500 Miles – Complications
By Princess Alexandria
Christy kept her mind focused on the goal, Emma, as she tumbled through the portal again. The turbulent ride was becoming less terrifying as she slid through realities for the third time in her life.
Oh God, please let this work. She whispered as she felt her way through a power she was barely starting to understand. Finally the opening appeared and Christy braced herself for impact. This was never smooth. Her body was tossed with force out of the portal and Christy struggled to see where she was landing.
The woman in the way turned halfway at the sound and Christy swore as she tried to twist in the air to miss her. Nothing she did helped. She slammed into her and then into a wall. Christy slid down the wall and groaned.
Not again. Christy looked around for the woman she'd hit. Nothing. Her hands moved and Christy's eyes stayed on them. She tried to shift them, but nothing happened. It was when she was staring at her hands in disappointment that she noticed it. She pulled her left hand closer to her eyes and stared at the thin gold band. "Oh shit." She whispered as she got back to her feet. She was inside another Christy, and this one was married.
"Christy, you can come back now." A familiar voice called and Christy turned to the opening of the alley. She was stunned as she stared at the familiar face.
"Michelle?" Christy's jaw dropped in shock to see her ex looking at her with a smile, and looking so damned young. The woman held up a bag teasingly.
"I got you something and you can't look until we get back to the hotel."
"Ah." Christy stammered as she wondered how she'd gotten this so very wrong. "Okay." A hotel? That meant they weren't in Washington. Christy took a step towards the woman, her heart feeling a bit sick.
"Are you okay?" Michelle sounded concerned. When was the last time she'd heard that? Probably when Michelle left with her last boxes and acted like she was worried about how Christy was taking the break up. Of course she wasn't okay. Her lover had cheated on her.
"I'm fine." Christy heard her own voice, and it sounded barely civil. Not convincing. She'd have to work on that. There was no way she'd trust Michelle enough to tell her what had just happened. Did they even have mutants in this world? Where the hell was she?
Once she stepped out of the alley she walked with Michelle, pretending to pay attention to the shops as she took in the types of things being sold and the newspapers. New York. She'd never gone to New York with Michelle. Christy glanced around and couldn't help but think it sure looked better when it wasn't rubble, like the last one.
"I think I want a copy of the Daily Bugle." Christy smiled as she moved to the newsstand. She was pretending it was a souvenir, but really she needed a closer look at the date. She also needed to find out about mutants without asking.
"Daily Bugle?" Michelle looked a bit confused. "But I already bought the New York Times." Of course you did, Christy thought less than charitably. You always picked up such useless crap as souvenirs. Newspapers were hardly going to be interesting years later. They'd end up taking up space in the bag and getting dumped a year later.
Christy had to take a deep breath and let go of her irritation. Still as she bought the paper that she actually needed and pretended it was nothing more than a memento, she had to agree that Michelle's tendency to not think too hard about anything could work for her now. She glanced over at her ex picking up and looking at magazines. It was hard to remember she loved her once. The glance at the date wasn't comforting. Christy did the math quickly and realized that she was twenty-one.
Somewhere out there Emma Frost, an eighteen year old Emma Frost, was learning what it meant to be a telepath.
Michelle grabbed her hand and pulled her into a shop. Christy just followed quietly. Twenty-one. God, she was with this woman until she was twenty five. This was right in the middle of their relationship.
Oh God, please don't let her want sex. Christy prayed. They were on vacation after all, Michelle would want to… no. Christy took a deep breath and faked a smile as Michelle looked at the useless crap in the souvenir shop. "I need to get my mother something." She explained as she grabbed a little statue of liberty.
"Sure." Christy let go of her hand. "I'll just get a water and sit outside." This hopefully would take a while. Michelle pouted at being left alone, but there was no way Christy would be able to fake enthusiasm for this type of shopping. Her mind was on too much else, like her disappointment that it hadn't worked. How long was she going to be stuck in this world now?
How could she pretend to be a twenty one year old Christy when she didn't even know where she worked? She was in school too. What school was she in? When did she transfer to the four-year college?
Could she even find her old apartment? She hadn't been there in years. What car did she own now?
The window was a little grimy, but Christy could see her reflection in it. She stared at it and pretended to be studying her hair, but the young face, the innocence she saw was disorienting.
This was not going to work. In the last world she didn't have to pretend, and if she could trust her ex lover at all she wouldn't have to now, but she couldn't. Michelle may not even mean to hurt her, but she wasn't smart enough to keep her mouth shut. She wasn't really that smart at all. What the hell had Christy been thinking falling in love with that woman to begin with when what she always had fantasies about was a smart, in control woman with ambition and strength? She always wanted a woman like Emma and she got Michelle.
