500 Miles – Complications
By Princess Alexandria
"Hey Christy!" The boy yelled across the cafeteria. Christy, along with the other two girls at her table and several other students turned to look at him, but he didn't seem to care. Steven jogged up to their table.
"Hey Steven." She smiled and kept her irritation at the interruption to herself. Emma had been telling them about her plans for the future and Christy found it fascinating to see how Emma started out her journey to be a teacher of mutants. She decided to let herself see this whole mess as an opportunity to learn more about her lover, because it sounded like this young Emma was probably not too far off from Christy's years ago.
"So, I was wondering if you'll be in town for the party?" He smiled at her and waved to the Astrid and Emma just a little. "You can bring your friends, it'll be fun." Christy felt a little surprised that he was still asking her out when more attractive girls were at the table. Christy didn't have the style, the girl like charm, which the telepaths did. "It's Saturday night."
She looked at the others, hoping for a sign. Her eyes stayed on Emma longer, but it was foolish to expect this Emma to mind that a boy was asking Christy out. She gave Steven a guilty grin. "I don't know…"
"I don't see why you couldn't go have fun." Astrid interrupted them and Christy turned to stare at the girl, willing her to shut up. Astrid just gave her a small smile. "It isn't like we have any plans just yet. You'll be stuck here… on campus… that night, and we already have plans." Astrid glanced at Emma when she said that.
So that's how it is, Christy's eyes grew cold. Astrid wasn't happy with Christy being around and was trying to get rid of her at least for the night. She covered up her irritation as she turned to the hopeful looking boy. "I guess I'm free." It beat sitting around in Astrid's dorm while the telepaths went out shopping or something, and called it training. There was also bound to be free food. Her doubles money wasn't going to last long unless she got creative about that. At least this was a new type of creative for that particular problem, less upsetting.
"Are you sure?" Emma was looking between the two of them, and Christy recognized the look of understanding starting to show. "You could always come with us."
"No, that's okay." Christy had already said yes to Steven. "I've never been to a college party before, maybe it'll be fun." She could consider it research. Mystique always said to try out all types of settings so that she'd know how to blend in if she had to.
"So you'll be there." Steven smiled and Christy didn't have the heart to tell him he didn't have a chance in hell. She just confirmed and smiled. He looked happier as he rushed off the class.
"My roommate's going to be away tonight." Emma tilted her head as she studied Christy. "Why don't you come over and we can work on that project."
"I'm not available tonight." Astrid interrupted before Christy could talk.
"I don't think you'll be of much help with this." Christy felt a little better at the irritated look on Astrid's face. "It isn't like you can go in with her." They'd tried that once, not that Christy agreed, but Astrid thought she could just piggyback with Emma and explain what was going on with Christy's shields. It didn't work that way, thank god. Christy didn't want anyone else in her mind. It was bad enough she was letting other Emmas in, but they were other Emmas. "Tonight sounds good. It isn't like I have anything else to do around here." The last two days were pretty boring.
"Well good. You and I can get some dinner and then go back to my dorm."
A deep voice behind them sounded cold and made Christy's muscles tense, because it was clearly a threat. "So, that's why you didn't like our date. You're a rug munching dyke." Christy turned to see the boy, Max, glaring at Emma. He'd spoken loud enough to have a lot of people staring at them and Christy could see Emma's face redden.
"I think it might have had more to do with you thinking a first date should end in hitting the girl." Christy moved to stand as Emma said that. She glared at him and noticed a few people moving around them.
"Stupid self important bitch." He spit out his insult, but Christy saw one of Steven's friends heading her way. The boy that actually found out what dorm Emma was in, in fact.
"You realize that any girl in this cafeteria seeing you act like this would have to realize what a jerk, and a potential wife beater you are." Christy spoke coolly, in control of her tone and didn't sound the least bit intimidated even though he was larger, and she wasn't in her own body. "I wouldn't be surprised if you were a date rapist as well." She spoke loudly, drawing even more attention. "It isn't SAFE for a girl to date you. I'm sure that bit of information will get around Max…" She glanced at Emma.
