Summary:Kitty finds out Rachel is from the future and had close ties to the Kate Pryde of her timeline Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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It is a fine spring day. The sun is out and the birds are chirping. Green leaves are sprouting on the trees. Life is pretty fine for Kitty right now, having sorted out the most angst-filled issue she had with returning to Xavier's. Even if she is only here until the new semester starts at NYU.
Today finds her outside, helping with some of the grounds work. She's finished putting down some weed and feed for the lawn and is just stowing the spreader in a shed. She washes her hands with some water from a bottle, and then takes a long drink of the clear, cool liquid.
There's a slight woosh of air being displaced as Rachel drops from the sky to land gingerly on her feet. Just as soon as she does she starts walking, barely skipping a step or taking a moment to catch her balance again. Both hands stuff into the pockets of her pants as she approaches glancing at the apparent gardening and groundskeeping that's been going on. Maybe she should offer to help. She was kind of just … Here.
Her gaze sweeps around looking for who had been working to offer assistance when she spots the brunette cleaning up and grabbing a drink. Instantly she freezes in spot with a quickly drawn breath in an audible gasp. The sure-footed confidence she'd had moments before stumbles now as she nearly trips on a thicker patch of grass.
Kitty Pryde ages pretty well. A few lines might start to be added to her face, which gets a little leaner and sharper. But the eyes are the same, the young woman's bearing will stay much the same twenty or thirty years in the future. Even without hearing her name, it would probably be easy enough to recognize Kate Pryde's younger self.
Kitty turns back from the shed after closing the doors and latching them. She sees Rachel standing there, having missed the landing. "Oh, hello," Kitty says, offering a friendly wave. There are a number of students here that arrived after she left for England, so it isn't surprising to Kitty to see another new face. "Are you one of the students? College classes, right?" Kitty asks. "I'm Kitty," she offers.
"…Something like that." The response from Rachel is a bit quiet with her voice gone a bit thick and heady with emotions. Ones that she was trying very hard to keep hidden as she drinks in every inch of Kitty's face. Not like she'd seen a ghost, but… close. The line of her jaw flexes with a swallow choking down some emotion. "Kate."
No. No no. No. "I mean I'm Rachel. Rachel Summers." It was the first time she'd said her last name to anyone besides Scott and Jean though some others knew it as well by now. "I'm sorry, I…. I don't know what to say. If anything. I should just…" Her hand lifts making an indecisive little half-circle wave. If she weren't careful her emotions would spill out and be felt by even those not sensitive to such things.
Kitty Pryde wouldn't be able to guess what is fueling Rachel's emotions if someone gave her a thousand guesses. Though she seems to realize something is going on for the other young woman. Kitty's face takes on a look of empathy at whatever it is that Rachel is going through. "I was going to say, I'm actually a Kate too. Katherine's my full name but everyone uses nicknames for me," Kitty says with a warm laugh.
The laugh is unchanged too, though probably not given as often in the South Bronx Mutant Containment Facility as it is given in this time and place.
"Nice to meet you Rachel," Kitty says in a friendly tone. "Summers? Any relation to Scott and his brother?" she inquires, before Rachel goes on and the comment gets a curious look from Kitty. "You don't have anything to be sorry about with me," Kitty says. She moves over to Rachel and if allowed will rest a hand on her shoulder. "Is everything ok? We can go sit down and talk if you'd like?" Kitty offers.
As Kitty continues to be Kitty, offering empathy, concern and understanding even though she doesn't know all the details, Rachel can only hold her ground. In spite of her best efforts her eyes well up with liquid which she blinks away quickly. Slow deep breaths, Rachel, you can do this. Her entire body is tense as if she were about to break any second. She very nearly does when Kitty rests her hand on her shoulder.
The slow breaths turn into a quick hiccuping sob as she crumples. Without asking if it's okay she throws her arms around the brunette hugging her tight with her head ducking down. "Sorry sorry sorry," comes out in a quiet litany between thready breaths. She just needed to hold onto her for a moment. Just a moment. Then she could explain… Right?
"I'm so sorry Kate I'm sorry…"
Kitty Pryde sees the tears gathering in Rachel's eyes, and even if she doesn't know what is causing them, it's obvious the other girl is hurting over something. As Rachel suddenly hugs her, Kitty does the only thing she would consider. She hugs Rachel back, a hand gently rubbing her shoulder and back. "Shh, it's ok. You don't need to be sorry for anything. It's ok, just go ahead and let it out," Kitty says gently. Her hand gently pats the other woman's back, and Kitty gives a tight squeeze as she holds Rachel. Letting her feel the comfort of another person there. Willing positive energy and caring into the distraught young woman.