Michelle's betrayal had destroyed any respect Christy ever had for her and now Christy had to pretend to still be in love. For what? So that this other Christy could invest another four years before having her heart ripped out? So Christy's career could be delayed because Michelle took so much time Christy couldn't always go to school full time?
Christy shook her head and tried to stop her angry thoughts. She turned to stare out at the other shops and tried to pull her shield down. It felt sluggish, but it did work. She took in a little power.
Was it too much to hope for a large scale disaster so she could load up fast and get out of here?
Christy flipped quickly through the paper, taking note of the fact Spiderman existed here. She knew this paper would tell her that much. This was a world with heroes, but she didn't see much about mutants.
She looked up towards the newspaper stand again and started to smile just a little as she noticed the cover of another paper. Mutants Among Us, was in large letters and those particular mutants looked familiar. Christy pushed off from the wall she'd been leaning against and moved to buy that paper as well. Imagine that, the Bugle was out scooped.
"Mutants?" Michelle asked as she looked at the cover of the paper Christy was trying to read quickly. Christy looked up cautiously, trying to gauge Michelle's reaction to the picture. It was hard to tell.
"Yeah, pretty weird eh?" Christy smiled. "Imagine being able to teleport or have super strength. That would be…" she paused, fully aware that her comment wasn't popular in worlds like this. "so cool." She also wondered if she was overdoing the youthful enthusiasm act.
"Yeah, well, maybe," Michelle started to shift like she wanted to walk. Without knowing where they were staying Christy had to let her take the lead while trying to look like she wasn't doing that. "but it's just a joke. There is no way people like Superman are real."
"Oh, it could happen." Christy muttered. When Michelle gave her a questioning look she raised her voice. "I said what did you buy?"
"I'm not telling you until we get back to the hotel room." Michelle gave her a flirtatious smile and Christy was unfortunately reminded of the secret present. The look she was getting, one that was supposed to be seductive, but fell a mile short in her estimations, worried her.
"So which way to the hotel?" Michelle asked and Christy just stared. What hotel? Maybe if she had a name she'd have a chance. She had spent some time in the New York area after all. She couldn't ask that question though, because for all she knew they'd been on vacation for a while and she should remember it.
"I don't know." Christy gave her ex a fake smile. "I got distracted." A feeling in her stomach gave her a way to stall returning to the room, which was undoubtedly going to be a disaster, because Christy barely wanted to be around this woman, so sharing a bed was out of the question. She talked Michelle into stopping for something to eat, first, before they started back.
Could she run away? Christy glanced around at the street, taking in the older fashions. And what of her double? That poor Christy would be better off if she didn't waste her youth on this woman. Michelle had always slowed her down and when she'd left she'd hurt Christy so badly she didn't recover. Not until Emma. Having a cheating lover had destroyed her faith in love for years.
…………
Michelle figured out the way back to the hotel and Christy recognized the Hotel Pennsylvania immediately. Was that the same alley she'd showed up in before? As she let Michelle push the button for whatever floor she tried to remember the way she'd walked a few months ago when she appeared in the first world. No, it was a different direction. Well good, she didn't like the idea of being tied to a place, because she needed to get back to her beach house and it wasn't in Manhattan.
As soon as Michelle opened the hotel room door and gave her a concerned look Christy stepped in. "I need a shower." She muttered as she moved toward the bathroom. As stalling techniques went it wasn't that good, but she had something she had to do.
"Do you want me to join you?" Michelle smiled at her and Christy's jaw clenched.
"No, did you need to use the bathroom before?" She didn't want anyone sneaking in to be with her.
It took fifteen minutes to finally get the bathroom to herself. Christy took off her clothes and took a look in the mirror. The water was running so she leaned closer to the young reflection and studied it. "I know you must be scared." She spoke quietly to herself of this world. "This has to be scary. I didn't mean to do this and I'll fix it so you can have your body back. I'm a mutant. I'm you from another world, and it may sound crazy but you have to admit this is hardly normal." She sighed as she slipped into the shower. If she'd known the last Christy was aware of her she'd have tried to explain what she could to try and make it easier. "I was supposed to go through a dimensional portal and get home, but I got the wrong world." She stopped talking and grabbed the shampoo. Her eyes stung as she thought about it. She was supposed to be home. "You're a mutant like me. We actually have a lot of power, but it's going to take me time to build it up. I don't know if you've used it before, but I'm going to be trying to charge up. I also need to find someone who can help us." She stopped moving and just let the water run over her body. "She's my lover's double. My Michelle cheated on me years ago." She'd debated about it and if she could spare this younger self pain she would. "She left me. It hurt like hell but it was the best thing she ever did for me. You are stronger than you realize. Don't let her destroy you."
She felt a little crazy talking to herself like this, but she wanted to do this right. She rinsed out her hair. "I need to ditch Michelle and find Emma. Emma's the only telepath that can get past our shields and help us separate."
