Not Myself
By Princess Alexandria
Jessica The mental voice startled her and Jessi stopped walking suddenly, forcing the others to stop with her or run into her. I need to speak with you.
"Jessi, what is it?" Jon asked her.
"I have to go see the Professor." She gave Jon and Erik a confused look before readjusting her backpack.
"What did you do?" Erik asked and she couldn't really guess to what she could have done wrong. It wasn't like they were skipping class. It was lunch time. They should be able to go back to their rooms.
"I don't know." She took a few steps backwards then turned to head back to the building she'd just come from. "I'll see you guys later. Maybe this won't take long."
Jessi walked up to the large door to his office and hesitated for just a moment. Come on in. The Professor's mental voice addressed her and Jessi sighed. She still wasn't used to that.
He was sitting behind his desk and motioned to the seat in front of it. "Jessica, I recently got some news that I felt you should hear about." He talked as she settled in to her seat. "It's about your father."
…………….
Christy watched Emma as the woman looked over the files Christy had on her computer. She hoped that her work was good enough, because she'd spent so much time on it.
The soft smile that graced Emma's lips helped to relieve some of Christy's tension. "I think it's great that you plan to elaborate so much on the old standard lectures." Emma spoke softly while scrolling down the page. "You may find it hard to fit all of this into a semester though."
"I know that, but I decided to outline extra lessons and I can use them if anyone is interested." Christy moved up behind Emma and rested a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "These are standard lectures." She pointed to a symbol she'd used to mark the bones of the class. "And these are optional." She pointed to the other marker. "I also want to have a less structured component, a questions and answers dinner a few times a month maybe with different broad topics. Somehow I can't see teenagers being willing to ask their questions in front of everyone else."
"Yes, that will be a challenge for you." Emma continued to read. "Some of this material will be difficult to get past the Professor and the censure brigade."
Christy grimaced, before letting that irritation go with a sigh. "Well, this is my dream class. I know I'll have to make sacrifices, but one thing I won't skip is the sections on gay sexuality. I was robbed as a kid and I won't do that to others."
"Well you seem to do alright now." Emma glanced over her shoulder and the woman's light blue eyes seemed to caress Christy. "I certainly have no complaints." Christy smiled shyly and blushed at the compliment. God knew she was more than stunned by how wonderful being with Emma was; she called out to him enough during their lovemaking.
"Thanks."
"I'd like to copy your work." Emma was back to business. "If I start working on him now we can see what we can get approved for Fall, and if you need to rework something to cater to their repressed sexuality." Emma was a touch colder sounding when she said that.
While Emma was copying files Christy heard the upstairs phone ring, "I better get that.".
She still had a smile on her lips when she answered the phone. "Hello."
"Christy." Jessi sounded upset. Christy's smile faded and her eyes narrowed as she concentrated on this conversation. "My dad was arrested."
Christy's jaw clenched as she heard this. She'd failed to think about this hurting Jessi as she worked on the mission. "I know honey." Her voice softened. "I was trying to find out more before calling and telling you." Like what the newspaper had, but she had been so busy enjoying being near Emma that she'd brushed it off until later. She really should have been the one to tell Jessi.
"He really did that stuff didn't he?" Jessi's pained whisper made Christy's heart ache for her. "He killed those kids."
"Yes." Christy struggled with lying about her involvement, but Jessi wouldn't thank her if she knew. Christy listened as Jessi spilled her pain at knowing this about her father and did her best to be comforting, which wasn't easy over a phone.
"Christy." Emma's voice called to her. Christy turned to see her lover coming up the stairs and saw the slightly embarrassed grimace Emma gave her, making it clear she didn't think Christy was still on the phone.
"Ms. Frost is there?" Jessi asked, clearly surprised to hear her English teacher at Christy's house.
"I got hurt the other night." Christy explained. "I needed help, and no one's better than Emma at helping me." She gave Emma a soft smile.
"You were hurt?" Jessi's voice rose. "Oh god, are you okay?"
"I'm okay now, just a little weak. It should wear off soon." Christy was learning to lower her shields and take in energy on purpose now. Emma had her do it several times already, and each time made Christy feel a little better.
