500 Miles
Hope 2
By Princess Alexandria
Taylor watched as the others surrounded the two new women, stared as they all seemed to talk over each other and Taylor sighed heavily. Her spot near the wall gave her a good view of smiling faces and long hugs. She knew it was a good thing for them, but Taylor hated feeling invisible.
With her head down she decided to just slip out the side door and leave the tribe to their reunion. She didn't belong, she'd only be in the way.
She found her way back to the patio she'd been at earlier with Rogue and mentally berated herself for her childish feelings. Taylor sat down heavily at the table and stared out at the nice summer day as she tuned out the happy reunion and just stared at the trees. She loved it here, it was the best gift she'd ever received. Just because it was over didn't mean it wasn't good. A tear trailed down her cheek as she wondered how long it would take before she was in the way here as she was with Christine, how long until she'd have to just admit that she had no place of her own and she had to just wander away alone.
Sometimes she wished she had died on her world. It was where she was meant to die, with people she belonged with. She sure as hell hadn't done much with the life she'd been given, anyone else from her world would have been a better choice for survival, but it was just her.
"I always put all my eggs in one basket." Taylor muttered to herself. "I never learn." She'd put all her hopes for a fulfilling life on these people. It wasn't really fair to put her life in others hands like that, not fair for anyone. She just wanted to be happy so badly she jumped in with everything, gave up her room at her doubles home, and now that room wasn't there. Christine was living with Emma now and there was no way Taylor could move in with them.
Taylor sat there and started to fantasize that it had been her own tribe that came out of that second portal, and how'd she'd feel. She couldn't blame anyone for forgetting about her, she did understand. She really did.
The sound of footsteps came later and Taylor moved in her seat a little, but didn't move her eyes from the blind staring she was doing at the trees. "Taylor." A german accented voice spoke up and Taylor finally blinked. She'd tortured herself with the fantasy of other survivors for a while and her heart hurt even more than when she came out there. "Oh Taylor." Kurt moved to kneel in front of her and it was then that Taylor noticed the tears on her cheeks. "Fraulin." His pretty yellow eyes looked concerned.
Taylor just sighed and wiped at her tears, embarrassed that anyone caught her crying at a time like this. Everyone else was happy. "Don't mind me, I'm just being…" morbid, her mind filled in silently. Kurt reached out almost like a lover and wiped a tear she missed gently. It would have been nice to be straight, Taylor thought, as a straight woman she wouldn't have been alone as much, because she always found good men that wanted her.
Maybe if she'd started dating one of these people she wouldn't feel like it was going to be so easy to lose her place in their lives.
"I wanted you to meet Mystique." Kurt sat back a little and glanced over her shoulder. That's when Taylor knew she'd entered a new realm of embarrassment, because there was clearly another witness behind her. One who probably thought she was upset because Mystique had arrived, not a great first impression. And it had to be someone that everyone in the group seemed to respect, that was just great. Running her hands through her hair Taylor turned, because there really was no way to not do it.
She'd seen the woman before, watched her, but seeing the woman staring at her felt strange and made her feel exposed. Taylor nodded politely. "Hello." Her voice managed to sound normal, which Taylor appreciated. She didn't stop her eyes from trailing over blue skin and taking in the yellow eyes fast enough to not be noticed. It really did look good on a woman.
"I've heard a bit about you Taylor." The word Taylor seemed a little stiff in delivery and Taylor knew that the word Christy would have fallen more easily from those lips. It took a little while for the others to get used to it as well. "When we planned to escape, well I had hopes for my people. I never did think to hope they would receive the type of help you gave them." Mystique glanced around the grounds. Her voice was distracted. "And to hear that Kurt can walk around the town freely as he is. This world…"
"I know." Taylor sighed just a little. "This is a good place to be a mutant." It would be harder for Mystique to adjust, Taylor thought, while remembering the woman from the comics. Mystique was used to battling prejudice and hating humans for it.
"It sounds like it." Mystique said a little slowly, and Taylor stared into her yellow eyes. Mystique sounded doubtful. There wasn't Taylor could really say to convince the woman, she'd just need to see it and experience it. A call from the house to the blue woman had Mystique turning to look towards one of the others while Taylor studied her a bit more.
Mystique was lost, Taylor saw it. She understood it, the same thing that made her look at the sky every night even when she knew it was safe was going to keep Mystique nervous and suspicious about how this world treated mutants. At least for a while. "I better go." Mystique didn't turn to leave right away, she did something that surprised Taylor. Mystique took her hand and squeezed it gently. "It really is good to meet you." Mystique's blue skin looked like winter and cold, but it was actually a bit warmer than normal. Soft in her touch as well. Taylor watched the woman walk away a moment, before hearing Kurt and looking over at him.
Kurt was watching her rather carefully. "Christy isn't going to stay any longer than it takes for her to recharge and leave again. She's not from our world, and she has a home she wants to see."
