Emma Frost is tired of trying to be good (ice_queen) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-03-08 14:34:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, emma frost (white queen), kitty pryde (shadowcat) |
Who: Emma Frost and Kitty Pryde
Where: Emma's house
What: reacting to Alma's nonsense
When: 3/8/13
Warnings/Rating: PG-13 for language
Status complete
Emma felt like hell. She’d expended all the inner strength that had bolstered her at first. She was tired of waiting, tired of visiting the hospital every day and seeing no change in the people there. She hadn’t even bothered with school that day. She stormed around the house for a bit, then texted Kitty to see if she could come over. She needed to be around another person, and Kitty was the only one she knew would be at home.
Kitty had been on her way home from dropping the twins off at a friend’s house for their first sleepover since the crash. It had taken awhile, because she was reluctant to leave them, but after Leong had pulled her aside and told her would all be okay, she relented. She also burst into tears once she’d gotten her truck. She was really proud of him.
Her eyes were dryer when she got the text, and she took a left and headed for Emma’s.
When Emma received the confirmation text from Kitty, she took a shower and put on clean clothes. She didn’t bother with her hair or makeup, beyond brushing the former. The house was clean, at least, because she hardly did anything but read, grade papers, and leave. The only thing amiss was every media device, including all the computers, were up in the attic. Some had cracked screens now, the TV and its speakers never stopped playing weird voices, and she was tired of it.
She sat on the couch staring at a book (not reading, just staring), until Kitty arrived.
Kitty knocked on the door, then waited. Then she knocked again, and finally just phased inside. “Emma?” She looked around, then walked over to the couch. “Hey.” She ran her hands through her hair, then sat down next to Emma.
Emma blinked, she’d been lost in thought, and Kitty surprised her. “Oh my God, I’m sorry, Kitty.” She stood shaking her head. “I’ve been a little distracted. Thank you for coming all the way out here, would you like something to drink?” She did her best to rally, so she wouldn’t look as sad as she felt. This whole thing was really getting to her, and she didn’t like it.
“I don’t blame you.” Kitty shook her head, and put a hand on Emma’s knee. “I’m good, thanks. Do you need to talk about it? You should probably talk about it.” Maybe Kitty should take her own advice sometime.
Emma snorted. “I’m fine not talking about it. There’s nothing to talk about, anyway.” She sat down again, and motioned for Kitty to do the same. “I just needed someone to keep me company. The house is pretty big for just one person.” She didn’t know how Scott managed before she moved in. No wonder he asked so quickly.
She nodded her head. “I can try to be good company. I’ve been making marked improvements into that sort of thing.” Kitty gave Emma a soft smile. She put an arm around her.
Emma smiled back. “You’re doing well, actually. Well, from my limited interactions you seem to be doing well, and that’s the trick, isn’t it?” Even friendly contact was helpful. Emma wrapped her arm around Kitty in return. “Have you been up to anything interesting?”
“Not too interesting. I got the kids to a sleepover, and I’ve been trying to track down some names.” Kitty frowned. “Okay so maybe that’s interesting.”
“I heard you’ve been having some adventures.” Emma noted. “Anything I want to know about?”
"I guess that depends," Kitty replied, shaking her head. "I know who ordered the plane being blown up. I just...can't find anything past that."
Emma thought about that for a minute. “Leaving out any discussion of the legality of your methods, which I am not going to question a bit, is there anything I can do to help? I’m certain Scott wouldn’t mind if we used whatever resources he’s collected at the Ranch, and I got my access codes for the Frost Enterprises building in Huntington Beach.” She didn’t know what she could do to actually help, but she wanted to offer. Whoever crashed that plane deserved to face whatever wrath Kitty had for them, and the wrath of every other family ruined by their actions.
“I can’t seem to link the name to any actual person,” Kitty replied. “This is actually more difficult then trying to track down the Illusive Man was for Shepard and the FBI. It’s like he doesn’t even exist. I thought maybe the man had been lying, but the name is mentioned in several places.”
“Oh, I see.” Emma gave that some thought. “Can you link any names of people that work for him? Maybe it’s not one person, but a series of people working under one name. Like a terrorist corporation.” That was a scary thought. “What do you know so far?”
