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1X10 – Ghosts – Act IV
The young Kitty Pryde was supposed to be in bed but she couldn’t sleep, she was too afraid she’d never wake up. Instead she sat at the top of the stairs, her purple dragon clutched in her arms. If she held on to something she knew was solid then she felt safe, felt real and alive.
“What do you mean,” her father said, she could just hear her parents as they talked in the kitchen, “he’ll be here tomorrow? Who’s he?”
“His name is Charles Xavier,” her mother replied, “the Rabbi said he could help Kitty. Apparently he’s seen something like this before and Xavier helped him.”
“You told the Rabbi about our daughter without consulting tell me first?” was all her father got out of that statement, “and you invited some ‘specialist’ here?”
“What was I supposed to do, Carmen?” she nearly shouted back, “something is wrong with Kitty and she’s frightened, she won’t eat, she won’t sleep, we had to pull her out of school.”
“She needs help, yes,” her father retorted, “but we should discuss these things first.”
“Are we going to do this now?” her mother replied angrily, “our daughter could be dying and you’re angry that I didn’t call you when I decided to seek the Rabbi’s advice?”
“I want what’s best for her too,” the man threw back, “but you can’t just go making these kinds of decisions. We don’t know what this Xavier’s agenda is.”
“The Rabbi trusts him—”
“Oh, well, good for him!”
They carried on like that for another good thirty minutes, enough time for Kitty to blink on and off again twice. But it was only short flickers and she didn’t fall through the floor this time. She continued to hold her stuffed dragon tightly, having to believe she would be okay… or at the very least her grandmother would be there waiting for her so she wouldn’t be alone.
…
It had taken a long time for Kitty to accept that she wasn’t the cause of her parents breaking up, her manifesting her mutant ability simply accelerated the process.
“So, yeah,” Trevor laughed, “not doing that again.”
“Oh my,” her mother returned the laugh and Kitty was happy to see her mom was enjoying herself, she actually seemed to like this guy rather than him being a ‘flavor of the month’.
They had already lit the next candle on their family menorah which sat at the end of the table, the dinner winding down from the main course. This didn’t stop Kitty from helping herself to another latke, she’d eat a bazillion before she went back to school, of this she was sure.
“Well,” the man cleared his throat, “I admit, I’m not sure of the protocols here,” he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket which was hanging off the back of the chair, “but I did bring presents.”
“Trevor,” her mother’s cheeks were a little pink, “I told you you didn’t have to.”
“It’s tradition though, right?” he handed over two small red boxes, “Eight days of presents, who doesn’t want eight days of presents?”
“It’s about more than the presents,” Kitty couldn’t help say as she accepted the box but it came out a little ruder than she intended as she was still upset about earlier that morning. Everyone at Xavier’s was so accepting, it had been awhile since she had come across unintentional yet so blatant anti-Semitism.
The Jewish people had been around for centuries and still faced prejudices, so what hope did mutants have?
“Kitty,” her mother seemed to be caught somewhere between agreeing and being embarrassed.
“No, she’s right,” Trevor held his hands up, “Christmas has the same problem, giving and receiving is a wonderful thing, but that can’t be all there is.”
“I’m sorry,” Kitty hadn’t meant to take her fears out on the man when he was just being nice, “that sounded better in my head.”
“I’ve had those moments,” he chuckled, “and I’m surprised Terri is still dating me after that fubar on our first date. I never really understood the concept of ‘kosher’ until then.”
“Everyone starts out ignorant, that’s nothing to be ashamed of,” her mother explained.
“It’s your willingness to learn and understand that is the true test of character,” Kitty finished for her and her mother smiled proudly at her.
“I’m definitely willing,” he said with a laugh, “though I am certainly very trying.”
Her mother laughed with him, shaking her head at his self-deprecating joke. She slipped the cover off of the box and Kitty could see it was a diamond and opal necklace. Her mother smiled warmly, “Oh, Trevor, it’s beautiful, thank you.”
Kitty opened her gift to find a charm bracelet, and not a cheap one but the kind you get in upscale jewelry stores. “Oh, wow,” she lifted it up and looked at all the charms which included a pair of ballet shoes, a laptop, even a Star of David.
“I told you your mother talks about you a lot,” Trevor looked over at Kitty, “I think I did good, but if you want to have any exchanged, I won’t take offense.”
“No,” she told him, “no, it’s beautiful, thank you.”