Taylor felt ashamed of herself when he saw her worry so plainly.
"Taylor, you are one of us. Don't forget that, ja." He spoke gently and caressed her hair.
"Okay." She nodded with a heavy sigh.
"Why don't you come inside and meet your double. The fraulin didn't come to see you because she wasn't sure she was welcome." Kurt held a hand out gallantly to help her stand and Taylor took it slowly. "We don't know her well, but we owe her much." Kurt whispered. "She did send us here to you after all."
Taylor blushed a little and gave a small smile. Kurt really did know what to say to stop her moods.
………………
It wasn't until almost nightfall that Taylor found herself actually alone with Christy. She'd been outside again, because Taylor really did like being outside in the summer, when she noticed the woman walking away from the house toward her. It was a bit dark, but Christy had no trouble seeing her, while Taylor had to wait until Christy was closer to see who it was walking toward her.
"Hey." The woman spoke and Taylor noticed the way that Christy seemed to move rather gracefully as she walked, she had a purposeful stride that almost seemed military. "I wanted to ask you for a favor."
"What?" Taylor shifted on the bench and watched Christy in the moonlight. Taylor had already checked the sky for the night and found it safe, but she felt a little better when she watched Christy look up and search as well.
"I'm guessing that it'll only take me a few weeks to power up, maybe a month." Christy sighed heavily and seemed to age a bit. "I want to know Mystique is comfortable here before I go. Perhaps you could show her around, get her out among people and let her see this world."
"Okay." Taylor's answer held some confusion, and she watched and Christy sat down beside her.
"I heard about your double here and Emma." Christy spoke softly and Taylor blushed a bit. "I am with an Emma and you must have heard about Christine, the one that died." Taylor stared down at the grass and grimaced. "But there are others of us out there that found other partners."
Taylor wanted to stop this discussion, it was awkward and painful. If Christy's voice hadn't gone to a very intimate and self confession whisper she might have. "I love Emma, and the double on the last world loved her Emma, and the one from their world loved her Emma." The words hurt, sounding like a constant hammer on why Taylor was alone. "But all three of us had something else in common too. I haven't told Mystique this, but I truly believe that the Christine that died loved her too. She didn't meet Mystique first. And my last double admitted that if she'd met her worlds Mystique first she might have started something with her." Taylor stared as Christy was now the one watching the grass. "My own Mystique, and this one… they are special to me as well." Christy looked up. "Do you understand?"
Taylor felt a little shocked as she heard this. Others had hinted that Mystique would have wanted to know her when they all thought the woman dead, but it looked like she was being set up with the woman now. She'd barely said a few words to Mystique and people were pushing for this?
"Just, just consider it." Christy spoke softly. "Get to know her and consider it."
Her double got up and walked away, she stopped for just a moment, not looking back. "I'm sharing a room with her, but it has more to do with the hell we went through so that I could create that portal we used to escape. I'm not her lover." Christy said and then finished walking away, leaving Taylor to stare at the stars alone.
……………….
The next morning Taylor was still thinking about Christy's words and whether she could invite Mystique with her on her errands instead of Kurt. How would Kurt feel about that, and why would Mystique want to spend time with a stranger when she just got back to her people?
Was even considering this just Taylor being desperate again? Taylor wasn't sure. The idea of dating someone sounded really good. She knew she probably had the same taste in women that any of her doubles did, and if Christy thought Mystique was worth it, well, maybe she was. Still this put her in a very awkward position, the position of pursuing a woman she didn't really know.
But god, what if it could be good with Mystique and before Taylor finally did something someone else asked the woman out? What if Taylor ended up being too late again, and found herself liking Mystique too late to do anything about it?
She sat down with her pitcher of juice. It was a habit she'd acquired after her own world died, she drank a lot of fruit juice. Her time without fruit in that world made her really appreciate it. Normally Rogue would join her, but she wasn't sure the woman would today. Taylor also didn't know if they'd have the training session either.
"She can change her hair and eyes." A voice was starting to travel to her. "Ah've started her on some body modifications, but we've only been at that a day." Rogue was telling someone and Taylor had to turn in her chair to look, finding Rogue and Mystique coming her way. Rogue had two empty glasses instead of the usual one she brought to share juice with Taylor.
"Hey Taylor." Rogue smiled at her. "I hope ya don't mind, but Ah asked momma to join us. She's a real shapeshifter, and Ah think she could help."
"Um sure." Taylor felt like she'd stammered but hopefully no one noticed. The blue woman sat down while Rogue pulled another chair from the other table over to join them.
"So you two come out here, drink juice, and then train every morning?" Mystique asked while Taylor started to pour juice into the two glasses Rogue brought out.
"Yep," Rogue smiled a little, looking a tiny bit proud. It made Taylor have to look down to hide the small smile she had at Rogue's pride, before she decided to help the woman impress her mother.
