Kitty phased her way through the rubble in the front foyer. At least the damage was contained. In a day or two you'd never know anything had happened. The damage was mostly cosmetic. The building was still structurally sound, a few issues with the wiring, but Hank and Broo would have no trouble fixing that. One of the students asked her something, and Kitty forced a smile and a nod and the student looked confused, but Kitty just kept walking. She didn't know what she'd been asked and couldn't remember the student's name. She couldn't deal with the students or the team or anything else right now.
Kitty walked up the stairs, turned into the bedroom wing and walked faster past the doors, before phasing into her own room. She flicked on the light and grabbed her phone off the bedside table and frantically typed a message. There was no point calling; she'd never get the words out without becoming a weeping mess and she couldn't do that yet. The message turned into a rambling mini-essay, but Kitty didn't care and couldn't bring herself to edit it. She sent it and proceeded to pull off her uniform and change into jeans, a t-shirt and jacket. She sat on the floor to pull on her socks and boots when her phone ping-ed. Kitty grabbed it and checked the message on the screen before stuffing her phone in her jacket pocket, quickly brushing her hair, throwing a couple of things into her handbag and phasing down through the floor into the living room below.
"Hey, Ms Pryde…"
"Kitty, do you know - ?"
"Ms Pryde, Dr McCoy said - "
"Oh, Kitty, have you - ?"
Kitty walked straight past everyone in the room, accidentally phasing through Hisako. She went to apologise, but nothing came out, so she just kept walking.
"Kitten? Kitty."
Kitty stopped and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "I'm going out, Ro."
"I understand. Do you know when you'll return?"
"No. Tomorrow? Sorry. I - I just need…"
"You don't need to explain," Storm said, still in uniform and looking very regal and official.
Kitty felt like a student again. A frightened, overwhelmed kid, in way over her head. "I can't be here right now. I can't do this tonight."
"Go," Storm said gently, "I'll cover for you. We're most of us here."
Kitty nodded and hurried out of the mansion. She crossed the park, away from the school. A shiny black car was waiting, and as Kitty approached the driver climbed out and opened the back door. Kitty slid in, allowing the driver to close the door behind her.
Kitty: Really wish you were here. I wish we could start the night again. Then I wouldn't have to run off. I just want to talk and stuff. Debrief with you.
The phone ping-ed.
StarkNet Alerts: Message(s) unable to be delivered.
…
"Are you sure this is the right room?" Gabby asked.
"Yes," Laura said, feeling along the upper shelves, and wondering why on earth there wasn't a step ladder in the storeroom. "This is where the vacuum-cleaner bags were last time I found them."
"And when exactly was that?"
"What?"
"Well, you haven't lived in the mansion for a couple of years, and it's been destroyed a few times since then, and - "
"Just keep looking," Laura said, cutting Gabby off.
"Are you upset?" Gabby asked.
"Tonight has been a total mess. So yeah, I'm pissed."
"It's just vacuum-cleaner bags…"
Laura shot Gabby a look that total her to quit with the wise-cracks. Gabby pretended to triple check the lower shelves, but she could smell Laura's anger and fear. "Do you want to stab someone?" Gabby asked quietly.
"Yes," Laura said, "But the bastard is gone and I can't track him. I can't track teleporters and it sucks."
"I didn't like being a Hound," Gabby said quietly. "It made me want to hurt you."
"I know," Laura exhaled. She put her arms around Gabby.
"Are you sad about Angel?" Gabby asked, hugging Laura.
Laura shrugged, and let go of Gabby. "We knew it was coming."
"Are you sad then that Ahab took Rachel?"
Laura looked at the shelves, rather than having to face Gabby. "When it comes to shitty pasts, she's one of the very few people who I think 'gee, I'm glad I'm not her'. We need to find these bags. Then we'll have a talk."
"Am I in trouble?"
"No, not one of those talks. One of the 'It's Time I Tell You The Long Version' talks."
"Oh, ok, those are better. Is it about Rachel?"
"Yes."
"Isn't that a bit private? Like prying or gossip?" Gabby asked.
"There's parts of her story that everyone knows. It just makes life easier, knowing rather than guessing or assuming or whatever. Only a few people know her full story; Kitty and I think Scott and Storm and maybe a few others. But, wait - JULIAN!" Laura called and flung her arms around him. "You're ok? I heard you took a hit."
Julian patted Laura on the back. "Didn't lose any more appendages, so that's a plus. Just got a hit to the stomach which knocked the air out of me. Dr Reyes made me stay in the med-wing for observation due to my super-fun medical history."
"What medical history?" Gabby asked.
"Ok, now that's prying," Laura said.