"Devreaux." Emma added, just as loudly. "He's Max Devreaux."
"Oh," Christy smirked at him as the whispering and muttering at other tables seemed to get through to him. "So long Max." Christy could see that Steven's friend was standing off to the side just in case Max decided to be stupid. Christy nodded subtly to him, liking the feeling of being backed up even it if wasn't someone trained for it.
"Emma Frost is a dyke!" Max yelled while turning to leave.
"Funny, how every girl that doesn't want you is gay Max." Emma yelled after him. "I think you should consider the fact that maybe it's just that girls with at least half a brain wouldn't be interested in someone who gets violent if they don't get a kiss."
Someone muttered, "Wasn't a kiss he probably was after." Christy also heard a few girls saying that something had to be wrong with Emma to turn down a hunk like Max, and it made Christy disgusted at teenage girls. The evidence was right there in front of them, and they didn't see it because Max was good looking.
"I've lost my appetite." Emma's jaw clenched as she grabbed her purse. Christy picked up the rest of her food before following the fast moving Emma out the door. Astrid was moving more slowly behind them. Talking here wasn't a good idea, so Christy just focused on putting the banana Emma had left on her tray in her purse and stuffing the rest of her own hamburger in her mouth. She couldn't afford to waste money on food, or she'd end up eating out of dumpsters and her double might not like that.
"I can't believe that jerk!" Emma paced across her dorm room. Christy found it hard to not stare at the very teenage tone, the way Emma was so very concerned about what a few students thought of her. It reminded Christy of the Stepford sisters actually. With teenage worries that were made to be far more important than they really were.
"So he said you were gay." Christy sat back on Emma's bed. "Big deal. It isn't like the people in the courtyard are wanting to lynch lesbians, they're after mutants." Christy shifted her jacket so that she didn't squish her banana, but she kept talking. "You can't let this bother you, because if it does and they see it…" It was weird giving this Emma the lecture her own Emma gave her when Christy first heard people whispering about what probably went on behind Emma's bedroom door, all of which was insulting and wild, and due to Christy's unique position she couldn't dispute it even though she knew they were lies.
Emma turned to look at her, and there was some guilt in her face. "It isn't that being gay is bad, but I don't like him saying that about me. People might believe him."
"A few were thinking that." Astrid added from the other bed. "You haven't been dating and they did wonder."
"So they wonder." Christy hated this damned drama over a label. "So what. If I had twenty bucks for every guy that called me gay when I turned him down… I'd have enough money to go out to a nice restaurant with a pretty girl." She teased, and Emma was startled out of her drama for a moment as she laughed. Christy smiled. "Boys always lash out with that one. Even women that prove it by sleeping with way too many boys get it. Just brush it off."
"Yeah. Yeah, it was stupid." Emma sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed Christy was sprawled on. "I shouldn't let that stuff get to me."
"Are we able to go train now?" Astrid asked Emma. Christy felt a bit bad about the schedule Emma was keeping, working on homework and learning to use her telepathy. Too bad she couldn't afford to actually take the pretty girl out to a decent restaurant to say thank you.
Christy found a comfortable spot in the library so she didn't have the same four walls around her and pulled out the journal she'd bought. Dear Christy… she started to write.
…………
"Hey Christy!" Steven called out to her as she stepped into the large frat house. Emma had kindly lent her an outfit for this, but Christy didn't miss the questioning look she'd gotten for asking for it. She wondered if Emma thought Christy was cheating on her lover, but if that were the case Emma didn't seem angry.
"Steven." She smiled as he maneuvered his way past the other people in the room to get to her side. She leaned closer to him. "I didn't realize it would be so crowded." She had to talk loud to be heard over the music.
"Yep, it's always like this." He glanced around, and it felt awkward. She didn't know what to do at a party like this. Even talking was hard to do with the noise level. "Do you want to get some punch, or something?" He wasn't as comfortable around her either now that he had her here.
"Depends on how much alcohol is in the punch." She smiled at him. "I'll still be able to walk right?"
