Notes: I want to thank Lu Baihu for making me get this fic done: he poked & prodded me into writing it, was major help with the dialogue (writing well over a third of it), never mind betaing it…
Okay it's probably obvious by now but this is an AU from shortly after I started writing it — in broadcast order, "Walk on the Wild Side" — in proper time order, "Shadow Dance".
I know I said once I wouldn't put out a cliffhanger unless I could get the ending out in a week, and it's been eight days for this one. <g> But I'm sure you'd rather have a good fic a day late then the crap I would have done if I'd edited this after work last night.
Warnings: Femslash, Homophobia (not to the extent of chapter 2)
Pairings: Rogue/Kitty.
"I just found the greatest spot for your next date." Roberto continues oblivious to the girls' reactions.
Mr. Pryde exclaims, "Love birds?"
"Date!" Mrs. Pryde cries.
Kitty winces. "Roberto, I'd like you to meet my parents…"
Roberto mutters under his breath, "Aw shit." Then he turns to Kitty's parents, and says very politely, "It's nice to meet you."
"Katherine Pryde, are my ears deceiving me or are you fucking around with this girl." Her father snaps.
Kitty looks away. The professor, attracted by the shouting, comes into the room.
"I want an answer, young lady."
"We're lovers, if that's what you mean."
He turns toward the Professor, snarling, "I trusted you with my daughter and you put her in with that fucking dyke who's turned her into one of /them/."
"My precious baby girl corrupted." Her mother moans.
"Hey!" Kitty tries to interject.
"She was always such a good girl till you showed up."
"Nothing's changed just because I'm living here now." Kitty says.
"But you… but-" Mrs. Pryde starts to reply.
Kitty answers shaking, "This may come as a shock but liking girls is not a new thing since I moved here I was just too young to want to do anything about it before."
"And now…" Her mother says hesitantly.
"I've found a girl I like who like me back." She replies, still trembling.
"That is sick," Mr. Pryde bellows.
"I'm sorry I can't be the daughter you want—and I'm even sorrier you can't just accept me the way I am." Kitty's face becomes very pale and she shakes even harder.
"Then get out — you are no daughter of mine." Mr. Pryde snaps.
Kitty freezes in shock staring at her father. Rogue pulls Kitty away, and starts them up the stairs.
Behind them, Charles says, "Perhaps my office would be a better spot for this conversation."
Kitty huddles close to Rogue, trembling. Rogue wraps a supportive arm around Kitty and steers them into their room. "Ah'm sorry … Kit-"
"I-it's not yo-your fault" Kitty stutters, sobbing.
"Ah know, but… that's just it, Ah dunno what Ah can do…"
"I hope he meant it; I don't ever want to deal with them again."
"No you can't say that… those're yer parents, right? Now, listen… y'got anythin' ta say, to me, to your parents, to whoever…" She sighs, "Just say it, A-ah'll forgive ya if…"
"No, there's like no way I'm giving you up for them — Rogue, even before us, I was a lot happier here than I ever was at home."
"How? But y'never had to worry about-"
"Between my father's rules and well… you've got to know I'm a bit of a geek—I hardly had anyone I could spend time with much less really call a friend."
"Aww… well you've got me now… and all of us…"
Kitty hugs Rogue tightly. "Thank god"
"C'mon, don't sweat it — go on, whatever ya gotta say, just-" Rogue says pulling Kitty into her lap and rocking her slightly.
"I just want everything to be okay — I-I… I want to be, like, able to bring you home to my parents house for Hanukkah…"
Rogue leans back against the pillows still holding Kitty. "Ah'm not familiar wit' it, but Ah'd sure like to come if it would make ya happy… Ah don't wanna see you cry…" She finishes eyes glistening.
"I want to raise a heard of kids together in a worlds where no one will hate us for this," Kitty waves a hand between them, "or this," she phases her hand though the blanket.
"Ohmagawd…" Rogue starts sniffling "Y-y-ya already deci… Ah mean, not now, but still… really? We all wanna world where…"
Kitty cuddles against Rogue and gives into tears.
