Blame
After a drive of about three hours, Erik parked his car in front of a cabin hidden deep in the forests of Massachusetts. Hidden places like these served as safehouses for mutants trying to get to Genosha. They were scattered worldwide for efficiency. Once upon a time, Forge had designed a device so that if a mutant arrived in one of these safehouses, Genosha’s ambassadors would be notified and turn up to take the mutant to Genosha.
However, when a certain former X-man appeared on the doorstep, the ambassadors thought to bring the news to Erik and Lorna. At first, he did not think that it was too unusual. Kitty had expressed interest in visiting Genosha before, but this sudden appearance was different. Kitty was distressed, and more importantly, she was alone. Now, that was unusual.
Lorna had suggested she go, but Erik insisted he go. If there was a problem, he wanted to be the first to know. And, though he’d never admit it, he felt a need to comfort the poor girl. Seeing the Star of David around her neck, Erik felt a familiar pang of empathy, a silent connection to a shared heritage and pain.
When he arrived, Kitty had still been at the cabin. Once she realized he was there, she explained fragments of the situation through short breaths and choked back sobs before the dam gave way and she started crying. That being said, he hadn’t gotten very many details. After that all she did was cry and cry. Erik knew better than to make things worse and pester her about Genosha and pushing for more details until she had instead opted to let her get it out of her system.
Erik hadn’t told Kitty about the meeting with Ororo. He figured she might interpret it the wrong way and run off again. So he told her he had some affairs to sort out in the city. Before speaking with Ororo, he’d noticed the strange presence of a metal arm nearby and realized that someone was listening in to their conversation. Which is why he’d confronted the man. Originally, it was meant to just be a threat, but upon watching this man and his reactions, he’d made the realization that this man was about as damaged as he was. But he still wouldn’t reveal the location of the phasing girl. Mutants don’t betray mutants, he’d told himself.
Upon entering the driveway and parking the car, Erik had lingered behind the wheel, lost in thought and staring at his phone. It wasn’t often that it had been up to him to comfort mutant children, but it was strange that it was always Charles’s students. Which he found mildly concerning. He also found it concerning how they would come to him or, if he has the misfortune of being in the same place as them right before a breakdown, just start opening up to him. He had always thought this phenomenon to be strange since he had always been framed as a villain to them by Charles.
After this kind of occurrence had happened a third time, Erik had started to ponder why this kept happening. He’d come to the eventual conclusion that it was an issue of privacy. With Charles, these children had no real privacy. He could merely peek into their minds and then give them unwarranted advice or a long lecture about the importance of whatever without even asking. With Erik, though, he couldn’t sneak into their heads. It was completely up to them to tell him their story and leave out whatever they liked. Of course they’d still get a philosophical lecture, but they’d get some understanding from it all.
It was that exact understanding that led Erik to dial a phone number and make a quick call. Once he’d hung up, he got out of his car and went inside. He stepped into the house through the side door. He walked past the door to the bedroom that Kitty had been using the past few days and looked inside, finding her missing. She must have moved for the first time in days. Good. There’s progress.
Erik continued down the hallway and heard music down the hall and in the living room. Kitty. He entered the living room and found a bundle of blankets on the couch. It could go either way whether or not Kitty was wrapped in those blankets. He picked up a remote and then poked the bundle gently. There was no response.
“What are you doing?” Kitty asked from the kitchen doorway.
Erik straightened up and then put the remote down, “You moved.”
“Yeah I, uh, figured if Logan were here he’d tell me to get off of my ass and get to work,” She responded with a shrug. It was then that he noticed she was holding two bowls of soup. She spotted him looking at them and started speaking, “Speaking of which, I wanted to thank you for sticking by me the past few days so I decided to make something to eat for once.”
Kitty came over to the couch and set down the two bowls. She returned to the kitchen and came back with two spoons. By then, Erik had moved the lump of blankets. Kitty and Erik sat down next to each other without a word. Erik lifted the bowl and spoon and looked at the soup, raising a brow.
