Author's Note: My knowledge of Judaism is very limited. All I know
for sure is that there is the Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah, guys have
sidelocks and wear yarmulkes, and that there's Hanukkah and Esther and Rosh
Hananah and stuff. Sorry!
***
Months had passed since Kurt left, and things were not going well for SkyElf and StarPryde. StarPryde blamed SkyElf for their son's leaving and they were always shouting and arguing about it. SkyElf slept on the couch now while StarPryde had the bed all to herself.
SkyElf was still sleeping when Johanna came down. He snorted softly as she gently shook him awake and he moaned as he stretched out his arms and tail.
"Dad?" Johanna asked. "Are you awake?"
"I would hope so." SkyElf chuckled sleepily. "I mean you're shaking me and all!" Yawning, he scratched the top of his head, his tail taking care of the knot at the small of his back with light rubs.
"What is it?" he asked. Johanna bit her lower lip slightly, looking down.
"Are you and mom going to be ok?" she asked finally. SkyElf sighed softly, all playfulness gone.
"I don't know." He admitted. "I hope so."
"I don't think Kurt is ever going to come back." Johanna said.
"Now why do you think that?" SkyElf asked gently, tilting his head to one side as his tail lightly wrapped around her wrist.
"He was so angry when he left." Johanna said. "I don't think he'll come back to us ever."
"That's his choice." SkyElf said. "We can't make him return."
"Mom's going to leave isn't she?" Johanna asked.
"Don't even think such things!" SkyElf said seriously. "This family will stick together through anything!" Johanna flinched and SkyElf instantly regretted yelling at her like that.
"I'm sorry." He whispered. "Things have just been getting difficult. You know this as well as I do." Johanna nodded, and she buried her face in her father's chest in a tight hug. ***
StarPryde was filled with a lot of pent up anger and the way she let it out was by practicing on the most extreme level in the training room.
Leaping backwards, she spun two full circles before she threw two daggers at the robotic tiger that was snapping at her. The daggers each struck an eye and its head blew off before she landed in a crouch on the ground.
She waited for a second before she started to run, metallic tentacles bursting out of the ground and flying at her, the tips buzzing with electricity. She turned and slid on the ground, drawing two more daggers as a tentacle got close to her.
Screaming in anger and frustration, she hurled the dagger at the tentacle and from the tip down it slid through it like it was a hot knife through a stick of butter.
As she got ready to keep fighting, the simulation suddenly died away, and she was just in an empty room again.
"Who..?"
"You've been working yourself ragged in here." Fay said, flying down slowly. StarPryde shrugged, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
"I need the practice."
"Kitty, I'm an empathy." Fay said.
"So?" StarPryde countered.
"You're not in here to get in more practice and you know it." Fay said, sitting down on the floor. "You're angry with SkyElf and think it is his fault your son left the lighthouse and went to America."
"Well wouldn't you?" StarPryde asked, fixing her ponytail and keeping her face away from Fay. "It was his idea to wait until they were eighteen."
"We all agreed to it." Fay said. "Even you. If you wish to blame people for this, then all three of us, you, SkyElf, and me are to blame for Kurt's sudden departure. This was our secret."
StarPryde poured some water on her face, shaking her head to get it off.
"You're holding back your emotions, Kitty." Fay continued, not deterred by her silence. "You can't do that forever."
"Who says I can't?" StarPryde demanded. "It's my life."
"Hauptmann Englande had a lot of pent up frustrations too." Fay said softly. "That's why he was what he was." StarPryde cocked an eyebrow, looking at Fay in confusion.
"What?" she asked. Fay nodded faintly, twirling a strand of her hair around one finger.
"He was angry at a lot of people in his life. His sister was experimented and killed. His brother was shot for treason, and it was his father who gave both of those orders. He just didn't know how to deal with his emotions so he let them out on us all of the time."
"Are you trying to say he wasn't evil?" StarPryde asked. Fay shook her head slowly.
"No, I'm not. Hauptmann Englande may have had problems letting out his anger at the Reich for what they did to his family, but he enjoyed inflicting pain on others to make up for it. He was a sadist.
"I'm not trying to say that you'll end up like him, Kitty." Fay said, looking at her with sparkling eyes. "But I'm just saying that you're better than him and that you shouldn't try to hold in your emotions like this. It will destroy you in the end." ***
Excalibur had their own little private church where they could go and meditate and pray in privacy without mobs of people running up to get their autographs and such. They had made it a mix between a Christian church and a Synagogue. One half had everything that the Christian members would need; statues and candles and such, and the Jewish half had the Torah and everything that they needed.
Nightcrawler was there now, his head tilted slightly upwards as he prayed quietly. He opened one eye slowly when he heard someone walk in, and he looked over his shoulder, watching SkyElf as he walked over to the Jewish half of the room.
Quietly, SkyElf picked up his [i]Tallith[/i]; a fringed prayer shawl, and he placed it on his head before he started to recite the [i]Tefillah[/i]; the standing prayer. When he was finished with the [i]Tefillah[/i], SkyElf knelt down and he started to pray to God to help him and his family through these pressing times with his son and everything.