"Just this one time I was stabbed through the chest and abdomen by Lady Deathstrike," Julian said, happy to tell the tale, demonstrating the stabbing action in the process, "All five claws, straight through. Then Laura went all super-revengy for me. It was pretty hot," he winked.
"You were unconscious," Laura said dryly.
"Wait," Gabby said, looking between the two, "Is there a long version of that story that's probably more epic? Because I'm sensing a long version…"
Laura sighed. "Yeah, I'll add that to the 'Long Versions' talk list."
"I think we need to start an actual list. With a pen and paper," Gabby said.
"Hey, Hellion," Eye-Boy said, poking her head into the storeroom, "Mr Drake is looking for a TK who can lift some stuff in the foyer."
"Tell him I'm coming," Julian said. Eye-Boy ran back down the hall. "Are - are you going home tonight? Or staying at the mansion?"
"Haven't decided yet," Laura said. "I've gotta tell Gabby the full version of Rachel's story. Wanna help?"
Julian shrugged. "Don't know what I'll have to add. You were her roommate for a bit, but sure. When word reached the mansion… I think Hank went and punched something in his office. Or upset everything on his desk. Doctor Reyes just said 'That poor girl', which I think was worse."
"Yeah, a lot of people at X-Lantis couldn't even look at Jean…"
"It wasn't Jean's fault," Gabby said, "She didn't know."
Laura just shrugged.
"I'm gunna need the long version of what happened down there," Julian said. "I better go see what Bobby needs, then book us a Danger Room session. Also, is this what you guys were after?" he asked, pulling down a flat bag containing the vacuum cleaner bags.
"This room is like Narnia," Gabby said, "But crappy Narnia, if it was all just cleaning products and buckets and brooms."
"Who hid that up there?" Laura asked, taking the bag. "And yes please to the Danger Room. Sometimes it's easier to have the hard conversations while stabbing stuff."
…
"I'm going to go back to X-Lantis soon," Jean said, poking her head into Storm's study. "Check on the clean-up there. I'm sure Kurt's got everything under control, but still feel like I should go back."
"Have you messaged Kurt?" Storm asked.
"Just now. He's usually pretty quick."
"He was pretty upset, Jean."
Jean sighed. "I didn't know what was going to happen. I didn't know it wouldn't work on Rachel. I - there was no way I could have known that."
"I know," Storm said, "And I understand, but I don't have to like it. I'm scared. And I'm not the only one."
"Ro…"
"Jean, I wish you could have spent more time with her, to know how hard she fights…"
"I didn't know it would happen, ok Storm? I didn't know!" Jean snapped. "I had to stop Ahab. I didn't know she'd be the cost."
"I know," Storm said. Jean took one of the armchairs on the other side of the desk. "Jean, I will follow you anywhere, you know that. It's just - there was a bit of an unwritten agreement; Not Rachel. If anything happened and we could spare her, then we would. Of course we couldn't protect her from everything, and we weren't about to wrap her in cottonwool and keep her from serving, and sadly this year things have been getting increasingly worse, but… it's why Scott and Emma didn't let her deal with the Phoenix the other year. I believe that Rachel and Scott had a talk, but Scott wouldn't let her risk the fallout. Rachel understood, and accepted the protection."
"I couldn't protect her here, Ro. I didn't know."
Storm swallowed and leant back in her chair. "Still feels crap tonight."
Jean sighed. "I don't like it either, but - "
BAMF!
"Oh, you're already here, Jean," Kurt said. "Is Katzchen around? I'd like to see her. Check she's all right."
"She went out," Storm said.
"When?" Jean asked, not knowing Kitty had left the premises.
Storm shrugged, "Twenty minutes ago. Half an hour. I haven't been watching the time."
"Where?" Jean asked.
Storm and Kurt looked at each other. "At a guess?" Storm said, "Emma."
"What?" Jean asked, incredulous.
"You missed a lot, Jean," Kurt said.
"Why would Kitty go to Emma?"
"Because Rachel's gone and Emma's one of the few people she can talk openly to, especially with Illyana AWOL."
"The leader of the X-Men hanging out with the Black King isn't exactly a good look," Jean said.
"Neither is allowing your daughter to be taken back by her former torturer," Kurt muttered, folding his arms.
"I. Didn't. Know." Jean said with gritted teeth.
"I think it's for the best the Kitty went out," Storm said.
"Let me guess," Jean said, "She's going to hate me too."
"I don't hate you," Kurt grumbled, "We're family, so I'm allowed to be cross with you and the whole situation."
"Don't expect her to forgive you in a hurry," Storm said, "But she won't do anything stupid to jeopardise anything."
"She probably won't want to be on your team," Kurt added.
"And if we get Rachel back - "
"When," Kurt stressed.