His tense shoulders relaxed and he smiled. "Well, maybe if I mixed the punch with actual punch."
…………
Christy knocked on Emma's door again. "Come on." She whined when no one answered immediately. When she heard the door opening she swayed back on her feet a bit. "Emma…" She smiled widely… "Emma, Emma, Emmy… I found you. Not my Emmy, but Emmy…" She giggled.
"Oh god, how much did you drink?"
"One of my frat brother's thought it would be funny to drug her punch when I told them I was giving her real juice." A boy's voice. Christy turned to smile at Steven.
"I told him I was gay." Christy's pretend whisper was still loud. "And he didn't get all upset. See… good boys don't act like jerks. If you had to date a boy, you shoulda dated this one." Christy reached out the lean on Steven's arm. "Of course, you'd be better off with Christy, but she's with the skanky ho."
"She said she wanted to be with you." Steven talked with Emma. "I… I'm sorry. I knocked the bastard flat for this, but I really didn't mean to…"
"It's okay." Emma's voice was cold and Christy turned to look at the girl.
"You look just like her when she's mad." Christy always thought Emma looked so sexy mad, but she'd never be stupid enough to say it, normally. "I miss her."
"Let me take her." Emma reached out and grabbed Christy's arm, starting to pull her into the room.
"I wish I was your roommate." Christy stumbled a little, but Steven helped steady her. "Astrid hates me, I just know it."
"I've got her. Thank you for bringing her back." Emma closed the door.
Christy's voice raised a little to talk through it. "Thanks Stevey"
"You are so lucky my whore of a roommate isn't here." Emma let Christy go and moved to the other bed in the room, pushing the sheets down. "You can sleep it off in here."
Christy just stood still and stared at Emma, her excited energy faded suddenly. Her voice was deeper, less frantic. "I miss her." Tears filled her eyes and she pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle a whimper. "My Emma… will I ever see my Emma again?"
Emma stopped moving and stared at Christy. "I'm sure you will." The voice was soft, young, and comforting, but it lacked the certainty that Christy's Emma had.
"I love her." Christy wrapped her arms around her body. "She's my queen. My goddess." Emma moved to touch her gently on the arm as Christy let her pain go, finally. "I was supposed to be home now, not in this crappy world. Not married to a bitch of an ex and wanting…" Her eyes stared into familiar ice blue eyes. "I was supposed to be home, saving her. They have her and it was my job to protect her." Christy curled into the embrace, clinging to the Emma that didn't even smell like Emma. The shampoos were all wrong.
"I'm sure you'll figure it all out. You're very smart." Emma petted her back.
"I miss you Emma." Christy whispered and moved her face, tilted it, to capture soft lips. Emma froze for a moment, and then gently pulled back.
"Let's get you to bed." Emma spoke gently and guided Christy to the other bed, helping her sit rather than fall back. Christy tried to fumble with her shoes, but Emma slipped them off. "Just lay back and I'll cover you."
"Remember when I took care of you when you were sick? I couldn't catch anything, so I could still hold you." Christy's voice cracked. "I want to hold you."
"How about I move the chair next to the bed and hold your hand until you fall asleep?" Emma asked softly, while petting Christy's arm and pulling the sheets over her, even though Christy was still dressed.
"It hurts." Christy whimpered as Emma moved the chair.
"I know." Christy could see Emma had tears in her eyes as she reached out and squeezed Christy's hand. "You just sleep sweetheart."
"I miss your touch. I miss how you warmed me when you caressed my mind." Christy's body shook as she tried not to sob. "My queen." She lost the battle and sobs racked her body. Emma's grip stayed tight and Christy clung to her. It took her a half hour to stop crying and slowly fall asleep.
…………
Pain, it was the first thing she was aware of. Christy groaned and moved to rest her arm over her eyes, as if it could block out the pounding. "I think I'm gonna be sick." She muttered, while thinking she didn't miss having a body, not at all. She could have gone the rest of her life without knowing this feeling and been fine.
"If you do, make sure it's on her sheets and not my floor." Emma's voice had Christy opening her eyes, hopeful, but not surprised when her dream faded and young eyes were staring down at her. "I brought you some juice to go with the aspirin."
