Work Text:
A Rainy Night
by Pirate Turner
Blue eyes stared unblinking out at the rain that poured incessantly down. Lightning danced in her eyes as she mused to herself, her chin resting on her gloved hand. She knew what she was returning to, but it was the only home she had known since she was a little girl. Besides, as much as the people there infuriated her, she . . . cared for them. She would not go any further than that small admission, she told herself sternly, for they neither liked nor trusted her when she continued to give their cause her whole only to be slapped down by her supposed partner at every turn.
He hated her, she thought miserably. His smile stole her breath away and made her heart skip a beat; his laugh crumpled her defenses and swept into her deepest recesses. Just one look from his enchanting, emerald eyes was more than enough to melt her to her very core, and her ears . . . Oh, how her ears thrilled at every word he spoke that did not have any cruel indications to them, even if they were few and far between where she was concerned!
Emma sighed. She had signed up to change the world, not to offer herself up as a sacrificial lamb to Sean Cassidy and the newest generation of mutants. She had signed up to protect innocent children of her own race, never dreaming they'd hate her as strongly as these kids did. She had dedicated herself to creating a new life and a new world with a partner whose fury and hatred she had never known could run so deep or suspected could hurt so much.
She berated herself silently for her stupidity. She had known no one cared about her when she'd accepted Charles' offer, yet she had done so any way, putting herself out there for a world that cared nothing for her, whether they were human or mutant. She had known working with Cassidy would be a steady aggravation and that he would never accept her, and she had lied to herself when she'd told herself that she would take the students from him, free them from the lie that was Xavier's dream, and protect them herself from the real world and all the horrors it held.
She had lied to herself so many times. It was far past time that she stopped lieing, but she couldn't. If she were to admit the truth, there would be no turning back nor saving herself. Instead the truth would condemn her for she could not change the way the others felt about her even though they had changed the way she felt about them and even, she admitted with a regretful cringe, a large part of the world. She cared more now than she ever had before. She lo --
She shook herself forcibly. She would not go there. The world was a cruel, hateful, heartless, and cold place, and to allow the feelings that gnawed away at her every time she thought of those who awaited her in Massachusetts would only serve to open herself up to a world filled with fresh pain. She'd had too much pain in her life; she would not open herself up to more.
A wry grin twisted Emma's lips as she realized what she needed was as impossible to achieve as stopping the thoughts that continued to circle through her mind or ignoring the feelings that bubbled in her heart every time she thought of Sean and the children. She needed a confidante, a friend, some one she could talk to about all her problems and who would simply be there for her, no strings attached. Such friendship existed no more than true love, unicorns, or little, green men with pots of gold at the ends of their rainbows.
She glanced to her driver, who seemed to have completely ignored her melancholy mood tonight. He knew better than to question her, but she also knew better than to think there could ever be a chance of friendship with him. He was the closest person to her, but yet she knew she could not trust even him. The only thing that kept him in line were her constant threats. Whether they were spoken or not did not matter for he knew that if he ever betrayed her, she would wipe his mind completely clean and evoke more pain in him than he'd ever known, and that was the way it had to be. If not for the threat she presented to him, Bumpkin would surely have disappointed her years ago and shattered her trust.
He was not her friend. He would never be her friend, nor would she ever have a real friend. Such things were only imaginary, and Emma knew better than to rely on hopes that could only be fulfilled in dreams. She sighed again and shifted her gaze, but at that very moment, Bumpkin slammed on the brakes. She slid forward, but the seat belt hung snug. {What are you doing?!} she demanded, her telepathic thought blasting him far more than a yell would have.
Bumpkin, eager to get her out of his mind, slid open the window that separated them. "I'm sorry, Miss Frost, I really am, but -- but there's -- there's a -- There's a kitten in the road!"
"A kitten?" Emma repeated, her blue eyes clearly showing her surprise and disbelief.
"Yes, ma'am! Please don't make me run over it!"
Emma quirked a brow at the reflection of Bumpkin's scared, green face in the mirror. Then, without a word and with an icy air that spoke volumes of her opinion of Bumpkin's reaction, she undid her seatbelt, popped open her door, and got out. Her high heels echoed in the gaps between thunder as she walked to the front of the limousine, her body held high and rigidly tight. She slowed her pace as she reached the front of the vehicle, trying to quiet the sounds of her boots. She peered around the edge and gasped.
Crumpled in front of the car, with rain pouring down on her trembling body, in the glow of the headlights shivered a tiny, white kitten. Emma's heart pounded and ached, and her mind whirled. They were in the middle of nowhere! What heartless monster would have thrown such a tiny, fragile, innocent animal out on a night like tonight when, even now, the winds began to rip at her white leather again and thunder boomed once more, causing the kitten to flatten even lower against the pavement?!
