500 Miles – Ruins II
By Princess Alexandria
The swirling light show with tentacles stopped, the silence from the noise was sudden and Christy continued to stare where it had been. Her double, the woman who'd taken Christy over and shown her what she could be capable of, was gone.
Slowly she became aware of the cold of the water she'd fallen into. Ever so slowly she moved her arms to start to get up. Her reflexes were sluggish as she tried to get used to actually controlling her own motion again.
Emma was by her side quickly, ignoring the water that must have been ruining those expensive looking boots. "Are you alright dear?" The woman asked softly while holding out a hand for Christy to take.
Christy gave Emma her hand, but didn't move to get up just yet. She stared up at Emma with questioning eyes. "Do you think she'll make it?" It would be a tragedy if that woman didn't make it home. Christy didn't even know that kind of love really existed, and the idea that the couple could be kept apart was horrible.
Emma pulled a little on Christy's arm and Christy had to try hard to stumble to her feet. "I think she won't give up until she does."
Christy felt unsteady on her feet and spots filled her vision as she stood. "Good. I didn't know love like that could exist." Christy started to fall backwards and felt a strong arm pull her more tightly to Emma's body.
The whisper was soft. "It's rare." Emma's voice became more commanding. "Let me carry you. You look too pale."
"You're not super strong." Christy's vision was starting to clear. Emma was staring at her with concern.
"And you're not very big. I can handle it. I want to get you to Henry."
"I can walk." Christy took a tentative step towards the shore. She could walk. She didn't want to give up this freedom so soon after getting it back.
She fell as she turned to see Emma to indicate they could leave, and blackness consumed her vision and thoughts.
…………
"This one is just as stubborn as the last one." Emma spoke and Christy heard it. She didn't move to open her eyes, because she was pretty sure she knew where she was. The med lab. She'd been aware of everything the other woman had been through while she was trapped in her own body, so it looked painfully familiar. "She kept arguing she could do it even as she was passing out. She was lucky I was close enough to catch her."
"It looks like she's dehydrated. Seriously dehydrated." A deeper male voice spoke and Christy started to open her eyes. "Our Christy must have taken some of her water from this Christy's body."
"This is our Christy." Emma spoke more softly. "She's not the one everyone knows, but this one is ours." Christy felt a little warmth at that comment and tried to not think of why.
"Don't move too much. I have an IV in you and didn't feel like I should strap your arm down." Henry spoke and moved into her range of vision. "I don't want you to hurt yourself." He smiled at her and Christy thought he probably didn't think about how it made it look like he was going to bite. "I'm Dr. McCoy." He reintroduced himself.
"Christy." She managed to croak out. It would be confusing, since her double had used her name. "Can I call my mom?" It had been so hard to hear the conversations Christy had with her mother and not be able to talk.
"I'll get you a phone." Emma spoke as Henry seemed to be checking her pulse. Christy turned to look at that woman.
"Thank you." She stared at the blonde, thinking of how this woman had talked with her while she was trapped. Sometimes she clung to that as the only thing that kept her from going insane. She'd felt so helpless and invisible.
When Emma came back to the bed with a phone Henry moved to leave, giving her privacy. When Emma handed the phone over and moved to leave Christy's hand moved to grab her wrist. She held on as tightly as she could, knowing that it was still a weak grasp. "Please stay." She felt nervous calling her mother and didn't want to be alone. Her IV needle poked at her uncomfortably but she didn't let go until Emma nodded and moved to grab a chair with her free arm. "Thank you." Christy reluctantly let go.
It took both her hands to dial and she moved gingerly. One arm was holding the phone to her ear, and the other hand clenched on the bed. "Mom?"She spoke softly when the other woman answered. "I'm back."
"Christy?" Her mother's voice rose in relief. Christy felt tears in her eyes.
"She's gone." It felt a bit like she had a hole in her heart. That Christy had held her captive, but Christy had felt her emotions and the other woman just felt so much more alive than Christy remembered feeling in a long time. "She left me."
"Are you okay bright eyes?"
"I'm fine. A little weak, but I'm fine." Her voice was rough. "I'm taking a leave of absence for Fall Semester. She wasn't sure we could separate in time." She paused. "Mom, she was me. She was me from another world." Her double hadn't told Emma this and she'd never said anything out loud, but Christy had seen the dreams. "She'd been through hell." It had horrified Christy to see it, but to see how strong she could be. How strong her double had to be. Part of her was proud of that. The silence on the other line told her that her mother had no idea what to say. "I know you didn't believe her, but she saved my life. I was running and I couldn't run anymore. They were going to kill me, I knew it. She stopped them."
"Your powers never were dangerous. It's just not right that people would attack you for that." Her mother spoke, and Christy could hear the tears in the voice.
"But I do have power. I just don't know how to use it." Her eyes trailed to the blonde at her side not pretending to not listen. "I've been learning. I could be strong enough to protect myself. I need to be. I'm so tired of running."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm going to stay here, at the school in Westchester. I'm going to learn how to protect myself, because she isn't going to be coming back to do it for me, and if she could… I should be able to."
"You're at the mutant school?" The concern was easy to hear.
"Yes." And it was nice of the other Christy to protect this secret, but she should have known Christy would have told her mother as soon as she realized she was a mutant. She didn't need to protect that one.
"Everyone knows what kind of school that is. If someone knows your staying there they might attack you."
"I'm always afraid. I don't want to be afraid anymore." Her jaw clenched. Yes, they'd kept this secret well, but every time the subject of mutants came up she was nervous. Worried that someone would figure it out.