Kitty offered a small, tired smile and then spoke before he could even ask, “I tried to make matzo ball soup, but there was nothing to make matzo balls with and no celery and very little chicken, but there was broth and a few carrots. So I guess it’s just Very-Little-Chicken-and-Too-Many-Carrots soup.”
“Ah,” Erik acknowledged the effort and nodded slowly before he began eating.
The two ate in silence for a few minutes before Kitty finished her soup and set down the empty bowl and spoon on the table. She then just looked forward, zoning out. It wasn’t unfamiliar for her to do this every so often.
Erik finished his soup and did the same. For a moment, he considered how he was going to rush her along and get her to make a decision. He then looked at her, the exhausted kid with the recovering puffy eyes and the borrowed clothes. He then noticed the Star of David pendant she’d been wearing since she’d arrived. He tilted his head, getting a quick look at the smallest drop of dried blood on the edge of the pendant.
He couldn’t catch himself before questioning, “Whose blood is it?”
“What?” Kitty got out of her head and looked at him.
“Whose blood is on your necklace?” Erik modified the question.
She hesitated and then lifted the Star of David pendant, “It’s mine.”
“Charles may have taught you a great deal of things, but he never taught you to lie,” Erik observed.
“I think it’s mine,” She corrected herself.
“There it is,” Erik said with a sigh, “Who else's could it be then?”
Kitty looked like she was debating something, “Maybe the guy I beat the shit out of.”
“Was he human?” Erik continued to ask.
“Why does it matter?” Kitty turned the question back on him, “He hurt Kurt and he deserved it.”
“I see, but was he human?” Erik repeated the question.
“Yes,” She nodded.
“Did he happen to have a metal arm?” Erik moved on to his next question. If this man happened to be the same as Barnes, Erik would regret not having killed him then and there.
“No,” She answered with confusion, “Hold on, what are you talking about? What were you doing in the city?”
Erik released a slight sigh, “I met Ororo in Cambridge and we had a discussion,” He paused, “About you.”
“Did you..” Her shoulders drop, slight betrayal creeping up her face, “Did you tell her where I am?”
“No, I’ve kept your secret,” He assured her, “She thought it was unusual and that I was hiding something, but I told her I was on vacation.”
“You told her you were on vacation? To relax? You never relax,” Kitty pointed out.
“Do not remind me,” Erik rubbed his one temple and then went on, “But there was someone else there following her.”
She looked at him like she didn’t quite believe him and then she looked at the ground, “Bucky.”
“If that’s what you call the Winter Soldier, then yes,” Erik replied.
“He’s not like that anymore,” He heard her say.
“Do you believe that?” He queried, raising a brow.
Kitty wasn’t expecting the question and looked forward instead of at him, “I think so. I mean, I’d like to think so. He kept me from killing that guy.”
“That is certainly a change,” Erik stroked his chin, “For both of you.”
In all honesty, Erik had never imagined Kitty ever taking a life. She could do so quite easily with her powers and he knew she’d been trained to kill by HYDRA. But he’d never actually imagined her having the will or the drive to take a life.
“Kurt got hurt and I guess I just snapped,” Kitty said, fidgeting with her hands.
“Everyone has their moments, Kitty,” Erik began, “I would have done the same if it had been Charles that had gotten hurt.”
Kitty rubbed her eyes in an attempt to stop the tears from coming again, “I’m surprised you haven’t told him yet.”
“This may shock you, but I have kept secrets from him before,” Erik admitted, “And I understand not wanting to be around him all of the time. I know what he did.”
“You do?” Kitty looked at him now, “How did you find out?”
“I knew something was wrong when his team was missing three of his prized members and asked him,” Erik clasped his hands and explained with a sigh, “He was honest and told me the whole story.”
“Oh,” Kitty looked back at the ground.
“I’d apologize on his behalf, but I can’t help but feel as though that is not the kind of apology you want,” He remarked.