"We should have been there." Jessi was blowing this way out of proportion and Christy's eyebrows drew together as she tried to understand why Jessi seemed to assume Christy almost died. It was true, but she'd never tell the kids that.
She's only got one parent left now. Emma's voice interrupted Christy's confusion. And that's you.
Are you eavesdropping? Christy asked, and for the first time she was a little put out by it.
"You look a bit lost love." Emma spoke quietly while Jessi continued to apologize for not being there for her continued. "That's why I did it."
Christy nodded to Emma and pulled the phone tighter to her ear. "Jessi… stop." She spoke with authority she rarely used with the kids and it got Jessi's attention. "I'm fine. It was a stupid accident and you wouldn't have been able to be there anyhow. I was in a bar…"
"A bar?" Jessi sounded like she'd never heard of such a thing. "You don't go to bars."
"I do." Christy sighed. "When I have friends old enough to get in. My friend Robbie and I went out and I got hurt. My mutation makes me a bit… odd medically. Emma came to help me out. I'm fine now."
"You're okay?" Jessi didn't sound very convinced.
"Do you want me to have Emma tell you that?"
"Oh… no…" Jessi protested. "If you say you're fine…"
"I am."
The conversation turned back to her father after a little while and when there was a lull in the talking Christy decided to take a risk. Emma had left her alone to deal with this, probably Christy's own fault. "Jessi. It's horrible about your dad, but if I find out that no one knows you're a mutant you could come home." The ray of sunshine she'd been working towards was now revealed.
"Yeah." Jessi sighed. It wasn't joy and it disappointed Christy a little. "Yeah I could."
"Well you think about it and I'll find out." Christy thought this felt a bit anticlimactic.
"I will. I'll talk to Jon too." Jessi paused. "I need to go to class."
"Okay." Christy barely hesitated, but she did hesitate. "I love you. Take care of yourself."
"Love you too Christy."
Christy went down the stairs and could hear Emma typing on her computer. She followed the sounds and leaned against the doorway as she stared. "I'm sorry." Emma glanced up at her and her face didn't hold the tender expression she had earlier. Christy felt guilty, although she couldn't say she was overly harsh. Still, she felt like it was her place to apologize. "I love it when you read my mind. I feel so close to you… I just…"
Emma took a deep breath, "You have boundaries Christy. Most people do. It's okay."
"It's just, that wasn't just me. I don't have the right to let you listen in to Jessi without her saying okay. Not when she's that emotional."
Emma stared at Christy for a moment. "And you felt guilty, like you did that to her." Christy felt the warm mental touch and opened up to it, encouraged Emma's closeness. "But he did it to himself and to Jessi."
"I know." Christy felt like Emma was caressing her brain and it felt incredible. Her breathing started to come a little faster. "Emma."
"You like this?" Emma's voice was teasing. Christy had to open eyes she'd closed so she could concentrate on the feeling Emma was giving her. The mischievous and sexy smile Emma gave her said it all.
"Yes." Christy stepped closer and held a hand out to grab Emma's hand and pull the blonde to her feet. "You're done working."
"My, you have a bit of a dominant streak don't you?" Emma smiled wickedly as Christy pulled her closer.
"Like you're innocent? I can feel what you're doing to me." Christy hugged Emma to her and whispered seductively into her ear. "You should be ashamed of yourself, manipulating your lover like this." Christy kissed Emma's neck slowly, showing that she didn't mind in the least that Emma had somehow found a way to imitate the way Christy's powers made her feel and mellow it to make it less uncontrollable and more gently pleasurable.
"I really should be heading back." Emma teased and pretended to pull away. Christy grabbed her by the waist and pulled her tight to her body.
"You better not become a tease woman."
"Don't worry. I fully intend to deliver." Emma's voice deepened, making it even more sexy than normal, before Christy found herself being kissed into submission.
………..
Annie could tell from across the courtyard that Jessi wasn't well. The way her friend and roommate walked screamed pained, so Annie turned to face the blushing blonde and for just a moment wondered why Phoebe was acting more shy than she had in the beginning. "I need to go."