"You be careful." Her mother couldn't be blamed for keeping her powers such a well guarded secret, for making her reluctant to tell anyone. She was afraid too.
"I'll be fine." Christy smiled; feeling like it might actually be true. She reached out and took the blonde's hand in her own. Her eyes stared into Emma's eyes. "I've got good people watching out for me."
She started to feel tired and her arm was getting a bit heavy, but her mother still needed reassurance. They talked for a long time and then Christy was surprised to feel Emma take the phone from her hand.
"Mrs. Taylor." Emma's cool, cultured voice filled the air. "I'm Emma Frost, the headmaster at this school. I will make sure that Christy gets all the training she needs, but for right now she needs rest. Separating the women was hard on her and she's dehydrated and exhausted. She just didn't want you to worry any longer." It felt strange having someone else talking for her. "I'm sure she'd be happy to call you later, but I can't let her push herself like this tonight."
There was a pause and Emma spoke again. "Here. Say your goodbyes." The phone was held out for her. Christy felt a little irritated by the command, but she was tired and didn't feel like she could hang up on her mother.
"Mom, I'll call you tomorrow."
"You sleep well bright eyes." Her mother's voice was soft, as if Christy were still a five year old.
When Emma took the phone from her this time Christy spoke to her. "Thank you. Thank you for everything. I thought I might go insane in there. If you hadn't…"
Emma rested a hand on Christy's shoulder and it felt nice, comforting. Emma smiled at her and Christy wondered if the other version of herself had left something behind, like her fascination with this blonde. "You rest. We'll talk tomorrow as well. I was thinking that since we have all the teachers we need, perhaps you could be a Teacher's assistant for the semester."
A job? Christy blinked as she thought about that. It was a step down, but she didn't feel prepared to teach. It was something to pay the bills. Her mother wasn't going to like Christy being listed on the payroll here. Christy took a deep breath. "Thanks." It wasn't like she could afford the time off work. This solved her problem.
After Emma left Henry came back to do something to her IV. Christy fell asleep shortly after.
…………
Last night Christy had finished sorting the student records and making copies of materials for a few teachers. She'd finished filing and entering data into the new database she'd created. She'd basically been working non-stop trying to get her work done before the school year really got going. Students had been arriving all this week and classes started Monday. It was a bit strange to be the gofer but she was doing the best she could, even though this was a job she could have done right out of high school.
She thought she should have been at the orientation the night before, but Emma told her she needed Christy to focus on getting that database done. She also mentioned something about a surprise she had planned and she thought it would be best if Christy missed it. When Christy overheard about the excitement she was grateful. It would have given her a heart attack to experience the fake sentinel attack. Even so the prospect of Sentinels attacking her gave her a nightmare that woke her up a bit early.
With all the work she'd stayed up late doing, done, she was free to relax for a little while. She was hoping her walk would help her do that. She wasn't really sure what to do with free time. She'd been working on her powers or the job constantly since she'd gotten out of the med lab.
The crash drew her eyes up and she stared in shock as two men fell from Emma's bedroom window. Scott and a man she hadn't seen before tumbled to the ground, but miraculously stood up to start fighting. Christy broke into a run for the mansion door, worried about what happened in that room and if Emma was okay. She barely paid attention to the few people that were bumped as she passed them, barely let herself feel guilt as she saw one girl fall and drop her books. Christy ran down the hall, relieved to see Henry rushing into Emma's room. If Emma needed help he'd be much better equipped to do it. Still Christy raced down the hall and into the room. Her breath was ragged with running and she thought about the other Christy's comment about her being out of shape again. Emma and Henry stood at the broken window, calmly looking out it.
"Superpowers, a scintillating wit, and the best body money can buy… and I still rate below a corpse." Emma's words confused Christy for just a moment until she realized this was once again about Jean. Christy's eyes caught the rumpled sheets and she felt embarrassed.
"You don't." She spoke softly when Emma's eyes fell on her. It was awkward standing there in a room where Emma and Scott had just had sex, but Christy held her ground and faced the curious expression Emma gave her, knowing it had to hurt for Emma to feel like Jean was still a ghost in that relationship. Of course, this Christy agreed with her double in that it wasn't much of a relationship. "You really don't." She turned with a sigh and headed for the door. She shouldn't have come, and really if there had been trouble what could she have done about it?
"Thank you." Emma spoke softly to her. With a heavy sigh Emma turned her attention back to the window. Her words were more for Henry then. "I suppose we should break those two up. And I really want to talk to Logan about breaking into my bedroom like that."
"What was he doing here?"
"What else, it's about bloody Jean, and how Scott's moved on." Emma sounded tired at she sighed. "It isn't like they'd fight over me like that is it? No, it's always Jean."
"Scott's an ass for making you feel like that." She whispered and felt a blush come to her cheeks when Henry turned to glance at her. She didn't think anyone would hear that. She turned and left. It felt like his eyes burned into her until she was down the hall and on her way to the yard to try and control the kids, who would undoubtedly be excited by the fight. It was hardly a Teaching Assistant's job, but it gave her something to do.
…………
Christy spent most of the first day of school running around delivering supplies that teachers really should have thought about earlier. She ran emergency copies and generally supported the English teachers by herself. She did all this while also working on her database and the new team approach they wanted to spring on the students soon. She was coding the students for their advisors and those students without an advisor were going to have to be reviewed by Emma and Scott.
It was the first project she'd done that had Scott's input at all. She'd almost forgotten he was also in charge around here, because Emma seemed to do all the work.