"Shush now…" Rogue rocks her, and starts getting teary herself. "Sorry 'bout this, Ah shouldn't be the one to cry…"
"'Sokay."
"No… Ah mean, well, this is about you! Ya… well, Ah shouldn't assume that yer life is all roses, that…" Rogue exhales sharply. "What about your mother?"
"It's not going to mater what she thinks; if she even can think separately from him."
"C'mon, don't say that about yer mom…"
"Why not — it's not like she ever stood up for me."
"There musta been some time when…"
"Oh sure, with teachers and stuff, but against Dad or her father or anytime it mattered to me."
Rogue sighs. "And what about your dad? Ah mean, your dad before today. Maybe it was just me, but Ah'm sure he musta had somethin' in it for ya, and Ah just made him-"
"All he ever wanted was the perfect son; when what he got was a daughter, he tried for the perfect daughter. I never lived up to what he wanted — if I got a 98 he asked why it wasn't a 100…"
"Avowed sexist, ah guess?" Rogue says with a grimace.
"Yeh… It was always his house, his money… He had a fit when Mom wanted to get a job…"
"Ah'm sorry…" Rogue answers looking upset; then she pulls Kitty into a big hug.
Kitty leans into the hug and holds on, tightly. "I just want him to go away let me live my own life," She says muffled against Rogue.
"Shh… Anything else you're angry about, period? Seriously, Ah just want ya to get everythin' ya can outa ya system, now, okay?" ~Before we hafta deal with them again…~
"All I wanna do is curl up in your arms and never deal with the rest of the world." ~Ever again~
"You're safe now… y're wit' me, okay? Just sit back, whatever… or d'ya just wanna talk about it later, when they're not around?"
"Just hold me awhile?"
"A'ight…" Rogue pulls Kitty tightly against her, cuddling close.
The Prydes follow the Professor into his office. "Come in; sit down." He tells them. They do so; Mrs. Pryde seems docile and Mr. Pryde acts rather antagonistic.
"I think there are a few things we need to discuss, calmly if at all possible." He looks at Mr. Pryde who glares back at him.
"Kitty needs somewhere to learn to completely control her powers." Mr. Pryde begins.
"Yes, and we have been helping her with…" Charles tries to reassure him.
"But I sent my daughter here with the assurance that this was a reputable place that would protect my daughter."
"Which we are…"
"By letting that fucking dyke ruin my daughter? I don't think so."
"Why would you think she's been ruined?"
"You saw how that girl looked at her: like she just wanted to strip off my little girl's clothes and do unspeakable things to her."
"I highly doubt that, a relationship is not merely sex."
"That thing is not my daughter, but I'll do what ever it takes to get her back from that demoness."
"Demoness? Rogue is a lot of things but I wouldn't consider that one of them. Kitty is fine."
"No, she's not I sent a sweet little girl to you and a year later I find that hanging on the arm of that… that girl."
"Why do you consider this such an issue?"
"It's wrong in the eyes of man and God," Mr. Pryde answers.
"Oh?"
"It's just wrong, women were designed to be a comfort to man and to bear and raise children, not to molest little girls."
"No one is doing any molesting here, and women can do anything a man could, not merely…"
"Women are not and never will be our equals."
"Why would you deign your daughter the love and happiness she is finding with Rogue?"
"Kitty's too young to be wanting that kind of love."
"She's young, yes, but mature enough to want a relationship."
"How can you judge? How long has that bitch had her claws in, my Kitty — they've been roommates for what, 10 months now?"
"Yes, but the relationship is much more recent."
"How would you know?"
"They told me. And Kitty says she's the one-"
"The bitch has her that far under her spell that she thinks she started this? My little girl is lost to me."
"I seem to recall that you were the one who sent her away."
"There is no way I'll let that thing that used to be my daughter into my home, until she's my Kitty again."
"I don't see any problem with her remaining here as long as she wishes."
"She's still our daughter, Sweetheart." Mrs. Pryde puts in.