“I guess you’re right,” Kitty scratched the back of her neck, “It’d be nice if he actually apologized instead of having other people show up in his place. Sometimes it feels like he’s trying to guilt me into going back. But I guess it was nice of him to let us live among humans for as short of a time as it may have been. It was nice.”
Erik sighed and leaned forward, placing his clasped hands in front of his mouth. He thought deeply about how he was going to do this.
Kitty watched him inquisitively for a moment, trying to deduce what he was thinking about. Honestly, she wasn’t even sure why she’d come here or why any of this had been strangely comforting. Why had she come here, of all places? What did she expect to find in the man who was once their enemy?
“Kitty, you need to tell me what’s really going on,” Erik probed. He needed the full story even though he’d gotten it before in between choked sobs.
"Kurt, Logan, and I went against the Professor's wishes and sought to make a partnership with Captain America," She struggled through the next few words, "They didn't trust us and Kurt got hurt real bad. Logan traded his freedom for ours and so Kurt could get treatment. Then Captain America changed his mind and said that once Kurt was better, he'd put us both in prison. So I ran."
His expression turned pensive, his eyes darting to the ground before looking back up at her, “Why would you do that? Such a reckless decision? You should know that you can't trust the human government no matter what they promise you,” A note of chastisement in his voice, but it was overshadowed by a hint of concern, which he tried to hide.
“Kurt and I were tired of hiding. We thought maybe just maybe we'd be able to come out from the shadows if we forged a good relationship with heroes like Captain America,” She looked at the ground, her expression riddled with regret, “We never meant for anyone to get hurt.”
He was torn between anger and disappointment. How could they be so gullible? Hadn't they both faced betrayal before? But he also felt a twinge of sympathy, they were young and idealistic. He sighed, “You should have known better. Those who promise to help only do so out of selfishness, and those who call themselves heroes often forget what the word means. Your intentions might have been pure, but that doesn't erase the consequences.”
“I'm sorry, but I thought things could work. Obviously I was wrong,” She spoke bitterly.
His face softened, he sighed and looked away, “You're young, you believe that people can change and do good, but the world, the world does not work. That's why we have to be careful who we put our trust in.”
Kitty nodded slowly, looking at the ground with a hurt expression and a few tears forming in her eyes. She didn’t let herself cry again and wiped them away quickly. She then put her face in her hands and allowed the silence to settle in once more. Erik silently wondered why this girl still had hope enough for this kind of naïvety. How she was still so innocent after everything she’d seen.
“I’m sorry for wasting your time. I know ruling Genosha is probably a lot more important than this,” Kitty apologized suddenly.
“It is not a waste of time to help a fellow mutant,” Erik shook his head and sighed again.
“You’ve been sighing a lot which means something’s going on,” Kitty narrowed her eyes.
Erik straightened his posture and looked directly at her, “I’m going to give you three options.”
“Three options?” She looked confused, “For what?”
“You need to leave this place. You have many things to resolve and as easy as it would be to stay put and feel sorry for yourself, you need to start fixing things,” Erik answered bluntly, “So I am going to give you three options and you must choose one.”
“And if I don’t want to?” She asked. She looked like she knew the answer already.
“The difference between myself and Charles is that he will allow you leeway. I will not,” Erik declared, unclasping his hands.
Kitty widened her eyes slightly and nodded, “Okay, okay, fine. What are the options?”
“One, you return to the mansion and ask Charles for help. Two, I take you to Genosha where you will be given refuge but will not be allowed to leave,” Erik started the list, “Or three, you try to resolve things on your own alongside Illyana, Gambit, and Rogue.”
“Since when was the third thing an option?” Kitty questioned.
“I think you forget that I was once Illyana’s teacher and Rogue’s..” He didn’t finish the statement. Kitty grimaced slightly, realizing what he meant.