She took a deep breath. "I'm going to start recharging now." She warned as she slowly lowered her shield. It felt rusty, unused. She wondered if that was because this version of her wasn't using it. Poor girl might not have even known about her power. She held it open with a savage will, hoping that she could absorb faster than normal. She wanted out of there.
After the shower she took a long time blow drying her hair, something she wouldn't normally do if she wasn't stalling. She kept looking at her eyes to make sure they didn't start to glow. Even as she was recharging they didn't. "Different worlds, different reactions." She muttered as she moved to stare more closely at the eyes. Maybe it was a maturity thing. These powers weren't as developed.
Once the hair was as dry as it was going to get she muttered one last thing. It would be a while before she talked to her double again. "I know you think you love her, and I'm sorry if she gets upset, but I swear to god she is not touching me. She makes my skin crawl."
She dressed again and opened the door. A few steps into the other room and she saw Michelle draped over a bed wearing a red lacy teddy. It looked funny on her and rather new. That's probably the wonderful new gift. Great. "Looks nice." She smiled as she moved to the dresser. "I was thinking we should go see Times Square." If they'd already seen it, it wouldn't seem unusual to want to see it again.
"I was thinking we could stay in tonight." Michelle pouted. She pouted a lot when she didn't get what she wanted. "We just got here. We have all week."
"But if we don't make the most of New York it could be years before we get to come back. I don't want to waste that time in the hotel room." Christy managed to not smile as she called having sex with Michelle a waste of time. Michelle probably wouldn't catch it but it made Christy feel better.
Michelle dressed and seemed to stomp a bit as she moved into the bathroom to get ready again. That was supposed to make Christy feel guilty. Too damn bad Michelle had the wrong Christy, that wouldn't work on her. Christy moved quickly through the room looking for plane tickets, when they got here and when they were expected to leave. She found Michelle's phone book and quickly copied phone numbers she might need down. No one remembered over ten year old phone numbers. She also checked her license for her address and her purse for anything else of interest. She'd have to rely on what Mystique taught her a bit more heavily here; since her memory wasn't up to the details she'd need to pull this off. She even managed to find out what her job was. She was still working as a file clerk.
She didn't know how they afforded this trip though. In her past they couldn't have afforded it. Perhaps this Michelle knew how to save for something. It would be a novelty if one version of Ms. Instant Gratification actually had that ability. That was something that always irritated her about her ex, even when they were together. Michelle never planned for anything. Well that's not true, she'd plan great things, but actually following through didn't work.
The fast pace she'd set for them turned out to be too much for her physical body, even though it was young. She slowed down and started looking around more as they walked. The tense angry silence was perfect. It gave her time to think. Emma had shared some stories of her past. They'd sit around the fireplace and share their stories, and this year Emma should be in college. Where did she go? This was the ultimate test of her knowing her lover, trying to remember something said a year ago when it was just an offhand comment. She did say it though. Emma majored in Business at… at… damn it, Emma had told her once. Where was it?
Hey, it was during the school year. Why wasn't her double in classes? Christy should be working on her… was it her Bachelor's now? Yeah, she should be working on her Bachelor's degree. The teacher in her ached to scold her double for not being there and she wanted to ask why she wasn't. She had to chuckle at herself for that impulse.
"I was thinking Psychology is really the best major for me." She said, feeling the need to check.
"I know." Michelle seemed to be calming down. "You've told me that a hundred times. Don't worry, just because you took a semester off doesn't mean you won't go back."
Semester off. Okay, that wasn't too bad. Maybe Christy should try to leave a few notes for her double. Just a few suggestions. She did have years on the girl.
Christy slipped into a store and picked out a journal with the Empire state building on it.
They walked until Christy's feet hurt and then walked some more.
"Hey, there's a good bar just a block this way." She smiled at Michelle as she started to a place Emma had showed her once.
"How'd you know?"
"Read about it on the Internet." Christy muttered.
"Internet?" Michelle gave her a blank look and Christy rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. The time difference, she forgot that things were more different here. The Internet wasn't all that useful in the early 90's. She didn't even remember using it back then. Great. Without a save she ignored the question and moved to a familiar building. It looked different, even though it had the same name. Even this touch of home wasn't here. Christy grimaced but went inside.
They got back late and Christy went to bed in the same bed as her ex for the first time in years. Her body hugged the edge of the bed, clearly to Michelle's disappointment, but then Christy never really liked cuddling with Michelle. It should have been a hint that she wasn't as in love as she wanted to believe. Christy never got enough of closeness with Emma.
And it had been months. She clenched her jaw as a small whimper came to her. She cried silently, finally able to relax as she heard Michelle's even breathing. She would give anything to have been at home in her own bed with Emma. Anything.