Okay, her mom could keep this one.
“I actually have something for you,” her mother said to Trevor, “I was going to give it to you later but now seems like the perfect time, I’ll be right back.”
Her mother left the table and went upstairs leaving Kitty and Trevor to sit in semi-awkward silence.
“So,” Trevor started, “your mom said you’re looking into a computer science major?”
“Yeah, programming,” Kitty was glad he didn’t go with the whole ‘I’m not trying to replace your dad’ conversation, “thought I’m not sure what college I want to go to yet.”
“It’s a big decision,” he nodded his understanding, “but you know, I changed my major three times in college and here I am, a Deputy District Attorney. So don’t stress, it’s not the end of the world.”
“Thanks,” she offered him a smile, “I try not to worry about school, there’s a lot bigger things out there to be afraid of.”
…
Jubilee managed to stop crying and get her breathing mostly under control but she couldn’t stop thinking about what her parents said… no, those weren’t her parents, she didn’t know what they were but they couldn’t be her parents. Her parents were warm and kind… not… not that…
“Come on,” Doug was still supporting her, “let’s get you to the Professor, or Miss Munroe.”
“Yeah,” she agreed, rubbing the salty residue from her face and blowing her nose into her sleeve, she was way too exhausted to care about how gross that might be.
“They’re probably in the cafeteria,” he said as they hurried down the hall.
“Never again, never again,” she heard someone mumbling and they looked down the hall to see Ororo sitting on the floor, back to the wall, legs curled up against her.
“’Ro?” Jubilee jogged over to the woman, unsure what to do.
“What’s wrong with her?” Doug asked, just as lost.
It took the young girl a moment but it clicked, if Jubilee had seen her greatest fear manifested, that she had been responsible for her parent’s car accident, then could the same thing be happening to Ororo?
“Her claustrophobia,” she told Doug then squatted down next to the headmistress, laying a hand on her shoulder, “you’re not trapped, ‘Ro, there’s plenty of exits, see, I got in, you can get out.”
After a few seconds, the woman began to blink, a slight look of understanding coming into her frightened eyes.
“Let’s get her outside,” Jubilee grabbed Ororo’s arm to put it over her shoulder, Doug quickly moving to help, “nice wide open space.”
“Right,” he said as they lifted the woman to her feet and made their way to the closest exit, “I’m going to be next, aren’t I?”
Jubilee was about to tell him he’d be fine, but if one of the strongest people she knew had fallen victim to whatever this was… “Just think happy thoughts.”
“Happy thoughts,” he repeated, his voice trembling with a slightly high squeak, “happy thoughts.”
They made it out onto the patio, sitting Ororo on one of the chairs, the woman taking deep breaths of the cold night air. Jubilee rubbed her hands and stuck them in her pockets realizing she wasn’t dressed to be outside, “Should we move her farther out, you think?”
“I dunno,” Doug was equally as cold, rubbing his shoulders.
“You think I wanted to leave you!” they heard someone shout and Jubilee stepped off the patio to get a look around the edge of the building.
“JP?” she asked, seeing the man standing with his back to her, yelling at nothing.
“Damnit, Kyle, I love you!” he said with so much pain, “I will always love you, but I had to make a choice, I had to do what was right for everyone.”
“Jean-Paul,” Jubilee went up to him, grabbing him by the shoulder, “it’s not real, whoever he is, he’s not the real Kyle.”
The man blinked and glanced around rapidly as he didn’t realize he was standing outside of the school, “It felt real,” he choked out.
“I know,” she gave him a big hug, “I know.”
…
“You are not the real David,” Charles repeated, turning away from the boy, “you are a projected mental image of my worst fears and guilt.”
“Really trying to win that father of the year award, aren’t you,” David was in front of him again, leaning on one of the monitors attached to Danielle.
“Somehow,” Charles reasoned out the logic, it was the only way he knew to combat his fear, “somehow Miss Moonstar’s empathy connected to my telepathy, using it like an amplifier. That’s how the empathy is affecting everyone, even those with defenses.”
“Right, cause you’re the all mighty powerful wizard,” her son replied sarcastically, “just don’t look behind the curtain, that’s where he hides his son he’s so ashamed of because he wasn’t good enough for him.”
“I never thought you weren’t good enough,” he immediately defended himself, then shook his head, “I’m not having this argument with myself.”
