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xmen15Title: Beautiful Dancers
Fandom: X-Men
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Shadowcat/Rachel, Professor X/Moira, Lockheed
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: They know how to cheer each other.
Word Count: 1,751
Written For: X-Men 15 13. Sun and 100Ships 24. Ember
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
Her heart had ached for hours earlier, going back to her nightmares the previous night. She could escape the things she had endured most days, especially on this lush and peaceful Scotland moore so far away from home, but her memories had a tendency to replay themselves over and over again in her head whilst she tried to sleep. Ororo had advised sleeping as little as possible during these times. Logan had had other means of dealing with his nightmares, means to which she still could not, at least of yet, bring herself to succumb. A gnawing in her gut told her called to her for whiskey, but her mother had also warned her, years ago time and again, to never drink because she wanted to drink, liked the taste of it, and especially not if it was calling to her. She'd be better off leaving the stuff alone, sipping it only occasional for celebrations, but she knew Logan would have probably started the day with a beer, especially after the nightmares she'd had last night.
But right now, she found the idea of whiskey slipping away. The pain, nightmares, and memory were all also fading not just in the bright light of day but far more so because of the bright, radiant light into which she was gazing. Rachel seemed to be on fire today as she zipped and zoomed through the fluffy, white clouds that dotted the bright, blue sky. She'd like to think her partner had no reason to be sad, but she knew that her nightmares were far worse than hers. A cold shiver crawled up her spine as she considered Rachel's history. She couldn't imagine having to kill mutants, let alone to chase down the very people she loved and slaughtered them. She was thankful Rachel had found her way back in time not just to the X-Men, but to Kitty herself in particular. They had both needed each other dreadfully.
Her lover was an inspiration. She inspired her every day, but although Kitty did often tell her that, Ray always made fond of her compliments. She usually dismissed them as mere flirtations, but Kitty meant every word of what she said. Rachel did inspire her. Every time she saw her beautiful face, no matter how much the darkness of their lives and the war that never seemed to stop raged on, it was like a physical reminder of the bright lining in the darkest of clouds. Rachel was her brightness. She was her fire, the fire that flowed through her veins these days and always inspired her, no matter what, to keep fighting and to keep finding the positive in light.
They had saved Kurt last night, and other lives as well. Illyana was still dying in the States, and she was so far away from her, but Moira, Hank, and others were working tirelessly in their search for a cure. Surely one would be found any day now. But even if it was not, she was back in her own body and in her own realm. She was no longer a slave to Belasco.
Kitty felt another chill and wrapped her arms tighter around her legs as she recalled her own vague and dark memories of having once been a slave herself. Logan had said her spirit was too strong to be broken by Ogun, but she wasn't so sure. It hadn't been her spirit, she thought. It had been her love. If Ogun had sent her against anyone else, she might not have been able to break free, but his own doom had come when he had tried to force her to kill the man who, at the time, had been her dearest friend and surely a better parent to her than her own folks had ever been, especially her father.
She could feel her tears threatening to resurge when she became aware of small, leather-like knobs poking down on her skull. "Coo?" She tried to distract herself by watching Ray again, some small part in the back of her mind recognizing that perhaps Rachel's entire purpose in flying in circles, zipping and zooming as she was, practically dancing in the sky -- perhaps it was all to cheer her.
"Coo coo?" Lockheed insisted, dropping his face suddenly down in front of Kitty's. The look he gave her made it impossible not to laugh, but then she stroked his head, just between his horns he liked it so much, and urged him, "Go on. Go play with her."
"Why don't you both come up here?"
Kitty looked up at Ray. She could walk on air, but she couldn't very well dance the way -- Both her thoughts and reluctance shattered as she felt herself lifted from the ground, pushed upright by an invisible force, and carried to meet her girlfriend. She laughed again, a true smile breaking out over her previously shadowed face. "Rachel! The Professor would certainly call this a gross misuse of your powers -- "
Rachel shrugged. "Then it's a good thing he isn't here, although if he was, I'm sure he'd be too distracted with Moira to study us too closely -- "
Kitty could only grin. After all, she knew chastising her partner over using her powers for such ordinary, needless benefits was a mute point. This was the same woman who didn't believe in going into dressing rooms to try on clothes but would just pop Kitty right into any new outfit she chose!