…………
Waking up was a nightmare. Christy went from a dream of walking on a beach with Emma to the reality of Michelle rudely watching the news early in the morning. It was in the same room she was trying to sleep after all. Fine. Early day, she could do that. Christy moved to grab some clothes without saying anything. Her glare might have been chalked up to grumpy mornings.
"Maybe we could spend time in Central Park." Michelle barely looked away from the news to say that.
"Sure, let's go." Christy had stayed up most of the night and she knew what she needed to do. Michelle wasn't going to like it.
In a weird sense of justice she was going to do what Michelle did to her. She'd sneak out of their place and leave a letter explaining it. If it was good enough for a break up it was good enough for this. There was no way she could get away any other way since Michelle seemed to ALWAYS be there.
They walked to Central Park, even though they were across from Penn Station and could have taken a subway to get closer. Christy didn't want Michelle to know about the subway just yet. Besides, her double hadn't been in New York before. It worked both ways.
The trek to Central Park took a long time.
"I love how this huge park is right in the middle of the city." Michelle smiled and Christy sat down next to her, handing Michelle a large drink. They watched the pond in near silence. It gave Christy time to try and remember where Emma did her freshman year of college. Christy remembered thinking it was in New York.
"What's wrong with you?" Michelle finally asked.
"Nothing."
"You're so quiet."
"So, I want a little time to think without constant chattering." Her voice became a little harsh as she glared at Michelle. She'd almost had it, the school name and Michelle's babbling ruined it. As a couple they'd never argued, but Christy didn't have the blinders of love on now. "I just want to sit and stare at this. Why do we always have to be talking? It ruins the vacation."
Michelle's eyes widened and she turned to stare at the pond again. The silence was angry and tense and it made it hard for Christy to try and remember, so she focused on her plan. If her double was stupid enough to want to repair this later she could, but there was no way Christy was going to lead Michelle to Emma and hope Michelle wouldn't out Emma as a mutant when it was all over. She wouldn't be there to protect her lover's double then. Hurt feelings weren't worth risking someone's safety.
"I'm going to the bathroom." Michelle stood up and waited expectantly.
Christy just waved towards where it was. "Over there." She made no attempt to get up. She'd been giving Michelle lots of drink so she'd have this moment to run.
As soon as Michelle was out of sight she walked up to a little boy playing with his remote control car. "Can you do me a favor?" Hopefully he would, but if not she was just going to have to go anyhow. "Can you give a letter to the blonde woman with a Toys R' Us bag that comes out of the bathroom." She pointed to where Michelle had gone. "I got a call and I have to go. I don't want her thinking I was kidnapped or anything." When he nodded, Christy ripped off a corner of the bag she was carrying and wrote down a few words.
I went back to the hotel, Christy. She'd leave a longer letter there. "Thanks." She smiled and him and turned to start running down the path. She'd have a jog on her hands getting to the subway station, but she knew it was there and Michelle didn't.
Her double didn't jog. That was clear when Christy felt weak only halfway across the park. Maybe Christy was spoiled by not having a body, because every double she took over seemed unusually weak to her. She pressed forward, her bag under her arm. She eventually had to give up and walk, but she was far enough away for that. Michelle had to have the note now. She'd be heading back as well.
The subway was nearly full but she found a seat. She sat a bit impatiently, willing it to move. To distract herself she looked around at the ads and one caught her attention. A soft smile came to her lips. Empire State University. That sounded pretty familiar. She wasn't positive, but she thought she remembered Emma saying she went there. That's why she assumed it was in New York. Christy got up and moved closer to the ad, looking for an address. She was a little irritated that her seat was taken and she had to stand, but it was worth it.
At Penn station she moved quickly out of the subway and across the street. Her key was in her hand as she moved to the elevators. The hotel room was empty. She moved quickly, methodically, and grabbed all of the things she thought were hers, shoving them in one of the bags. Again she had to guess which was hers. "I know you have to be pissed, but this is the only way." She spoke out loud as she zipped up the bag. "If you want I'll write you a letter explaining it all, but don't you ever tell her about Emma." Her voice took on the growl of a threat. There would be nothing she could do, but maybe her double wouldn't know it. "Right now she needs to think it's you, because with the anti mutant hysteria they might call out the army to get us if she told anyone what I am… and then people could find out about you."
Speaking of letters. Christy pulled out the hotel stationary and started to write. "I have things I want to do and I feel like you're holding me back. I'm sorry. I'm not cheating on you." No, that was more Michelle's style, "I can't explain now, but I will. If I'm not back in time for the flight go without me. Christy." With a pause she added. "P.S. try to have fun in New York. No need to let this ruin your whole trip."
