Words Could Make Wishes Come True

Participants:

elisabeth_icon.gif kaylee_icon.gif

Scene Title Words Could Make Wishes Come True
Synopsis Kaylee and Liz meet again. For the first time.
Date January 19, 2019

Secure Facility, Kansas City, MO


Seeking out a quiet spot, Elisabeth has managed to find a corner with a couple of plush chairs where no one else is within range. The stress of keeping up a calm face for everyone is wearing on her just a little bit, but she has managed for the past several days. Between medical scans, question and answer sessions, and other sundry things that SESA is using to help the refugees get settled as well as making sure Aurora's all right, Evie's all right, and trying to keep a lookout for her little group of cats that made it through the portal, Elisabeth tends to find herself pretty busy. Quiet isn't so easy to find… but she's an audiokinetic, so it's possible. It's why she doesn't hear the approach of the telepath until she's already there within the bubble that Elisabeth is holding around the seating area.

She's slouched in a chair, her head back, and her eyes closed as Kaylee approaches. That changes the instant the other woman crosses the threshold of her bubble — the instant reaction is defensive as Elisabeth comes upright. In the split second it takes her to identify her company, she was definitely coming up fighting. But she calms immediately and offers a small smile. "Been a long time."

While, the telepath tenses somewhat, she doesn’t react to the other woman’s actions. “Takes awhile to come down from that,” Kaylee offers as a way of understanding. Her smile pulling to one side a bit ruefully. “Even longer to realize the government wasn’t going to come after us and string us up. I might not have gone through what you have, but… I have an idea.”

She motions to the empty seat. “May I?” Kaylee asks politely. This wasn’t the same woman, Liz knew, more obviously because of the lack of the scar that marred the side of her counterpart.

"Of course," Elisabeth replies, moving to sit further upright. She doesn't apologize for the reaction, but she smiles slightly to acknowledge that it's really not that different. "I'm glad to see you up and about. You scared the shit out of Richard," she observes mildly. "Are you … okay?" It's so strange to look at this woman, to have known the one who stayed behind so well, her copy in Bright at least some, and this one… almost not at all. "If I say something that upsets you, please… just kick me?" There's a faint grin. "I traveled with another version of you for a lot of years. I might slip into old habits."

Taking a moment to settle into the chair, Kaylee studies a woman who is far less familiar to her. “I’m fine.” How does she explain what happened to her? It was still a weird situation for her. “ I just overreached myself.” It would have to do for now since she was still processing it all.

Glancing around them, Kaylee frowns a bit. “Just, ready to get out of here and home to my family.” Hands brush over jean clad legs as she speaks about it, a show of her anxiety to get home; one finger holding worn gold band. “Don’t like having to lie to them either.”

THere is a soft sigh, before she looks back at Elisabeth. “I knew you travelled with a version of me. Not sure if Richard told you about some of what happened these last several months. Part of it, was visions of other places. Places you’d been it seems, through the eyes of other versions of ourselves. I haven’t really told a lot of people, but… I had a lot of visions.” Eyes widen a bit at the thought. But then she gives a huffed chuckle, which sounds a little nervous.

She goes quiet for a moment before finally saying, “She missed you. After you… jumped?” was the the right word, Kaylee is going off a memory of the term, “All of you were in her thoughts, constantly.”

It's not something they'd talked about. "There's so much to cover, it's not… " Elisabeth stops, leaning forward on her knees and resting her elbows. "I miss her more than I can say," she admits softly. "Aurora misses her more." She looks up and pushes a small smile. "Thank you… for telling me. Having word of her is … " She trails off again, looking down at her hands.

"I'm… having a little trouble sorting out the idea of being home," she admits. "I'm still waiting for something to happen… for Hiro to show up and tell us we're in the wrong place or time." Both hands come up and drag through her hair, clasping them behind her neck as she leans back so she can see Kaylee well. "Tell me about your family?" she invites.

“My family?” Kaylee seems a little surprised about that question. “Where to begin.” A look goes down to her hand and she leans forward, to rest her elbows on her knees; fingers play with the band there.

“I’m married,” she states the obvious, showing the band before going back to fiddling with it, “His name is Joseph… I don’t know if you ever met him before you…” disappeared. There is an awkward moment before she continues. “Anyhow, he was a pastor and was Ferry council, now he works at Benchmark for Lynette as a councillor.” Kaylee expression seems a bit neutral, guilty maybe, tipping on the side of wistful. “We have three kids, together. My step-daughter, Hannah… Emily whom we adopted from the Lighthouse, and our son Carl.” Talking about the kids, her expression softens quite a bit.

“I’m sure you’ll get to meet them soon enough.” Kaylee has no doubt about that. “We live in the Safe Zone. Pretty sure Joseph would have prefered Detroit since it’s… stable, but… Richard needed me.” There is a touch of mischief mentioning her brother, a spark of something a bit more like the other her. “You probably remember how he can be. That hasn’t really changed much. He’s helpless.”