Christy groaned as she rolled onto her side and struggled to sit up. Parts of the evening started to come back to her. Dancing, laughing. Steven angry and yelling at someone. Pieces started to make sense and Christy stared at the glass in Emma's hand as she finished putting the puzzle together. She'd yelled that she was gay at the party, and told the kids she wasn't ashamed and being gay was wonderful if you had the love of a wonderful woman. Why the hell did she do that? At least her drugged mind managed to keep her being a mutant a secret. If she'd spilled that she'd be beaten up in an alley instead of in Emma's dorm.
"Here, drink." Emma helped her hold the glass since her hands were shaking a bit. Christy couldn't stop them. "I decided to skip class, so is there anything you need?" The blonde gently moved some of Christy's unruly hair out of her eyes. Christy looked up at the girl and felt pang of pain as she recognized sympathy and remembered crying herself to sleep.
"I'm sorry I had him bring me here." Drugged Christy still knew that Emma would be better than Astrid at taking care of her.
"It's not your fault. Stupid frat boys thought it would be funny to drug you, like it's just a game." Emma's words were harsh, but they gentled. "You tell me if you're up to eating and I'll get you something."
"I'm fine." Christy didn't think she'd keep anything down if she tried now.
"Okay. If you want to talk tell me, otherwise I'll get back to my Education Theory paper." Emma moved back to the desk and Christy was thankful. She was still trying to regain her equilibrium. She took another shaky drink from her glass, before speaking softly.
"I kept thinking you're going to become a wonderful woman, and I didn't realize you already are." She gave a small pained smile that Emma returned. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
…………
"Umm…" A boy stopped at Christy's table the later that day. She'd been left alone as Emma and Astrid went to work on training again. Christy looked up from the journal she'd been writing in. "I was at the party and I was wondering…" Oh god. Christy sighed as she waited for some embarrassing comment. "You did that thing about Freud." Thing? Christy vaguely remembered teasing the people claiming to have trouble understanding Freud, since Psychology was her major and she'd taught a few classes in it, she must have been thorough. "Can you tutor me?"
"Tutor you?" She'd thought maybe the boy wanted to talk about being gay, or had other embarrassing questions. She didn't think he had a job offer.
"The way you said that Freud stuff, I remembered it, but now I just don't understand Jung, the whole collective unconscious…" He sighed heavily. "The teacher sucks. He starts talking about his car or his weekend and then we never get to talk about the book. The midterm is coming up and we haven't even covered half of what we should have."
Christy glanced at someone walking past with a tray of food and then at him. She hadn't eaten; she'd rationed herself down to one or two meals a day. "You pay for dinner and we can talk about it."
"Dinner?" He noticed her glance towards the cafeteria. "Oh, dinner, sure."
As they ate a few other people came to sit by them as Christy explained the collective unconscious and a few other Jungian concepts. She could hear people taking notes and she almost laughed. While paused so they could catch up to her she got an idea. "Do you think you guys could get at least ten people willing to pay maybe five dollars for two hours a couple times a week?" When she got nothing by curious looks she sighed. "I'm getting pretty poor without a job, and I know enough I could teach that man's class. I know Freud, Jung, Pavlov… get me a syllabus and I'll match the topics to what he's supposed to cover."
"Oh man," A girl smiled. "You have no idea. We were talking in the hall and most of the students are lost. We can get it."
"Charge ten." Someone else spoke up. "They'll pay it."
"When can you do this?" A boy spoke up. "Because I have a class at 10:30 and…" A few others were fidgeting when the subject of timing came up. She figured out a schedule that would work for her original six and told them to tell people that she didn't know how long she'd be in town, but while she was she'd follow the schedule, but she'd need a textbook and a syllabus.
Someone actually offered to buy the books for her. Christy was in business. She just agreed to not charge him as long as she was doing this. She wasn't going to have to starve her double's body. Emma might have offered money, but the girl was giving so much already and this Emma didn't seem rich, or why else would she eat at the cafeteria most days.