She grabbed her bag and moved for the elevators. She was a little proud of the speed in which she was out the door. Even without the subway inspired lead she would have beat Michelle. Her smile faded a little as she took the elevator down. This was a real jerk move she was doing. Even her ex didn't deserve this, but if Christy had tried to do this in person Michelle never would have let her go. One thing she felt she needed to do had her putting her backpack down. She tugged on the wedding band until it came off, leaving an indent and tan line behind. It had taken her a while to remove the marks left by this ring the first time, so she knew that was staying, but she didn't want to have that constant reminder of this Christy's relationship to that woman on her finger. She tucked the ring into a pocket on her backpack, then sighed and slung the backpack over her shoulder.
There was a bank down the street. She better get her money before she went. If the police actually bothered to try and find her using her bank card near the school would be a bad idea.
…………
She needed to save as much money as possible, because her double had been far from well off. Christy felt bad robbing her like this, but she figured that her double would want this fixed as quickly as possible too. Christy took the subway as close to the school as she could and then took a cab.
It was a beautiful campus, but that wasn't what she was thinking of. It was too damn big. How was she supposed to find Emma in this? She stepped out of the cab and paid the cabbie with a sigh. Nothing's too easy around here.
The chanting drew her to the crowd. "Muties leave." Their signs were being waved.
"Oh look, the beginning of the anti mutant movement. How cute." She rolled her eyes. "I get to see history in action." She marched past them and towards the buildings. She'd never worked at a live on campus, but she'd bet somewhere there was a list of who lived where.
…………
"Again, shape shifting would have been a handy little skill." She glared at the counter she'd just come away from. They couldn't give information like that out. They had the list of residence right there in that office and Christy couldn't get it. She looked young, young enough to go to this school. What that meant was that she wasn't taken as seriously when she said it was important she get in touch with Emma Frost.
With a sigh Christy stared down at the map of the campus she'd picked up. It had several dorms, and that's assuming Emma lived in one of them and not off campus. There was a point in her education that Emma lived off campus. Hopefully it hadn't started yet.
…………
"Do you know Emma Frost?" Christy asked yet another student. All she got was a distracted no and the girl went back to her talk with her friends. Christy really missed common respect.
With a heavy sigh she moved to sit down heavily on the bench. This wasn't working. Either Emma wasn't here or she was a recluse. Time to try another dorm.
"Hello, I'm looking for Emma Frost. Do you know where she is?"
"Nope." The jock barely looked at her.
"Have you even heard her name before?" Her voice deepened with her irritation. He stopped moving and looked at her, really looked at her.
"Well no, but maybe my friends have. I'm going to dinner in the cafeteria with them. Want to join us?"
I'm an information prostitute, Christy thought with some disgust. She smiled thankfully at him and took the date. "Thank you. I've been trying to find her forever. I need help."
"Why?" He held open the dorm door. "If you don't mind my asking."
She always felt awkward with men being gentlemen. It made her feel like they wanted something. Christy sighed. "I need her help, but I never asked what dorm she lived in." And the award for creative not lying goes to Christy Taylor, she thought with sarcasm.
His friends were, not surprisingly, almost all boys. "Hey guys." Steven addressed his friends. "This is Christy and she's looking for Emma Frost. Anyone heard a her?"
"What she look like?" Another boy asked.
What did she look like? "She's got blonde hair," even if it wasn't natural, "light blue eyes." Christy's eyebrows drew together as she struggled with how to describe a version of Emma she'd never met. "Pale skin. Good fashion sense." That had to be developed by now. "Has a bit of a Boston accent."
"Sounds good so far." That boy gave her a teasing smile. "Is she seeing anyone?"
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him. "I don't know." Her voice was a little chilly.
"So anyone?" Steven asked.
"I think she might be in my English class." One guy spoke up. "I heard that name during role. Seemed to fit her."
"You mean she didn't go out with you?" Another guy teased. Christy didn't want to listen to the one liners and insults.
"Do you know where she lives?"
"Nope."
"Cause he couldn't even get her phone number." The boys teased again. Christy sighed heavily. Well, Emma was here, somewhere.
"Thanks."
"Hey, you could stay for dinner." Steven looked hopeful.
"No, I really need to find her."
"You still need to eat. And maybe we can ask around for you, you know, narrow it down." He glanced at his friend.
"Yeah, yeah, we can do that." Another boy nodded. It was clearly a favor for Steven to keep the girl here. It was nice to know boys found her attractive, but this wasn't what she wanted to deal with.
"Okay." You information whore, she thought to herself again.
The good thing about sitting with a group of boys is that they don't really want you to talk. They don't pressure you to talk. Christy ate quietly and nodded once in a while.
The scene after dinner was embarrassing though. Hopefully Emma could forgive this.
"Do ya know a chick called Emma Frost?" One boy started at a table halfway across the cafeteria, but it was easy to hear him.
"Emma Frost?" She heard another of the boys working another table. She turned to Steven and gave him a fake smile of thanks for the use of his friends.