It was almost painful feeling those feelings of reassurance wash over her. Almost. More it was familiar. A familiarity she thought she would never feel again after what had happened for her to escape her future timeline. It takes a short while, and numerous hiccuping breaths for Rachel to finally calm herself enough to risk pulling away. One hand lifts to swipe in annoyance at her eyes which were red rimmed and puffy now.
"Thanks. I… Should talk to you I guess. If you have a bit. It's going to be hard to believe." Would she believe? Scott didn't. Jean did. The thought of Kitty not believing was more unnerving than Scott thinking she was some planted clone/spy/assassin.
"I'm Scott's daughter," she blurts out without warning. "From the future. I…" Deep breath. She can do it. "I saw you die."
Kitty Pryde lets Rachel go when the redhead pulls back, but her expression is still gentle and supportive. There's nothing at all judgmental in it as she sees Rache's red-rimmed eyes. "I have all the time you need," Kitty reassures her with a soft, friendly smile.
And Kitty listens. Hearing that Rachel is Scott's daughter is met with appropriate surprise. That look as if wondering if she heard Rachel right. Then trying to discern if maybe she'd heard right but misunderstood. And then "From the future," is added, and Kitty's eyes widen a little bit. "From the future? And you saw me die… sometime off in the future? Not something imminent I hope?" Kitty asks, still a bit perplexed by it all, it seems.
Rachel Summers gives a quick nervous laugh when Kitty brings up the point of time in the future. "Oh, no no nothing like that. I mean…" Another breath is taken, and she gestures at a spot on the grass in invitation. Moving there herself she lops down with knees bent and arms draping over them. "First off, let me clarify by saying that time travel is fucky." A faint smile is offered. "I came back to a point in time that at *one point* was the same as a point in time in the past of my timeline… but I think that was it. Things went sideways from there. So it's not a straight line at this point but more of a…" Her hand lifts to wiggle her fingers, and then she interlinks her hands together. "Something like that. Times a billion. At least." With that small explanation given she clears her throat.
"No, Kate lived a long and full life. If not for her I wouldn't have been able to escape into this time to begin with. There was a nuclear explosion, and she pushed me to make the jump, and…"
Here she pauses with a shiver. Green eyes raise to Kitty offering a smile. "You have no idea how good it is to see you again."
Kitty Pryde listens to everything closely. If there is something from her past that tugs at Kitty on this story, she doesn't mention it for now. Likely wanting to confirm details for herself first beforehand.
Kitty's mouth does fall open though in hearing it. "So… you knew me, but it was a different me. From a different version of the world," Kitty repeats in summary. "And… older. How old was I? I'm 18 now," Kitty says gently.
As Rachel speaks of how good it is to see her, Kitty reaches over to gently take Rachel's hands if allowed. She squeezes them softly. "So you're Scott and Jean's daughter? Were you an X-man too then? I guess I probably knew you pretty well through them?" she asks, still getting her head around it a little bit.
"Yeah, that about sums it up," Rachel agrees with a single nod. When her hands are taken she just squeezes hold of hers in return. "Yeah. Yeah… After… We were pretty close." After what? She doesn't say. She doesn't point out that Kate had been like a second mother to her. "You were in your forties. Birthdays weren't really something we had time to celebrate. My future is really bad." There's a small frown as she glances aside a moment, trying to recall.
"I know a lot of bad things happened. A lot, and I do remember them, but it's kind of… distant in my mind now. Parts at least. The worst parts so maybe it's just my mind trying to heal. Now that I have a chance to." Offering a smile back to Kitty she chuckles quietly.
"I'm sorry this must be a lot to dump on you. I know it was for my folks. Hell, Scott still thinks I'm some clone or something sent to torture him."
Kitty Pryde gently pulls Rachel over into her arms if allowed and gives her a big hug. "I don't think you're a clone," Kitty tells her as she hugs Rachel tight. "And if my future self thought you were good people, then I'll put my trust in her judgment," she says, making her tone light-hearted and a little comical to help lighten the moment.
"It sounds like we have a lot of talking to do though," Kitty says. "It doesn't have to all come out at once. But I'd like to hear it all, eventually. Any parts you're comfortable with telling me," Kitty says gently. "I've got a fireplace in my room, and we can make some popcorn and sit up late talking," she offers.