The new teachers around here looked rather young. Christy guessed some weren't much older than the students, and wondered if they had degrees. It looked like a school reunion, when the teachers got together. It was clear most of them knew each other. Christy sat off to the side in the staff room and sighed. If she could politely slip out she would, but this was going to be a large staff meeting and attendance was mandatory. Why they waited until after the first day of classes was a mystery, but it might have something to do with how hard everyone was working to be ready to teach in time.
She heard snippets of conversation. "I can't believe the Professor left."
"And he left Emma Frost in charge. That's wrong on so many levels. She has no business teaching kids."
Christy glared at that table, but the women couldn't see her. They had no idea how hard Emma worked for those kids, what she sacrificed for them.
"At least Scott is co-headmaster. The Professor never leaves her completely in control of a school. He knows better."
Any minute Emma would come in and hear this. Christy felt her heart hammer as she moved to get up and move to the other table. The other Christy would do this and for once Christy was going to show a little more backbone. Emma was worth it. She stared down at the Native American woman and her friend. She leaned down and spoke softly. "Emma has worked herself to death so they could open this school on time and I never once saw Scott helping her. Don't talk about how she has no business around kids, as far as I saw she's the only one here that cares. I didn't see either of you helping. My god damn double from another world helped more than either of you and she didn't even know the kids." Christy didn't wait for the shocked expression on their faces to fade, she turned to go back to her seat, but when she stood up she froze as ice blue eyes stared into hers. Emma heard that, Christy was sure of it. It was the only explanation for that unreadable look she got.
"Well, now that we're all here." Emma spoke as she stepped to the front of the room. Christy glanced around looking for Scott, thinking they weren't all there just yet, thank god. She didn't want him overheard that conversation she just had with the other teachers too. He slipped in as Emma was walking to the front of the room. "I'm sure you are all aware that the Professor has left us. That doesn't mean that we're going to ignore our commitment to these children." It sounded vaguely rehearsed, a welcome back speech coupled with an explanation of how the new team approach for the students were going to work. They'd already had the assembly to announce it to the students, and some of it seemed like Emma was repeating what had been said. Maybe it was because Christy could see a few faces in this crowd that hadn't been at the previous meeting on this.
Christy must have made a face as she thought about squads of young teenagers and how that might play out, so of course Emma's eyes fell on her quickly. "Do you have something to add Christy?"
It felt like she was in Junior high and was caught not paying attention. Her eyes widened as she felt everyone look at her. "I'm new to the whole mutant thing. Whatever you think works."
"Your confidence in us is reassuring, but you looked like you didn't like something I said." Why was Emma picking on her?
"Well," Christy sighed. She wasn't going to get away with just keeping her mouth shut. "When these kids leave here, they aren't taking their squad with them. What good does it do to know how to work with five other people if the trouble that finds you finds you alone? I just don't get it." She glanced around at the faces looking at her and then gave Emma an apologetic face. "Maybe I'm over thinking or something. I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize for your opinion. You stated it well." Emma glanced over the crowd. "Not everyone is going to agree with the decisions we make, but we do need to show a united front with the children. I want you to bring your complaints to me or Scott, and not resort to talking about them in the hallways where the children can here you." Those ice blue eyes turned to the table that Christy had interrupted earlier and Christy suddenly understood why Emma had targeted her. Emma knew Christy wouldn't be argumentative and she could outline the point she wanted to make without giving those people a chance to start bitching.
After the meeting Christy moved for the door, not feeling like trying to visit with people she didn't know. Emma beat her to it and shook her head at Christy. "Oh, you must meet some of the faculty dear. Stick with me and I'll introduce you."
"And are you going to use me as an example for anything else?"
"You had the cutest deer in headlights expression." Emma smirked at her. "It was worth it just for that alone."
"Oh thanks." Christy moved with Emma towards a cluster of people. "Be careful or the next test you give me to photocopy will come back blank. I might even tell the students you prefer to be called Blondie."
"Hello." Emma smiled just a little at the group of teachers. "This is our new TA for the semester, Bright Eyes."
Christy turned to stare at Emma and shake her head before turning back to the group. "I'm Christy, not Bright Eyes."
"Bright Eyes is just your codename right?" One blonde man smiled at her. She remembered her double meeting him. His name was Bob or Bobby. Maybe Robby?
"I'll leave you in their tender care while I take care of a matter or two." Emma told her and Christy felt like she was being abandoned as Emma walked away, leaving her with strangers. Slowly she turned back to them and tried to appear calm.
"So, seems like a nice school." Lame, so lame, she thought with disappointment.
"Well yeah." The blonde man spoke and Christy tried hard to remember what her double had called him. At the time Christy had been rather frustrated and emotional at being trapped in her own body. She wasn't always paying a lot of attention to what she could see and hear of the world around her. "Oh," He seemed to think of something he wanted to talk about. "The windows guy, did we ever get a contract with him? I may have accidentally cracked a window in my room."
"Ah." Christy stared at him a moment. "I don't know. That wasn't me." Of course he asked about yet another time when she was focused on something else. "You could ask Emma. My double left detailed notes for her."
"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that." He looked a little sheepish. The others were talking among themselves and it seemed like Emma had left Christy in this man's care. "It must have sucked being possessed like that."
"It wasn't my idea of fun." Christy found her eyes drawn to the confrontation going on in front of the window. There was no way that body language indicated anything but anger. She felt a bit anxious, not liking the way the woman was confronting Emma about something. "Who is that?"
"That's Dani." His eyes traveled with her. "And it doesn't look like she's happy."
