Disclaimer: You know the drill. I own nothing. Kitty fans may not like this.
I updated after Parodys' review, cause...well, I didn't like
the way this chapter had come out. Eh. Anyway, this is the slightly mellower
version. 11 is in the works...it's
gonna have some comedy(yay!) and will hopefully be better than this. On with the story.
Notes:
sound
*thought*
} telepathic conversation {
Setting: Westchester, that afternoon. One of the practice gyms.
Susana bounced from one foot to the other, rocking towards
and away from the heavy punching bag she was working on. At a scuffling
sound behind her, she turned and saw Jono holding out a bottle of water. Sighing gratefully, she pulled off the heavy
boxing gloves and took the bottle, rolling it over her drenched forehead
between sips. "Thanks, love. I'd give you a kiss, but...I'm gross right
now. You should probably step back like
twenty paces or something." She
grinned, then took another sip of water and swished it around in her
mouth. She swallowed, then turned to
him. "I'm gonna go grab a shower,
and then do you wanna get lunch or somethin'?"
}Sounds good. I'm
going to stop in and see the Professor for a few minutes, I'll meet you in the
kitchen.{ He turned to leave, only to have a fully tangible Kitty plow through
the door and into him.
"Oh, my God!
Like, watch where you're going, freak!" Kitty glared, then shoved past him into the room. Jono's cheeks flushed a dark, embarrassed
red, and he looked back to see if Susana had noticed. He was relieved to see that she didn't seem to have caught the
exchange. He turned back to the door
and pulled it open.
As the door closed, Susana gave the bag a solid,
bare-knuckled punch, then leaned her forehead against it, closed her eyes, and rubbed
her bruised knuckles lightly. She sent
a tiny, nonintrusive psychic thread towards Kitty, trying to determine if the
younger girl had meant what she said, or if she'd just slipped up.
*Damn. No accident
there. She meant it.* Susana scowled into the punching bag, then
straightened. "Hey, Pryde, can I
talk to you for a minute?"
The younger mutant sauntered across the gym with a smirk on
her face. "Can I help you with
something?" She rested a hand on
her hip and waited impatiently for Susana to speak.
"Yeah, you can tell me why you just did
that." Susana stared at Kitty, and
the thought crossed her mind that it was hard to stare down someone taller than
you.
Kitty snorted inelegantly.
"Cause I don't like having
visible mutants around. They put all of
us in danger. What if the FOH finds out
that this school is full of mutants?
What happens to the students whose powers aren't really much use
defensively?"
"They get protected by those of us with the powers and
training to do so- including Jono. Get
off it, Kitty. There's a world full of
people out there who have the 'hating freaks' market all wrapped up, and I
guarantee they don't need your help.
And how exactly do you figure that being X-men doesn't put us in danger
anyway?"
"Well, as X-men, we're, like, allowed to look different.
Besides, the public doesn't know that this is where the X-men are
based. I dunno...God, why won't you
just leave me alone!" Kitty
crossed her arms defensively across her chest and frowned.
"Because I
can fucking deal with people like you. He can't- he's had no practice." Susana mirrored Kitty's action, adding an
impatient toe tap to the mix.
"Oh, and what exactly makes you sooo qualified?"
"Honey, I don't know if you're one of those idiot savants,
or just oblivious, or what, but where I'm from, there are people who say I
started life with multiple strikes against me." She held up a hand and began counting off on her fingers. "Number one, I'm biracial. Number two, my parents don't even have the
decency," she sneered derisively at the word, "to be fine, upstanding
US citizens. Number three, I'm a
mutant. Four, I'm Catholic. Five, I'm a girl. Shall I continue?"
She punctuated the last sentence by flinging her arms wide in
frustration.
Kitty watched her expectantly. "Is there a point to this?"
Susana rubbed her temples in
frustration. "Yes, there is. The point is, I want you to stop saying shit
like that to him. He has issues enough
as it is."
"And if I don't?"
"How about this. We're both here to practice. Let's do that. If you can outspar me, I'll drop it, but if you can't, you
apologize. How's that sound?"