"Oh, okay." Phoebe looked hurt. Annie took the girl's hand and squeezed it comfortingly.
"We'll talk later, I promise." Annie spoke softly. The conversation hadn't been that great for a change. Normally Phoebe and Annie seemed to get along well enough even with Phoebe's shyness, but Phoebe had stammered out conversation about movies and concerts today without ever getting to the point. "But I think something's wrong with Jessi."
"Okay." Phoebe smiled, clearly comforted by the real reason for Annie leaving. Annie moved to intercept Jessi and find out what was wrong.
………..
Sophie stared across the courtyard as Phoebe watched Annie walk away. Her eyes took in the slightly defeated stance of her sister and knew that Phoebe hadn't asked Annie out yet.
Would it be so horrible to intercept her friend and ask before Phoebe had a chance? Sophie felt incredibly tempted, but with a slight slump of her shoulders she just stood and watched Annie start talking to Jessi. If she had said something when Phoebe asked it would have been okay, but going behind her sister's back was just wrong.
"I wonder what's so special about Greeny." A familiar snide voice spoke just behind Sophie. Sophie didn't bother to turn around. "At this rate she'll have all my sisters pining over her by Fall semester."
"Shut up Esme."
"Do you think she'd date me if I asked her out?" Esme still continued to taunt her. "Perhaps we could rotate who got the girl so that we all had a shot."
"SHUT UP ESME" Sophie turned to glare at her sister. "Just shut up." She walked away with her fists clenched as she could hear her sister laughing at her.
Does Phoebe know your heart is breaking for your lady love? How noble of you to step down. Esme's mental voice asked before Sophie made it across the courtyard. Sophie just strengthened her shields and continued to put distance between them. When Esme was in the mood to be mean, very little stopped her; Sophie and the others tended to just avoid their sister if possible at that time of the month.
………….
Annie didn't know what she could say to make Jessi feel better. Secretly she was glad that Jessi's dad was caught and she was pretty sure they all felt that way, but still this was Jessi's dad. Annie's eyes took in their dorm and she shared a look with Erik. Both of them were just sitting there while Jon held his girlfriend. She guessed that sometimes you did things just to show you cared and this was one of them. Sitting in here with Jessi was taxing Annie's emotions, she couldn't guess what being near Jessi right now did to Erik.
"The Professor said I could skip classes today, but he didn't say anything about you guys." Jessi's voice was raspy after her crying. Annie glanced at the clock and saw they had five minutes to get to their next class.
"It's just a class." Annie spoke softly with a slight smile. She'd never once skipped a class but she didn't want to leave Jessi alone either.
"Maybe I could stay with her for this period." Erik spoke softly, "and then one of you could take the next."
Annie glanced at Jon, knowing he'd want to skip all his classes. He looked up while still holding Jessi to him. "You guys go ahead. We'll be fine."
"You sure?" Annie didn't want to let Jessi down, but maybe this was better.
"Yeah, I got it." Jon spoke while pulling his girlfriend into a tighter hug.
"We'll check on you guys after class." Erik said as he stood up. Annie followed his lead out the door and back to the main building.
Once they were outside she sighed. "I wish I could say I was sorry it happened."
"She'd understand." Erik gave Annie's hand a squeeze. "Just not yet. Jessi's thinking about her Daddy, not the man he became. It'll get better, she just needs to accept that her dad isn't who she thought he was."
"Join the club." Annie grimaced as she thought of her own father. At least he wasn't a killer, but that wasn't a great endorsement.
……….
Emma rolled onto her side and studied Christy's face as the other woman rested her eyes. Christy looked less fatigued after having opened up her shields a few more times. Emma reached out and started to gently caress her lover's face and smiled when she noticed Christy close her eyes and let her. "You are so pretty." Emma whispered and watched Christy's blush at the compliment. Christy was clearly not used to being complimented about such things. Emma decided at that moment that she'd work on that with Christy.
"I wish…" Christy started to speak, but stopped just as suddenly.
"What do you wish?"
