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Post by Pyro on Sept 2, 2006 18:31:09 GMT -5
It was a crazy risk. It was always going to be a gamble, but it was something that just had to be done.
Never one with much of a memory for numbers, Kitty's cellphone was one of the few that COULD easily be recalled, and the number was duly punched in.
There was a delay. Then Kitty's phone rang. It took too long for her to answer, and when she did, saying 'hello', she heard a huge sigh of absolute relief.
She could hear the smile through the phone. "Hey, it's me."
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Post by Shadowcat on Sept 2, 2006 18:47:15 GMT -5
Kitty hadn't recognized the number that popped up on her phone. After a few rings' worth of dithering, she answered it, hello coming out of her mouth even as her crazed imagination concocted weird scenarios in which Sean had found her number and was going to reintroduce himself and then not say anything, ever.
Instead, she heard a sigh of relief.
She frowned it.
"Hey, it's me."
Oh G-d.
"John," she said, sounding more shocked than anything. In reality, she was terrified. "Um, hi."
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Post by Pyro on Sept 2, 2006 18:59:02 GMT -5
"Hey...sorry it took so long for me to call. It's been crazy here." Hopefully she'd never know quite how true that had been. Clean slates and all.
A pause.
"Not that I don't imagine it's not been pretty crazy there either..." That sounded familiar. The same clumsy, tongue-tied way of trying to be confident.
There was another pause.
"How's it going?"
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Post by Shadowcat on Sept 2, 2006 20:42:58 GMT -5
"Hey...sorry it took so long for me to call. It's been crazy here."
Kitty couldn't imagine why. Not unless they were having difficulty congratulating themselves in new and different ways on killing and maiming hundreds of people.
"Not that I don't imagine it's not been pretty crazy there either..."
"Fairly," Kitty said, thinking of the panic over whether Bobby would even wake up, and then his parents...
"How's it going?"
"Not so hot," Kitty said. Screw being the nice kid. She was getting really impatient with John. Had been, in fact, for quite a while. It was hard not to be a little upset with him when he'd BLOWN UP A WAREHOUSE FULL OF PEOPLE. "Listen, did you need something?"
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Post by Pyro on Sept 3, 2006 8:54:35 GMT -5
There was a long pause following Kitty’s question, and when the answer came, she could hear serious emotion. “I…I’m not sure. I don’t know, Kitty, I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, but can’t find any way out of this…”
A long silence followed.
“I’m sorry. You don’t need this. I shouldn’t have called you, should I? It’s just … you’re the only person I know I can trust any more.”
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Post by Shadowcat on Sept 3, 2006 9:07:57 GMT -5
“I…I’m not sure. I don’t know, Kitty, I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, but can’t find any way out of this…”
She felt her throat start to close during John's long pause.
“I’m sorry. You don’t need this. I shouldn’t have called you, should I? It’s just … you’re the only person I know I can trust any more.”
"No," she said quickly, "no, it's fine, I'm sorry, I didn't m - I shouldn't have said it."
It was strange how quickly her anger could evaporate when presented with the tiniest sign of remorse.
"There's always a way out," she said. "What do you want a way out of?"
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Post by Pyro on Sept 3, 2006 9:15:23 GMT -5
Another long pause.
She could almost sense the anxiety rolling in waves down the phone. From what she remembered, John Allerdyce wasn't good when he was anxious. Definitely not one of his better states of mind.
"All those people," came the whisper. "All those people. I never meant...oh, Kitty. It was an accient. If I could turn it back..."
Another pause.
"I want to change it, but I know I can't. I don't know what to do, Kitty. I can't fix it. I can't make it bett..." The sentence was broken with a definite sob.
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Post by Shadowcat on Sept 3, 2006 9:19:58 GMT -5
Kitty restrained the urge to hug the phone.
"But you can't," she said gently. "It can't be helped now."
Inwardly, she was almost glad. Remorse meant he still had good somewhere. An accident. He wasn't a killer.