“Anyways, they’re concerned. They knew something was wrong when Bobby got arrested. They went to investigate and found that Kurt was hospitalized and under SHIELD’s watchful eye while you and Logan were nowhere to be seen,” Erik explained to her, watching her face change to guilt.
“So Rogue reached out?” Kitty asked.
“No,” Erik shook his head, “Illyana asked for your whereabouts.”
“And you told her,” Kitty assumed.
“I know you two are.. Close,” He nodded. Kitty put her hand over her face as he went on, “They have a plan, Kitty, which you notably do not have.”
When Kitty didn’t respond, Erik continued, “If you choose that option, I will give you and Kurt access to Genoshan medicine and temporary refuge there.”
“Including Logan?” Kitty asked, a silent pleading look in her eye.
“Including Logan,” Erik repeated with a nod.
“I guess there’s only one option then,” She looked at the ground and took a deep breath, “Guess I’m going with them.”
A flash came from outside. They both looked at the window. Erik mumbled, “Just in time.”
Kitty nodded and then stood up, “I’ll get my stuff.”
“Kitty. I do have one last question,” He stopped her.
She stayed in place, “What is it?”
“Why did you come here?” He asked and then added more to the question, “I would understand trying to hide by yourself or seeking out one of the X-men alone, but why would you choose to ignore those options and seek help from an old man that was once considered your enemy? It is odd to me.”
“Kurt said something to me once that I’ve had time to think about now,” Kitty looked up at him, “‘The most guarded souls were once the most welcoming.’”
“He’s a wise one, that one,” Erik said.
“Yeah,” Kitty nodded solemnly and then left the room to gather the few things she’d brought with her.
Moments later, the door opened and Illyana walked inside. She looked around and saw no Kitty and crossed her arms, looking at Erik with slight judgment.
“She’s here, she’s just gathering her things,” Erik said before Illyana could speak.
“How is she?” She asked quietly.
“Hurt, but she will heal,” Erik responded and then stood up, approaching her, “Where are Rogue and Gambit?”
“Looking for Logan. They believe they have found him,” Illyana answered.
Erik put a hand on her shoulder and lowered his voice, “Now that I’ve done something for you, you must do something for me.”
“For her? Anything,” Illyana agreed and listened closely.
“Are you aware of what happened to her at HYDRA?” He asked.
“She told me every detail,” She replied, her expression darkening.
“And do you know what happened at the gala?” He continued to question.
“Not everything, but I have a vague idea of what happened,” She locked eyes with him.
“So you know that the Winter Soldier was involved both times,” He affirmed.
Illyana nodded.
“If you encounter him again,” Erik began, his voice hardening, “Kill him.”
Illyana tensed up before quietly asking, “Is that necessary?”
“It will prevent him from hurting any more mutants. Permanently,” Erik convinced, looking down at her, “But she must not know.”
Illyana looked at the ground, thinking it over before nodding, "Understood."
Kitty came in with a bundle of clothes and her laptop held under her armpit. She spotted Illyana and froze a simple, “Hi,” falling from her mouth.
“Hi,” Illyana blinked, the favor he’d asked her to do slipping from her mind.
Erik removed his hand from Illyana’s shoulder, looking between them with a brow raised. The look and the silence they shared would give anyone the impression that a lot was left unsaid between the two. It always seemed that it was up to him to move things along. He lifted his hand and snapped his fingers, getting them both out of their staring.
“You two have places to be. Now go,” He directed, gesturing to the portal outside the window that Illyana had summoned.
“Right,” Kitty broke eye contact and walked towards the door. Illyana followed after her but paused at the door.
“You coming with?” Kitty asked, her hand on the doorknob.
“No. I’m going to stay here another day,” Erik replied, crossing his arms, “I’ll give Lorna another day.”
“Thank you for everything, Erik,” Kitty thanked him and then went outside.
Illyana let her go before looking back at Erik and nodding. She then followed her outside and both girls went into the portal. With another flash, the portal was gone and Erik was alone in the quiet cabin.