"Come on, Kate -- Kitty, life's too short to be so glum!"
She'd heard what she almost called her. She saw the shadow flash fast across Rachel's face as well, hints of physical scars from her former life flickering swiftly over her face like a candleflame caught in a wind gale. It was there for one heartbeat of a second and gone the next, but it served well to remind Kitty that she was not the only one whose past nipped at their proverbial heels. Rachel, after all, had a great deal more to be sorrowful about than she did. She couldn't imagine the life Rachel had led, and she knew she feared her future becoming that very living nightmare again, but she never let it take her down. She was very rarely depressed, even if there were still nights when her slumbering screams woke them both.
Right now, though, the woman before her just wanted to be happy and to see her be happy as well. She could do that for her surely. After all, this was a woman who had fought to come back to her through time itself, and who Kitty would gladly do anything to see happy and secure in a joyous future. She could at least grant her this.
Laughing, she took Rachel's offered hand. "Very well," she said, smiling. "Teach me how to dance."
Lockheed cooed and somersaulted through the gentle, Spring air.
"Oh, you know how to dance, Pryde." Rachel winked at her. She squeezed Kitty's hand, but then released it and made a sweeping bow instead. "Go ahead. This is your moment. This is Stevie Hunter's dance floor, only no one else is looking. It's just me and 'Heed."
When Kitty continued to hesitate, Rachel's smile slowly grew. "It's all right," she urged her again. "Just close your eyes and dance."
Kitty managed not to look down as she shut her eyes, but when she moved, she was still very careful, slow, and determined with her gestures.
"Come on, Pryde," Rachel urged again. "I know you trust me more than that."
Kitty smiled. She couldn't help it! Of course, she trusted Rachel with her very soul!
"Show me how much you trust me. Dance for me."
Kitty drew herself up into a pirouette and continued to sail through the air dancing to the tune of her favorite song, which Rachel played in all three of their heads. Lockheed cooed along to its beat, his tail striking empty air as he circled and soared up and down in the air. Rachel barely noticed him, though, for her eyes were solely upon Kitty.
She did, however, hear the words spoken in gentle fondness far below them. "Och, tae be young an' in love again!"
"Would you?" Charles asked, leaning forward in his hoverchair.
"Would I what, Charlie?" Moira asked, looking down at him from over her piping hot cup of joe. It wasn't often she could be pulled away from her endless hours of research, but Charles had always held an extraordinary sway over her. She half expected him to ask her to dance, the silly old badger, but instead he smiled patiently up at her and asked only, "Would you be young again?"
She sipped her joe and moved her eyes back to the lovers in the sky. "Och, who wouldnae want tae be young again?" But then the thought lingered between them. She drew in the warmth of her black coffee and, at length, finally answered, "Nae." The word emitted from her in a soft, almost choked whisper, but then she said it again, louder the second time, "Nae." She shook her head. "I'd like tae say I'd change me world, nae so much pain or sufferin', but then we'd nae be th' people we are, would we?"
"No, my dear friend, we would not." She felt Charles' steadfast gaze on her face. Her cheeks flushed beneath his gaze, but never want to bow to a man, she lifted her eyes to his. "Ye knae, Charlie, maybe th' young'uns are on tae somethin'."
He laughed and held out his hand to her, "Would you like this dance?"
"Wit' ye, ol' Charley, always." Keeping hold of her mug in one hand, she took his hand and was expecting him to turn her when he spun smoothly in his chair. She laughed, far more boisterous and joyful this time. "Ack, Charlie, ye always were one fer surprises!"
"And beautiful women, beautiful friends," he said, spinning her.
Behind them, far up into the sky, Rachel had forgotten about the old doctors down on the ground and all the darkness of her past as she danced with the love of her life. The dragon continued to sail through the air around them until he actually tired before they did and sailed backwards on his back, watching them and happily puffing out little, heart-shaped embers. It was proving to be another beautiful, but this one surprisingly peaceful, day out on the Scotland moores again.