"No it doesn't." Christy had noticed that woman's attitude since before the meeting. Apparently her words fell on deaf ears. Of course they did, no one ever listened to her, not like they did her double. This Christy just didn't have that dangerous, competent air, she knew it. She hated it, but she recognized it.
Christy's fists clenched when the redhead nearby spun around and shifted into a werewolf. She opened her shields and tried to stay focused as her heart raced. Claws and fangs, angry words, it looked like that woman was going to attack Emma.
"Don't even think about it." She muttered and took a step in their direction. All she had was a portal she'd never activated herself. She was no match for a werewolf.
Scott actually did something. He looked pissed and the redhead shifted back. Christy ignored the hand on her shoulder. "Stay out of this one Christy." The blonde man spoke quietly. "It's been a long time coming."
"What kind of place is this?" She turned to glare at him. "We don't need humans to attack us; the teachers around here will kill each other!"
He stepped back a little. "You're glowing Bright Eyes." She blinked at that strange comment then looked into the reflective window to see her eyes were burning bright. She closed her shield after another glance to see things were calming down near Emma, but her eyes kept their glow.
"Great. It'll probably take hours for that to wear off." She muttered. She used to have better control of it, but after New York and all the death around her it became harder. Her and her doubles nightly absorbing also changed her. She felt different, but she couldn't say what it was. She just knew that stopping the nightly ritual now wasn't an option. She could feel that in her bones.
She did it at night so that she didn't go around with glowing eyes all day, and so people didn't see her looking like a mutant. She still wasn't all that comfortable with that.
Scott ran out of the room quickly and he still looked pissed. Christy wanted to go to Emma and make sure the woman was okay, but Emma wasn't leaving Dani and it seemed wrong to walk up to both of them. Christy settled for making another trip to the buffet, which was closer to the women.
"You do realize that a portal is a bit much in response to an argument, don't you?" A quiet voice asked and Christy turned away from the potato salad to see Emma staring into her eyes. "Killing the faculty could be grounds for dismissal." Emma smirked at her and glanced over Christy's shoulder. Christy felt bad for her response, she just felt like she'd need to fight and it was all she had. What did it say about her that in that moment she was willing to use it? When Christy turned to see what she was looking at, she saw the redhead staring at them as if she could hear them.
"I thought she was going to bite you." Christy ignored the redhead and turned back to Emma.
"I do think she's had her shots, but perhaps if she's going to go rabid on occasion I should ask Henry to make sure she's had them all." Christy swore that after Emma spoke she could hear growling behind her. Christy's body tensed as she imagined the beastlike woman leaping at them.
"Do stop that Rahne, this one is dangerous when she's frightened, and you do look rather frightening don't you?" Emma called over Christy's shoulder. To Christy she added. "Don't worry so dear, I had it all under control." Christy barely kept her disbelief off her face as she studied the telepath and thought about the werewolf that threatened her. Emma really didn't look like a match for that.
"Okay." Christy could hear her own doubt in her voice, but Emma didn't call her on it.
"So how was your chat with the faculty? I do want you to know them, since you'll be asked to help outside of your department occasionally." Before she could answer Emma took Christy's arm. "Oh, look Jean-Paul. I want to introduce you. I think you both may find you have things in common." Christy was dragged into another cluster of faculty.
When Christy later was finally getting to leave a few people waved to her and she heard someone call out. "Good night, Bright Eyes." She just shook her head. Emma's teasing was lasting. She'd probably be called Bright Eyes all semester. It didn't help that she'd pulled energy during the gathering and her eyes hadn't stopped glowing yet. Her mother's pet name for her was going to be on every teacher's lips before the end of the week, she just knew it. Christy glanced at Emma talking with a few of the men from her team in the corner and laughing at some joke. With a sigh she turned and left for her room.
It was kind of nice that Emma felt she could tease Christy like that. It made Christy feel a little like she actually belonged. Bright Eyes… it could have been worse.
It also wasn't Demise. Christy found that a relief. She was her own person after all; her own codename was a good start. Sometimes the coldness of her double scared her, just sometimes. She wasn't like that. A name like Demise just didn't fit her. She hoped it never would. She wished she was strong like that woman, but she didn't like how cold Demise was at times, how easy it was for her to kill and walk away.
…………
"Did you hear? The FBI is here for Kevin Ford." Christy heard some students gossiping in the hall and her heart started to beat faster. FBI? On campus? She had to pull her papers closer to her body so her hands wouldn't shake. "He killed his dad. Probably was an accident, but the government is never gonna see it that way."
She walked down the long hall, her ears and eyes alert. She listened to more talk about Kevin, the poor boy. She had barely met him, just seeing him in the hall, but it sounded like he had a lousy mutation. She watched for any adult that she didn't know anyone that looked like a fed, because she didn't want to be spotted here.
What if they took pictures of the mutants around? She'd be on a government list as a mutant. Oh god, her life could be over. She'd seen people dragged out of their homes as a child. She'd seen sentinels on television capturing people who didn't commit any crime.
The other Christy was in her body when she killed that man. What kind of defense would that be if they found out? What if they already knew? What could she say, oh yes that was me officer, but you see my double from another world took over my body. She'd do time, there was no way she'd get off on a testimony like that. Telepathy wasn't acceptable as evidence was it? Emma couldn't prove it wasn't her.
Finally she got to the classroom and dropped off the photocopied test. She didn't have anything to hold after she did that and her hands shook.
"Are you okay?" Jean-Paul asked her and he looked concerned. "You're as pale as a ghost. Sit down." It was still before his class began and the students were still eating lunch.