"Ya know, my frat is having a party this Saturday." She felt a small smile come to her lips. She'd known that's where this was going. "I was thinking you could drop by. We really know how to throw a party."
He was still helping her, and he'd been relatively polite for a teenage boy. "I don't know if I'll still be in town." She added a pretend note of regret. "My plans for the next few weeks are really up in the air. I need to find Emma to figure it all out."
"Oh we'll find her." It was now a goal he took seriously.
"Hey." One over eager boy ran up to them. "Emma's McDermott's roommate. They're in Cheney Hall."
"There ya go." Steven smiled at her.
"Thank you." Christy stood up, ready to get to the biggest dorms on campus. She still had to actually find Emma but she had a chance now.
"Oh, oh, hey Christy." Steven was on his feet quickly. "About the party. I can call you with the details."
"oh god." She stopped walking away. "I don't even have a phone. I was hoping Emma could put me up or something for a little while."
"You have a fight with your roommate?" His voice dropped to a softer tone, a concerned one. Sweet boy.
"No, I just don't go to this school. I'm visiting." She'd withheld that information just in case he didn't want to pursue a lost cause, just like she didn't mention that she was gay. He was too helpful and she'd needed him.
"Oh." His disappointment was badly covered. "Well, if you're still in town you can still come." He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a piece of paper. "You're friend Emma can tell you where the house is. Everyone knows. Bring her if you want."
She took the paper and stared into his eyes. "Thanks Steven. This would have been a really crappy night if you hadn't helped me."
"Hey no problem." He smiled at her.
It was dark as she walked along the path. She stopped by a light and pulled the map out again, comparing it to what she was near. Cheney hall should just be a little further.
There was a couple she was slowly catching up to and Christy found herself slowing as she folded the map back up. The walk looked a little familiar. When he turned to face the blonde woman Christy could see they were arguing. She hated to interrupt, but this was the only path. She moved to walk right along the edge of the path, her foot hitting the grass occasionally.
"What didn't you? You've acted like some kind of superior being from day one, Emma!" His words were a growl and Christy's heart clenched. Emma? She found her steps moving faster and her eyes tried to see past blonde hair. Emma's head tilted as he screamed at her and Christy's jaw clenched. That asshole reached out and pushed her. Christy moved faster and when he swung at Emma she yelled. They didn't hear here.
Christy ran as he was chasing Emma and she didn't stop even as she rammed right into him. Her body didn't have mass, but it had speed and determination. "Fucking asshole." She slammed her fist into his nose. He shoved her hard and she fell off him. She was up quickly and watched him get up while wiping his bleeding nose.
"Stay the hell out of this, it's between her and I."
"There's nothing between you and Emma. Get the hell out of here before there's nothing between your legs either."
"Just go Max." Emma's voice was shaky from behind Christy. Christy felt the blonde teenager rest a hand on her shoulder. "Just go."
"You're so fucking superior."
"That's because you are dirt. It's hard not to be superior to that." Christy's voice was cold. She ached for her lost shape shifting power. Her side ached but she didn't show it. He grudgingly, angrily turned and marched off, muttering the entire way.
Christy wished it was because of her, but Steven and his friends were coming down the path, blissfully ignorant to the scene. Christy turned to Emma. "Are you okay? He didn't hit you did he?"
She had to look like a fool, staring like that. Emma looked so young, so innocent and shaken in a way that normally she wouldn't show.
"Hey Christy, you found your Emma?" Steven called to her.
"Yep." She yelled back and waved, trying to get him to go away.
"You were looking for me?" Emma took a shaky breath. "I don't know you do I?"
"No." Christy took in how Emma's arms seemed to wrap around her, comforting herself. "This is lousy timing, but I came here because I needed your help."
"Well." Emma gave her a small smile. "Seems you've earned it by playing my hero. What do you need? My notes aren't all that great." Emma studied her. "We don't take a class together do we? Who are you?"
Christy sighed. "Do you have somewhere private we can talk?" She winced a little as she moved to pick up the bag she'd dropped when she tackled Max.
"You're hurt? I think we have a school nurse."
"I'll be fine." Christy knew enough about pain, even if her knowledge was old, that she knew tomorrow she'd hurt. Still nothing was probably broken.
"Well, my roommate Christie is probably out." Emma's voice was laden with irritation. Christie? Well, Christy had never heard that Emma had a roommate with her name before. Maybe that was this universe's unique feature. "Come on up."
They started on the stairs and Christy flinched at how her side felt. Emma grabbed her bag. "I'm Emma Frost."
"Christy Taylor." Christy smiled at the girl in front of her. What would her life have been like if she'd met Emma earlier? Well, maybe given her home world's situation it was better she hadn't. The smile faded. "Was that your boyfriend?" That would be something she'd have to interfere with if he were. Emma wasn't going to be some battered girlfriend.