Elisabeth listens, using the time and the mundane topic to re-center herself on the here and now. A faint smile quirks her lips and she snorts softly, "Helpless like a baby sabretooth tiger." She considers and says, "I knew of Joseph. I might have met him a couple of times, but… I'm ashamed to say I can't remember. I tried to keep my distance from the Ferry so that I couldn't be forced to tell anyone anything ever again. I sent them what information I could, but… " She shrugs slightly.

She can't even begin to address the loss of both Mateos and Lynettes. The shaft of grief that lances through her is sharp. "I'm glad you're doing well," she tells the other woman. "It's a lot I'm going to have to catch up on when we get there." She looks down again, her lips pressing together. "I knew coming home would be hard. I didn't… really expect it to be like this."

“I would be lying if I said it was all sunshines and rainbow,” Kaylee offers up truthfully. No reason to sugar coat it, since Liz seemed like a strong enough person. “There are some crack in the family. He and I buttheads on things… Then again what family is ever perfect?”

Leaning back in the chair, feet stretching out in front of her, “And, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been nervous meeting you. Not sure how I’ll hold up in comparison to that other me.” Kaylee’s expression is sheepish, glancing up at the other woman shyly. “I haven’t been that… free spirited for a long time.”

That makes Elisabeth grin, a briefly cheeky expression lighting her features and easing the lines of strain. "She'd split herself in half laughing to hear herself being called the free-spirited one," she replies. "The world she came from, the Virus world. There wasn't much room for free spirits." She's quiet for a moment and says softly, "One of your alternates was my alternate's partner on the police force. Did you know?" She looks up and the amusement is clear. "It's been… really strange to live through so many what-ifs." A tilt of her head gives away her curiosity, though. "Mind if I ask why you were nervous to meet me? Hell… I think I should be the one nervous. Your brother ripped open the world to get us here… I'm pretty sure that's heavily frowned upon."

“Frowned on is putting it really, really mildly,” Kaylee comments quietly. In fact, it turn downright ugly at times. Resulted in death many times… “But that is not my place to tell you what all he sacrificed to get you here.” That was for Richard.

As for why she was nervous…

“Richard… “ Kaylee starts and then stops, straightening as she tries to figure out what to say.

“Losing you, just about destroyed him.” The telepath finally starts, “He and I spent a lot of time just talking when we were in Kansas for the war. So I heard a lot of stories. From him and your father.” One could be intimidated by all that. “So I guess I understood about his reasoning for tearing a hole in all of time and space.”

Kaylee’s expression saddens a little “Just… don’t listen to him when he says I don’t trust him. He likes to mistake worry for distrust. I love Richard more than my own blood. He’s my brother through and through… I have stood by him through it all, even when I wasn’t in total agreement.” Brushing at the corner of her eye, the telepath clears her throat.

There's a flash of deeper knowledge — the things sacrificed to get here were on both sides, and while she can't regret wanting to get home, Elisabeth does regret the people she couldn't keep safe along the way. She visibly flinches when Kaylee says what she does about Richard's loss. "I'm … glad that he talked to you," she says softly. "I'm glad he had someone to talk to." She swallows hard. "He teased that he should have known I'd find my best friend in all worlds… but I don't think I can ever make him understand how much I needed Felix's friendship when we landed in that world. I'd… only just realized that Aurora was coming. Up until we actually left, I was terrified I was going to wind up giving birth underground in a world where the virus killed everyone and Kazimir Volken was actively hunting us. I really… didn't expect that either one of us would survive." The admission is hard and Elisabeth looks away, fighting her own emotions.

She's silent for a long time. And then she pulls in a breath and pushes a smile. "He had a habit of telling me I didn't trust him just because I didn't do it his way. And then really being pissed off at me for a while." Elisabeth shrugs slightly and then has to huff out a soft laugh. "Good to know some things don't change, I guess."

“Yeah… Well, I’m pretty sure Luther and I both are on his shit list,” There is a rueful smile there, as Kaylee says that. “Luther is our security chief. Good man and good at his job, too.” Somethings says, possibly too good for Richard’s liking.

“Anyhow, if I can ask… how old is your daughter?” Kaylee can’t help but be curious. “Carl is going to be 7 this year and they way you describe it, I imagine she’s about the same?” A hand rubs at the back of her neck as she admits. “I found out about him after someone tried to kill me.” Seems both of them found out in unsavory ways. “It was a scary time after what you all did and the Ark falling. The Ferrymen were being pretty heavily hunted by the government and they almost succeeded in wiping us out.”

Pulling out a cellphone, Kaylee swipes at a screen, before turning it to show her. “My little spark. A handful little like I was, but also a lot of his father.” Once she knows Liz gets a good look, she leans close enough to swipe the screen to show the trio. Carl being a goof and the girls looking annoyed. “My girls. Emily is 10 going on 30…. and Hannah… she’s 8.” The dark haired girl stands out from her fair haired siblings, still the telepath talks about them with such fondness. “They’re excited to meet her one day.”

"Eh…. it takes a while, but eventually the shit list gets purged," Elisabeth grins. "Aurora's… She'll be 7 on June 21st." Her amusement is clear. "She almost shared her father's birthday. His real one, I mean. I thought I was in labor the week before. Turned out to be a false alarm." She only just now realized how close that was. Waving it off, she leans forward to look at the pictures of Kaylee's kids. Her smile softens. "They're beautiful," she says softly, as they scroll through them. When she looks up, she hesitates.