"I'm fine." He grabbed her arm and she had to sit. He was strong.
"No you're not. What is it?" She'd gotten along with him okay at the last staff meeting, but she barely knew him.
"The FBI is here." She folded hands so she didn't have to watch them shake. "They're taking a kid for accidentally killing someone."
"I heard. We'll get it straightened out." He was talking a bit softer, like she was a scared student. Christy felt ashamed of being nervous.
Her voice was a whisper. "My double killed someone." She stared up at him, her eyes shiny. "If… if they ever found out, who would believe me? It's not right that they can lock you up for something you didn't mean to do."
Jean-Paul looked a little stunned and uncomfortable. Christy tried to calm herself down; she was scaring the poor man. "I'm sure they don't know about that. You don't need to worry." He squatted down in front of her. "And this thing with Kevin, I was in the cafeteria when Agent Pierce came in, and they're all in Emma's office now discussing this." He rested a comforting hand on her knee. "Do you have much more work to do today? Anything that can't wait?"
"No." Christy thought about her list of chores and her need to do right away pile was cleared.
"I'll tell Emma I sent you home. I know it isn't exactly far away, but take the day off." He smiled at her. "Maybe you could go shopping. I find that always helps me."
"That's because you're a big fairy." Christy gave him a weak smile. "I hate shopping."
"And that's because you're a big dyke." He leaned back a bit and then stood up. "Really, you could use more clothes. And I'm not talking jeans." He waved his hand, playing up being a gay man. "And really, those shoes are so last season."
Christy had to laugh, it came out still sounding a bit like a sob, but it was a laugh.
"That's it girl. Don't let the Man get you down." She stood up and took a deep breath. Day off. It sounded good. She could avoid the feds that way. It isn't like she knew Kevin. They'd have no reason to talk to her. She was safe.
She was in the hall when her plans for the day were ruined. She overheard that there were feds at all the entrances to the school. They were surrounded. There was no way she'd drive past them. Christy went to her room, which was small and had very little to do in it. She hadn't planned to move here after all. Even the clothes she had were things she had to buy since she lost everything in the New York attack but her wallet and the clothes on her back, and she wasn't willing to buy other things for a temporary home. She would have liked to find Emma and make sure it was okay she took time off, but Emma was busy.
It was dinner time before she risked leaving her room again.
…………
Christy sat alone at the table staring at her meal. She ate slowly and tried not to remember what the other Christy had done to scare the two other attackers away. That day was replaying a bit too often in her mind.
"Where have you been?" The sudden voice behind her and the hand on her shoulder sent Christy into a panic and her entire body went rigid. "Oh, you sure are tense." Bobby moved around to grab a chair and spin it around so he could lean on the back and stare at her. "I just wanted to tell you that Emma was looking for you."
"Oh." Her heart was still hammering, and the shaking hands that she had cured were back. "Thanks."
"What's got you so jumpy?"
"Nothing." She stood up with her plate. She'd eaten most of it, and with her stomach in knots thanks to Bobby she wasn't thinking she could eat any more. "Where is she?"
"Don't know. She was asking about you over an hour ago. Try her office."
Christy walked down the hall to Emma's office door and she started to hear voices. "Scott, this is a mistake and I won't be a part of it. We are here to protect these children."
"We have to teach them they aren't above the law."
"The law won't show any mercy for a mutant. If we turn him over it will be a mockery of a trial and he'll be convicted for losing his father." Emma's voice was hard, cold, and angry. Christy slowed her walking, not sure if she should continue, but she felt compelled to know how Emma felt about all of this. Christy came to a stop a few feet from the cracked opened door, out of sight.
"Agent Pierce says that he understands and he's the lead agent on the case."
"Oh yes and that will ensure everything goes smoothly? Don't be so gullible, the other officers outside our gates are far from sympathetic. I've overheard thoughts of storming the castle to take the boy. I had to calm those thoughts."
"Emma, we shouldn't go around mind controlling people like that." He actually sounded more upset with her than what Emma had prevented. Christy just shook her head, unable to comprehend that man. "We need to cooperate." His lecturing, condescending, self righteous tone grated on Christy's nerves. "And we need to show a united front. I can't have you disagreeing with me like that, and in front of a student."
"You wanted him to give up his legal rights to an attorney and just talk. No sane person does that. His words could have been twisted and used against him. This isn't a detention he's looking at Scott, its prison."
Christy took a few more steps toward the door. Their voices, while seeming to get angrier, were getting quieter as well. "Well, this has been a lovely discussion Scott, but I have other business to attend to."
"We aren't done."
"Yes we are. We just don't agree." Emma's voice was more controlled. "And I have a visitor." Christy's eyes widened and she pulled back from the door, embarrassed at being caught. "Christy, you can come in now, Scott was just leaving." She thought briefly of leaving so she wouldn't have to face them after having been caught eavesdropping, but it was too childish. She took a deep breath and pushed on the door.
"Bobby told me you'd been looking for me." She found her eyes staring at Emma's feet more than her eyes, and her blush had to be visible, but her voice didn't shake with her embarrassment. It was something.
Scott was staring at her and Christy risked watching his jaw muscles clenching. "I'll see you later Emma."
"Much later Scott." Emma stared at him and it held no warmth. "Christy and I have work to do."
Christy stood tensely as Scott left, the door being closed more roughly than was really necessary. She looked up then and watched Emma's rigid stance start to relax. "I heard you were aware of the problem." It almost sounded like a question, so Christy nodded. "Well, as you overheard, we don't all agree on how to deal with it."