"I will not have her or you ruining my good name. Now keep your place." Mr. Pryde snaps. Mrs. Pryde retreats wilting slightly.
"That's no way to treat your wife, Mr. Pryde."
"I will treat my wife as I chose and will not be treated like this by anyone much less by you." He snaps then storms out.
"I'm sorry for what he said," Mrs. Pryde says softly.
"I understand, just…" He sighs.
"Do you think I could talk to Kitty for a few minutes? Tell her I don't mind, even if I can't go against my husband."
"Wouldn't this be better conveyed by you?"
"If she'll listen I know she thinks I'm just his puppet." She ducks her head.
"Then tell her that you're not! Honestly, let her know how *you* feel, if it differs from his…"
"I'll try…"
Mrs. Pryde hesitantly reaches up to knock on Kitty's door, "Kitty?"
Kitty sighs, "Come-in."
She comes in and looks over at the girls. They've pulled apart but are still sitting on the same bed. "Kitty? I'm sorry about what your father said."
"S'alright…" Kitty says. Rogue moves to put an arm around her, but stops.
"I don't mind you being with, what's your name? Rogue is it? I can't deny I'd prefer it if you were with a guy but what is, is."
"Alright, Mom. Erm… what else?"
"I hate to have to tell you this but your dad doesn't want you in the house — Professor Xavier said you could stay here even for breaks and stuff. Umm, if you want permission to go somewhere — like to meet Rogue's parents, I'll gladly give permission…" She trails off.
Shocked silence permeates the room for a minute. "Why?" Kitty finally asks.
"You know how he is about his reputation, the idiot thinks you'll spoil his good name."
"Is … erm," She looks at Rogue, "Did… well, like, you… you've never said any of this before…"
"I know I've taken a lot of grief from him, but what else could I do? The house is his, the money's his; my parents are the same way…"
Kitty sighs, "'Kay… well, yeah…" She looks over at Rogue again.
"I'll get an email address he doesn't know and send it to you. I want to keep in touch but he's making it so hard."
Kitty sighs once again, "I — okay. I … I believe you, Mom. Thanks." She reaches out and hugs her mother firmly.
"I wish I could really be here for you."
Kitty pulls back. "Well… I, like, when you weren't there for me… yeah, I hurt, got mad, yelled at you in the back of my mind. But now I, like, see why, so… okay." ~I guess~
"Don't be afraid to email me with anything once you've got the new address, I can't promise I'll have an answer but I'll always listen."
"Thanks, Mom…" Kitty's eyes glisten with unshed tears. She shifts closer to Rogue, as if looking for comfort.
Rogue slips an arm around Kitty; then she tells Mrs. Pryde, "Ah'm glad you're okay with us—and Kitty will be fine for the summer; its not like Ah have anywhere to go aither."
"I'm so glad to hear that."
"Rogue and I won't be the only ones here for the summer—Scott'll be here, and Kurt I think, Jubes maybe, though Amara, like, took her home for winter break. And I suspect some of the others will be here for parts of the summer." Kitty cuddles against Rogue slightly.
"Sure… I trust the two of you to do well… maybe over the years… and if things change maybe a real wedding someday…"
"Like, yeh…" Kitty murmurs a dreamy look in her eyes.
"I'll make sure to be there, your father be damned…"
"Thanks that means a lot," She hugs her mom again.
"So…"
"Do you want to see the pictures from the dance?" Kitty asks shyly.
"Oh my, you have them?"
"Rogue, do you, like, remember where I put them?"
"Yeah, sure, Ah'll get 'em."
"I'm glad you two could be together in public like that."
"Yeah, we were, like, worried, but it didn't come to anything big…"
Rogue comes back over with the envelope of pictures, and they start looking through them.
"Yeah, like this, this was kinda cute," Kitty smiles and gives a light chuckle.
"And this one is Pietro being a goof — surprised Jean caught it on film." Rogue adds in shyly.
"They look like nice people — and you two look so sweet. What's this one? Some kind of spotlight?"
"Oh, that wasn't a spotlight, really…" Kitty smiles.