“Who are you going to have it with then?” David snarked, “You locked me up in Scotland!”
“When I mentally connected with Danielle,” he refused to look at the image of his son, “she was already afraid, scared, and she felt my own fears. That’s what she’s projecting, our fear, which is drudging up the fears of everyone it touches.”
“I guess that makes sense, Summers gets the brother he failed to save,” David started ticking off, “Munroe isn’t afraid of anything except small, tiny, spaces,” he said comically, “Drake has daddy issues that are nearly as bad as mine,” he snorted, “and you… you get me. Your biggest failure.”
“You were never a failure, David,” he told his son, “but I failed you.”
The man looked him straight in the eyes, “Damn right you did.”
…
Jean left the students in the training area, it had taken her a little longer than she would have liked but she put it all together: communal empathy.
Running into the medbay, she spotted Xavier sitting by the girl’s bed but he wasn’t looking at her, he was instead staring into a blank corner, a look of abject dejection on his face.
“Professor,” she called out as she walked over, kneeling in front of him, noting that his pupils were severely dilated. The man was at the corner stone of the epidemic, he wouldn’t be woken as easily as everyone else.
Taking a moment to figure out what needed to be done, she put her hand to the man’s temple and reached into his mind so she could see what he was seeing.
“Do you really want to do that, Red?” a familiar voice said behind her.
“David?” she stood and looked at the man in only momentary surprise, “Of course, David.”
“Good to know we’re all on the same page,” he laughed, crossing his arms, “Charles Xavier is the worst father ever.”
“He didn’t know,” she walked up to the man, “no one knew that could happen, that pushing your mutation too hard, too fast, could have those kinds of results.”
“But he pushed!” David responded angrily.
“He was trying to help you,” she argued back, “you were starting to lose control, David, no one was meant for all that power.”
“Are you trying to defend him to me?” the man got into her face, trying to intimidate her.
“I’m telling him the truth,” she stood up to the figure, “you are the part of his psyche that will always feel guilty for what happened, the part that wishes he could change the past, the part that would do anything to fix the future, the part that needs to sit down and shut up or more people are going to get hurt.”
David took a step back, she had broken through and taken away some of his power. If she could just pull Xavier back.
“Hypocrite,” was the man’s only reply.
“Excuse me,” she tried to be offended but she could feel her control slipping away.
“Don’t lie to me,” he said coldly, taking her by the shoulders, “I know what you’re really afraid of.”
He turned her around and she wanted to fight him, not surrender to the inevitable reality of her own fears.
Jean Grey came face to face with herself, her body bathed in red hot fire which belied the cold and calculating look in her eyes. That was the truth, she was afraid of herself, of what she was capable of if she simply let go of everything that kept her check. But she was more afraid of the fact that part of her… liked the idea.
…
Not being one to just sit around while others needed help, Scott didn’t go the training rooms and instead did his own investigation which led him to realize that these attacks weren’t just about fears, it was about emotions.
Walking into the medbay, he saw Jean standing blankly, terror shadowing across her features.
“Jean,” he went up to her as she had to him, holding her face in his hands, “whatever it is you’re seeing, it’s not real, it’s not true.”
Her eyes refocused on him, “Scott?”
“I’m here,” he told her, “I’m real.”
“Scott,” she breathed a sigh of relief and then placed her hands on his temple, “I need you to see.”
“Well then,” he heard a familiar voice and looked over to see the Professor’s son shaking his head, “just invite more people to the party, it wasn’t like I was trying to have a father/son moment here at all.”
“David?” somehow that made sense to Scott but he was still confused.
“That’s not the real David,” Jean explained, moving away from him over to the girl, “it’s the manifestation of Xavier’s fear, of all our fears.”
“Okay, that makes sense,” Scott put two and two together.
“When even Replacement Son Figure Number One thinks you’re a crappy father,” David hopped back up onto one of the medical beds, “then you know you got issues.”
“What?” he didn’t know how to respond to that.
“He’s fear itself,” Jean told him, “and fear is irrational, full of lies and half-truths, pay him no heed but keep him off my back while I try to break the connection between Xavier and Danielle.”
“You’re going to trust the poster boy for self-loathing over here?” David snorted, “Brilliant plan, I’m sure he’ll have no problem letting you die too.”
“Shut up,” Scott yelled at the man.
“I just call them like I see ‘em,” David smirked, “and what I see is a grown ass man who can’t ask the girl of his dreams out on a date because ‘reasons’.”