"I noticed." Christy spoke softly.
"Would you like a drink?" Emma's voice sounded tired, and those proud shoulders slumped a little, as if Emma was now finally able to relax. Christy forced her own body to relax as well. "I know I would."
"Sure."
"I don't know how much you remember of the other Christy, but sometimes I miss her way of seeing relationships." Emma poured, so she couldn't see Christy's uncomfortable expression. "I loved her line… My priorities should be his priorities. That Emma has it so good."
"It isn't that they didn't argue. It's just that if her Emma went in a direction, even one she didn't like, Christy never let her go it alone." Christy spoke softly and gently took the glass, though she just held it in front of her.
"Did you have a window into her mind?" Emma gazed at her curiously.
"Sometimes."
"That's an accomplishment, given how both of you are so hard to read." Emma sat on the edge of her desk. "Which is why I had no idea that you were worried about being brought in for murder. What happened?"
Christy sighed and moved to sit on the chair. "There were three of them and she couldn't fight. I remember her being startled that her powers were gone. She stabbed one." A shiver went through her body at the memory. "And she licked his blood off my hand, it was so gross, but the other two ran. They must have thought she was crazy. She wanted them to."
"So there were two witnesses? Both friends of the deceased?" Emma was paying a lot of attention. "Can you tell me where this man was killed? There were a lot of deaths in the city at the time." Christy outlined the place and Emma seemed to be deep in thought. The blonde had barely touched her drink yet. "I'll look into it. If they can't remember what you look like then there is no one to point fingers," Emma's eyes hardened. "And regardless of what others may think, it's just better that way."
"You'll make them forget?" Christy felt like someone was taking a car off her chest. She hadn't even noticed how worried this made her until the Feds came.
"Sure, just don't tell Scott dear. I'm sure he'll want to protest and I'm tired of hearing him whine."
"Okay." Christy went quiet and Emma was busy taking a deep drink. "Kevin was lucky you were there." She thought about how Scott apparently wanted the boy to talk.
"Yes and ever so lucky I talked him into coming back here where he could be found." There was some bitterness in that voice.
"That's hardly your fault." Christy reached out and touched Emma's hand.
"No mutant is going to get a fair trial. He doesn't see that. Sometimes I wonder if his visor affects more than his color vision."
Okay, Christy knew it wasn't a good idea to join in when someone started criticizing their lover. It could easily end up turning on her. So even though she agreed, she didn't say much.
…………
It wasn't two days later and Christy stood on the steps of the school watching Agent Pierce take Kevin away. She wasn't an empath, but she swore she could almost feel the anger coming off the telepath beside her as they watched Kevin being placed in the back of a black car.
"This is a mistake." Emma spoke quietly to her. "A huge mistake."
Christy felt terribly exposed, being visible to the feds, but she stood by Emma's side. "I know." She stared at the boy staring back towards them as if asking for help and it hurt to not be able to give it to him. "Where's Demise when you need her?" She muttered, as she imagined her doubles response. It would be strong, decisive, and end in results. Instead Christy stood helpless as they took a student away from her.
When Scott came up to them and reached out a hand towards Emma's shoulder, Christy saw the poisonous glare the telepath gave him and the jerking away of the shoulder. "I have work to do." Emma spoke coldly and turned to walk inside, leaving Christy with Scott of all people.
She tried not to stare, and ended up obviously not staring. She felt herself doing it and had to take a deep breath to stop. She looked up into his face and spoke quietly, so no one else would hear it. "If you're wrong, she might not ever forgive you. You better pray you didn't just send him to prison or death."
"We can't be outside of the law."
"Law is only good if it's fair. Do you honestly believe its fair for us?" Christy sighed. She didn't really belong in this debate, so even though she had more to say she turned to leave. If Emma wasn't seeing Scott, maybe she'd see Christy. The woman was much more upset than she'd let on. Christy wanted to make sure she was okay.
The tension in Emma's office was so thick Christy almost felt like fleeing, but she sat quietly and took small sips of the drink Emma had waiting for her when she got there. Emma wasn't talking, but she wasn't sending Christy away either.
"It's like I was talking to myself. They weren't listening." Emma finally spoke. "I thought Dani at least had some sense, but I guess I was wrong." The words came after two drinks. Christy set her half filled first glass down and moved closer to Emma. She wanted to pull her into a hug and her arms reached out indecisively for a moment before she did it. Emma needed support, and if her lover wouldn't give it, Christy would.
Her double was so right. That was hardly a relationship. They'd been here for over a half hour and there was no Scott at the door. He should have come. Why they hell doesn't he see how fragile Emma is when it comes to the children? How the hell couldn't he see? Did having Demise in her body change Christy's perceptions so much that she'd recognize what people who'd known Emma much longer didn't?
If so, Christy wished she could thank her double again.
Even over an hour later he hadn't shown up. Christy was well into her own drinking, because it was hard to not drink when Emma was. She did drink much slower though, knowing she'd never be able to keep up with the telepath.
Their talk had turned away from sad and serious to philosophical at times.
"If they had a cure, would you take it?" Emma's voice was soft and Christy looked up from her drink. "I know that many of the students around here wish they could, Kevin included."
"If you'd asked me that before New York, I might have said yes." She'd be lying if she said she hadn't wished to be normal a few times. "But then I thought all I had was the ability to have glowing eyes and really great orgasms." She choked when she realized what she'd said and her skin blushed a bright red. "And I've had too much to drink." Emma was chuckling.
"I gather that." Emma smirked at her. "Really great you say?"