"If it's actually Cerberus, then it is definitely a terrorist organization. If the’re running it like a corp, that’s terrifying," Kitty replied, darkly. She elaborated. "They were a series of cells under a man named Jack Harper. When he was killed, they went into chaos and seemed to no longer be a threat. Maybe you're right, it's a series of people. It could be an amalgamation of their names!"
“Cerebus would suggest three people, wouldn’t it?” Emma thought that over. “It is, after all, a three headed dog.” This was much more interesting than moping. She hoped it was more helpful as well. “It might be best to move the search into a more . . . hands on type thing. Is that why you busted up a human trafficking ring, or was that just for fun?”
"So if Harper was one, that would stand to reason there might be at least two more. Possibly a new third?" Kitty chewed on her lip. "That was just for fun. I don't know if it was related, or not."
“Were any of the people in charge caught?” That would be lucky, but unlikely. Well, the more unlikely part was that they had been left alive, if Wolverine was in on the job. “Do you remember anything unusual about the place? At the very least that might yield us some rivals willing to sell out a potential threat.”
"The people in charge weren't even there." Kitty said, shaking her head. "Guy had a radio, wasn't even there. Might have been nearby, but we had to get the hell out before the cops showed up."
“Crap.” Emma noted. “Maybe it’s for the best, we don’t know if that was related or not, anyway.” She sat back, thinking for a moment. She didn’t spend long lost in thought, though. She felt pain, worse than anything she’d felt in her life before. It was like being stabbed in the stomach. She gasped, doubling over. For a moment all she could do was make very high pitched noises, then just as suddenly it was gone.
Kitty wrapped her arms around Emma. "What? What is it?" Her voice was alarmed, and she was rubbing at Emma's back. "You're not suddenly in labor, are you?"
“Yes, Kitty. I’m in labor. Don’t I look pregnant to you?” She gave the other woman a slight frown. “I’m fine. I don’t know what that was, but it’s over, and I’m fine.” She rubbed her stomach, which did, in fact, feel just fine now. “Maybe I haven’t eaten yet today, I don’t actually remember.”
"I figure you'd be the first person to figure out you can use your powers to lot look as big as a whale to most people." Kitty replied, looking at her worriedly.
“Considering the men I slept with nine months ago, that would be a very interesting situation. And much douchier. Much, much douchier.” She made a face. “No, I’m sure it’s the breakfast thing, because I really am not pregnant.” She’d taken a test at the doctor’s office the previous week. “Do you want a, uh, crap, do I even have any food in this house?” She went to the kitchen to check.
Kitty got to her feet, chuckling, and followed Emma in. "I can make a mean omellette if you want." She was kind of hungry herself, and still worried about Emma.
No, that wouldn’t do. “Hmmm, I think that learning how to cook thing needs to happen soon.” She looked into the nearly empty fridge. She’d eaten everything that was easy and quick, which left mustard and bagels. “Though I don’t think I can do much with the supplies at hand. If you can, you’re a magician.”
Kitty peered over her shoulder, and frowned. "Well.... I can make amazing take-out?" It might be easier, even without the calming properties of cooking. She wasn't the best cook, but she'd learned a lot from Xi'an.
“If you call any of the numbers on the fridge they know our default orders.” Which was depressing her, at that moment, on a variety of levels. “Uh, let’s just do pizza. You’re okay with chicken, mushrooms, and the shame of ordering pizza this early in the day, right?” Emma sighed, leaning against a counter.
“Yes, yes and I’ve done worse, trust me.” Kitty picked up the menu and ordered, walking out to the living room to do so.
Emma took a minute to compose herself, because this was all getting to be a little much. The random pain was freaking her out a little more than she’d admitted. She grabbed a bottle of water and drank a good portion of it before heading back out into the living room. “We were talking about terrorists or something, right?” She was not going to be derailed, dammit.
"Yes." Kitty nodded her head. Outside it was getting a little dark, but she didn't pay attention to it. "Cerberus."
She wrapped her arms around herself, still wondering if this was all her fault.
Emma hugged Kitty. “You should come sit down on the couch. We’ll figure this- Did you hit the mood lighting?” She frowned. The curtains were open, where was the sun? The pain came back again, and Emma held on to Kitty to keep from falling over. This time it lasted longer, and seemed much more intense. She yelled in surprise and pain, hands gripping Kitty’s shoulders hard.