"Rogue found me trying to figure it out on my own and she's been such a help ever since." Taylor smiled a little at Mystique, but then pushed the glass of juice toward her and sat back to enjoy her own glass. "I didn't know I was a shapeshifter until Kurt told me."
Mystique sighed. "Of course. So many of you don't know your potential." It sounded sad, and like it came with a story, but Taylor didn't ask. Rogue looked a little somber for a moment as well.
"Ah was thinking that after training maybe we could go do lunch and show mama the town." Rogue spoke softly and Taylor turned to look at her, seeing a hint of slyness in Rogue's eyes. This was perfect, Taylor didn't have to ask just say yes. She nodded and took a sip of her juice. With Rogue there it might not be too awkward and Taylor would be able to get to know Mystique. She should have thought of this before, but she wasn't used to asking people out.
"So do you wear clothes still?" Mystique's words were calm, matter of fact, and had Taylor's eyes widening in shock.
"Mama, lets start off a little slower with her training." Rogue interrupted and Taylor felt relieved to hear her. "Taylor's shy."
………….
Taylor stood back from the other two a moment and watched as Mystique glanced around, her eyes taking in everyone walking around them. A few people did look at the woman, and Taylor could almost feel Mystique tensing, ready for battle. Where Kurt slumped down and appeared to want to be invisible, Mystique stood taller and held her arms out a little from her body as if ready for a fight.
The gasp of the salesperson in the store startled Taylor into looking up to see they'd stopped for Rogue to look at a shirt. "Oh, with that skin tone you've just got to try on that dress." The saleswoman spoke and Taylor looked down to see Mystique was touching a rather fancy dress in a vibrant teal. Taylor did her best to not smirk as she watched Mystique's jaw drop a little at the words. Probably not what she'd expected the woman to say. "Don't you think she'd look amazing in that color?" The saleswoman turned to Taylor and Taylor felt a little awkward.
"I'm sure she would." Taylor stared into searching yellow eyes and smiled gently. This was a different world, Mystique would see that.
"Mama why don't you try it on." Rogue said while picking up a shirt to look at it more closely.
"You know I don't really need any clothes." Mystique tilted her head at the salesperson and Taylor was surprised to see that dress suddenly appear on the woman. It did look amazing. Low cut and it offset deep blue skin very nicely.
"Oh, that's a handy trick." The saleswoman just smiled after a shocked second. "And it did look just as good as I thought, but I guess I won't be selling you anything will I?" the woman then looked over at Taylor and Taylor just shook her head, not wanting to be pulled into shopping for clothes. If the restaurant wasn't in the mall she'd never set foot in there with Rogue.
"Ah'd like to try this on." Rogue spoke and took the saleswoman's attention away from them. Taylor watched as Rogue was walked back to a dressing room.
Mystique was in her black leather pants and halter top beside her quickly. "That was surreal." Mystique spoke quietly.
"Yes, I know. This place takes getting used to. The first time I sat in the living room with my double and saw the President of the USA and her wife in an interview I couldn't speak." Taylor admitted quietly, remembering her shock at seeing that and how nothing was even mentioned about the lesbian couple, as if it were nothing unusual. "I always imagined heaven would be like this. Everyone accepting and just living their lives. It wasn't like that in my world."
"Mine either." Mystique said and the woman turned to look out at the people walking along the mall, her face looking pensive now instead of hostile. "But I don't believe in heaven."
"Neither do I." Taylor said and turned to stare more at the people walking by as well. "But I've been here a year and a half, and I still don't see it. I don't see the hate and fear I'm used to. I don't see the disgust in peoples eyes when they see my double and her lover walk around too closely together."
"You don't talk about mutations." Mystique spoke a little softer. "Did you come from a world that didn't know about mutants as well? The Three Christine's I've met all seemed to think they were the only mutants on their home world."
"Oh, I wasn't the only mutant." Taylor sighed as she remembered her own home. "I'm pretty sure I wasn't, but it was new. I sometimes wonder if that's why my world died. Some god didn't want us to evolve."
"You had mutants?" Mystique asked a little more intensely and Taylor looked up to see she had Mystique's full attention. "What was it like for us on your world?"
Taylor shook her head and sighed. "What us? There were tabloid stories, and whispers of paranormal powers. No one believed it, not really. I had a friend in high school that got 100 percent in a high school Psych paranormal test one of the students did for her presentation, she guessed every single card. I thought they'd staged it. No one believed her that she'd really done it." Taylor sighed heavily. "I had a neighbor when I was a little girl that fell out of his second story window onto the cement porch, and he got up and went back inside. His parents didn't believe him, he got grounded for sneaking outside, and I thought he was sleep walking and dreamed it all." Taylor went quiet as she considered other stories she'd thought about once she'd realized she wasn't fully human herself.
Rogue came out with a bag in hand and Taylor just started to follow as Rogue led the way to the restaurant. Mystique was rather quiet as well.