"Can we forget I said that?" Christy pulled her drink to her lips again, just for something to do, but then stopped before taking another sip. "And do we have any water or something. It's time for me to switch."
"You poor thing. Your alcohol tolerance is truly pathetic isn't it? We'll have to work on that."
"That's a great goal. Maybe we can push back the lessons on mental focus or combine them with drinking." Christy teased.
"I'll consider it." Emma smiled at her and Christy felt a peace settle over her that hadn't been there all night.
Emma sat back in her chair. "I wanted to thank you for staying with me. I know I haven't been the best of company."
Christy blushed at the thanks. "I wanted to." Emma just stared at her for a little too long. Christy stared back, openly admiring how beautiful the woman was.
Emma sighed heavily. "You better get some sleep. We still have classes tomorrow." Emma took Christy's glass away and replaced it with a glass of water and two pills. "And if you do get a hangover dear, don't let the little monsters know. They can smell weakness."
…………
Christy walked to the copy room with a file of various teachers last minute emergency items. She barely managed to not scold them for this, since clearly most of it could have been done earlier. If it were her, she would have had everything copied and ready to go for the entire semester by now. She liked to plan ahead.
Kevin's trial was tomorrow and the entire campus was tense.
Someone was already using the copier. Christy looked at him and then glanced out the door she'd just come in. She'd seen Emma heading down to the plane on her way there. "You'll be late for the plane." She knew Emma was planning to leave by five so they'd be able to have a last minute meeting with the lawyer before sleeping over at a hotel and getting to the courthouse the next morning.
"Oh, I'm not going." He turned away from his copies for a moment and spoke to her, his tone making it sound like he was missing a trip to the mall. Not going? "I decided that someone has to stay and run this place. We can't have both headmasters gone and there really isn't much I can do."
"For a day?! You couldn't find someone else to be in charge for a day." She moved towards the table next to the copier and set her files down. "God damn it Scott." She barely was looking at him as she growled out her words. "I can't believe you're making her go alone." She'd been up late last night with Emma and the woman had sounded worried. When Christy asked, Emma told her that Scott said he'd go with her. He'd promised and Emma had been counting on the support.
His arms crossed in front of her, and he seemed to stare down at her. "Dani is going with her."
"The teachers need these by the morning." She pointed to the pile she'd laid down and turned to leave.
"What are you doing?" He called after her, and part of her asked the same thing. She didn't want the government to know she was a mutant, so why was she rushing to court? Everyone would assume she was one even if her powers didn't show.
"I need to pack. I'm going to Georgia." It was his job, not just to support Emma but to support Kevin and he was going to stay here and grade papers or plan lessons he could have done weeks ago? He could do her job if she was going to be doing his. She ran out the door and had to dodge Jean-Paul as she did it, while ignoring Scott calling her back. She didn't have much time to pack. Emma might leave without her.
She raced to grab a change of clothes that looked semi professional and tossed them into a paper bag. She didn't have luggage. All of her make up and other bathroom supplies were tossed in a plastic bag and shoved in the other bag as well. In less than five minutes she was ready to go.
She ran into the hangar as she heard the engines starting up and waved her arms to get the pilots attention. She could barely see into the window, but she swore she saw white. The plane hatch opened and Dani looked out at her.
"I'm coming." Christy had to yell to be heard above the engines. It earned her a strange look, but the woman waved her in. Christy took the stairs quickly and moved out of Dani's way as the other woman worked to close the hatch again.
"So why are you suddenly coming?" Dani asked once they were seated for take off. Christy didn't see Emma, but she heard the woman's cool voice talking to someone over the radio.
"I see no problem with an added passenger Scott." Emma's words eased some of Christy's tension. Christy stopped listening in and focused on the woman across from her.
"I thought more couldn't hurt." She didn't want to say that she thought Emma could use the support. Her eyes traveled to the window and she felt a bit ill as she watched the plane rise above the basketball court. Kids were standing off to the side waiting for it to finish so they could resume their game. She used to hate the runways, but this didn't make it any less scary.
Things went quiet and Christy watched Dani pull out a binder and start working. In the rush Christy had managed to grab a book and a pad of paper, but she didn't feel like touching either of them. She just stared out the window at New York below them.
"Christy, why don't you come up here?" Emma's voice rose above the soft hum of the engines and Christy glanced up towards the cockpit. A place bound to have lots of delicate equipment. She wasn't sure she wanted to be near that. She wasn't normally clumsy, but it would just figure the one time she stumbles or something it would be in a place like that. A shared glance at Dani and Christy was up out of her seat slowly heading in that direction.
Emma's voice was softer when she got up there. "Have a seat." Christy just stared at the co-pilot chair for a moment before carefully sitting. She kept her hands and feet far away from anything important looking. "Want to tell me why you decided to join us?" It didn't sound like an accusation.
"I saw Scott." Christy turned to look out the window, hoping Emma would do that as well, instead of looking at her. "When I heard he wasn't coming, I decided to tag along."
"You mean you berated him for not going with me and took off before he could say another word." Christy looked back at Emma. It looked like she was close to smiling. "He wants to write you up for that."
"Fine." Christy didn't really care. It wasn't like she'd ever admit she worked at this school anyhow. It wouldn't be added to any resumes.
Her hands clenched the arms of the chair as they hit a bump of turbulence and Emma turned back to the window for a moment. Christy tried to calm her stomach.
"You're afraid of flying." Emma's surprised voice interrupted Christy's silent praying.
"Just a little." Christy gave Emma a weak smile and tried to play it off. "I'm fine."
