Kurt, Amanda - Thursday night
Feb. 10th, 2005 10:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsAmanda comes across Kurt watching over the rescued children, and the two of them realise there's resonance there. It's a small step towards getting to know each other.
As he had been for most of his waking hours since arriving back at the mansion, bar that first chaotic time of getting everyone safely inside, Kurt was sitting in the medlab watching over the rescued children. A few of them, the walking wounded, had gone to explore the mansion a little, and those who were being kept in were sleeping, but still he stayed. At the very least, he could perhaps soothe their nightmares, if they had them.
Amanda, on her way to let whichever doctor was on duty know she was back on deck paused as she caught sight of Kurt in the children's room. Again. Had he even left? She watched him silently from the open doorway, taking in the way he watched the sleeping faces, the movement of the rosary in his hands... Making up her mind, she cleared her throat softly, to get his attention, and when he looked up, said softly: "Hey. You look all in. Join me for a cuppa?"
He smiled, pleased by her seeming softening towards him, and nodded, standing up quietly so as not to disturb the children. "I would be glad to."
Waiting until they were clear of the children's room, Amanda spoke up again. "Seems like you haven't left the place since they got brought in." She hesitated, then added. "You lot did good work, gettin' 'em clear like that."
"I have not, very much", he admitted with a shrug. "To sleep and to eat, principally, except when Danielle or Lorna brought down food. And as to getting them clear... it was what had to be done. I do not think anyone here would not have done the same."
"Sounds like you definitely need a break then," Amanda half-admonished him as they reached the medlab's small kitchen/lounge area. She pointed to the battered couch and easy chairs set up saying almost sternly: "Sit - I'll make you some tea." Turning the kettle on and finding cups, she finally addressed the last part of what he'd said. "I didn't say you would or wouldn't want t' do what had t' be done - 'm sayin' you did a good thing, gettin' em back, even with what you had against you. I've seen the shape you were all in, an' MacInnis' people - it wasn't an easy thing, an' you still did it."
He sat obediently, with a slightly rueful smile. "Not an easy thing, no - although we expected it to be a simple search and rescue, at first. And... thank you."
"It was a good thing, like I said. They didn't deserve t' have that happen, t' be taken an' used like that?" The kettle boiled then, a welcome distraction, and she busied herself making the tea, bringing it over to the chairs when she was done. "Here," she said, handing one mug to Kurt.
He took it with a smile and a quiet, "No, they did not. No child would. I am glad I was able to help prevent it." This time was the unspoken end to that sentence.
He didn't need to say it - it was what she was thinking as well. Taking a seat opposite him, she sipped at the hot tea, hands wrapped around the mug. "Is that why you're stayin' down here so much?" she asked at last. "Because? because of me?"
There was a long pause before he finally answered, "...In part, yes. I could not help you, Amanda, when you were taken, but I can help these children, now they have been recovered. By making sure they are not left alone, by reassuring them as best I can..."
She was quiet for a long time. "I'm sorry," she said at last, dropping her eyes. "I haven't been very fair t' you."
He reached across the space between them to touch her hand. "In the circumstances... it was understandable."
"An' that's what you're good at, isn't it? Understandin'?" Her words didn't hold the same sting to them as they might have before. "I'm? not always. I was angry, thought you'd left me there on purpose, didn't care enough t' get me back," she admitted. "But seein' you there, with those kids... I know it wasn't 'cause you didn't care enough. Sometimes there's limits t' what you can do."
He nodded and, with no sharpness to the words, said, "You have to remember, Amanda, I was younger than most of the students here are now, when you were taken. If you are speaking of me personally, that is. There was almost nothing I could do. And our parents tried everything they could think of, as you know."
"Not you, more them... maybe you too, in a way. I mean, you're an X-Man now, 's sort of hard t' remember you weren't always." She gave him a small smile. "An' when you're little, everyone seems like a grownup. Even yer big brothers."
He returned the smile and with a hopeful note to his voice, he asked, "Do you... remember anything of your life with us, now?"