"I wish you didn't have to go." Christy's voice was quiet, and lonely. Emma sighed as the avoided topic was brought up. She should have left a hour ago, but they'd been busy making love. She couldn't put it off much longer. Not when she had the Blackbird and a test to give her class by the end of the week.
"I wish I didn't have to go as well." Emma leaned down and kissed Christy's soft lips. "Just one more month and this will be over." Emma smiled when Christy opened her eyes. "And perhaps I'll take you on an actual date. We seemed to have skipped that part."
"That would be nice." Christy smiled. "Just the two of us."
"Well I would hardly invite the class to our date." Emma teased.
"Do think we should? Perhaps as extra credit for the Sex Ed class?" Christy said it with a straight face and for just a moment Emma was shocked, until she felt Christy's amusement.
"Well, if you want to."
………..
"Annie?" A familiar voice called after her when Annie was leaving the main building. Annie turned to see which sister it was and could tell from the way the blonde girl walked and moved around the other students that it was Phoebe even without seeing the color in her hair. Annie moved off to the side of the walkway and waited.
"Hey Phoebe." Annie smiled when the girl got to her side.
"Is everything okay with Jessi?" Phoebe asked as they started to walk further away from the doors so it wasn't so crowded.
"Her dad was arrested." This wasn't gossip if Annie was telling one of the sisters. They would find out eventually and it might save them the embarrassment of asking Jessi.
"Oh." Phoebe's eyebrows drew together as they walked quietly for a little while. "It's a shame that she…"
"Is related to that jerk?" Annie finished the girl's sentence. Her eyes widened a little once she realized how rude that was. She was just so used to the sisters doing that to each other that she didn't even think about it. Phoebe grinned at her.
"I was going to be a little nicer about it, but yes."
They were near the roses when Phoebe grabbed Annie's hand and moved to get off the walkway. The slightly pleading look the blonde girl gave her kept Annie quietly following. Something was up. They moved behind a few bushes and the other students were out of sight. "Annie, I wanted to ask you something."
Annie got her hand back once they stopped moving. "Um… okay." Annie watched Phoebe nervously fidget, almost looking like she'd prefer to pace but wouldn't let herself.
"I'd understand if you said no. I mean your Sophie's friend…"
"I thought I was your friend too." Annie spoke softly, knowing how shy and insecure Phoebe was. Phoebe's pleased smile made Annie smile back.
Phoebe's smile didn't completely fade, but it lost some of it's radiance as the girl started to fidget a bit more and Phoebe started to talk to the ground instead of Annie. "I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go to the movies with me… just us." Phoebe started talking faster as she spoke. "and we could do dinner too."
Annie stared at the blushing girl and her eyes widened when she realized what was happening. A girl was asking her out on a date. Asking HER. Annie swallowed and felt her heart seeming to beat a little faster as she tried to figure out how she felt about Phoebe asking her. The sisters knew Annie was gay, but she'd never thought that any of them would be… and if one was she would have figured it would be Sophie.
"Oh forget it, it was a stupid idea." Phoebe sounded hurt and Annie realized she'd been quiet too long.
"No… you just surprised me." Annie felt weird about this. Part of her wondered what Christy would think, but then again Christy had Ms. Frost. Annie's fist clenched just a little and she forced herself to not think about that. Christy was never going to happen. How many people had to tell her that before she accepted it? Well Annie wasn't going to turn down her first date ever for a dream. "I'd love to."
"You would?" Phoebe looked up at Annie through the blonde hair that almost acted as a protective wall. The girl's smile was beautiful; of course all the sisters were beautiful.
"Sure." Annie smiled. This wasn't the sister she'd ever thought might ask her, but Phoebe was really sweet. "It'll be fun."
…………
Christy watched the impressive looking plane rise into the air with a sigh. It was strange to think Emma could just use a plane as easily as a car to get where she was going. Was there anything Emma couldn't do? Christy just watched the blackbird disappear into the clouds as she smiled just a little. It was nice to have such a capable woman, even if it was a little intimidating.