Rogue left them once they were seated to go to the bathroom, and Taylor swore the woman winked at her as she left. It made Taylor suspect Rogue wouldn't be back soon. While she appreciated it a little, mostly Taylor resented it. It put a little more pressure on Taylor to be interesting than she felt ready for.
"When I was young and new to my powers no one else knew about mutants." Mystique spoke quietly. "There were rumors, stories about wolf men and witches, but nothing people believed." Mystique played with the straw of her drink. "The few times people actual found a mutant the most common words were devil spawn and demon. It took a while for the idea of mutation to grab hold, but many still believed we weren't human, that there was something inherently evil about us."
Taylor nodded as she quietly listened.
Rogue stopped the quiet conversation and they moved to talk about happier things, but Taylor stayed quiet as the other two spoke for the most part as she considered karma. They all owed their lives to some rather cold blooded things. Rogue didn't know what Mystique and Christy had done it in that world. Taylor and her small hunting team had kept their own people in the dark as well.
……………….
Rogue left them at the car as she moved to show Kitty her new shirt, but not before staring meaningfully and silently at Taylor over the car while Mystique wasn't looking. It was pretty clear to Taylor that Rogue was trying to set her up with her mother as well now. It wasn't just Christy.
It didn't feel right, it felt awkward and rushed. Taylor closed the garage door and stood a moment with Mystique outside of the garage debating about asking for a date. In the end she didn't and Mystique went to find Christy.
Taylor watched the two women talking about clothes and sighed, while wondering if Rogue and Kitty really gave a damn about things like that anymore, or if they were just going through the motions of what they remembered used to be important to them before death touched them.
………………
It was dark when Taylor stood in the yard staring up at the sky. It was her nightly ritual, and she did notice a few others did it as well. Taylor slept better after checking, and on nights when the clouds covered the sky she usually had a bit of trouble falling asleep.
She knew there was nothing out there, but she still looked. Part of her was starting to relearn to enjoy the night sky, to see the beauty in it.
The sound reached her and Taylor moved slowly toward it, until she found the two women sparring in the dark. Taylor watched as Christy lunged forward aggressively and Mystique blocked the punch before following up with a kick. It hit Christy, but Christy just staggered back and then moved forward again.
Taylor made sure she was in the shadows as she watched. "You need a plan." Mystique spoke while moving backwards and neither attacked. "You need backup."
"I'll manage." Christy sounded resigned. Taylor watched the woman as the sparring continued. It was almost like a real fight, at full speed and vicious. It was hard to see the sparring in it and not believe there wasn't hate there. But there wasn't. Taylor watched as Mystique gave a concerned look to Christy when she'd finally managed to hit the woman, and she watched as Christy stepped back and waited until Mystique motioned for them to continue.
They fought well together, Taylor thought as she quietly tried to leave without being noticed. Taylor didn't really know how to fight, not like that. Those two made it look like dancing.
……………..
"You are aware that we are in matchmaker hell right?" Mystique spoke while rolling her eyes and taking a sip of the juice. Taylor smirked and stared down at her own glass, thinking of Rogue's fake headache, there was no way a sick person would wink before leaving.
"I might have noticed." Taylor smiled just a little at the blue woman, her eyes taking in how nice a shade of blue the woman was.
"She means well." Mystique said while watching her daughter step into the house and Taylor just nodded. Rogue did mean well, so did Christy who was far more straightforward and hands off. Rogue kept putting Taylor and Mystique together, while Christy just stated once that Taylor should consider dating and left it alone.
"I know." Taylor finally spoke when she didn't have anything to say. Her mind raced for something else, something interesting to say. "There's a movie coming out Friday." Taylor felt nervous and found herself talking a little faster. "It's an action flick, but I hear that it has romance and the leads are Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry." Taylor smiled just a little tensely as Mystique looked into her eyes. "I'd like to see it. I rarely go to movies here, but well… it's something I would have never seen at home."
"What is it?" Mystique's voice was softer, and sounded like she was considering it. That helped Taylor relax a little.
"Tomb Raider." Taylor grinned just a little, remembering another world and another movie called that. That movie even had Jolie in it, but this one looked very different from the previews. Mystique's eyebrow rose and Taylor's smirked as she suspected that the movie existed in other worlds.
"Sounds interesting." Mystique's eyes looked down a little, seemed to tour Taylor for just a moment. Taylor blushed and Mystique smiled at her quietly before picking up her glass for more juice. "So how homophobic was your world? You keep saying things that make me think it wasn't a Sapphic paradise."
"Well, a few gay characters would show up in movies, but never the leads." Taylor thought about the question quietly for a moment. "The government had a real keep it in the closet mentality, there was no marriage, no sex ed, no benefits. They claimed they wanted to be fair and didn't want to give gays special rights, like the right to love." Taylor shook her head and grimaced. "I didn't live in the city, where some gay movies might play, ones made with low budgets. Something like Tomb Raider here, were it's just so normal, well I still feel like a war was won when I see it. Even though it looks like being gay or being mutant was always accepted here. People here wouldn't understand what it feels like to hide parts of yourself to keep your job. It's beautiful."