It was the hope the made her throat tighten. He wanted her to remember, wanted her to be his little sister... She wasn't sure she could be the person he remembered, but she could give him the little she had. "Bits," she said. "Not a whole lot - I was just small, an' there's a lot of shite laid down over the top of it. But I remember some - Stefan an' me first ride. Da, a little. Margali dryin' herbs." She smiled a little. "Pullin' on yer tail when I wanted attention."
He laughed quietly, pleased. "Yes, you did. You were always very careful, though, even so young - at least once you realised that pulling too hard did hurt."
"I told Stefan... After I was taken, I cried for my big brothers t' come an' get me, since you were the ones that looked out for me, kept me out of trouble... I was always a handful, I remember that." Amanda sighed softly at the memory, wishing that one had stayed buried. It would have been easier that way. "Kurt... 'm not her any more. Not Gemile, yer little sister. I can't be her - too much has happened, an' some of it I actually want t' keep. Rom an' Pete, for one. But it is where I come from, an' I can't ignore that. Or you, any of you. 'M just gunna need time t' get used t' the idea, sort out what I think. An' get t' know you." She smiled wryly. "But 'm willin' t' try at least."
He nodded. "I know, and I would never ask you to leave the family you have made for yourself. But... thank you for giving us a chance to know you as you are now. Amanda, not Gemile."
"You might wish otherwise with all the trouble I get into," she said with a chuckle, posture relaxing as the built-up tension subsided. "'Specially if I start pullin' on yer tail for attention again."
He raised an eyebrow, laughing. "If you started doing that now, I think I would have to have the doctors check you over."
"I could always blame it on revertin' t' childhood memories or somethin'… everyone else gets t' blame it on a buried personality," Amanda said with a snort.
He grinned at her. "Yes, you probably could. But I suspect they would still make you go to see Samson every day until you stopped."
"Ugh, 'm already seein' him twice a week for the addiction stuff," she complained, curling her legs up into the chair to make herself more comfortable. "What d'you remember? Before I was taken?"
"Oh, many things", he answered cheerfully, settling comfortably into his own chair. "Some of which I may have to reserve for future need."
As he had been for most of his waking hours since arriving back at the mansion, bar that first chaotic time of getting everyone safely inside, Kurt was sitting in the medlab watching over the rescued children. A few of them, the walking wounded, had gone to explore the mansion a little, and those who were being kept in were sleeping, but still he stayed. At the very least, he could perhaps soothe their nightmares, if they had them.
Amanda, on her way to let whichever doctor was on duty know she was back on deck paused as she caught sight of Kurt in the children's room. Again. Had he even left? She watched him silently from the open doorway, taking in the way he watched the sleeping faces, the movement of the rosary in his hands... Making up her mind, she cleared her throat softly, to get his attention, and when he looked up, said softly: "Hey. You look all in. Join me for a cuppa?"
He smiled, pleased by her seeming softening towards him, and nodded, standing up quietly so as not to disturb the children. "I would be glad to."
Waiting until they were clear of the children's room, Amanda spoke up again. "Seems like you haven't left the place since they got brought in." She hesitated, then added. "You lot did good work, gettin' 'em clear like that."
"I have not, very much", he admitted with a shrug. "To sleep and to eat, principally, except when Danielle or Lorna brought down food. And as to getting them clear... it was what had to be done. I do not think anyone here would not have done the same."
"Sounds like you definitely need a break then," Amanda half-admonished him as they reached the medlab's small kitchen/lounge area. She pointed to the battered couch and easy chairs set up saying almost sternly: "Sit - I'll make you some tea." Turning the kettle on and finding cups, she finally addressed the last part of what he'd said. "I didn't say you would or wouldn't want t' do what had t' be done - 'm sayin' you did a good thing, gettin' em back, even with what you had against you. I've seen the shape you were all in, an' MacInnis' people - it wasn't an easy thing, an' you still did it."
He sat obediently, with a slightly rueful smile. "Not an easy thing, no - although we expected it to be a simple search and rescue, at first. And... thank you."