Christy turned and got into her car to head back to the house. "I don't think I've ever been in love before." She whispered to herself as she compared her feelings now to those she'd had for her ex. Her last relationship paled in comparison. Hell her relationship with Mystique had more spark than she'd had with Michelle. "I should have been born here." She pulled out of her parking space. This world was so much better than the one she'd left, even before they knew about the asteroid. She never remembered feeling so connected in her own world, never felt like she was a part of it all.
When she pulled up to the house she saw a van in the driveway. Christy rolled down the passenger side window as her mother walked to the side of the car. "Mom?"
"I was going to see if you and Robbie wanted to have dinner." The older woman smiled. "Or we could get take out and Ryan could join us." Shortpack's fake name sounded strange to her ears. Christy smiled a little at the other woman knowing Shortpack didn't like to go out to eat in public and get stared at while he struggled with dishes far too large for him.
"They left. Her works done." Christy had already eaten with Emma, but she unlocked her doors. "But I can go." Christy would have tried to get out of this a few months ago, but Mystique taught her enough that Christy wasn't afraid of blowing her cover anymore. She could give this woman a piece of her daughter back before she moved away. "Where to?" It was also better than sitting in an empty house.
………..
Annie sat in the couch pretending to watch the movie. Terminator was normally a bit more interesting to her, but as she watched that morphing cop robot she thought about her date. She felt a bit like she should be planning what to wear already even though she had days. She'd wanted to burst into her room and ask for Jessi's help, but the other girl was so depressed Annie didn't feel like it was fair to show how happy Annie was.
A real date. Annie fidgeted with the hem of her shirt and wondered if this would be it for her. If she'd finally know what it was like to have a real relationship. It still felt odd, like she was cheating, but she pushed thoughts of Christy out of her head forcefully and let herself think about Phoebe. She'd talked with the girl about their project many times, but she still felt like she didn't know the girl very well. Phoebe was much more shy than Sophie so it was harder to get to know her.
Should she ask Sophie what she thought Annie should do? It was her sister and Sophie was her friend, but was asking Sophie about if Annie should get flowers for Phoebe before the date might be weird. Annie sat back and pretended to pay attention to the movie while she wondered if she should kiss Phoebe after the date or if that was too soon. She also wondered if she'd want to.
……….
"You should go through the house and see if there's anything you want." Christy told her mother as they waited for the waitress to bring their drinks. "My new room is furnished, and even with friends staying at my house I don't think I'll need everything. I was going to sell what I could, but if you want first dibs…"
Christy felt she had to offer before she sold more of the other Christy's belongings for pocket change. While she was selling to take care of the kids she hadn't felt a bit of remorse, but she was trying to sell things now to make enough to buy a laptop so she could leave the desktop for any future guests. With the mission done and her class outlined Christy was forced to deal with the move now. She had not quite a month to get ready. She'd split all the belongings into staying, moving, or selling.
Christy also needed to figure out a way to get her car across the country. Maybe Emma would have an idea, because Christy didn't want to have to drive it.
"Sell?" Her mother didn't sound thrilled with that idea. "You can't just sell off your stuff. What if you want to come home?"
"I won't sell anything I need." Christy took a sip of her drink. Materialism was something she used to be guilty of occasionally, but when her life was reduced to only owning the clothes on her back and the deck of cards she got over it. "I just need money for the move and stuff." It took until the dinner was delivered to their table to get her mother to understand that the stuff she was selling wasn't important and she really could live without it.
Christy stared at the woman in front of her while her mind remembered seeing this healthy and vibrant woman broken, weak, boney and nearly unable to understand what was going on around them. She watched her mother's double eat as if food wasn't scarce and talk about work and books she'd read. It hurt, but Christy just looked back down at her plate and collected some corn onto her fork. Maybe she'd avoided this woman for more reasons than worrying about her cover. The childish part of her screamed that it wasn't fair, but she knew better than to think anything was fair.
"So is Robbie coming back?" Her mother asked and Christy looked up to see eyes much sharper than she'd gotten used to.
"Probably not, but she lives not too far from the school so I can visit her." Why would Robbie visit the house when Christy wasn't there? Still the older woman hung onto some hope that this wasn't happening. Her powers of denial were strong in every world.