The End
Fandom: X-Men
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Shadowcat/Rachel, Professor X/Moira, Lockheed
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: They know how to cheer each other.
Word Count: 1,751
Written For: X-Men 15 13. Sun and 100Ships 24. Ember
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
Her heart had ached for hours earlier, going back to her nightmares the previous night. She could escape the things she had endured most days, especially on this lush and peaceful Scotland moore so far away from home, but her memories had a tendency to replay themselves over and over again in her head whilst she tried to sleep. Ororo had advised sleeping as little as possible during these times. Logan had had other means of dealing with his nightmares, means to which she still could not, at least of yet, bring herself to succumb. A gnawing in her gut told her called to her for whiskey, but her mother had also warned her, years ago time and again, to never drink because she wanted to drink, liked the taste of it, and especially not if it was calling to her. She'd be better off leaving the stuff alone, sipping it only occasional for celebrations, but she knew Logan would have probably started the day with a beer, especially after the nightmares she'd had last night.
But right now, she found the idea of whiskey slipping away. The pain, nightmares, and memory were all also fading not just in the bright light of day but far more so because of the bright, radiant light into which she was gazing. Rachel seemed to be on fire today as she zipped and zoomed through the fluffy, white clouds that dotted the bright, blue sky. She'd like to think her partner had no reason to be sad, but she knew that her nightmares were far worse than hers. A cold shiver crawled up her spine as she considered Rachel's history. She couldn't imagine having to kill mutants, let alone to chase down the very people she loved and slaughtered them. She was thankful Rachel had found her way back in time not just to the X-Men, but to Kitty herself in particular. They had both needed each other dreadfully.
Her lover was an inspiration. She inspired her every day, but although Kitty did often tell her that, Ray always made fond of her compliments. She usually dismissed them as mere flirtations, but Kitty meant every word of what she said. Rachel did inspire her. Every time she saw her beautiful face, no matter how much the darkness of their lives and the war that never seemed to stop raged on, it was like a physical reminder of the bright lining in the darkest of clouds. Rachel was her brightness. She was her fire, the fire that flowed through her veins these days and always inspired her, no matter what, to keep fighting and to keep finding the positive in light.
They had saved Kurt last night, and other lives as well. Illyana was still dying in the States, and she was so far away from her, but Moira, Hank, and others were working tirelessly in their search for a cure. Surely one would be found any day now. But even if it was not, she was back in her own body and in her own realm. She was no longer a slave to Belasco.
Kitty felt another chill and wrapped her arms tighter around her legs as she recalled her own vague and dark memories of having once been a slave herself. Logan had said her spirit was too strong to be broken by Ogun, but she wasn't so sure. It hadn't been her spirit, she thought. It had been her love. If Ogun had sent her against anyone else, she might not have been able to break free, but his own doom had come when he had tried to force her to kill the man who, at the time, had been her dearest friend and surely a better parent to her than her own folks had ever been, especially her father.
She could feel her tears threatening to resurge when she became aware of small, leather-like knobs poking down on her skull. "Coo?" She tried to distract herself by watching Ray again, some small part in the back of her mind recognizing that perhaps Rachel's entire purpose in flying in circles, zipping and zooming as she was, practically dancing in the sky -- perhaps it was all to cheer her.
"Coo coo?" Lockheed insisted, dropping his face suddenly down in front of Kitty's. The look he gave her made it impossible not to laugh, but then she stroked his head, just between his horns he liked it so much, and urged him, "Go on. Go play with her."
"Why don't you both come up here?"
Kitty looked up at Ray. She could walk on air, but she couldn't very well dance the way -- Both her thoughts and reluctance shattered as she felt herself lifted from the ground, pushed upright by an invisible force, and carried to meet her girlfriend. She laughed again, a true smile breaking out over her previously shadowed face. "Rachel! The Professor would certainly call this a gross misuse of your powers -- "
Rachel shrugged. "Then it's a good thing he isn't here, although if he was, I'm sure he'd be too distracted with Moira to study us too closely -- "
Kitty could only grin. After all, she knew chastising her partner over using her powers for such ordinary, needless benefits was a mute point. This was the same woman who didn't believe in going into dressing rooms to try on clothes but would just pop Kitty right into any new outfit she chose!