"No." Emma's expression darkened, making it look more familiar. "He's a mistake. He'd been asking me out and I finally gave in. Turns out I was right to turn him down."
"Good." Christy finished with the stairs; a sigh of relief escaped her lips at having that painful journey over. Just because she could deal with it didn't mean it was comfortable. Great, she'd be giving her double a damaged body back. It seemed to be a trend for her. At least this one wasn't shot.
Emma glanced in the room and Christy heard an irritated sigh. "Like I thought, just us." Emma held open the door for her. "Would you like something to drink?"
Christy must have looked a little surprised at the very, very familiar words. The last Emma was always interested in getting her a drink. "No thanks. Just had dinner and what must have been an extra large lemonade."
"My upbringing pretty much demands I try to be a good hostess." Emma smiled as she sat down heavily on a bed.
After sitting down on the chair nearby Christy just stared at Emma for a moment. "I'm going to sound insane. I just ask that you hear me out before you call security." Emma sat up a bit straighter. "I'm a mutant and I need your help." Christy had fully intended to go on, but Emma seemed to pale.
"Mutant?" Emma's eyes seemed to look around the room a little, as if looking for a camera.
"I have the power to create portals to other worlds, but if my double is nearby when I get there I end up stuck in her body. I'm trapped again."
"That seems a little far fetched. I've heard about people turning to ice or flying…"
"Or reading peoples minds, like you do." It was hard to believe this Emma was trying to claim she wasn't a mutant. "I know you're a telepath, because I've met you in other worlds." Telling this Emma about their relationship at this point seemed too much. Christy felt guilty for the mostly concealed panic in those ice blue eyes. "You're the only telepath that can help me. Feel my mind. You'll see the shield that no one but you can penetrate."
"I'm not that powerful." Finally some admission.
"It isn't about power, but you are that powerful. You might not know it yet, my double sure doesn't realize what she's packing. You'll get stronger." More confident, Christy thought to herself. "You're still developing. So is she." Christy held her hand over her own chest to indicate her double.
"This is crazy." Christy could feel the warmth of the mental touch and she just sat quietly, watching the concentration Emma seemed to need to do such a simple task. What if Emma wasn't developed enough yet?
God, how long would it take to develop telepathy and become competent? Christy felt her heart sink a little as she thought that for the first time. Her Emma would have been able to stop Max by herself, easily. How much of what the last Emma did for her was sheer strength and know how? This one didn't have either of those.
"Just a second. Let me try to open up to you." Christy spoke gently and worked to lower her shields just enough. She had to talk Emma through how to find the entrance that other Emma's found more easily.
Christy found herself guiding Emma through a few memories, and she did her best to not show anything she thought might upset her, because one brief glimpse of Christy's fight on the beach before getting lost almost made this young Emma lose her connection. Emotions really affected the telepath's control.
The knock on the door startled both of them out of the staring match. "Emma." A British girl's voice called through the door.
"That's Astrid." Emma stood up.
"Um, I don't know how your friends would act with me being a mutant." Christy glanced at the mirror to see she had a light glow in her eyes from lowering her shield for so long. The teenage Emma took much longer to look around than her older counterparts.
"Don't worry, Astrid isn't going to be a problem." That was made clearer by the complete silence as the pretty young black woman came in and seemed to hold a silent conversation with Emma. Christy turned to stare out the window and familiar stars.
"So this bird comes in here claiming to be a mutant in need of help?" The woman finally spoke, clearly for Christy's benefit. Christy felt the probe, foreign, and had figured out Astrid was a mutant too. A telepath.
"Astrid, this is Christy."
"Like your roommate? That's might be a bit confusing."
"You get used to it." Christy muttered as she shifted in her seat to look at the two other girls in the room. Emma stood just a little behind Astrid, and Astrid had an air of danger and protectiveness about her. Things were different here. "More powerful telepaths than you have tried slamming their way into my head. It doesn't work." Christy stared down Astrid. "I've got a girl, my double, trapped in her own head. I just need help freeing her, getting out of here, so I can try to go home again."
"And you came here?"
"Emma's the only one that can get past my shields. I've met another Emma and it works." Christy looked past Astrid to Emma. "In my world I have an Emma and we're connected. No other telepaths can get inside, the hole I made in my shield works for you, but it won't for someone else. I need you to help my double focus so I can pull out of her."
"I can't do something like that."
"It isn't something that we need to do overnight. I have to build up my power first anyhow." Christy slumped forward. "I just can't do this without you. I don't know what else to do. I can't stay here in this world." Her fists clenched. "I just want to go home."
"Aww, we have a blue bird here." Astrid's voice was supposed to be a little biting, but Christy didn't care to respond. Emma rested a hand on Astrid's shoulder, calming the other woman's attitude, thankfully.