Kitty winced as Emma’s nails dug into her shoulders. She bit back snark, this wasnt the time to make jokes about nails, and struggled to hold Emma upright. She looked back out the window, frowning. “It’s getting creepy outside.”
Why was it affecting Emma, and not her?
Emma staggered to the couch when it was over and sat down. “Okay, that wasn’t hunger. I don’t think you were far off with your question, actually.” She took deep breaths, looking out the window. “And this is officially the point where I am too scared to care about keeping my composure. Whatever’s happening out there needs to stop also happening in my uterus.”
"A psychic attack, you think?" Kitty walked to the window and looked outside. She stepped back and closed the shutters, as if that would somehow ward off what was waiting.
"Okay so the sky is red."
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Emma pressed the heels of her hands into her forehead. “I don’t think there’s anything we can do. I don’t feel like I’m under attack, and I’ve dreamed a few psychic attacks, you kind of know.” Right? Maybe this was different, somehow. “If it is an attack, I can’t block it. So if I do anything uncharacteristic, or whatever, just leave and I’ll hopefully figure it out myself.” She tried to use her powers to see if the neighbors were affected. Maybe this wasn’t just her.
"Uncharacteristic? Like what, start doing tap dances? Try to make out with me? Wear something unfashionable?" Kitty rolled her eyes, and looked out the window again, worriedly. "What the hell is it, then?"
“I’m already in yoga pants and a t-shirt, I think we’ve crossed the uncharacteristic attire threshold.” Emma sighed. To be fair, that wasn’t like her, but she didn’t think not wearing make-up or doing her hair was a sign of psychic possession. Especially if she was worried about signs of psychic possession. “Could another strong telepath be in labor? Sometimes emotions like this can be projected.” Jean wasn’t, that was for certain.
Kitty snapped her fingers. "The only person I know of close to any kind of labor is Alma!"
Alma? “Nathan met her in the future. Oh I haven’t told you about that. Later. Right now, the important thing to note here is, fuck. This is bad, why did this have to happen right now.” She stood again, restless and irritated.
Kitty had a profound look of 'wut' on her face. She decided to let it drop for now. "Scott would know more, but..well yeah. I wish I'd talked to her more..."
“I wish Scott was here.” Emma sat down again. “We can kiss that pizza goodbye, too. No pizza guy’s going to be out in this.” She sat down again, because there wasn’t really anything better to do. “You know, I’m aware that something really horrible happens when I manifest my diamond form, but I’m willing to accept that right now, in order to get it.”
The ground rumbled slightly, and the sky seemed to darken further. Is mock cheer, Kitty closed the blinds and said. "You might just get your wish."
“Only if it comes with the diamond form. Generic bad-” She stopped, curling up again. This was worse, again. Would they keep getting worse? How long did labor normally last?
Kitty sat down next to Emma, and pulled her head down into her lab. “...this is going to be a long day.” She worried about the kids, and pulled out her phone to txt Clarice to pick them up and take them somewhere safe.
Emma swore when it finished. “Please let this be a quick and easy labor. Also, I’m making an appointment with my doctor again. We’re adopting.”
Kitty started to laugh. “Scared off of giving birth, now? Are you going to let a little thing like psychic labor pains scare you off?”
“I don’t see you volunteering to experience them.” Emma noted. “Not that it will matter much if Scott doesn’t come out of the coma.”
“He will. He’s stubborn,” Kitty replied, stroking Emma’s hair. “And if he doesn’t we can kick his ass. Sound fair?”
“It’s not like it will affect him. He’s in the future, knocking other women up.” She regretted saying that the moment it left her mouth. She wanted to not care, to be cool, to have faith. Right then, all she had was an empty house and a grieving bisexual, only one of which was remotely comforting.
“What?” Kitty blinked, trying to understand the words that just came out of Emma’s mouth. “Seriously? I’m not sure I have any words for that...” She grew quiet, and continued to stroke at Emma’s hair.
