She knelt in front of the grave, alone. Ran her fingers over the carved words on the marble headstone, futilely denying what had happened. Denying that mortality claimed them all, one by one.
Her fist clenched around the stems of the roses she'd brought, the thorns cutting into her skin. She welcomed the pain, it took her mind away from the deeper pain inside her heart, if only for a second.
It had been so quick, she hadn't been able to do anything to stop his death. None of them had.
She felt a hand on her shoulder as she knelt in the grass and dirt, ignoring the moisture that soaked the knees of her jeans, ignoring the rain that pounded down around her, matching her mood. At first she thought it was Bobby, coming to drag her away from the grave and inside, where it was warmer.
He wasn't warm anymore. He was cold and buried under the earth.
But the voice that spoke was at once familiar and unfamiliar.
What are you doing out here, child? He is not here.
She ignored the voice, as she ignored the tears that trickled down her cheeks to mingle with the rain. The hand on her shoulder was light and comforting, but it wasn't him. It wasn't the hand she wanted to hold.
He does not sleep, child. Come away from an empty grave.
Now she turned, glaring at the man standing behind her. Tall and slender, black-haired, blue eyes looking up at her with unspeakable wisdom and sadness.
"What do you mean, an empty grave?"
The man spoke without opening his mouth. What you buried was flesh and bones, child. He was far more than that. Can't you see, all that lies in this grave is the vessel that housed his soul, his spirit, his mind. If that vessel is all that you loved about him, you did not love him honestly.
"I loved more than that," she choked, her tears making it hard to speak. "I loved him, not some vessel."
Then mourn, child, but not for the empty husk that is a body. Mourn for the loss of his mind and his love. And you do not need a grave for that.
The strange man bowed his head for a moment and said, I know it is hard, child. The pain feels as though it will go on forever. But it will lessen one day. He would not want you to go through life alone. You may not feel so now, but you will love again.
"How can you know that? What are you?"
I am… All. I am in everything, and everything is in me. I know everything that was, everything that will be. I know the depths of his love for you.
She looked down at the grave, then back up at the dark-haired man, tears still running freely down her cheeks. "But it's so hard. I never even got to say goodbye. I never got to tell him how much I love him…"
He knew. Even if you had never said it, he knew it inside. Just as you knew that he loved you. Rest assured, child, he knew that you cared.
He took a step forward, reached out and touched her forehead. He wanted me to lessen your pain, to take away the agony of loss. I cannot do this, it is beyond even my power. But I can allow him to give you one last message.
Be at peace, child, he knew that you loved him. He did not die without knowing.
The man melted out of sight. She stood in the rain, wordless. And then, the voice of the man she loved came out of nowhere.
"No matter what happens, I will be with you. All your life, I will watch over you, katzchen."
Kitty Pryde wiped her eyes and whispered, "I love you, Kurt."
"I know. I will always love you."
The End