"I wouldn't expect her to be on Team-Jean either."
"Rachel hero-worshiped you, Jean," Kurt swallowed. "She took your surname, your code name. All those years…"
Jean blinked back hot tears and stood up. "Can we go?"
"Have you spoken to Betsy yet?" Kurt asked Storm, ignoring Jean.
"Not yet. I might give her a call now though. It'll be morning in the UK."
Kurt gave a nod. "She needs to know. I'll call Brian when we're back at X-Lantis. They need to know. All right, Jean."
"See you later, Jean," Storm said, standing up and coming to give Jean a hug. Jean rested her head on Storm's shoulder.
"I really didn't know…"
Storm let go. "Take care."
Jean nodded. Kurt took her by the arm.
BAMF!
…
The driver opened the door of the car once they'd pulled up in front of the tower. Kitty climbed out and was met by a security guard who silently led her through the foyer. He scanned his tag which opened the doors to the elevator, scanned it again on the control panel inside, entered a six-digit code and stepped out, leaving Kitty alone as the doors slid shut and the elevator began to ascend.
Kitty watched the numbers flash up in yellow on the screen above the door. Did elevators always take this long? Kitty noticed she was digging her fingers into the palms of her hands. There was certainly a hidden camera in the elevator. She was certainly being watched. How many floors up was it again? Kitty looked at the control panel and considered phasing her arm through it which would activate emergency protocols, stopping the elevator. The lights would go out, and she could be left alone in the dark. That wouldn't be so bad.
The elevator stopped before she could carry out any reckless decisions, and the doors slid open.
"Oh darling, you look like a right mess. Did you even brush your hair?"
Kitty opened her mouth to respond, but the words caught in her throat and her eyes stung with tears.
"Come on," Emma said, taking Kitty by the arm, "We're not doing this in the entrance hall."
Kitty allowed herself to be led into a large, double height room with glass windows along two walls, showing views across Manhattan and the river, and a sunken living area where two large couches were covered with more pillows and throws than were available in all the Bed Bath and Beyond stores in New York City combined. Kitty sunk into one of the couches; Emma sat on the coffee table opposite her.
"What happened?" Emma asked, leaning forward and interlacing her fingers. "All night I've been getting bizarre messages. So? What's been going on?"
Kitty opened her mouth, but her voice cracked before she could begin. Emma stood up and walked over to the cupboard. She slid the door across, revealing a better stocked bar than any Kitty had ever seen. Emma pulled down a rectangular bottle, cracked open the lid and poured a glass for herself and Kitty.
"I - I don't want…"
"It's medicinal," Emma said, sitting back on the coffee table and handing one of the glasses to Kitty. "And about $500 a bottle, but that's not really relevant right now." Emma swirled her glass and took a sip.
Kitty followed suit. Her phone rang, and she forced it out of her pocket. "Just Bobby," she said, pressing decline and placing the phone beside her. "He'll want to know where the blue handled broom is or some stupid something."
"Well?" Emma asked, ignoring Kitty's interlude.
Kitty sighed and took another sip. The golden liquid warmed her insides in a way she didn't know she needed. She wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve and recounted the details of the evening.
When Kitty finished, Emma took a deep breath and stood up. "Need another?" she asked, nodding to Kitty's empty glass. Kitty handed Emma her glass and kicked off her boots as Emma refilled their drinks. Kitty grabbed a cuddly blanket and pulled it over herself, tucking her legs up onto the couch.
Kitty could feel Emma lurking in her mind, but she couldn't be bothered forcing her out. It was easier to have Emma there, answering questions Kitty didn't have to ask out-loud.
Emma returned with the glasses. "No, the pain doesn't really stop," she said, sitting back on the coffee table. "It just burns, though you're probably still in the freezing stage. Yes, tonight will probably be the worst, but then again, you're still in shock, and as she's not dead, so your morbid little mind will unfortunately think of a thousand and one ways in which that bastard may and most likely will be hurting her."
"Emma, please…" Kitty said, placing her glass on the floor.
"Yes, we'll get her back, but I don't know when or how. But I'm working on it. This Young Man Cable or whatever will be key. She'll be blocking herself from Cerebro, and it's impossible to launch a standard attack-and-rescue, as Ahab will just teleport away. And when we do find her, who knows what condition she'll be in but I doubt it will be grand."
"Emma…"
"She's not hosting the Phoenix this time, so that's one less defence. And knowing that in the past she's used the pain to pull herself free? Oof, it's not going to be pretty. To need to do that to break the programming is pretty dark. But she's fought before and broken free, but it's likely Ahab will have figured out that trick, so - "
"EMMA!" Kitty cried, "STOP IT! Please stop it!"
