Soulmates 4: Rebonding

Summary: The re-getting to know you phase. <g>

Rating: PG-13.

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      "Uhhh...hi?" Rachel Summers tentatively offered to her former best
friend Katherine Pryde.
      Kitty's eyes were wide open. "Hi."
      They stood stock still for a few moments before Kitty regained her
poise. "Screw this," she said, and gracefully stood up and sauntered over to
the door, letting her arm brush Rachel's. The electricity from the brief
contact surprised her, but she filed the thought away for another day as she
closed the door, and strolled back over to her seat, noting that Rachel
hadn't moved from her earlier position.
      Kitty sat down and they stared at each other for a few moments more.
"Well, this is awkward," she said dryly. Rachel's eyes jumped to hers for a
moment, then back down.
      "Kitty...I'm sorry," came out in a rush. "I realize that I really did
treat you poorly, but I just wanted a normal life and I was afraid that if I
saw you I'd go back to the X-Men and I really wanted to give the superhero
thing a rest and can you ever forgive me?"
      Rachel's green eyes watched Kitty intensely. She felt as if the young
Shadowcat held Rachel's heart in her hand.
      "Rachel, I'm sorry too," Kitty sighed. "I shouldn't have jumped all
over you...it's just...I've lost so many people, it hurt to see you waltz
back into my life like I was just supposed to forget the fact that you've
been-back-God only knows how long and you didn't try to contact me."
      A timid smile grew on Rachel's face. "For the record, no one besides
Nathan, Irene and Blaquesmith know I'm back."
      Kitty's jaw dropped with shock. "Not even Jean?" she whispered. Rachel
shook her head in a negative.
      Kitty suddenly had an awful thought. "Did Nathan tell you about...?"
she trailed off.
      "Scott? Yes." Rachel sighed.
      Kitty sensed her friend going into a dark mood, and, ever so slightly,
reopened their psychic link. < Ray? I'm sorry about Scott, but he used his
"death" well, > she sent timidly, unsure of how her advances would be
received. < He died a hero's death, the way he always wanted to go-saving
the world. >
      Rachel forcibly brightened at Kitty's words and smiled. "So, kiddo,
tell me what I've missed." They sat on the bed, side by side. The topic
change didn't go unnoticed by Kitty, but she didn't pursue the matter.
      Kitty patiently filled Ray in on everything that the girl could think
of that she judged pertinent. She went through the Britanic fiasco, the
Crimson Dawn and Psi War situations, Excalibur's breakup, and
Cyclopalypse...and Piotr.
      "Well...I suppose that was it," Kitty finished quietly. "I
just...couldn't...live through another death of someone I cared about.
Doug...really hurt. You and Illyana...god, I almost died. With Piotr...I
just felt as if I was going to explode. I couldn't stay. I *couldn't* watch
someone else I loved die right before me." She laughed hollowly, the bitter
sound jarring compared to her melodious earlier words. "He was my first
crush. You and Illyana and Doug were best friends. I guess I'm a
curse-everyone I love dies," she bit out, keeping the psi-bond firmly
shielded.
      Because there were days when Kitty believed that herself.
      Rachel, however, did get an inkling of Kitty's feelings, and
immediately took her hand. "It's *not* true!" she snapped angrily.
      "*I'm* right here, aren't I?" she breathed. She stared at Kitty until
Kitty's eyes met hers, a mixture of emotions Rachel had never seen before
uncoiling in her eyes, turning them a bright hazel, even as Rachel became
aware of a matching desire in her own body. 'Kitty *has* grown up!'
      Rachel grinned wickedly. She *had* to break this sensual tableau, but
she didn't want to reveal anything...yet. Both were too raw from her recent
reappearance. "So, Kitty, am I supposed to believe that you went through all
of this without a boyfriend?" she asked, voice all innocence.
      To her surprise, Kitty blushed scarlet. Not wanting to voice her
thoughts, she sent Ray memories/pictures/thoughts of Pete Wisdom-explaining
in a few minutes their whirlwind romance and subsequent breakup. Rachel also
caught a few flashes of exactly *how* far Wisdom and Kitty had gone, and, to
her surprise and dismay, felt jealousy flare up at the thought, thought she
was careful to block *that* from the link!
      "Well," Rachel deliberately stowed her jealousy for later, and stood
up and stretched. Very aware of Shadowcat's intense eyes on her, on her
*very* nice figure highlighted against a window's light and-'WHOA! I'd
better shield our link better!' Rachel realized, although she couldn't shake
a feeling of pleasure that Kitty found her attractive/desireable.
      "You wanna help me unpack...roomie?"