"You'd tell me if you were… seeing anyone wouldn't you?" Her mother asked a bit hesitantly. Christy's fork stopped on the way to her mouth as she found herself caught, even if her mother made the wrong conclusion about who it might be. "Are you moving to be near her?" Disapproval for the move colored her tone. Any woman blamed for Christy's moving would have a hard time earning any kind thoughts from her mother.
This was supposed to be a nice relaxing dinner not an interrogation. Christy sighed as she collected her thoughts for this conversation. "I am, but I," Christy hesitated and refused to look up into what was no doubt surprised eyes, "didn't say anything because she isn't the reason I'm moving. I would have taken the job regardless." Christy finally looked up, her expression a little hard as she tried to use her personality and conviction to get out of the conversation about it not being a good idea to move to the East coast for a woman. "I'm not with Robbie though, I'm with Emma. She works at the school. I'd already agreed to try and get the job before we became involved." End of discussion, her mind added. It took a little effort to push the defensiveness away when her mother looked hurt she hadn't mentioned this before.
"So she's a mutant too?" Her mother asked quietly and Christy felt bad, guilty, when she saw how hard the woman was trying to be a part of her life. Christy's tense back relaxed.
"Yes." Christy glanced around a little to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "She teaches English and Telepathy." Emma also taught some gym but then all the teachers seemed to take that on. No need to confuse the older woman more. Christy's voice softened. "She's everything I've always wanted in a woman mom. She's smart, strong… so beautiful." Christy sighed. "She cares so much about her work, about the kids." There was no way to make someone understand how lucky Christy felt to have Emma, certainly no one that didn't know who Christy really was would have even a glimmer of an idea how incredibly lucky Christy was.
"So," Christy's mom gave her a weak smile. "My little girl's found love again. I'm glad. Do her parents know?" As in what type of reaction would Emma and Christy get from Emma's family. Michelle's hadn't been thrilled to find Christy in their little girl's life and it had been a strain on that relationship.
Christy sighed. "She rarely sees them. They aren't good people. I don't know, but I wonder if they abused her." It wasn't something she could just ask Emma out of nowhere, but the lack of love in that family, from what Christy had heard, was suspicious. Also what loving family would lock up a telepathic teen in a mental hospital? They should have known what was going on in that hell hole and got Emma out of there.
Christy could see her mother's expression soften and knew that Emma's pain had just helped to make her mother feel protective of her. "That's horrible."
"Yeah." Christy pushed her plate out of her way a bit, no longer hungry. They spent the rest of dinner with Christy telling her mother what she could about Emma, which wasn't nearly as much as what she knew. Hearing her own words she could see how people might think she'd been moving too fast. So much of their relationship was built in their telepathic romps through Christy's mind and Christy knew her sometimes suspicious mother would wonder if the telepath had done something to her daughter. Also Christy couldn't come up with an excuse to explain why Emma had been in her mind to begin with. At least her mother didn't say she was moving too fast, but Christy could see from her expression she thought it.
………..
Sophie watched Phoebe standing in front of their closet, staring at outfits and rejecting them repeatedly in her effort to get ready to take Annie out. After three days of hearing about this date and pretending to be happy for Phoebe it was finally the night. "I don't know what to wear." Phoebe sounded upset.
Esme rolled her eyes and Sophie worried what would come out her mouth. "And you're asking us? You do realize we haven't exactly been dating behind your back sister." Esme's voice grated on Sophie's nerves. "You're the first one, and let me say that shows there is no…"
"Esme." Sophie spoke softly, but followed up with a hard telepathic push as a warning.
"What? I'm just saying the world is obviously distorted when our mousy sister dates before I do." Or you do, Esme added mentally just to Sophie. Sophie knew Esme was pushing her buttons to try and upset her and did her best to not let her.
"I think you'd look good in the black skirt and green silk top." Sophie ignored the conversation Esme wanted to have, knowing it would hurt Phoebe, and that Phoebe was already hurt by Esme's insensitivity.
"And you could wear your Mary Jane's" Celeste added helpfully, while getting up to assist Phoebe. It spared Sophie from having to do it. She would have though, to make sure Phoebe was ready in time. Esme just turned to glare out the window, obviously upset with not being the first sister to go on a date.