"If you wanted a hug, you should have stayed at the mansion," Emma snapped, as Kitty's phone rang. "Oh look," Emma said, grabbing the phone and holding it up, "Just the person you should have gone to get said hug."
"She'll want to talk. Check I'm ok…" Kitty said, seeing Jubilee's name and the silly SnapChat photo of Jubilee and Shogo Kitty used for Jubilee's profile.
Emma hit the decline button. "Well you're not ok. Your girlfriend's just been kidnapped by a torturing rapist and - "
"Don't," Kitty said, wiping her eyes. "And she's not my… girlfriend."
"Don't bullshit me, Pryde. The real reason you couldn't marry Piotr was sitting two rows from the front between her moms and everyone in the damned mansion knows it."
Kitty bit her lip, trying to suppress a sob. Her shoulder shook.
Emma gave an exasperated sigh, downed the last of her drink and stood up. "I'm getting tissues before you ruin my blankets."
"How did you do it?" Kitty asked quietly.
"I didn't," Emma said, handing Kitty a box of tissues and a bowl. "Put the used ones in there. I gave Scott and alternate death to try and change the narrative, then proceeded to repeatedly throw myself off a cliff under the guise of challenging my powers. You know you're not well when the Cuckoos are concerned."
"I'm sorry I wasn't there," Kitty mumbled, and blew her nose.
"You were in space."
Kitty shrugged.
"Regardless," Emma said, taking pity, "You're currently the one winning the Healthy Trauma Coping Strategies Stakes."
Kitty half-chuckled, half-sobbed. "Don't know if that's a prize anyone really wants."
"We will find her," Emma said, 'Somehow, Rachel ended up with the very best bits of Scott and Jean. She'll find a way out."
"But he'll hurt her…"
"And we'll be here to help her."
"I hate that I can never protect her…"
"Then promise me," Emma said, "Promise yourself that when we get her back, which we will, that you'll tell her the truth. You've both lost too much, and been lost too many times before. You need to talk to each other. You have to tell her. Because if you don't, I will, and that will just be embarrassing for everyone."
Kitty nodded and grabbed another tissue. "Is it stupid to hope that saying nothing will stop you from getting hurt?"
"Yes," Emma replied, "But it's never stupid to hope in general."
Kitty lent back against the couch. Her phone rang again. "Ugh, who now?"
Emma held up the phone. "You want to answer this?"
Piotr's name and photo flashed up on the screen. Kitty felt her heart sink even lower. "I'd better."
Emma handed her the phone. "And are you going to finish that drink?"
Kitty shook her head as she answered the call. "Hi."
"Katya! Are you ok? I just got off the phone to Ororo, and she said - "
"Yeah, I'm - as well as can be expected, I guess," Kitty swallowed.
"Ororo said you went out?"
"Yes."
"You're not alone?"
"No. I - I'm being taken care of," Kitty said, watching Emma finish her drink as she took the glasses over to the sink, knowing full well that Emma could hear both sides of the conversation.
"Well, I - I just wanted to check. That you are ok."
"I am. I mean, I'm not, but…"
"I understand. Say hello to Emma for me."
"Ok. Wait, Pete - "
The phone clicked as Piotr hung up. Kitty sighed and put the phone down. Emma came back and sat beside her. "It doesn't surprise any of them that you're here tonight."
"I know," Kitty swallowed.
"It's a poisoned chalice, you know, leading the X-Men," Emma said. "It helps if you bring a friend. Has to be the right person though."
"Like you and Scott…"
"Someone to help you sign off on the bills and the all too inevitable funeral arrangements and -"
Kitty sobbed and grabbed another tissue.
"And fill your spare time with really, really hot sex," Emma said, still unsure if she wanted to embrace or push away the memory of Scott's hands holding her from her mind. She shuffled slightly closer to Kitty. "You don't have to be brave. Not now. Not tonight."
"Do I have permission to hug you?" Kitty asked.
"Not really," Emma replied, "But you have my acceptance of the fact that that's what you require in the given circumstances."
"Oh," Kitty sobbed, and wrapped her arms around Emma and cried.
Once Kitty had calmed down, Emma ordered pizzas even though it was close to dawn.
"Security will just put them in the lift and send them up," Emma explained, grabbing her phone to place the order.
Kitty took the opportunity to pick up her phone, noticing that the switch had been flicked to silent. She had a dozen unread message and two voicemails. She opened the messages app, but couldn't bring herself to move from the screen she was on. Kitty sighed and began typing.
Kitty: Somehow we're gunna find you and bring you home. Promise.
Kitty: And it's probably a shit time to say it, but I love you.
Kitty's phone ping-ed.
StarkNet Alerts: Message(s) unable to be delivered.