"Come on, Kate -- Kitty, life's too short to be so glum!"
She'd heard what she almost called her. She saw the shadow flash fast across Rachel's face as well, hints of physical scars from her former life flickering swiftly over her face like a candleflame caught in a wind gale. It was there for one heartbeat of a second and gone the next, but it served well to remind Kitty that she was not the only one whose past nipped at their proverbial heels. Rachel, after all, had a great deal more to be sorrowful about than she did. She couldn't imagine the life Rachel had led, and she knew she feared her future becoming that very living nightmare again, but she never let it take her down. She was very rarely depressed, even if there were still nights when her slumbering screams woke them both.
Right now, though, the woman before her just wanted to be happy and to see her be happy as well. She could do that for her surely. After all, this was a woman who had fought to come back to her through time itself, and who Kitty would gladly do anything to see happy and secure in a joyous future. She could at least grant her this.
Laughing, she took Rachel's offered hand. "Very well," she said, smiling. "Teach me how to dance."
Lockheed cooed and somersaulted through the gentle, Spring air.
"Oh, you know how to dance, Pryde." Rachel winked at her. She squeezed Kitty's hand, but then released it and made a sweeping bow instead. "Go ahead. This is your moment. This is Stevie Hunter's dance floor, only no one else is looking. It's just me and 'Heed."
When Kitty continued to hesitate, Rachel's smile slowly grew. "It's all right," she urged her again. "Just close your eyes and dance."
Kitty managed not to look down as she shut her eyes, but when she moved, she was still very careful, slow, and determined with her gestures.
"Come on, Pryde," Rachel urged again. "I know you trust me more than that."
Kitty smiled. She couldn't help it! Of course, she trusted Rachel with her very soul!
"Show me how much you trust me. Dance for me."
Kitty drew herself up into a pirouette and continued to sail through the air dancing to the tune of her favorite song, which Rachel played in all three of their heads. Lockheed cooed along to its beat, his tail striking empty air as he circled and soared up and down in the air. Rachel barely noticed him, though, for her eyes were solely upon Kitty.
She did, however, hear the words spoken in gentle fondness far below them. "Och, tae be young an' in love again!"
"Would you?" Charles asked, leaning forward in his hoverchair.
"Would I what, Charlie?" Moira asked, looking down at him from over her piping hot cup of joe. It wasn't often she could be pulled away from her endless hours of research, but Charles had always held an extraordinary sway over her. She half expected him to ask her to dance, the silly old badger, but instead he smiled patiently up at her and asked only, "Would you be young again?"
She sipped her joe and moved her eyes back to the lovers in the sky. "Och, who wouldnae want tae be young again?" But then the thought lingered between them. She drew in the warmth of her black coffee and, at length, finally answered, "Nae." The word emitted from her in a soft, almost choked whisper, but then she said it again, louder the second time, "Nae." She shook her head. "I'd like tae say I'd change me world, nae so much pain or sufferin', but then we'd nae be th' people we are, would we?"
"No, my dear friend, we would not." She felt Charles' steadfast gaze on her face. Her cheeks flushed beneath his gaze, but never want to bow to a man, she lifted her eyes to his. "Ye knae, Charlie, maybe th' young'uns are on tae somethin'."
He laughed and held out his hand to her, "Would you like this dance?"
"Wit' ye, ol' Charley, always." Keeping hold of her mug in one hand, she took his hand and was expecting him to turn her when he spun smoothly in his chair. She laughed, far more boisterous and joyful this time. "Ack, Charlie, ye always were one fer surprises!"
"And beautiful women, beautiful friends," he said, spinning her.
Behind them, far up into the sky, Rachel had forgotten about the old doctors down on the ground and all the darkness of her past as she danced with the love of her life. The dragon continued to sail through the air around them until he actually tired before they did and sailed backwards on his back, watching them and happily puffing out little, heart-shaped embers. It was proving to be another beautiful, but this one surprisingly peaceful, day out on the Scotland moores again.
The End
