coming down and now that he was going to call someone else it freaked her out even more. "NO BOBBY! Please don't call anyone. i don't want anyone else to know whats happening." She was getting a bit hysterical. If others found out she didn't know what they would think or do.

He had asked her what he could do to help and she quickly started to think. "Just keep talking to me Bobby. I just need someone familiar to talk to me. I get stressed and loose my hold."

She continued to plead with him to just sit with her and talk. If she could calm down she would be okay again. She just needed some sort of connection.