"I used to date as a man to avoid trouble." Mystique spoke quietly. "That was years ago, before the sexual revolution in my world. Lesbianism isn't widely accepted, or wasn't, but it wasn't like Nazi Germany either."
They sat and listened to the birds for a moment. "Maybe we could have dinner first?" Taylor asked quietly, hopefully.
"That sounds nice." Mystique stood up and her soft voice became a little sharper. "Enough break, it's time to work on your shifting."
While Taylor stood up to work Mystique grinned a little wickedly. "You do realize that tomorrow we'll start training my way. You might not want to do it outside where anyone can walk by."
……………
Taylor stared at Mystique the next morning, she didn't say anything, she didn't move, she just stared. Her mind felt like it was looping on the words that Mystique had said and still she was unable to grasp them.
"Shapeshifters wouldn't really trick anyone if they were shifting but still wore the same clothes." Mystique spoke on, and Taylor blinked as she let that thought process, it made sense. "So you can't play and learning a new nose, or how to become taller without learning to shift your clothes." Mystique's voice was coming out slower and a bit more gentle. "Oh never mind, just take off your shoes and we'll start there." The blue woman sounded exasperated and Taylor stared down at her shoes.
"I never really thought about this." Taylor spoke quietly a blush on her face. "You're naked?" Her words embarrassed her and Taylor's blush increased in intensity.
"Yes." Mystique's voice was a little deeper, a hint amused and Taylor slowly looked up to see a smirking woman looking at her. "Is that all you heard?"
"Ah," Taylor stammered and looked away. Her eyes wanted to trail over Mystique to see if she could tell the woman was naked if she looked hard enough, but she knew better than to look right now.
Mystique tilted her head back and laughed, her laughter was full and sexy, making Taylor look up to watch. The way the woman's neck tilted highlighted the woman's sexy appeal and Taylor couldn't stop watching as Mystique smiled and looked at her, seemingly pleased by Taylor's inability to pay attention to her words.
"I was saying that you need to practice making clothing before getting too involved in changing your appearance." Mystique's eyes were rather pretty, Taylor thought, but the woman's next words made Taylor pale. "So you'll need to practice and the only way to really do that is naked. I find shy people learn faster naked, perhaps it's desperation."
"What?" Taylor's eyes were wide and Mystique just laughed at her again.
…………..
Taylor was a bit nervous after training, where she'd luckily kept her clothes on for the most part, and she'd managed to make shoes. It was that success that lead to the announcement that she'd be working on shirts the next day and since she was learning so quickly she'd most likely be working naked very soon.
Taylor now wished she hadn't tried so hard to impress, because it backfired into more advanced lessons.
She found Christy sitting on the grass with her eyes closed meditating. The woman did that a lot. Christy also wrote and read those journals of hers every day. It was Mystique that explained it was all preparation for the next big leap for her double, the one Christy was really hoping lead home.
"Naked." Taylor said that one word coldly when she got close enough to not have to shout it. Christy's lips curved up into a grin, but the woman didn't open her eyes. "She says I have to train naked."
"Well it's only fair." Christy slowly opened her eyes and smirked at her. "She's naked after all." Taylor's lips pressed together and she looked away, as Christy added the next bit. "And so am I."
"You think this is funny don't you?" Taylor sighed heavily, drawing it out and trying to not grin and ruin her martyr act.
"I sure do. I made a bigger fuss than you're making when I started my training. I still didn't get out of it. It really is the best way to learn." Christy chuckled. "Embarrassing, but effective."
Taylor sat down on the grass and quietly spoke. "I don't want the first time she sees me to be like this." She noticed that Christy's amusement faded.
"I guess it is a little different for you." Christy looked at Taylor for a long moment. "Do you want me to tell her I'm taking over your training until I leave? She really is better at it than I am. I'm still working with her, trying to pick up things I haven't learned yet."
"I like her." Taylor responded, while still trying to decide on an answer to Christy's question. Christy was rather busy, between her meditating, reading, and training, well Christy didn't have a lot of free time. It didn't escape Taylor that Christy trained like it was desperately important, or that some of the others were helping the woman to learn how to do odd things. Giving Taylor her time would be a sacrifice and Taylor sighed as she recognized that. She couldn't really ask that of her double. "I'll manage somehow."
They sat in silence a little while, Christy seemed to be trying to meditate again and Taylor just stared at the sky, laying back on the grass to see the soft looking fluffy clouds and blue sky better. "You've never been with her have you?" Taylor asked, thinking of the looks that Christy occasionally shared with Mystique. It seemed rather tender.
"No." Christy's eyes opened and the woman moved to lay on the ground on her side, looking at Taylor. "I've never been with her. I don't believe any of our doubles have been." Taylor nodded a little while staring up. She could feel Christy's eyes on her but didn't look.