………..
Annie smiled at Phoebe when the girl came to the room and felt a small rush of power when she noticed the blonde blush and give a shy smile back. "I managed to borrow a car." Phoebe told her. Annie had noticed the girl talking with Ms. Frost after the test, so she had a good idea how Phoebe had managed that trick. It irritated Annie a bit to have to owe Ms. Frost anything, but she pushed her feelings aside and grabbed her purse to follow Phoebe.
She took a moment to check her reflection one more time to make sure her image inducer was on. She'd gotten so used to not needing it that the reflection looked strange to her.
"If you don't want to wear it I wouldn't mind." Phoebe spoke softly, and Annie's eyes widened a little as she was caught.
Annie blushed and moved to leave the room. "It's just better this way." She said softly, thinking of the stares and angry words that would follow them if Annie tried to go out as she really was.
Phoebe hesitantly took her hand and blushed a deep red. "I think you're beautiful the way you really are." Her voice was soft. Annie felt her mouth open to thank her, but the words just wouldn't come. Annie cleared her throat to try and get her words moving.
"Thank you." Her voice shook a little, because she really believed Phoebe meant it. Christy had said things like that to her before, but it hadn't been like this. Annie let Phoebe's hand go when the blonde took it back and started to walk along side her in silence while she analyzed her thoughts and feelings to a simple comment.
…………
Emma was leaning over yet another project. Grading was a chore, but she fully intended to get it done tonight if at all possible. She had to go to a business meeting on Monday and wanted to spend the rest of the weekend going over the Frost Enterprises reports, but she still believed that prompt feedback was important for students to learn. With a heavy sigh she took her red pen to the paper in front of her.
The phone interrupted her writing comments about proper research over word of mouth in the column of one paper. "Hello." She said distractedly into her cell phone once she opened it.
"Hey." The soft word brought a smile to Emma's lips. "I got a new cell phone."
"And you thought to tell me of your good fortune?" Emma teased.
"Actually I'm trapped on the freeway waiting for it to move, so I thought I'd call." Emma set her pen down and glanced at the clock. It would be a little after five in Tacoma. She sat back in the chair, happy for the interruption of her work. "So… what are you wearing?"
Emma chuckled. "Oh darling, if you want to play those games with me you really shouldn't be driving. It's not safe."
"Just teasing." Christy laughed and Emma gave the empty room a wicked smile, knowing Christy was just teasing, but perhaps Emma would arrange for a special phone call some night when Christy was safely tucked in bed. "I've started going through the house figuring out what stays and what comes, but I realized I didn't know how I was going to get anything to New York. I really don't want to drive all that way."
"Oh, yes. Your car." Emma reached over her desk to grab her rolodex. She had a number in here for the service that arranged for transport of cars. "Do you have something to write with or would you like me to email you the information for a company that can get your car to New York?"
"Email." Christy hesitated. "They'll drive it?"
"Actually it will be on a truck." Emma started up her computer so that she could get Christy the information while she was thinking about it. "You need to call and arrange it soon, they need advanced notice."
"Do you think they'll let me fill the car up with my boxes?"
"I don't see why not." They talked about the move for a good ten minutes, and Emma got the impression that Christy wasn't bringing much with her.
"Finally it's moving." Christy muttered. "If people truly want death, they should be more considerate to others. My people never stopped the entire tribe…"
"Death?" Emma asked, surprised at the soft outburst.
"Someone just jumped off the bridge. I'm sure of it." Christy sighed. "Traffic like this is either a jumper or an accident. It's pretty stupid. There are better ways to die." The casual way Christy spoke of suicide surprised Emma for a moment, until she remembered how normal it had been in Christy's world. It would have lost its shock value to the dimension hopper.
"I suppose so." Her brothers suicide had been a quieter affair, but not done in what Emma would consider a good way. "but people like that aren't really thinking of all the details."
"I'm not so sure about that." Christy sounded a bit introspective. "It's something that people think about a lot before doing it. They consider a dozen different ways before they pick."