Nightcrawler stood a few pews back from SkyElf, keeping his respective silence as he listened to the Hebrew words that his doppelganger whispered. He didn't know much Hebrew besides the few words Shadowcat had taught, (most of them being swears), but he could still guess what SkyElf was talking about.
It really surprised him when he heard some of the words start to waver as SkyElf's shoulders started trembling. He had never seen SkyElf really sob until that morning. He had seen tears fall yes, but this was beyond just tears falling down his cheeks.
SkyElf started to outright sob as he placed his head in his hands, still praying in Hebrew. When it got too much he reverted to his Romani tongue and Nightcrawler listened as he begged God to help him set things right with his son and make their family whole again. He was taking all of the blame for Kurt's departure.
Unable to stand it anymore, Nightcrawler walked up slowly and he gently rested a hand on SkyElf's shoulder, not wishing to startle him too much.
"Come on, SkyElf." He said in Romani gently. "I think you've done enough praying for one morning." Sniffling loudly, SkyElf raised his head slowly and he wiped his eyes with the back of one hand.
"I didn't know anyone was in here." He whispered, standing up with Nightcrawler's help. "I feel like a fool now being caught like this." He laughed weakly, taking off his [i]Tallith[/i] and folding it with reverence before he put it away.
"I heard that last bit of what you were praying for." Nightcrawler said. "Do you want to talk about it?" SkyElf looked at Nightcrawler and he nodded a bit, sitting down in one of the pews.
"I think I have to after this little display, ja?" he laughed weakly.
"You were blaming yourself for Kurt's departure." Nightcrawler pointed out, his tail swirling and curling lazily. "If it's anyone's fault; it's mine." He said. SkyElf cocked an eyebrow, looking at Nightcrawler in confusion.
"How is it your fault?" he asked.
"He found those comics in my room." Nightcrawler said. "I should have just thrown them out instead of saving them. I don't even know why I saved them really."
"It's not your fault." SkyElf said. "You didn't know that he would react that strongly to it." Nightcrawler looked at SkyElf with knowing eyes, the corner of his mouth lifted in a faint smile.
Realization came to SkyElf's face and he couldn't help but laugh at himself a bit, shaking his head.
"Very clever, Nightcrawler." He said. Nightcrawler shrugged, getting to his feet.
"I learned from the Professor how to do this." He said. "I'm getting a bit hungry, will you let me treat you to some IHOP*?" he offered, raising an eyebrow slightly. "We can talk more about this there if you want." SkyElf laughed softly, nodding as he followed Nightcrawler out of the church/synagogue.
"Why not? I could use some IHOP anyway." He said.
*mmmm IHOP....
Months had passed since Kurt left, and things were not going well for SkyElf and StarPryde. StarPryde blamed SkyElf for their son's leaving and they were always shouting and arguing about it. SkyElf slept on the couch now while StarPryde had the bed all to herself.
SkyElf was still sleeping when Johanna came down. He snorted softly as she gently shook him awake and he moaned as he stretched out his arms and tail.
"Dad?" Johanna asked. "Are you awake?"
"I would hope so." SkyElf chuckled sleepily. "I mean you're shaking me and all!" Yawning, he scratched the top of his head, his tail taking care of the knot at the small of his back with light rubs.
"What is it?" he asked. Johanna bit her lower lip slightly, looking down.
"Are you and mom going to be ok?" she asked finally. SkyElf sighed softly, all playfulness gone.
"I don't know." He admitted. "I hope so."
"I don't think Kurt is ever going to come back." Johanna said.
"Now why do you think that?" SkyElf asked gently, tilting his head to one side as his tail lightly wrapped around her wrist.
"He was so angry when he left." Johanna said. "I don't think he'll come back to us ever."
"That's his choice." SkyElf said. "We can't make him return."
"Mom's going to leave isn't she?" Johanna asked.
"Don't even think such things!" SkyElf said seriously. "This family will stick together through anything!" Johanna flinched and SkyElf instantly regretted yelling at her like that.
"I'm sorry." He whispered. "Things have just been getting difficult. You know this as well as I do." Johanna nodded, and she buried her face in her father's chest in a tight hug. ***
StarPryde was filled with a lot of pent up anger and the way she let it out was by practicing on the most extreme level in the training room.
Leaping backwards, she spun two full circles before she threw two daggers at the robotic tiger that was snapping at her. The daggers each struck an eye and its head blew off before she landed in a crouch on the ground.
She waited for a second before she started to run, metallic tentacles bursting out of the ground and flying at her, the tips buzzing with electricity. She turned and slid on the ground, drawing two more daggers as a tentacle got close to her.
Screaming in anger and frustration, she hurled the dagger at the tentacle and from the tip down it slid through it like it was a hot knife through a stick of butter.
As she got ready to keep fighting, the simulation suddenly died away, and she was just in an empty room again.
"Who..?"
"You've been working yourself ragged in here." Fay said, flying down slowly. StarPryde shrugged, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
"I need the practice."
"Kitty, I'm an empathy." Fay said.
"So?" StarPryde countered.