“Talk whatever you want about me,” Scott went up to the man, grabbing him by his shirt, “but leave Jean out of it.”
“Why,” ironically Fear wasn’t afraid of him, “don’t want to fail her too? Like you’ve failed everyone you’ve ever known.”
“SHUT UP!” he lost his calm and nearly throttled the man.
“STOP IT!” a new voice screamed.
Looking over his shoulder, Danielle was standing in the middle of the room, but this wasn’t the girl on the bed, this was a young woman dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with her hair in two braids, a mental projection of herself.
“You heard the boss,” David pushed Scott away and dusted off his shirt.
“Danielle,” Jean approached the girl, “I know you’re afraid, I know bad things happen to you, but it’s going to be okay.”
“Going to be okay?” the girl was nearly in tears. “I spend every day of my life blocking out the emotions of others and all I’ve learned is that the world is full of so much pain,” she shook her head, “and here, in a school that’s supposed to be a haven for people like me, it’s no better.”
“I’m sorry,” Jean told her softly, “there will always be pain, and fear, that’s why we have love, and hope, and faith.”
“You don’t get it,” a tear fell down her cheek, “you can barely deal with your own pain, but I have to deal with everyone’s. I was taken with others and I could feel their anguish, I even felt one of them die,” she looked to Jean, “you know how that feels, no one should ever have to feel that.”
“No, no one should,” the red head frowned with tears in her eyes, “we’ll help you, teach you how to better block the emotions so you won’t have to feel anyone’s pain ever again.”
“It’s too late,” the girl trembled slightly, “the memories will never go away.”
“No,” Scott spoke up, “no they won’t.”
Danielle and Jean looked at him, the latter unbelieving he said that.
“You’ve seen my pain,” he explained, “and I’ve learned that pain becomes a part of you, it shapes you, and you might even let it influence some of your decisions,” he tried not to look at Jean, “but you can’t let it rule you.”
“You’re going to listen to this guy,” David scoffed, “he let his family die and has the gall to always take the ‘moral high ground’.”
“Yes, I failed them,” Scott bit out, “and every day I try to do right by everyone else in my life because otherwise what’s the point of even getting out of bed, of even trying to live my life, if I don’t learn from my mistakes.”
“It’s all anyone can hope to do,” Xavier spoke up, his core personality finally breaking through.
Jean placed her hand on Danielle’s shoulder. “And they don’t have to do it alone.”
Danielle looked between them, that touch of fear still in her eyes but a surety set to her shoulders which wasn’t there before, “I don’t ever want to be alone again.”
“Well,” David shrugged as he hopped off the bed, “it was fun while it lasted.”
The figure of fear disappeared, as did Danielle, and Scott could feel that they were back to reality, all the mental connections now dissolved. He looked up to see Jean staring at him. How much had she heard of David’s ramblings?
There was light moan and she turned to Danielle who was waking up from her coma.
It was finally over.
…
Kitty frowned as her computer wouldn’t connect to the person at the other end.
“Everything okay, sweetie?” her mom asked from the doorway.
“Yeah,” she shook her head and closed the laptop, “I now it’s later over there but I thought Doug would still be awake, guess he went to bed early.”
“Doug?” she asked as she leaned against the door frame, “is he your boyfriend?”
Kitty gave her the best rendition of ‘the look’ she could muster, “Really, mom?”
“I have to ask these things,” she said with a smirk, “it’s in the daughter contract you signed.”
“I had a crappy lawyer,” Kitty said with a straight face before chuckling, “but no, Doug is just a friend. His mutation is mental, he can automatically read any code or language.”
“He’s like a universal translator then?” her mom asked as Kitty sat down on the edge of the bed.
“Basically, yeah,” Kitty didn’t want to get too technical, “we’re the techies of the school so we have to stick together.”
“Fair enough,” the woman moved to sit next to her, putting an arm around her shoulder, “are you happy there? I mean, really, you can tell me the truth.”
Kitty thought back to the incident at the HLS compound, watching a man get shot and killed in front of her.
“It’s had its moments,” she frowned, then forced a smile, “but if people just gave up because things weren’t easy, were would we be then?”
“I try not to think about that,” her mom kissed her on the top of her head.
Snuggling up to her mom, Kitty let herself be held. She reminded herself that no matter how difficult things got in the future, she’d always have this… she’d always have a home.
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