Two days later Christy found herself having to stand on the steps of the library so that they'd have enough room to do this. It was a nice day so none of the twenty five students that showed seemed to mind. It was a weird feeling to finish teaching a class and have twenty five students walk past her and hand her ten dollars. Many thanked her on top of it. She'd never felt so appreciated for teaching.
"I work in student programs." One girl said as others were packing up. "I'll see if I can get us a classroom for next time." She smiled. "It could rain after all."
"Yeah, that would be good." Christy folded her money up and put it in her pants pocket. It bulged and felt strange.
"Cool. So how did you learn all this stuff?"
"College." Christy smiled while giving a non answer. "My teachers were good." She hadn't realized that she'd missed teaching. Her other job was important, but Christy had to give up teaching and maybe that was something she should re-evaluate when she got home. Maybe there was a way to do both.
Christy moved to a tree and sat down, pulling out a journal to write in. She might as well enjoy the surprisingly nice weather.
…………
"I saw Max again today." Emma spoke while staring down at her textbook. Christy stopped outlining her lecture and looked up. Since Emma's roommate was away for the weekend Christy was staying with Emma and giving Astrid a little privacy. McDermott, as they'd taken to calling her, was away a lot so Christy was able to spend every other weekend with Emma. It was by far more fun, even if they didn't do anything but study. Christy found herself staring at Emma sometimes, thinking how cute a young Emma was. Astrid hadn't loved the idea of leaving Christy and Emma to their own thing, but Emma needed to be around Christy's shield to learn enough to teach something to Christy's double.
Christy was beginning to suspect Astrid was in love with Emma. It would explain the jealous glares Christy got when Astrid didn't think she was looking. It had gotten worse as they passed the month mark and Emma still wasn't ready to help Christy. They all lost a bit of the excitement of getting it done and Christy knew it was a more long term project. She'd hoped, but she had pretty much expected this to take a while.
"What happened?" He'd confronted Emma a few times, and Christy was starting to worry that it was escalating. Emma didn't want to report it though. She thought she could take care of it herself, that it would end. It was hard to believe any Emma had ever been that naive.
"He said." Emma sighed and the slightly guilty look she gave Christy screamed she wished she didn't have to repeat it. "That he knows my gay friend stays the weekend, and that he wondered if you were as good…" Emma blushed. "as good at sex as the kids say you are with teaching."
"You cleaned that up a little didn't you?" Christy gave Emma a small smile, hoping to comfort her. "Does it bother you? People saying that we might be…" And these rumors never involved Astrid, funny how that girl spent just as much time with Christy and didn't get this crap.
"No, I mean it isn't like it isn't true for some Emma." Emma pushed some hair behind her ear. "I just wanted you to know he's talking about checking out your impromptu class to see if he can screw it up."
"Oh, don't worry about it. My students are really protective of my time; he wouldn't last five minutes if he pulled us off topic." She'd been surprised when the students themselves kicked one disruptive boy out of class before she had a chance to. Ever since then they'd had no problems. She'd warn her kids that Max was going to be a problem.
Christy watched Emma's tense shoulders as the girl went back to her work and decided maybe she'd do more than that. In a month Max had taken what seemed like every opportunity to cause Emma trouble. Astrid offered to take care of it for Emma, since Emma's powers didn't work on him when he was like that, but Emma wanted to do it herself. It was a bit strange that Emma could control other people if she needed to, but not Max. Maybe Max was a mutant. Only a telepath or some other more rare mutants like Christy could keep Emma out of his or her head. Emma was getting pretty decent with her telepathy after all.
To bad she couldn't just leak that theory and let him deal with the bigots, but if they found one mutant on campus it would just make them look harder for more.
After her lecture was set Christy pulled out one of her journals to start writing. "What are you working on?" Emma asked and Christy looked up to find she'd probably become the distraction Emma wanted so she could take a break from her essay.
"I thought my double could use some help." Christy glanced down at what she'd been writing and then at Emma. "I just want to give her a head start. Warn her about mistakes. Give her some advice that could help. She can learn from my mistakes." Christy thought of the other journal she had in her bag. "Wouldn't you like to know about things you could change, horrible things, so they couldn't happen?"