"Fine." *Incredibly easy, actually. What does she
think, that I won't phase?*
"All right then. Five minutes?" *No, Kitty, I don't think you won't
phase. I think, hell, I know, that you'll depend on it. And that's what's gonna screw you
over.* Susana didn't wait for Kitty's
answer, but turned and walked to her gym bag to get a towel. She spent the five minutes stretching,
rotating her arms and wrists, and throwing punches at phantom attackers.
"Well, Kitty, are you ready?"
"Of course." They crossed the gym to an area set aside
for sparring and assorted hand to hand combat.
The only other occupant of the gym, one of the younger mutant students,
sent a telepathic message to the Professor, telling him what was about to
happen and what had preceded it. He was
mildly surprised when the professor simply said it was best for the two to work
this out on their own, but shrugged and returned his attention to the room in
front of him.
While he'd been communicating with the
Professor, they'd each thrown a punch or two, but Kitty had phased away from
Susana's punches. Susana, however, had
an angry red spot on her cheek, where Kitty had slapped her just a moment ago.
"That was stupid. And it hurt, dammit!" Susana concentrated briefly, looking for all
the world like she was just catching her breath, then she circled around Kitty. She threw a punch, and Kitty's eyes widened
when it hit her in the stomach.
"What did you do to me? I can't phase!"
Susana ducked a punch, then explained
in gasping breaths. "Don't worry,
it's only temporary. You'll have your
phasing back in..." She looked at her wrist, checking an imaginary watch,
"about twenty minutes. Less if you
concentrate on it. I planted the
suggestion not to phase in your mind...You know, I'm rather disappointed in the
X-men this past week. Seems like
everyone- well, you and Scott- has forgotten I'm a telepath, that I can do stuff
like that. I know I'm not as good as
Jean or the professor, and I don't have the potential Jono has, but dammit, I
was trained by my mother- a decent, if not great, 'path; and Emma Frost. No one can say Emma's not
impressive." She ducked another
slap, then retaliated with one of her own, grinning when it hit its mark. "Kitty, you really ought to work on
your hand to hand abilities. What would
you do if this were a real battle?
You'd be screwed. Someone would
have to bail you out. I know Logan teaches
Jubilee, I'm sure he'd teach you, too.
Hell, Gambit's helping me develop my skills, he probably wouldn't mind
helping you either." She jumped
to avoid a kick from Kitty, then stopped.
"You want to go apologize now?
Or d'you wanna wait for a while?
Either's fine, I just want your promise that you will apologize. Meaning it
would be nice, but I won't press my luck." She blocked another slap, then used the kick she'd used on Jono
in the Danger Room, knocking Kitty on her back.
"Yeah, ok, I'll apologize. Do you really think Gambit would teach me,
too?" Kitty sat up and winced,
then pushed herself up off the floor.
"Of course he will. We're all here to get better at what we
do...with the possible exception of Logan, who's..."
"...the best he is at what he
does, yeah, I know. Hear it often
enough."
"Listen, I'm not gonna say I'm
sorry for doing this, because I spend more time than can possibly be healthy
reassuring Jono as it is. But I am
sorry I was so...well, public about it. No hard feelings?" Susana extended her hand for a handshake,
which Kitty accepted.
"It's cool. I was outta line. It's just...well, the
reason I'm here is that I was friends with a mutant who looked it back
home. My parents wouldn't have found
out, if she hadn't looked the way she did.
It's still a sore spot for me.
I'll try to watch it."
"That's cool. Kinda the reverse of my situation. My friends and my immediate family knew I
was a mutant, but one of my boyfriends in college didn't. He was an FOH member, charming sort. Tried to start something with my roommates
and me when we saw him out at a club.
So there's the reason for my reaction.
Well, that and the fact that Jono's got complexes galore already and I'm
not sure there are enough hours in the day to convince him he's not a freak if
you keep calling him one. Anyway...I
told him I'd meet him for lunch, so I'll talk to you later, ok?" She collected her gym bag and headed for her
room and a shower.
In short order, she finished her
shower, threw on shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt, and squeezed water from her
hair until it was damp rather than soaking wet. She then pulled it into a knot on the back of her head and jabbed
a pair of chopsticks through it, shook her head to make sure the chopsticks
wouldn't fall out, and when they didn't move, she slipped on a pair of sandals
and ran out into the hall, heading for the kitchen.
Oops. New PS- anyone with comments or suggestions
for the wedding...they're more than welcome, I'd love to have the input.