"Good." Taylor didn't want to compete with a ghost, it wasn't something that could be won. Still Taylor strongly suspected if she were someone else, without doubles Mystique knew, she wouldn't have gotten that date so easily, and wouldn't be getting the training that while she was very nervous about she knew she needed. Taylor considered that quietly, before deciding to just let it go and not worry about it now, maybe she'd be lucky and never have to worry about it.
"Have you ever learned to meditate?" Christy asked her and Taylor soon found herself learning about it as Christy explained what she was doing and why. It reinforced the idea that creating portals could be dangerous.
……………
Mystique stood in front of the mirror and Taylor just watched her in awe. The woman was flipping between outfits to wear that night, and Taylor knew Mystique was also just showing off but Taylor still was very impressed. In less than a second the woman could switch from a pantsuit to a evening dress, her image shifted again and Taylor finally spoke.
"I think that's the one." Taylor said it quietly. Her job had been to point out what would look appropriate at the restaurant they were going to. Taylor swallowed and stared at the clothes again, noticing that not once did Mystique accidentally appear naked, that her control was strong enough to flip from outfit to outfit without pause.
Mystique was now dressed in nice black slacks and a soft and flowing silk looking blue shirt. It looked very good with the buttons undo enough to hint at Mystique's cleavage, and Taylor did her best not to stare.
Mystique's cocky smirk told Taylor her best wasn't enough, because the blue woman had caught that long look. "Next time we go out I want to be able to pick your outfit out this way." The shape shifter's words gave Taylor mixed feelings. She liked the idea that a second date was assumed, it meant she'd managed to impress at least a little in the time they'd known each other. What she didn't like was that the second date could now be withheld until Taylor could make her own clothes, and that was an underhanded move to motivate her.
The trip to the restaurant was nice, and Taylor thought she saw a few envious looks from other people who saw such a pretty woman on her arm as they made their way into the building. It was strange how that made her feel both self-conscious and proud.
Mystique was in her real form and Taylor was glad. Her eyes traveled down to where Mystique in her old fashioned charm had a hold of her arm, and Taylor found the dramatic contrasts in their skin appealing.
"So shall we do the normal first date small talk?" Mystique asked as they stood waiting to be seated.
"Why should we play at normal now," Taylor spoke softly and leaned in a little. "When you are so far above normal it can't be seen from your cloud." After her words Taylor blushed, but Mystique's pleased and amused grin helped to calm her down.
"I'm a little too old to fall for sweet talking." Mystique's eyes were sending wicked signals that made Taylor a little more nervous. This was a first date after all, but Mystique's eyes said it was possible to end it very well indeed if Taylor played her cards right. Taylor wasn't so sure she was ready for that.
Dinner had arrived before the conversation became a bit more serious. "So right now you are living off of your double's money?" Mystique's innocent words stung and Taylor looked down at her plate. "What do you want to do with your life here?"
"I don't know." Taylor sighed and looked up, her eyes searching for any judgment in Mystique's eyes but the woman seemed just curious. Taylor wasn't being called a leech. It was a sensitive topic, because she hated to rely on her double like this, but Taylor just didn't know what to do. Living in this new world hadn't been a plan of hers, and part of her apparently hadn't accepted that she was still alive, but she could see it now. Taylor could see all the things she'd done since setting foot in this world to avoid becoming a part of it. "Everything seems so…"
"Leave it to beaver?" Mystique cut in quietly. "So wholesome and good?"
Taylor's head tilted just a little to the side as she felt those words resound with her. "Yeah, I feel like anything I chose to do would be too soft for me. I've grown used to hell, and I can't find a place to fit in here in heaven."
"You're like me. I need the challenge, I need to fight a good fight, and I'm wondering where it is here." Mystique sighed and Taylor just nodded, kind of hoping that even though Mystique hadn't been here as long as Taylor had that the woman had the answer.
"Yeah." Taylor spoke into the silence and glanced around the room. As she was looking away Mystique took the opportunity to shift, and the woman was now a man in a very pretty evening dress. Taylor stared a moment as the yellow eyes that stayed the same gave her a teasing look and the waiter came back to the table.
"Would you…" His words trailed off and Taylor watched him blink hard for a moment, before she looked back and saw Mystique was looking like she had when they came in the door. Taylor lifted a hand to cover her lips, because she couldn't stop the grin from crossing over them. "I'm sorry, would you ladies like any dessert?"
"Oh no thank you." Mystique spoke so calmly, and Taylor wondered how the woman did it without laughing. "We'll just be taking the check."
As he was looking at Mystique Taylor focused and her hair went from a soft reddish blonde to jet black. It was hard work to not smile as the waiter's head jerked back a little as he glanced at her. Taylor could almost see the man wondering if he was too tired to work, if he was seeing things. When he looked away she put her hair back and shared an evil grin with her date.
"Once you're completely trained I say we take the show on the road." Mystique said with a grin and Taylor thought there was something appealing in the idea. It was so radically different from her past hyper responsibility, to just wander freely and play. It sounded good, even if just for a vacation.