      "Damn, Ray, how much stuff *do* you have?" Kitty Pryde grunted as she
hauled Rachel's last box to their joint room.
      Rachel looked up from where she was hanging a blouse on a hanger, and
grinned sheepishly. "Before I left Nathan, Irene and I went shopping. That's
the last box, right?"
      Kitty rolled her eyes. "You always were a shop-aholic," she muttered.
"But yes, it was."
      Rachel's eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute, kiddo, you can use your powers
to make the boxes lighter," she accused. "What are you complaining about?"
      "Damn," Kitty laughed. "You ruined my plan to be shamelessly fussed
over." She stuck her tongue out at Ray, and flopped onto the bed.
"C'mere...you must be as tired as I am."
      And they both were, drained in every way known to man. 'Although you
could probably muster energy for a *certain* activity with her,' a wicked
voice in Kitty's brain jibed. Kitty's cheeks flamed crimson as she silenced
the voice.
      Rachel, apparently not having heard Kitty's faux pas thought, set
herself down gently next to Kitty. She swallowed hard, remembering the last
time the two had been in the same bed.

      It had been the night before Jean and Scott's wedding. Rachel and
Kitty had gone down to the local pub, and had indulged themselves more than
was probably wise. They were alone-Kurt was talking to Logan in the
communication center, Brian and Meggan had gone to a play, and none of the
other inhabitants were to be found.
      Laughing, they had leaned on each other on the whole way back home.
Once they reached their room, Kitty had said something that had sparked off
a shoving match. Trying to evade Kitty, Rachel fell over a computer manual
and landed on her bed on her back, laughing too hard to use her TK powers.
Kitty, who had tried to shove Rachel, lost her balance, and almost fell onto
Ray, until the fiery-haired Phoenix had gripped her with her TK a scant inch
from Rachel. Rachel inhaled sharply, and the both of them had sobered,
looking into each others' eyes, breaths mingling, for what seemed like
hours.
      "Lights out, frauleins," Kurt's voice came through the door. Scarlet,
Rachel released Kitty into an upright position. "Kitty, can I talk to you
for a moment?"
      Kitty's jaw had worked for a moment, her eyes never leaving Rachel's.
Finally, hoarsely, she called, "In a minute, fuzzy elf." Kitty had proceeded
to phase through the door.
      As she got ready for bed and slipped under the covers, Rachel was left
to ponder what had happened-and what *almost* happened. When Kitty came back
in, Phoenix had pretended to be asleep, until she knew her friend was.
Rachel had then rolled onto her back and stared, unseeing, at the ceiling.

      Rachel pulled herself from the recollections of the past, giving
herself a mental slap. 'She's *not* looking for a relationship, Summers...so
back off!' Rachel scolded herself. She lay down gingerly next to Kitty, a
little surprised when the brunette curled up next to her, in her arms, in
the classic spoon position. Her head was tucked under Rachel's chin. She
grasped Rachel's arms and brought them around herself, tucking herself tight
against the redhead. Their legs entwined of their own accord.
      It was...sweet, and it was nice to be held and *hold*, to feel like
she was trusted to protect Kitty. It was something she hadn't felt in a very
long time...and she had to admit to herself that she had missed it.
      Rachel's last thought was that she never wanted this moment to end.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Disclaimer: Kitty 'Shadowcat' Pryde, Rachel 'Phoenix' Summers, and all other
X-related characters don't belong to me, they belong to Marvel (which is
probably a good thing for them). No copyright infringement or offense
intended. I'm making no money off of this. However, the plot belongs to me.