"How were you going to do it?" Emma spoke a bit slower when she suspected where Christy got her understanding. There was a pause in the conversation.
"I was going to eat my gun." The words were soft and a bit ashamed. "But then I decided on death by asteroid."
"I was going to overdose on sleeping pills." Emma admitted to her plan quietly, one that she hadn't shared with anyone. After Genosha she'd considered it again, like she'd almost done it after the Hellions died. "But I ended up teaching instead."
"Thank god." Christy's voice was calm for such a topic, not surprised like people like Jean or others would have been. "I would have been pretty upset to have missed you after coming all this way."
"Yes, I suppose that would be rude of me to not be here when you came to see me." Emma sighed at the morbid topic. "I wish you'd have contacted us sooner." It was a hard year and Emma could have used Christy's support sooner.
"I was afraid. I was sure that all the telepaths would be able to see what I'd done and that I'd be locked up." Emma waited during the thoughtful pause. "At first I thought I'd gone to a weird sort of hell with the talk of Genosha on the radio."
"They were talking about Genosha on the radio when you got here?" Emma asked as her eyes narrowed. She hadn't really thought about the connection, how Christy said she'd come to this world in mid July, around the time Emma survived the attack on Genosha. Christy's affirmative answer drew a new picture of that night in Emma's mind as she realized that while she was stumbling through the tunnels under the city, through the rubble, Christy was making her way through Tacoma after having found herself in a new world. Emma steered the conversation to less emotional topics, like grading. The thought that the deaths that night might have helped fuel Christy's arrival was not something she wanted to think about. She didn't want the nightmare of that night associated with her lover in any way.
………….
"What did you think about the movie?" Phoebe asked Annie shyly while they waited for the waiter to come take their orders. In truth Annie had trouble concentrating on the movie because she found most of her attention easily distracted by the blonde sitting next to her.
"It was good. I love Sandra Bullock, she's always so good." The waiter showed up so they stopped talking long enough to order dinner. Phoebe had paid for the movie tickets, and Annie got the feeling she'd be paying for dinner, but Annie had enough money on her in case she was wrong. Jessi told her that since Phoebe asked she should pay, but is that what women did?
Annie really wished she'd had someone to ask, but she wasn't going to ask Ms. Frost, who obviously must know, or Christy. Why couldn't the school have more lesbians working there?
"Once we take our finals mother is taking my sisters and I to visit our grandparents." Phoebe gave Annie a small smile. "But we'll be back before summer term starts. I'm so glad mother didn't decide to take us out of the school." It was clear that Annie's being in the school was the motivation for that comment, and Annie blushed. "I was hoping when I got back…" Phoebe hesitated. Annie knew she was about to be asked out for another date and she actually felt her heart beat a little faster. She'd like that. She'd had more fun with Phoebe than she'd expected. Phoebe was sweet and sensitive. "we could go out again."
"I'd love to." Annie didn't try to hide her happiness with that and loved the relieved smile Phoebe gave her. Their drinks were delivered and Annie waited until the waiter was gone before leaning closer to Phoebe. "I've had a lot of fun so far."
"Good." Phoebe's smile was so pretty. The tension just seemed to melt off of her making her look more like Sophie, which was a little disconcerting, but the purple in her hair made it clear who Annie was with. "I have to… fun that is, I've had fun."
………..
Christy stared at the boxes she'd packed. In the last one she added the going away gift they'd given her at work. After a thorough sifting of the house she was ready with three days to spare. Her plane itinerary sat on the desk, along with all the identification papers that she'd found in the files so she could continue to be Christy Taylor.
July was almost here and it was the first day of her unemployment.
"Ms. Taylor?" The man from the movie service came into her room. "Is this it?" He looked at the small pile of boxes. "None of the furniture?"
"My new apartment is furnished." She spoke distractedly and turned to face him. "When will it get there?"
"We'll call you the day before arrival, but it will be between ten days and two weeks." Christy nodded. Nothing she needed for those two weeks were in the boxes. She had two bags of luggage she'd fill up with the necessities and her papers. Not needing clothes saved her the problem of not having them or needing a lot of luggage. He started to pick up the boxes and take them out to his truck.