They left the restaurant and Mystique was again holding Taylor's arm. Her hand traveled down and took Taylor's hand as they walked. "I want to see this world, find the dark spots that are hidden. I want to find something worth fighting for again." Mystique spoke softly.
"I'd do it with you." Taylor whispered, taking a real risk for the first time since she came here. Her heart was beating a little faster and Taylor felt a little like she was coming to life.
…………………
"Nice date?" Christy's voice traveled easily in the darkness and Taylor turned to see her double walking across the grass.
"Yes." Taylor grinned a little and then looked back up at the sky. "She wanted to come to my room." Taylor blushed, pleased with the fact.
"So why aren't you there?" Christy was now beside her and Taylor blushed a little remembering what she'd said to Mystique before giving her a soft kiss goodnight.
"I told her I don't put out on the first date." Taylor grinned again, remembering how as soon as she said that Mystique booked their second and third date with her. It was going to be hard to hold out, but something told Taylor she needed to play at least a little hard to get. Mystique liked a challenge, and Taylor didn't want to bore her.
"Good idea." Christy sounded a little amused. Perhaps she understood the game Taylor was playing in trying to make sure she was considered girlfriend material.
"She's a lot of fun, we had a great time." Taylor didn't elaborate on how some of that fun was pure mischief. They'd played a few tricks on people.
When there was a bit too much silence Taylor looked over at her double, and Christy looked a bit too serious. "I want to go soon. I've powered up and I've done as much as I can to prepare. There isn't anything else left for me to do."
Some of the joy Taylor felt at the date faded as she stared a moment. "Oh." She whispered, but her mind was on Mystique and how Christy's leaving might hurt the woman. Taylor liked Christy but didn't really know her well, but Mystique, well the blue woman would really miss Christy.
Taylor didn't feel jealous though, part of her was sure she would have felt that way, but her mind was just filled with regret. Christy would have been a good friend to have.
"I just wanted to tell you first." Christy sighed. "I'm going to miss this place. It was nice to just relax for a while."
"Yeah." Taylor thought of the date she had scheduled for tomorrow night and felt a bit of pain as she made a decision. "Maybe you should spend some time with Mystique before you go." She'd give that date up, it wasn't like she couldn't have another, and this, well this was a very final goodbye. Mystique would need to spend time with Christy. "Take her out tomorrow, you can stay long enough for that can't you?"
"You want me to date your girlfriend?" Christy teased quietly.
"No, I just want her to have a chance to say goodbye." Taylor felt tears in her eyes and sighed heavily. She knew what a solid goodbye was worth, she'd missed plenty of them in her own world. "When you see her tell her I'm sorry to cancel our date, but something important came up. I'd love to take her out later this week to make up for it." Taylor looked up at the sky and did her best to not sound teary.
Christy's hand rested on her shoulder a moment, and Taylor tensed just a little. "Thank you." Christy's own voice was a little off and Taylor just nodded so she wouldn't sound too torn up. Christy walked away and Taylor stayed outside a bit longer, hugging herself.
……………….
Taylor was looking in the fridge for a snack when she heard fast footsteps coming toward her. She looked up over the fridge door to see a nervous looking Kitty come to a stop and stare at her. "Um, Taylor…" Kitty sounded hesitant. "There's someone at the front gate."
"You don't remember how to buzz them in?" Taylor closed the fridge and watched Kitty's expression, a mixture of guilt and nervousness.
"It isn't that." Kitty sighed quietly. "It's a detective."
Taylor's eyes widened as she stared at Kitty. "Detective Pryde?" Kitty just nodded. Taylor's shoulders drooped a little as she considered this new obstacle. Mystique and Christy were out, and Taylor was suddenly glad she'd given her date away because she needed to be here for this.
"Okay." Taylor stood a little taller and nodded to herself mostly. She could do this. "Well we should let her in."
The gate had one woman in a car waiting for entrance. The woman was so much like the woman standing next to her that Taylor glanced at Kitty a moment before looking back. The detective's hair was pulled back and she wore dark sunglasses. The detective also seemed to be drumming her fingers on the steering wheel as she waited. "Not proper procedure is this?"
"No, if she's like me she just had to see who figured her out but didn't want to announce it to the others." Kitty spoke quietly as Taylor pushed the button and the gate swung opened. "She had to have had help to find me. I was careful."
"I think I should answer the door. Tell the others to steer clear of the living room." Taylor ordered softly.
"I should talk to her." Kitty held her gaze and Taylor nodded a little.
"Yeah, but maybe you shouldn't be the first person she sees. It is a little jarring to see a double when you aren't expecting it." Taylor started to walk to the front door. "I'll introduce you. It's just better that way."