"Oh?"
"Yeah… you wanna, like, tell her, or should I?"
"You did it, sugar."
"Did what?"
Kitty smiles, "Well, like, that's why I do — I just control the atoms of my body so well, that's why I go through walls and all that — it's just another one of those things I can do, if I try…"
"You… Wow," she says, and then murmurs, "Never get used to this."
"Oh, we were kinda worried about if it would work or not too, coz it was my first time, but I guess it did, huh?" She smiles.
"Yeah, though that pic isn't the first time — won't see that till we get the formal shots back…" Rogue reminds her.
"Wonderful all the same."
"Yeah, glad we're together, just… but we're okay, don't worry about us!"
"I'm glad the two of you are happy — and that you've got people here at the institute that accept you."
Rogue looks over at Kitty, ~Don't think we should tell her but…~
"Yeah, it's okay and the others don't give us trouble." ~Anymore, but when she first found out …~
"Yeh, it's pretty nice here." ~Now~
"That's so good to hear. I think I'd better get back downstairs before your father comes looking for me, though."
"Alright mom, I'll talk to you later, I guess."
"Yes, our flight out isn't till late tomorrow."
"Alright, we'll, like, see ya then!" Kitty smiles.
"I'll see you later, sweetie."
Mrs. Pryde gets up to leave; Kitty sees her to the door, and then quietly closes it behind her. She turns to Rogue who has sprawled on the bed and pounces onto her.
"I can't believe-wow! That was, like…"
"Wuh-oh-aher-er-wow—-cools??"
"Awesome—so different—never woulda"
"Oh-arm-eh-ah-ah-mean-c'mon-sure-"
"So happy — wanna tell the world-" She phase-kisses Rogue.
"Aww-nice-bu-coulja-git-"
Kitty shifts her knees and weight onto the bed. "Sorry," She apologizes with a kiss.
"Ah know, y'were so excited…"
"I'm, like, just /so/ happy she can accept us." Kitty kisses her again.
Rogue, Kitty, her parents, and most of the other people who live at the Institute are sitting in the dinning room eating dinner.
"Sugar, can you hand me the potatoes?" Rogue asks.
"Sure thing, like, are we still going to, like, the mall tomorrow Lo—Rogue?" ~Like to have some well 'us-time'~
"Yeah, hon-erm, Ah mean, Kitty, well, sure!"
Jubilee asks, "Hey, if you're going to the mall can you drive me and Amara? We'll stay out of your hair, promise."
"Ay, sure, me and Kitty'll head off and, like, y'know…" Rogue starts to giggle at her choice of words. ~I'm starting to sound like her~
Mr. Pryde is looking more and more agitated; Mrs. Pryde looks increasingly worried.
"Lord, isn't there enough noise in this house without you girls buying out the record shops at the mall?" Scott asks.
"Aww, we were just about do that again - for the second time this week Ah mean, me and Kitty-dahlin' here-"
"You got damn no right to call my little girl your 'dahlin'."
"But she is mah dahlin'." ~I'm getting real sick of this~
"I like being called that, Father." Kitty says spitting the last word out bitterly. ~Not Dad; not anymore~
"You make me sick; how the hell you could have come from my genes, I'll never know."
"Hey, alright! I didn't, like, ask to be born from you, she never asked me to be crushing her, I was the one who was crushing on her, I was the one who had to, like, worry day in and day out about whether she really wanted it or not, and she does, so-"
"And what other cute little lines has the bitch taught you to say?"
"Ah would never…She's mah dahlin' not some," She pauses then continues sounding like the words taste foul, "Pet to teach tricks to." ~Is it ever gunna end?~
"I'm supposed to believe that? When you've corrupted my baby girl"
"Father…" ~I stopped being a baby 10 plus years ago~
"Honestly, how'd Ah a 15 year-old from Mississippi corrupt your baby girl, all the way in Illinois…"
"You dykes have your fucking ways to seduce little girls, and have your way with them."