"I've learned that when you say you're fine, you aren't." Emma spoke softly. "You never say it any other time."
Christy didn't know what to say to that. "I didn't know you knew how to fly." She tried to change the subject. She could feel Emma staring at her as Christy stared at the knobs and buttons.
"Did you want to learn?"
"No." Christy answered quickly. "No, no, that's okay."
"Ask Dani for some Dramamine. We don't want you getting sick on us."
…………
Christy blushed a little at the measuring look her paper bag got when Emma finished landing and came back to grab her own bags. "We have a dinner meeting with the lawyer." Emma's eyes traveled to the paper bag again and then to what Christy was wearing again. "You don't have luggage?"
"No. I left it behind when I had to run out of the hotel." She had never been as scared as when Magneto's attack interrupted her packing. She stared out the window at the bridge being destroyed and she'd felt death bombard her. The death made her eyes glow, which saved her from the mutants roving the streets, but the humans had been another thing altogether.
"Well, I think I have some room in my bag. We can't really have you walking into the hotel like that dear." Emma's words came with a smile, so it took what little sting it might have had out of it. Christy watched as her bag was taken and Emma opened up her bag. Christy's belongings were placed neatly over lacey underwear that Christy did her best not to stare at.
Her mind couldn't help but wish that she could see Emma in that to complete the picture it was forming.
A car was waiting for them and a woman with rather interesting shaped black hair stood waiting. "Hello." Ms. Whedon addressed them and Christy remembered flashes of seeing this woman. This was Vange, another person that knew her double and didn't know Christy. That was always awkward.
"Ms. Whedon." Emma moved forward. "I'd like to introduce you to Christy. We managed to get her back." And in that one small move Emma spared Christy having to do the explanation. Christy gave Emma a thankful look then reached out to shake the lawyer's hand.
"Nice to finally meet you." Vange said politely and then motioned them towards the car. "I made reservations for eight. We have time to check in at the hotel beforehand."
The trip to the hotel was brief and Christy grabbed Emma's bag, figuring since her stuff was in there too she had the right to. She followed the others into the hotel.
"I'm sorry, we're completely booked." The desk clerk told her and Christy just blinked. She hadn't even considered this.
"Are you sure?" She set the bag down on the floor and leaned a little closer, hoping the clerk could find something he'd missed.
"I'm sorry, but there is a convention. All of the rooms have been booked. I could offer to check with some of the other local hotels." He looked a little flustered by her helpless stare. It had helped her double get lumber after all. Looks like it didn't work as well for her.
"That won't be necessary." Emma moved to stand beside her. "Give Ms. Taylor another key for my room."
Christy spoke softly to Emma while the clerk went about getting a key. "I'm sorry, I didn't even think of this."
"It's no problem." Emma took the bag out of Christy's hands. "I do hope you don't steal all the covers though." Emma started talking to the clerk and thankfully missed Christy's wide eyes as she realized she'd be sharing a bed. She'd just assumed that Emma was offering the second bed in the hotel room.
Dinner was all business, and since Christy hadn't been part of any of this before, she spent more time watching the other people in the restaurant than contributing to the others conversation. She made sure not to drink much of the wine and did her best to pretend she didn't notice the small barbs sent back and forth between Emma and Dani.
"Christy?" Dani drew Christy's attention away from watching a woman across the restaurant stare at the waiter.
Christy drew her eyes away from people watching and back to the table. "What?"
Emma smiled at her, clearly amused at her lack of attention. "We were discussing the fact that Agent Pierce appears to be willing to call the death accidental. Dani thinks this shows some progress in human/mutant relations. Do you think that's progress?"
Christy just stared at them for a moment, not liking how she was put on the spot again. It must be a teacher thing to hunt down the person paying the least attention and make them talk. She didn't do that to her students, but Emma had done it to her a few times. "Progress." She shook her head. "It's not progress. One human? He might even be a mutant, we didn't ask did we?" She glanced around the table and caught Dani's eyes. "You're grasping at straws if you're looking for a silver lining here. A boy is being punished for being a mutant that can't control his powers. That's all it is, and there are thousands of mutants in that category."
"You don't sound like you have a lot of hope for peace." Dani leaned forward. "They may fear us now, but once they see we aren't above the law…"
"Oh please." Emma drawled out. "I've heard this lecture a few times and it's just as ridiculous as the first time I heard it. We gambled a boy's life on this." Christy just nodded her agreement.
A crash on the other side of the restaurant drew all of their attention. Christy watched with wide eyes as a man that had slumped over onto his plate started to slide sideways. The force of his death hit her and she reached out and grabbed Dani's arm before the woman finished getting up. "He's dead." She spoke quietly. Dani wouldn't be able to help him. Christy could feel the hum of power in her blood and she closed her eyes. It was a habit she'd learned as a teenager. "Emma?" She turned towards where the telepath should be.
"Yes."
"My eyes." She tried to look towards Emma's voice. "Can you look?"
"No one is looking at you. Our dead friend over there is the center of attention." Emma's voice was gentle. Christy opened her eyes slowly and could tell by the silent sigh Emma gave her that they'd started to glow. She closed them again.
"I think that man was a mutant. They hit me harder." Her hands moved up to rub at her face. "Damn it."
"How did you ever keep your mutation a secret?" Dani sounded like she was sitting again.
"I had more control before New York, and my double. I think it was just too much death in too short a time." Christy sighed, wishing she could see where her wine glass was. "I haven't been the same since." She reached for where she thought the glass was and her hand slammed into it. She wasn't good blind. "Shit."