“It’s. . . all kind of fuzzy. Nathan and I managed to contact each other telepathically a few days ago. We chatted, and he gave me a summary of what’s happened so far. Which included the birth of his little sister, and her mother’s gruesome death. It’s been at least six years for them, and likely more, now. I just- how can anyone even compete with that? If he’s moved on once, he’ll probably do so again, and I don’t honestly know if I can deal with that.”
Kitty blinked a little slowly as she processed that. She couldn't blame Emma for being upset. She'd be upset too. "That's...crazy." Should she say she was sorry? Did it matter? Nate's...sister? Could it be Rachel?
Kitty was torn on that. Rachel was pretty much the one missing piece from her dream life, that she actually missed. but at the same time...
“Yeah.” Emma felt the ground shake, and took a deep breath as the contraction hit again. She was prepared, and weathered this one much better than the previous ones. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned it. Nobody should have to listen to someone else bitch about something they can’t change.”
"I'm sure I've done my share of bitching already," Kitty pointed out. "You're allowed a little, especially when your husband is off...living a whole other life."
Her heart hurt in sympathy.
“I can’t blame him. He’s been gone for much longer than we’ve known each other, if he’s lived through six years. Believe me, I really want to blame him, but I can’t. Your situation is different, and I have no problem listening to you.” Emma closed her eyes, trying to muster up a different topic to talk about.
"Get him, back, have a lesbian fling. I know some ladies," Kitty joked, though it felt flat to her ears. She wasn't sure what else they could talk about, that wasn't depressing. "Tell me about your company?”
Emma snorted. “You know, I’ve been much more open to the idea, recently. I’m not sure what that’s about. Maybe if things keep up as they are. I’m only human, after all.” But it would have to stay like this for a while. “I don’t know much, yet. I haven’t been down to terrify, I mean meet, my employees yet. I’ll likely do it Monday, if there’s not improvement in the situation.” If there was, she wasn’t leaving the house for a week. Hopefully.
Kitty chuckled. It was far too soon for anything serious, but the thought was amusing and a little tempting. “What exactly does the enterprise do, I mean? LIke is it manufacturing? Investing? Real estate?”
“Investing, with a little real estate thrown in at the end. I think my father was getting bored with not owning actual things.” She chuckled a little. “It will be an interesting experience. I’m not sure I’ll enjoy it. There’s a lot of bullshit inherent in that kind of business.”
“This is actually a compliment, but I think out of a lot of the people I now, you’re one of the better equipped to deal with bullshit.” Kitty quirked her eyebrow. “Built in bullshit detector.”
Emma snorted. “I accept your compliment. The problem with a bullshit detector is if it goes off all the time you begin to ignore it. But I’ll manage”
“You always do.” Kitty shifted a bit, getting comfortable. She suspected she was going to be here for awhile. Her phone beeped and she looked at it. “Clarice took the twins to disney world. The skies are not red there.”
“That’s good. Smart thinking on her part, as well.” Emma thought for a minute. “Do you want to go to Disneyland? I could do without this nonsense, and if the world’s ending we can always get Jean or Lorna to pick us up.”
"Will it even be open like this? If so, that sounds good to me. The twins are safe, that's all that matters right now." Kitty chuckled. "Party while the end is nigh?"
Emma facepalmed. “The difference between Disneyworld and Disneyland was lost on me. Ugh. Though I do wonder how far out this goes. I’ll buy the gas if you drive.”
“Deal.” Kitty got to her feet and held her hand out to Emma. “If we’re lucky it won’t extend that far. If not, well it should be a trip to see the magical castle all shaded red.”
“It really will.” She took Kitty’s hand and stood. “Hang on.” She sat again, and the ground shook. After a few moments of deep breathing and extreme discomfort, the shaking stopped and Emma stood again. “Ok, let’s go.”
Kitty dragged Emma out of the house. Above, the sky was red, the clouds swirling. “That’s comforting.” She unlocked the doors to her truck. “Traffic will probably be light.”
“Or impossible.” Emma made a face. “I really admire whatever agency covers this nonsense up.” She got into the truck, and hoped things would be okay. It was the most effective thing she could do at the moment.
“I’m wondering what the excuse will be this time? Weather balloons?” Kitty laughed as she started the truck. “Lets go to the most magical place on earth, or as Pete Wisdom would call it, the Hell mouth.”