Right?
"I want to change it, but I know I can't. I don't know what to do, Kitty. I can't fix it. I can't make it bett..."
Kitty shut the door of her room. "Oh, hon." She pressed the heel of her palm to her closed eyes, one after the other. "You can always make it better. Maybe you can't take it back, but you can make it better."
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Post by Pyro on Sept 3, 2006 9:30:55 GMT -5
Several deep, calming breaths.
"I can't stand it any more. The mutant persecution, y'know? I just want to state our case, to make people see that we're...I don't know. Alright. Worth living with. That's what the Brotherhood was always about. I never meant to hurt anybody. Never. You have to believe that. I don't anyone else to get hurt, Kitty."
A definite tremble in the voice that Kitty recognised oh, so well.
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Post by Shadowcat on Sept 3, 2006 11:08:17 GMT -5
"I think nonviolent protest might make a better case for your being alright," Kitty said. "I believe you. Don't worry about what I believe."
She sighed deeply, a hitch in her voice halfway through.
"You could issue an apology. Make reparations to the soldier's families, donate money to rebuild the complex... there's a lot you can still do. You can fix some of it."
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Post by Pyro on Sept 3, 2006 11:15:16 GMT -5
"Maybe there IS something I can fix," came the reply. "Maybe not. But...Kitty, oh hell. All that death. All that loss. Seeing your face on the news afterwards..."
Another one of those pauses.
"I remembered, Kitty. I remembered what's really important to me. Why it is that I can't stop calling you. Emailing you. Do you understand what it is I'm trying to say here?"
Was that a hint of desperation?
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Post by Shadowcat on Sept 3, 2006 11:19:52 GMT -5
There was a short pause.
"I think I do," she said. "A little. It's okay. I promise it is."
Another pause, and a short breath.
"Um," she said finally. "Your e-mail - did you still want to...?"
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Post by Pyro on Sept 3, 2006 11:28:42 GMT -5
More pausing, obviously deep thought going on. Then:
"I'm sorry, Kitty. There's been so much going on, I'm not sure which one you mean. Do you mean...about meeting up? Because if so - yes, I still want to. Very much so. You name the date, you name the place and I'll move heaven and earth to get there."
Always so literary and verbose.
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Post by Shadowcat on Sept 3, 2006 11:51:18 GMT -5
"Yeah," Kitty said. She may or may not have sounded slightly put out that he hadn't remembered. "The meeting-up one. I never talked to Storm, she's kind of... occupied... but if all else fails - oh, I don't know. How about next week, maybe? Or is that too soon?"
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Post by Pyro on Sept 3, 2006 11:57:05 GMT -5
"Next week? No, no, Kitty, that'd be fine. That's not too soon at all. I just need to work out all the necessary logistics involved in getting me from - well, where I am just now - to where YOU are. You know. Carefully."
A slight hint of relief had come into the tone. "I'm just glad you still want to see me at all."
A pause.
"You know. Considering."
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Post by Shadowcat on Sept 3, 2006 12:00:03 GMT -5
He could hear a hint of a smile in her voice. "Work on that," she said. "And tell me what you figure out. I'll... be here."
"I'm just glad you still want to see me at all. You know. Considering."
There was a long pause at the other end, during which it was possible to hear Kitty shifting a little on her bed.
"I'll always want to see you," she said seriously. "No matter what. Just remember that, okay?"
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Post by Pyro on Sept 3, 2006 12:04:39 GMT -5
"I'll remember," came the hesitant reply. "And thank you, Kitty. I'll speak to you soon. I promise."
The phone went dead.
The risk had been taken, the gamble had been made. Now it was time to see what would happen.
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Post by Shadowcat on Sept 3, 2006 12:06:29 GMT -5
"I'll remember. And thank you, Kitty. I'll speak to you soon. I promise."
The phone clicked silent before Kitty's shaky 'okay' made it past her lips.
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