Her eyes flashed, and hatred burned deep within her soul. Humans! Her hands curled, and her blonde hair fluttered about her head at the intensity of the emotions and powers that raged within her. If she knew who had done this to this poor creature, she would rip their minds apart and savage their souls like nothing they'd ever dreamed possible -- and she'd do it as slowly as possible and with the utmost pleasure!
Emma shook herself. Now was not the time to be angry, she thought as the lightning flashed again and struck somewhere not far from them down the road. Now was the time to prove that she could be gentle and loving. She had to reach this kitten. She could not let her stay out here, and she was not sure what would happen if she attempted to use her telepathy on such a fragile, young brain. She walked around the front bumper and, with as much carefulness and as slowly as she could, began to approach the kitten.
Blue eyes lifted to her, and her heart ached with a tightness unlike any she'd ever felt before as the kitten shook even more. "It's okay, little one . . . " Her tone was soft and gentle, her words choked with emotion. "I'll not hurt you." She bent low and reached her fingers towards the kitten. "Come with me please. I'll let no harm come to you, precious one."
The kitten scooted away from her outstretched fingers, and Emma raked her mind for anything she could say that might encourage the tiny animal to come closer instead of running away as she appeared to be about to do as she gathered her four, white paws underneath her. She was beautiful, Emma thought as her compassionate gaze swept over the solid white kitten, and tragically scared out of her wits.
Perhaps if she made a sound the kitten would recognize as non-threatening? Emma cleared her throat, took a deep breath, . . .
And Bumpkin hit his head on the roof of the limo as she meowed. His mouth dropped open; his eyes nearly shot out of his head. He sat, frozen, unable to believe what he was witnessing as Emma ever so slowly approached the crouched kitten, meowing all the time.
The kitten sniffed Emma's hand and withdrew. Emma frowned, then, looking down at her gloved hand, smiled slightly with understanding. She removed her gloves, tucked them into a pocket on her jacket, and tried again with another soft mew. She was almost as surprised to find herself meowing as Bumpkin was shocked to be watching her doing so, but she refused to abandon this innocent soul who could have never harmed any one.
A quivering, pink nose touched her fingers, and Emma held her breath, fighting the urge to laugh, as the kitten's breathing tickled her hand. She waited as the kitten smelled her, then, swift as the lightning that pierced the sky, she struck. Emma grasped the kitten, pulled her into the safety of her jacket, bit back the words that rose in her throat as the feline's claws fearfully scratched her, and raced back to the limo. She slammed the door shut before relinquishing her tight hold on the kitten. The frightened animal quickly bounded across the seat, up the windows, over the backs of the front seat, and finally curled into a tight, tiny ball in the floorboard directly opposite Emma's feet.
Emma smiled at the eyes that glowed up at her, but her smile disappeared as she met Bumpkin's gaze. "Not a word," she hissed quietly. "If you ever speak a word of this, I'll have your tongue as well as your brain."
Bumpkin gulped nervously and nodded swiftly. "Shall we, hum, continue our journey back, then, ma'am, or should I look for an animal shelter?"
"Never." The lightning itself seemed to flash in Emma's angry, blue eyes. "I'll not abandon her like whatever heartless human tossed her out in this storm."
Bumpkin's mouth opened, but no words came out. She watched through chilled eyes as he worked his jaw soundlessly. "Very well, ma'am." He quickly shut the window and continued on at a slower pace, trying not to look in the back lest his surprise get the better of him. Yet, as they neared the state line, he could not help looking back. He smiled at the sight of his employer with her head laid back against the seat, her eyes closed, her beautiful face lifted in a peaceful smile, her hands resting on the fluffy back of a now-dry kitten whose baby blues were every bit as breath-taking as her new mistress'.
Bumpkin rose a single brow, a habit he'd picked up from Miss Frost. How had the kitten gotten so dry so quickly? It was then he noticed that Emma no longer wore her jacket and knew she must have used its silk lining to dry off the tiny animal. He had been smiling ever since she had rescued the kitten, but now his smile grew even bigger. She truly had changed. He knew that now, and she had known it for who knew how long. One day the world would know, and he hoped they would sing her praises instead of condemning her. He'd love to have a chance to have a man-on-man with Cassidy and actually have the power to be able to defeat him, but for now all he could do was do everything she asked of him and never issue a word of complaint, which was exactly how he had lived his life for months now.
The kitten's blue eyes met his, and her furry face lifted as though she was smiling. Her bushy tail swept through the air, and Bumpkin grinned. The kitten knew what she had. The only question now was: Did Emma know what she had? Did she realize she had the very thing she'd needed for so long now, the truest friend possible? He lifted his eyes in silent thanks to the stars that spread out before them, then turned his full attention back to the road, determined to provide as much safety as possible not only for his Miss Frost but for her new companion and confidante as well now.
The End