Work Text:
Ninja Blues
by Lucinda
She should be happy. She was healthy, with no lingering or healing injuries, no remaining impairment from some of the things that had happened in the past. She even had organic and fully functional eyes again. Nobody had tried to kill or blackmail her in almost a month.
She should be happy, perhaps even on a picnic with her boyfriend. She and Warren had dated on and off for several years, and she'd even found herself contemplating the idea of getting married, and she knew that he had thought about that as well.
At least, he'd thought about it before. Before, when she was a little blonder, a little more English. Before, when she had a cultured background and a lovely pedigree among the British peerage. Warren hadn't thought about asking her to marry him since they'd learned that this wasn't her original body.
Before that little surprise had come out, he'd had a ring tucked in a drawer in his room, a ring that she wasn't supposed to have known about. He'd had wisps going through his mind, little debates of would it be better to ask when they were alone, or with witnesses. Would in the house be betters? Over a romantic dinner?
He hadn't thought about asking her since Hank had confirmed that the body she was in wasn't the original flesh of Betsy Braddock, did not match the filed genetic samples of Betsy Braddock code named Psylocke. Not quite, though there were similarities.
Hank and Moira McTaggert had found the whole thing fascinating on the genetic level. As near as they had managed to sort out, the bodies that she and Kwannon now had seemed to be blendings of the original Betsy Braddock and an Asian woman, presumably the original Kwannon. It was as if their current bodies were daughters of their old ones. Scientifically fascinating, ethically appalling, and quite confusing for her and Kwannon.
In the end, she and Kwannon had decided that they were close enough to being twin sisters, Brian was still their often annoying brother, and they would have to go from there. At least they were the same blood type and height, and with both of them having purple-dyed hair, it made things slightly less complicated in an already complicated life.
Gain a sister, loose a boyfriend.
Only, it hadn't quite been that simple. Warren hadn't said anything, hadn't suggested that they stop seeing each other. He just didn't feel comfortable with her anymore. He didn't feel comfortable ad hadn't been man enough to admit it yet.
"Few people frown when out in such a lovely day. I know that the weather is not annoying you," the slightly accented voice could only belong to Storm.
Betsy glanced over at Storm, absently wishing that she knew the other woman better. She was familiar with Storm's records, and had fought with her on several missions, but she didn't feel like she really knew her.
"It isn't the weather, which is quite lovely," Betsy sighed, and decided to take a small chance. Storm had the reputation of being a good listener. "It's Warren. Warren and what's supposed to be our relationship."
"Things haven't been the same since the Siege Perilous. Not for many of us," Storm's voice was soft, and she settled beside Betsy on the grass. "Is something troubling your relationship?"
"You've heard by now that this isn't the body that Betsy Braddock was born with," she decided to be almost blunt. "Elizabeth Braddock, member of the British peerage, well educated, former model, former British agent, X-Man... a perfect match to the heir of the Worthington fortune. Except that I'm not anymore."
"If he is truly that concerned by questions of heritage, so much that he will put aside your proven abilities and the emotions that you shared, then he is not worthy of you. If all he wants is a woman of impressive ancestry, he should admit that and find one, one who will be willing to accept that method of choosing a spouse and one who would be willing to accept his commitments as an X-Man. But I have been told many times that arranged marriages based on ancestry are not common in America," there was a tiny quirk to Storm's lips that might have been a smile.
"He hasn't actually said that's what's bothering him," Betsy admitted.
"As a telepath, you are well aware of what isn't said."
For a few moments, Betsy felt uncomfortable, struggling with her affection and frustration at Warren. "He had a ring. It was beautiful, and he was trying to figure out the right time and place to ask me."
"You looked when he was elsewhere. Those ninja skills that you acquired recently," there was no judgment in Storm's voice, only the slight satisfaction of questions now answered.
Betsy nodded, one hand picking at a strand of grass. "Maybe I shouldn't have. But it was in his mind, and it would be my future as much as his. The ring isn't there anymore. It went somewhere after Hank and Moira told us the results of their tests."
"They were unexpected results," Storm admitted. "Warren would not be the only one who was surprised."
"It seems as if I'm not good enough now that I'm not... not British enough, or not pedigreed enough. That hurts," she paused, sighed and whispered, "And it hurts just as much that I still care, that I still wish for things to go back to how they were before."
"I do not know how to fix this," Storm put one hand on Betsy's shoulder. "You should talk to him, see if your relationship can be helped. If they can't, then you need to make a clean break. Letting things fester in confusion will only hurt you both."
"Easier said than done," Betsy murmured. Then, she looked at Storm and asked, "Does it get easier? Moving on after the man you wanted a future with turns out to be more of a toad than a prince?"
"The pain fades, and you become more certain that you are strong enough to face the world. It will hurt, but it won't destroy you," Storm assured her.
Betsy managed a smile, feeling the sincerity in the other woman's words. She could also feel the remnants of pain. Apparently Storm had encountered more than a couple toads in her life.
It helped, a little.
end Ninja Blues.