"I'm just starting to learn about my powers." Emma moved out from behind Astrid. "I don't know if I can do what you want."
Christy sighed. "It isn't like I can go anywhere until you can. If I end up having to wait years, I have to wait." Her jaw clenched at that horrible thought.
"Where are you staying?"
Christy chuckled. "No where. I couldn't trust my double's girlfriend so I had to abandon her during their vacation."
"Oh, you're gay." Emma smiled at her a little. "My brother is gay."
"I know." Christy couldn't help but grin at that comment, thinking how fine with it her Emma became. Astrid's head tilted just a little as she studied Christy. Christy's grin faded. "I'd hoped that you could put me up, but I wasn't thinking. You live in a dorm."
"Yeah, and I already have a roommate called Christie. You are probably a big trade up but it doesn't really work that way."
"You're from an alternate world?" Astrid interrupted.
"Yeah,"
"What's it like there?"
Christy sighed. "It's hard. Mutants are looked down on in most countries and in some they are imprisoned and experimented on. I work with people trying to stop things like that from happening." Most people would be interested in the big picture and since this world looked to be on its way there too these telepaths needed to be careful. "In spite of that, there are some places that are good for mutants, I live in the best."
"Sounds cheery." Astrid's sarcasm was thick.
"Well, it does no good to ignore the danger. It's a fatal mistake." Christy could see her words upset Emma though. Christy softened her voice. "There are people that try to help. There are good people trying to make a difference." She smiled. "My Emma is one of those people. She's working to make it a better world. I think she has a chance of doing it. She took the time to get the money and power it takes to create change, and she's managed to do things that people never thought could be done. She's changing the world." Hope is a powerful tool, Christy knew that. It didn't need to be huge hope, but hope for something better made people strive for it.
"When you say My Emma…" Emma asked. Christy just sighed as she realized that if she was going to keep that a secret for now she would have had to edit a lot more of what she said.
"Yes." She gave the teenage version of her lover a small reassuring smile.
"Oh," Emma looked from Astrid to Christy again. "I guess there are a few differences between the worlds. I'm straight."
"I figured that out with Max." Christy left out the part where her Emma was actually bisexual and let the girl hold on to her labels. "You're also a lot younger. You're eighteen and mine is twenty nine."
"And you are?" Emma studied her carefully, and Christy could see the start of an older Emma's searching stare in those eyes. The raw material that made Christy's Emma so powerful and intimidating to others was all here. This Emma would get there one day.
"Three years older." Christy smiled and ignored the strange time loss of her first jump to her Emma's world.
Emma was studying her. "How long have you two been…"
"Two years, almost exactly." Christy hated that their anniversary could be the last time she saw her lover. She wasn't going to accept that. Christy sat up a little straighter. "I'd known her a little less than year before we became a couple."
"Astrid?" The young Emma turned to her friend. "I can do this right?"
"This could take time to teach something like this." Astrid moved to sit on the other bed with a sigh. "Especially since I haven't seen a head as crowded as you claim yours is." Astrid addressed Christy with the last part of her comment.
"But I could learn this right?" Emma asked and Christy got the sense that if it took a while for her to do it, this Emma would still agree to help. "We can help her?"
Christy didn't wait for Astrid's answer, she interrupted their side conversation. "Yes, you can. You're going to be a powerful telepath someday, if you aren't already."
Emma's gentle mental touch had Christy lowering the shield again. She sat patiently waiting for Emma to feel out the challenge. "I don't understand what I'm seeing."
"We'll figure it out."
"Can you find a place to stay?" Emma asked that and Christy just sighed as her answer.
"Christy can stay with me." Astrid spoke suddenly. "I don't have a roommate."
The two telepaths went silent again and Christy rolled her eyes as they talked about her in front of her. Astrid must have been the one to teach Emma that bad habit, but at least Emma, Christy's Emma, could hide it better.
Two hours later, after Astrid and Emma worked out their schedule for training, which had to fit around their classes, Astrid led Christy to another dorm. Without Emma with them it felt strained and awkward. Astrid was probably like a lot of telepaths and didn't like a mind she couldn't read.
"You can have that bed over there. My classes are early in the morning, so I'll be moving around."
"That's fine." Christy glanced around the room. The room looked a lot like Emma's, the same furniture and layout, but with different posters.
The next morning Christy waited until Astrid left before sitting cross legged on the bed and lowering her shield. She might need to buy sunglasses if this Christy's body started to respond like the last one. The problem was she didn't know how fast she should be recharging, because this time it wasn't just her that needed to prepare for it. Even if she could pull in enough energy to separate within two weeks, and that was unlikely unless there was a massive disaster that killed thousands, it didn't mean Emma would be ready to try and find the hidden Christy in her mind.
…………