"You mean mistakes I might make?" Emma's eyebrows drew together as she thought about it. "But if I had a book I'd just live in fear of making those mistakes. It would be like Oedipus Rex, worrying and stressing constantly about a prophecy, only to end up fulfilling it another way."
"Not necessarily." Christy hadn't expected reluctance. Her Emma would have jumped at the chance to save her Hellions or any of the other disasters that befell her. "If you knew that say… you were going to be in a car accident on a certain day, you could stay at home, or take a bus. You could avoid being there when the accident happened and you'd go on with your life."
"This is all assuming that our worlds are the same, and I don't think they are. I'm not like your Emma and you said you never went to New York with Michelle. We're in a different world."
"But it's so similar, you're going to run into the same problems my Emma did." Christy set her journal down and moved to slide off the bed so she could sit next to Emma. "Things that haunt her. She's had a hard life and I don't want that happening to you."
"I make my own destiny." Emma's expression wasn't comforting. Christy wasn't getting through to her. "A book isn't going to change that. I'm going to finish my degree and start a school. That's the extent of how your Emma and I are the same. I'm going to be a teacher some day." Emma glanced at the book. "Have you ever considered that you'll do more harm than good giving her that book? What if her Michelle isn't like yours?"
"There are other things in there besides a warning about that bitch."
"And if Michelle isn't like that here, you could destroy their relationship for nothing. Maybe the other Christy actually loves her." Emma spoke softly, but Christy felt accusation. Christy had thought of that, she had. She did her best to just outline the signs her double should look for. She didn't outright say that her double should dump Michelle now. She just didn't want to be so devastated again, not even if it wasn't her really.
"I'm writing a book for you." She finally admitted it. "I'm writing what I think my Emma would want you to know."
"I don't want a book."
"I really think you need it."
"Thank you, but I don't want a book." Emma was firm about this and Christy sighed heavily.
"People could die."
"I am not your Emma. Her life isn't going to be mine." Emma got up and moved away from her, pacing the floor. "I see you staring at me sometimes and I know what you're thinking. I don't even need my powers to see it. I am not her. I'm sorry, but I'm not."
"What the hell?" Christy stared at the girl. "I'm just trying to spare you pain, why are you acting like this."
"I'm not gay. I'm in love with a man that is too blind to realize it, but I'm in love with someone else and having you stare at me like that, it's disturbing. I'm not her."
Christy almost rose to the level of tension Emma was putting out, but she took a deep breath and sat back for a moment. Sudden declarations of not being Christy's Emma, emotional, and really not part of the conversation, Christy decided that Emma was feeling threatened.
She didn't do anything to make Emma feel that way did she? Well, except wanting to help her and protect her. She did stare sometimes. "I'm sorry." Better to just apologize, even if she didn't think she did anything wrong. "It's just that you're the closest thing to home I have, and I would have given anything to be able to protect my lover from her pain. Somehow it feels like I have a chance to. These shifting realities… they get confusing."
"It's okay." Emma sighed and Christy was glad to see the rigidness leaving. "I'm sorry, I understand. It is confusing." Christy would try again with the book later, after she'd finished writing in it.
…………
Christy came back from the city alone. She'd made her weekly brief phone call to her mother to let the woman she was alive and well and stopped off for a few other little items. It sucked that she had to blow so much of her money on this, but it was something that would work.
She had to take the sunglasses off before she walked up to Stevenson hall with her book bag over her shoulder. It took some concentration to keep the charge she was building up over the past two weeks to not show in her eyes, but Emma had said she felt she was almost ready, so Christy should get ready. She wore the sunglasses most of the time she wasn't in the dorms, and suffered the teasing of her class with a wry grin. They didn't know.
She nodded to the few people she recognized as she made her way through the halls. Her ears were straining to hear if anyone was coming as she stood in front of a door she'd never visited before and checked the number. A quick flick of the wrist and she had it opened. The lock pick tool slid back into her pocket as she quietly stepped into the dorm.