Five minutes later Taylor opened the front door to stare at a Kitty wearing a black leather duster and black jeans. The woman looked confident and a little arrogant actually. "Hello, I'm Detective Pryde." It was a stereotypical cop greeting that said its time to cooperate or else. The badge wasn't held out too long, but long enough for Taylor to know that this detective had no jurisdiction here, she was a Chicago detective. "Are you known as CatNip?"
Taylor smirked a little at the strange internet handle. She'd have to tease Kitty about that later. "No, that's not me." Taylor moved to the side. "Would you like to come in? CatNip will be down soon."
"You're Christy Taylor aren't you? That woman that's living with Ms. Frost?" Detective Pryde showed she did some homework, but not enough. She probably noticed who owned the house and did the math.
"No, that's my double, and she's actually her fiancée." Taylor sighed as she closed the door. This was a mess, but she didn't think anyone would try to claim the whole lot of them were illegal aliens or anything. It wasn't like anyone could deport them. "Things are about to get really confusing Detective, but I'll do my best to explain."
All the words in the world wouldn't have been worth that one moment when Kitty stepped into the room. Taylor knew that the Detective was listening to her but doubted her every word until that moment that she turned as stared at her own double.
Taylor slowly stepped back as Kitty stepped forward. "I'm CatNip." Kitty spoke softly and nervously moved some hair behind her ear. "My names Kitty Pryde. I came from a different world."
They stared at each other and Taylor risked stepping out of the room to let them talk. Still she found herself looking back to see the detective was a lot less bristly and looked a bit funny stunned silent.
……………
It was dark when the porch lights were turned on and the entire group was gathered on the backyard. Taylor watched as they each shook Christy's hand, then her eye traveled over to the pair of Kitty's that were watching this, before one Kitty moved forward to shake Christy's hand and give a heart felt thank you. The tension in the air, and a few tears, made the moment seem very solemn and important.
Taylor finally moved forward and stared at her own double for a moment. She remembered the detective's stare when Christy and Mystique came home, the stare that moved from Taylor to Christy and then to Kitty. Detective Pryde was permitted to stay, but they all were too focused on their goodbyes to talk with her much. Taylor stared into blue eyes and sighed. "Thank you." Taylor whispered while carefully pulling Christy into a hug. "I'll watch over them." She promised in a whisper.
"Good." Christy took a shaky breath. They just stared a moment longer and Taylor finally felt a connection to the woman, a painful connection that was more empathy than she'd been prepared for. Taylor's hands shook a little as she prayed to whatever gods might exist that Christy found her home. Taylor stepped back and gave up her space in front of the woman to Mystique.
Mystique loved Christy, it was painfully clear in the hard hug she gave the traveler. Taylor watched as Mystique reluctantly let go and Christy stepped out further away from them all. Taylor moved forward and took Mystique's hand gently, unworried about the fact that the blue woman didn't look at her as Christy called the portal.
When Christy ran into the portal Taylor whispered "good luck."
They stood there in silence for a while, the others drifting inside. It felt like they were giving Mystique and Taylor privacy. Kurt gave Taylor a long look, before just nodding. It felt like he was giving the relationship his approval. "I'll miss her." Mystique spoke quietly.
Taylor didn't know what to say back so she just gently squeezed Mystique's hand.
………………
"I could do it." Mystique said while leaning back on the couch. Taylor tilted her head and looked between Mystique and Detective Pryde. The Detective had visited one weekend a month for three months, wanting to hear all about her double. They also talked about her work and Mystique shifted into the form of a young teen. It made Taylor feel a little dirty since she'd just made love to this woman a few hours ago. She didn't like seeing her play so young. "You need a face to show them, and I can be any face."
Taylor sat still and waited while the other two women stared at each other, before the Detective nodded. "We don't usually bring civilians into stings."
"But you will." Mystique grinned and shifted back into her own form. Once Mystique was herself Taylor moved closer.
"I'm in too." Taylor spoke quietly but firmly. Her shifting wasn't nearly as effortless as Mystique's so she didn't show that she could do it. They'd have time for Taylor to learn new forms, and Mystique hadn't been happy living in the house, and wouldn't be happy with a nine to five job.
Taylor wouldn't mind fighting the good fight either.
"I need to get approval." The detective hedged and Taylor suddenly felt confident that this could work.
"Well, make sure to tell them I'm bullet proof." Taylor smiled just a little as they ironed out their new careers. Mystique had been the one to tell Taylor she was bullet proof and they hadn't tested it yet, but Taylor believed her.
"Maybe after this sting we could talk Vice into taking us." Taylor whispered to her lover, seeing a future in this.
"Why stop there, perhaps our lady President needs new spies." Mystique grinned and Taylor's eyes widened.
Next: Christy the Wanderer lands on another world and races time. Stay tuned for the last arc of 500 Miles.
A/N: I'm going on vacation and that always disturbs my muse. Lots of feedback waiting for me when I get back may help me get focused again and start writing. Gimme feedback on any arc you want, any aspect of the story. The bigger the feedback the more inspiring it is.