"It was a good thing, like I said. They didn't deserve t' have that happen, t' be taken an' used like that?" The kettle boiled then, a welcome distraction, and she busied herself making the tea, bringing it over to the chairs when she was done. "Here," she said, handing one mug to Kurt.
He took it with a smile and a quiet, "No, they did not. No child would. I am glad I was able to help prevent it." This time was the unspoken end to that sentence.
He didn't need to say it - it was what she was thinking as well. Taking a seat opposite him, she sipped at the hot tea, hands wrapped around the mug. "Is that why you're stayin' down here so much?" she asked at last. "Because? because of me?"
There was a long pause before he finally answered, "...In part, yes. I could not help you, Amanda, when you were taken, but I can help these children, now they have been recovered. By making sure they are not left alone, by reassuring them as best I can..."
She was quiet for a long time. "I'm sorry," she said at last, dropping her eyes. "I haven't been very fair t' you."
He reached across the space between them to touch her hand. "In the circumstances... it was understandable."
"An' that's what you're good at, isn't it? Understandin'?" Her words didn't hold the same sting to them as they might have before. "I'm? not always. I was angry, thought you'd left me there on purpose, didn't care enough t' get me back," she admitted. "But seein' you there, with those kids... I know it wasn't 'cause you didn't care enough. Sometimes there's limits t' what you can do."
He nodded and, with no sharpness to the words, said, "You have to remember, Amanda, I was younger than most of the students here are now, when you were taken. If you are speaking of me personally, that is. There was almost nothing I could do. And our parents tried everything they could think of, as you know."
"Not you, more them... maybe you too, in a way. I mean, you're an X-Man now, 's sort of hard t' remember you weren't always." She gave him a small smile. "An' when you're little, everyone seems like a grownup. Even yer big brothers."
He returned the smile and with a hopeful note to his voice, he asked, "Do you... remember anything of your life with us, now?"
It was the hope the made her throat tighten. He wanted her to remember, wanted her to be his little sister... She wasn't sure she could be the person he remembered, but she could give him the little she had. "Bits," she said. "Not a whole lot - I was just small, an' there's a lot of shite laid down over the top of it. But I remember some - Stefan an' me first ride. Da, a little. Margali dryin' herbs." She smiled a little. "Pullin' on yer tail when I wanted attention."
He laughed quietly, pleased. "Yes, you did. You were always very careful, though, even so young - at least once you realised that pulling too hard did hurt."
"I told Stefan... After I was taken, I cried for my big brothers t' come an' get me, since you were the ones that looked out for me, kept me out of trouble... I was always a handful, I remember that." Amanda sighed softly at the memory, wishing that one had stayed buried. It would have been easier that way. "Kurt... 'm not her any more. Not Gemile, yer little sister. I can't be her - too much has happened, an' some of it I actually want t' keep. Rom an' Pete, for one. But it is where I come from, an' I can't ignore that. Or you, any of you. 'M just gunna need time t' get used t' the idea, sort out what I think. An' get t' know you." She smiled wryly. "But 'm willin' t' try at least."
He nodded. "I know, and I would never ask you to leave the family you have made for yourself. But... thank you for giving us a chance to know you as you are now. Amanda, not Gemile."
"You might wish otherwise with all the trouble I get into," she said with a chuckle, posture relaxing as the built-up tension subsided. "'Specially if I start pullin' on yer tail for attention again."
He raised an eyebrow, laughing. "If you started doing that now, I think I would have to have the doctors check you over."
"I could always blame it on revertin' t' childhood memories or somethin'… everyone else gets t' blame it on a buried personality," Amanda said with a snort.
He grinned at her. "Yes, you probably could. But I suspect they would still make you go to see Samson every day until you stopped."
"Ugh, 'm already seein' him twice a week for the addiction stuff," she complained, curling her legs up into the chair to make herself more comfortable. "What d'you remember? Before I was taken?"
"Oh, many things", he answered cheerfully, settling comfortably into his own chair. "Some of which I may have to reserve for future need."