A pile of clothes in the corner made it clear she was in a boy's room. Christy ignored them and moved to the refrigerator. She'd done her research and she knew what she'd find. A dozen protein drinks sat on the shelf.
The thin latex gloves she pulled over her hands were most likely overkill, but she wasn't used to working like this when she had fingerprints. She popped the lid off of the needle and moved to inject some of the steroids into each drink, leaving only very small puncture marks that most people wouldn't see. As she got to the drinks in the back she started to put more in, using up the rest of her supply.
She then moved to carefully lift Max's mattress and put a baggie of more of the stuff under there, along with a gay porn magazine highlighting lean firm asses. It didn't look like he used this space, so she spread stuff out so that he hopefully wouldn't feel them as he slept.
She listened at the door before slipping out unseen. She felt a bit of a bounce in her step as she calculated how long it would take for him to drink all the protein drinks. That was the day the basketball coach would be getting an anonymous phone call. Christy wouldn't leave until at least this one problem was taken care of for Emma. If Emma let her do nothing else, she'd do this.
…………
"Oh my god." Astrid swept into the room. "Did you hear?" Christy's expression didn't reveal that she had and Emma gave Astrid a questioning glance. "They've suspended Max Devreaux for using steroids. He's off the team and packing for home as we speak."
"So he's leaving?" Christy glanced at Emma and felt a little lighter when she saw the satisfaction in those eyes.
It was during dinner that they overheard that he was a queer and was staring at guys' butts in the locker room. After dinner they heard a rumor that he'd bent over for his entire high school team before leaving for college. It was getting outrageous. Christy just smiled and nodded as her students retold the tale. An Eye for an Eye wasn't normally her motto, but in this one case it felt wonderful.
…………
Her hands were shaking, and Christy just held them out over the desk to stare at them.
"Well, are you ready?" Emma spoke softly while moving up behind her. "I've borrowed a car. We should be able to find a nice deserted place to try this."
"I don't know what happens after I leave." Christy clenched her fists. "She's probably going to want to go home pretty fast."
"It's better that way. The students around here would just nag her for tutoring anyhow."
Christy turned to face the blonde girl. This always bothered her. "Emma." Her words trailed off. The teenager looked more confident, more in control. "Thank you."
"We haven't done it yet."
"But if it works I won't have time to tell you… I hate this bouncing between worlds, but I don't hate that it let me meet you." Christy left her double's bags in Emma's room, along with the money she had managed to replace. It wouldn't make up for the job her double lost, but at least it was something.
Emma came back into the room as Christy was setting the book on her bed. "Christy." Emma's voice was a little cold. "I told you I don't want it."
"Just read a little before you make up your mind." Christy touched the cover. She'd put a lot into making that for Emma. Her glowing eyes got a little watery. "Please."
"I'm going to live my life and deal with whatever it sends my way." Emma spoke more softly as she picked up the book and held it for a moment, before holding it out for Christy. "I don't need this."
Christy didn't know if her double could hear her thoughts, but she asked the woman to try at least one more time to get Emma to take it. Just try.
"Time to go." Emma held out Christy's sunglasses. It was night and it would look strange, but this was what they had to do.
The woods were quiet and Christy's scream echoed, birds and the other animals fleeing filled the silence between the first and second scream as Christy fell in the lights and shadows of her portal once again. "Emma…" She prayed as she left the younger world. She focused on an older, more confident Emma.
…………
VANESSA CARLTON
"A Thousand Miles"
Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass
And I'm home bound
Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way
Through the crowd
And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder....
If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight
It's always times like these
When I think of you
And I wonder
If you ever
Think of me
'Cause everything's so wrong
And I don't belong
Living in your
Precious memories
'Cause I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder....
If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight
And I, I
Don't want to let you know
I, I
Drown in your memory
I, I
Don't want to let this go
I, I
Don't....
Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass
And I'm home bound
Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way
Through the crowd
And I still need you
And I still miss you
And now I wonder....
If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you...
If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
If I could
Just hold you
Tonight