"Ugh, it's not like Ah woulda - honestly, she ain't want it, Ah wouldn'ta done anythin', she started it, Ah didn't mind, so yeah…" ~Wouldn't ever hurt her~
"I don't think the dinner table is quite the place for this discussion." Scott says.
Xavier tries to handle it diplomatically, "Nor is a quiet, peaceful dinner the time for an argument on personal affairs-"
Mr. Pryde glares at him but subsides, and the rest of the meal goes very quietly. As they finish desert, Scott reminds the girls, "You may have slept in this morning but that doesn't get you out of your Training sessions."
The girls nod silently and head for the Danger Room, before going to bed.
Kitty and her mother are sitting on the bed talking, while Rogue works on Kitty's laptop at her own desk.
"I'm glad you've got such nice friends here, and everything's okay." Kitty's mother says.
"Yeah, me too."
"I wish we didn't have to leave so soon, But I guess it's a good thing given your father's reaction…"
"I'd rather you stayed, though." She leans against her mom.
"I'll stay in touch — promise to send you the new email address as soon as I get it. Don't hesitate to write me, I'm always here for you."
"Alright."
She reaches out and hugs Kitty hard. "Miss you so much…"
"Like, don't worry about me…"
"Ah'll protect her…" Rogue adds.
"Please do, I trust you to."
Rogue blushes, "Ah'll do my best."
"Look at the time. I-"
"See you…" Kitty says sadly.
She hugs Kitty again. "Hate to say it, but you should really come downstairs and say good bye to your father too."
"Like, yuk."
"I'll be right there, sweetie."
"I know, just…"
Rogue says, "Love, it's just saying good-bye…" ~Didn't really get a chance to say it to Raven — either time~
"But, but-"
"Ah'll be close enough to help if he gets nasty."
"Are you sure…." Mrs. Pryde says hesitantly.
"Ah'll stay outa his sight. Unless…"
"Nah, it's okay, I'll go." They head downstairs — Rogue trailing behind them. "Hey dad…"
"Hello, Katherine."
"Yeah, you're going away now, so like, just wanted to say goodbye…"
"Ah — well I would say it's been a pleasure but…"
"Honey, the cab's going to be here any second…" Mrs. Pryde says warningly.
"Well, before you go, what did you think of the place?"
"Rather nice in most aspects, but I can't imagine calling some place this large home."
"Nah, it's okay, nobody's really used that much of the house anyway, just their own rooms and the 'public' stuff."
A horn honks outside.
"Oh honey, that's our cab now." Mrs. Pryde says.
"Well, I'll see you next time!" Kitty gives her father a light, very formal hug, and then is swept into a long hard hug by her mother
"I'm going to miss you." Her mother replies.
"But there'll be another time…" Kitty says, and then whispers directly to her mother, "And e-mail…"
"Still…" Mrs. Pryde looks rather upset.
"We'd better get going; can't afford to miss our flight out."
"You're right honey." She smiles, and then whispers to Kitty, "As soon as I can."
"G'bye!"
"Bye, sweetie"
"Goodbye, Katherine." They get into the cab; Kitty waves as the cab pulls away then steps back from the doorway.
Rogue comes down the stairs, "That looked like it went pretty well…"
"Lucky it did…"
"Yeah." She leans in to kiss Kitty.
"What do you want to do now?"
Jubilee comes into the room. "Hey, are we still on for the mall?"
"As far as Ah know." She looks at Kitty.
"I'll go, put my mind off other things. Just lemme get something first?"
"Ah don't have mah wallet yet much less the keys."
"I'll just go get Amara — hey you know it's Scott's turn to cook; maybe we should just stay at the Mall?"
"Doesn't bother me — I can do that, 'pecially with you." She grins at Rogue.
"Fine by me, missing Cyke's cooking is sure a good thing."
"Meet back here in ten?" Jubilee asks.
"Like, sure."
Rogue replies, "Okay then, in ten, here." ~Maybe we can just forget about everything — everyone — for a while…~
The last chapter should be posted in around a week — then I've got another story in this AU planned.
R/R? — [email protected]