"You're not in here to get in more practice and you know it." Fay said, sitting down on the floor. "You're angry with SkyElf and think it is his fault your son left the lighthouse and went to America."
"Well wouldn't you?" StarPryde asked, fixing her ponytail and keeping her face away from Fay. "It was his idea to wait until they were eighteen."
"We all agreed to it." Fay said. "Even you. If you wish to blame people for this, then all three of us, you, SkyElf, and me are to blame for Kurt's sudden departure. This was our secret."
StarPryde poured some water on her face, shaking her head to get it off.
"You're holding back your emotions, Kitty." Fay continued, not deterred by her silence. "You can't do that forever."
"Who says I can't?" StarPryde demanded. "It's my life."
"Hauptmann Englande had a lot of pent up frustrations too." Fay said softly. "That's why he was what he was." StarPryde cocked an eyebrow, looking at Fay in confusion.
"What?" she asked. Fay nodded faintly, twirling a strand of her hair around one finger.
"He was angry at a lot of people in his life. His sister was experimented and killed. His brother was shot for treason, and it was his father who gave both of those orders. He just didn't know how to deal with his emotions so he let them out on us all of the time."
"Are you trying to say he wasn't evil?" StarPryde asked. Fay shook her head slowly.
"No, I'm not. Hauptmann Englande may have had problems letting out his anger at the Reich for what they did to his family, but he enjoyed inflicting pain on others to make up for it. He was a sadist.
"I'm not trying to say that you'll end up like him, Kitty." Fay said, looking at her with sparkling eyes. "But I'm just saying that you're better than him and that you shouldn't try to hold in your emotions like this. It will destroy you in the end." ***
Excalibur had their own little private church where they could go and meditate and pray in privacy without mobs of people running up to get their autographs and such. They had made it a mix between a Christian church and a Synagogue. One half had everything that the Christian members would need; statues and candles and such, and the Jewish half had the Torah and everything that they needed.
Nightcrawler was there now, his head tilted slightly upwards as he prayed quietly. He opened one eye slowly when he heard someone walk in, and he looked over his shoulder, watching SkyElf as he walked over to the Jewish half of the room.
Quietly, SkyElf picked up his [i]Tallith[/i]; a fringed prayer shawl, and he placed it on his head before he started to recite the [i]Tefillah[/i]; the standing prayer. When he was finished with the [i]Tefillah[/i], SkyElf knelt down and he started to pray to God to help him and his family through these pressing times with his son and everything.
Nightcrawler stood a few pews back from SkyElf, keeping his respective silence as he listened to the Hebrew words that his doppelganger whispered. He didn't know much Hebrew besides the few words Shadowcat had taught, (most of them being swears), but he could still guess what SkyElf was talking about.
It really surprised him when he heard some of the words start to waver as SkyElf's shoulders started trembling. He had never seen SkyElf really sob until that morning. He had seen tears fall yes, but this was beyond just tears falling down his cheeks.
SkyElf started to outright sob as he placed his head in his hands, still praying in Hebrew. When it got too much he reverted to his Romani tongue and Nightcrawler listened as he begged God to help him set things right with his son and make their family whole again. He was taking all of the blame for Kurt's departure.
Unable to stand it anymore, Nightcrawler walked up slowly and he gently rested a hand on SkyElf's shoulder, not wishing to startle him too much.
"Come on, SkyElf." He said in Romani gently. "I think you've done enough praying for one morning." Sniffling loudly, SkyElf raised his head slowly and he wiped his eyes with the back of one hand.
"I didn't know anyone was in here." He whispered, standing up with Nightcrawler's help. "I feel like a fool now being caught like this." He laughed weakly, taking off his [i]Tallith[/i] and folding it with reverence before he put it away.
"I heard that last bit of what you were praying for." Nightcrawler said. "Do you want to talk about it?" SkyElf looked at Nightcrawler and he nodded a bit, sitting down in one of the pews.
"I think I have to after this little display, ja?" he laughed weakly.
"You were blaming yourself for Kurt's departure." Nightcrawler pointed out, his tail swirling and curling lazily. "If it's anyone's fault; it's mine." He said. SkyElf cocked an eyebrow, looking at Nightcrawler in confusion.
"How is it your fault?" he asked.
"He found those comics in my room." Nightcrawler said. "I should have just thrown them out instead of saving them. I don't even know why I saved them really."
"It's not your fault." SkyElf said. "You didn't know that he would react that strongly to it." Nightcrawler looked at SkyElf with knowing eyes, the corner of his mouth lifted in a faint smile.
Realization came to SkyElf's face and he couldn't help but laugh at himself a bit, shaking his head.
"Very clever, Nightcrawler." He said. Nightcrawler shrugged, getting to his feet.
"I learned from the Professor how to do this." He said. "I'm getting a bit hungry, will you let me treat you to some IHOP*?" he offered, raising an eyebrow slightly. "We can talk more about this there if you want." SkyElf laughed softly, nodding as he followed Nightcrawler out of the church/synagogue.
"Why not? I could use some IHOP anyway." He said.
*mmmm IHOP....