Soulmates 3: Healing

Soulmates 3: Healing

Summary: After last story's fight, Rachel and Kitty make up and come to grips with their situation. Guess who Kitty's new roommate is? ;-)

Rating: PG-13.

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"Hot damn!" Sarai Dorvel said happily as she rolled down the window of her Lexus to take in the summer breeze. "You actually got through Admin without a hassle! That's practically *unheard* of!"
Beside her, Rachel Summers weakly smiled and looked out at the bleak landscape. 'Not unlike my mood,' she thought.
She sighed. Hours ago, she'd had a huge fight with her former best friend, Kitty Pryde. Rachel had ended up storming out, and asking Sarai to show her around campus. One look at her face and Sarai had agreed. Rachel had ignored the frantic telepathic calls coming from Kitty and tried to enjoy herself, to no avail.
Since then, Sarai had taken her around campus and to the admin building to receive her course schedule and dorm number. "Well, it *is* vacation," pointed out Rachel. "Less pressure and all that crap."
"Could be true," Sarai murmured. Minutes passed in silence before either one spoke again.
"So, if you don't mind my asking, what's up with you and Kitty?" Sarai asked bluntly. Rachel's lips quirked into a parody of a smile. "I mind," she said briefly.
"Oh." Rachel smiled softly. Known for tact, Sarai probably wasn't.
"What dorm again?" questioned Sarai. "Peters House, number 541."
A hint of surprise and-something-shot through Sarai's eyes. "Oh."
"What's wrong?" Rachel asked, thinking, 'Could this day get *any* worse.'
'Rachel. You're a former X-Man. What do *you* think?'
"Nothing," Sarai had regained her composure. "It's just that that's where George lives."
"Oh, well, cool. Double the incentive to come visit me?"
"Yeah," laughed Sarai. 'More like triple,' she thought. 'I really should ask to be moved into Peters House. After all, my three best friends are there.'
Rachel and Sarai were already close-closer than most would be, after only two days of association. Kindred spirits, they had immediately clicked. They got on well, and knew each other well. Perhaps they saw a little bit of themselves in the other.
Sarai, Kitty and George were known as a bit of an exclusive clique in the social circles of the college. However, since Kitty already knew Rachel, and Sarai's excellent people instincts were telling her all good things about Rachel-she decided that Rachel could round out the trio to a quartet.
'Still, I wonder what she's not telling me,' Rachel thought.
Rachel decided not to pry. After all, 1) it would be rude, and 2) she believed Sarai's explanation anyway. Why should she not? 'So why do I have the feeling that she's not telling me everything?'
Sarai pulled up to the gate to the house. Rachel shivered. 'It's resemblance to the Mansion is almost uncanny.'
Sarai cheerfully pulled up. "Hey, why don't you go and find your room?" she suggested casually. A little too casually. "I'll wait out here for you to find your room and then we can haul your stuff up."
"Sarai? What brings you to this neck of the woods, O fair maiden?" a teasing voice asked.
"George!" Sarai exclaimed, twisting in her seat. She put her arms around her boyfriend and pulled him in with an intense liplock.
"Not gonna argue with a greeting like that!" George said cheerfully as his admiring eyes took in his girlfriend. Rachel rolled her eyes. 'It's painfully obvious that they're head over heels for one another,' she thought, a bit forlorn and put out. She felt like a fifth wheel and was extremely jealous of that. "But was *does* bring you here?" George questioned. "We're moving Rachel in."
"Really?" he asked, surprised. "What room?"
Sarai gave him a look that Rachel couldn't interpret, and said quietly, slowly and distinctly, "Room #541."
George's eyes widened in shock. He gave his girlfriend a disbelieving look. Rachel, realizing that they'd be there all day at that rate, got out of the car.
'What's up with them?' wondered Rachel as she opened the door to Peters House. Pausing a moment to reinforce her mental shields, she entered the lobby. Surprisingly, it was quiet. Looking back outside, she saw she'd get no navigating help from Sarai or George, as they seemed to be embroiled in an intense discussion. She sighed.
She wandered over to where a guy was reading a newspaper. He seemed to be the least irritable of all those present, according to her TP. "Hi, I'm new here. Could you help me find my room?" she asked. He dropped the paper.
'He's pretty cute,' she thought immediately. His skin was *very* pale ('Is he an albino?' wondered Rachel), and he had jet black hair cut in a crew cut-esque cut. It was as black as his ribbed turtleneck. Faded jeans complemented his piercing sapphire eyes.
"Peter Jarfink. You?" he asked, holding out a hand. "Rachel Summers," she answered, skimming his surface thoughts. He seemed to be a nice, responsible man.
"New here, huh?" he asked. "Yeah," she sighed. He seemed to find this amusing.
"Well, here's a hint, Rachel," he told her as he heaved himself up. "Work first, party later. Trust me-it's best that way."
"Oh, really?" Rachel asked, half-joking. He gave her a serious look in return.
"I'm serious, Rachel. A lot of the teachers are old bores, and-"
"Hey, Peter!" came the greeting from across the hall. Sarai and George walked in, arm in arm. Peter smiled. "Hey, bro, What's up?
"Brother?" Rachel asked. her eyebrows lifted. "No offense, you two, but it kind of seems like that would be...difficult."
"Don't bother pussyfooting around it, Rachel," laughed Peter. "No offense taken," George added, smiling. "He's my foster brother, going on ten years."
"Ah," Rachel said, unable to think of anything else to say.
"Well, since you guys are here, we've got to go now," Peter added. "What you do is take the elevator to the fourth floor, take a right, and it's the third room on the left. The number's clearly marked."
"Oh, all right. Where are you three going?" Rachel asked.
"Well, it's their anniversary tomorrow. I won't be here (I'm going to a martial arts competition), so I'm gonna take them out to dinner tonight. Nothing fancy, but normal."
"Well, have a good time," Rachel said. "But don't leave until you've unloaded my things!" she called, stepping into the elevator. They laughed. "Hey, it's already six. Who *knows* when you'll get back from painting the town red!" she called, laughing.
She punched the button for the fourth floor, and started humming tunelessly as the elevator ascended, trying not to think.

Kitty Pryde sighed. God knew she was trying to get some work done on her term paper due in two months, but her heart wasn't into it.
She knew why, too.
'God, it was like the fights my parents used to have. It'd start small but then get bigger, ending up with us screaming at each other how we don't understand or care about each other.'
She sighed, as her phone rang. "Kitty Pryde," she said into the mike, snagging her portable phone.
"Kitty, it's George. Sarai and I just escorted your new roommate here. I think you'll like her. You'll have to let her in-you have the spare key, remember. Bye." It came out in a rush. Kitty frowned as she replaced the phone on the platform.
'*That* was cryptic. What the hell was it about?' she wondered. Then she sighed. 'Just my luck. First Ray and I act like two year olds, then I can't concentrate, now I get a roommate. With my luck, she'll probably be a Brood Queen,' Kitty thought, depressed.
Two sharp knocks sounded on the door. Kitty opened it and her jaw dropped at who was there. Obviously, from the way Rachel's jaw dropped as well, she hadn't scanned ahead. Simultaneously, they screamed.
"You?!"
"You?!"

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Disclaimer: Kitty 'Shadowcat' Pryde, Rachel 'Phoenix' Summers, and all other X-related characters don't belong to me, they belong to Marvel (which is probably a good thing for them). No copyright infringement or offense intended. I'm making no money off of this. However, the plot belongs to me, as do George Brossar, Peter Jarfink and Sarai Dorvel.