"Aurora understands that you're not the Aunt Kaylee she knew… but I kind of expect she's going to sort of… treat you the same way, as if you are. She's full of questions all the time, so… when you run into her, be prepared." Liz rolls her eyes. "She's really looking forward to the idea of starting school. She's never gotten to go before. I did what I could while we were on the move, though. Lynette was really …." She stops. She can't talk about Lynette yet. Clearing her throat, she says, "She doesn't read yet, but she wants to very much."

“I look forward to it,” Kaylee admits, taking the phone back. She means it. “As for the reading, I’m sure Carl will be happy to help his cousin.”

The stress and sorrow from the other woman is palpable, it beats against the mental shields Kaylee has wrapped around her all the time. Teeth worry at her lip a little, thoughtful and hesitant. “Look…” she starts softly, “I know you are worried about them, but… Don’t give up on Lynette and Mateo.” She offers Liz a bit of a smile. There is a touch of uncertainty, but… “I felt them and I followed,” she admits, tapping at her temple. “They’ll be back. It is just a question of when and not if.”

That makes Elisabeth come bolt-upright in her seat. "They're not dead?" The hope that springs to life is palpable. "What about… the others? The ones who hit the sides? I saw…" She swallows hard. "Coming through, some of our people tumbled, and then they were gone. They never made it here. Do you… do you think they could be alive too?"

There is a small shake of Kaylee’s head, shoulders lifting in a bit of a shrug. “I don’t know about the rest, I didn’t see them. But I did see Mateo and Lynette. I saw them rescued just before I was pulled back. I just don’t know when they are going to pop out.” Space and time were pretty foreign concepts.

“However,” Kaylee starts, hands spreading a bit in front of her. “If they survived, then maybe the rest of them did too. I would be cautiously optimistic, but not give up hope…yet.” Eyes unfocus a bit in thought, looking a bit… lost for a moment. There is a blink before the telepath refocuses on the other woman, “WIth hope the other people will at least land somewhere.” She had see that place between worlds and she can only hope no one will be stuck there, as fascinating as it was at first.

It's hope. It's something tangible that she can hold onto. And it's obvious how much Elisabeth needed it. She slumps backward into the chair and covers her face, fighting exhausted tears. "Thank you for that," she whispers as she draws her hands down, pulling her composure back around her like a blanket. From most she's managing to hide how deep that weariness goes, but in those few moments Kaylee can see and feel what the past 7 years have been for the audiokinetic — so much responsibility for so many things and people. Even now she's struggling to lay at least some of it down.

"Kaylee…" Elisabeth hesitates, and then shakes her head. "Would you mind looking in on Aurora and Evie — with Dessa's permission, of course?" Her blue eyes flicker with pain. "They've seen so damn much… they watched a firing squad two weeks ago. The fucker running the Ark …. in the dining room just cut people down around us. Kaylee… helped put some distance on the traumatic stuff for Aurora when we got to the Wasteland, so she could cope a little easier. Do you think it would be okay to do it again for them?"

Watching the other women with a touch of curiosity, the mention of the ARK has brows lifting in surprise, Kaylee’s own memory of a place with that nickname trickle in. “Seems no matter what the world, that place is a horrific shit show, huh?” she asks softly. The telepth often wishes she could block those memories, herself.

Elbows propped on her knew, Kaylee look at the ground between her feet as she carefully considers what Liz is asking. It wasn’t a small thing being asked, those kids couldn’t understand what their parents were asking or have a real choice in it. “I can do it, but only a short block, like a hourglass it will slowly trickle back. Maybe… “ she sighs,”…maybe I can add a trigger to turn their mind away from the trauma when they sleeps.” That way despite the trauma, the kids can get a good night's sleep. “Benchmark has a lot of good counselors, including my husband, to help the kids. They wouldn’t be the first, I’ve helped like that.” Wouldn’t be the last.

Leaning over, Kaylee touches Elisabeth’s hand, “It’s not a fix I’d recommend, especially, now that your not bouncing around…. but it will give you time to deal with your own trauma so that you are ready to help her when it is time.” The telepath knows it is rarely just the kids that need it.

"Honestly… if you can help her not have the nightmares quite as badly, that in and of itself would be a huge amount of relief," Elisabeth admits. "We're both gonna be talking to counselors for a good long while, I expect." Blowing out a slow breath, she drags a hand through her hair again. "I don't know how hard the nightmares will hit, so I'd like to hold off on it until we see what's happening. The past two worlds, it's taken about a week before they hit." She grimaces. Those babies have seen way the fuck too much.

Turning her hand into the touch, Elisabeth finds herself holding onto Kaylee's hand tightly before she really realized she was going to do it. She looks at their hands and looks up at the telepath, blurting out, "I don't know what to do now that I'm here. I've loved him for so long, Kaylee… but I feel like it's expecting too much out of someone when they've thought you were dead for 7 years. He loves Dessa… I figured it out when she came to me in 2014. I've known. And I don't know how to be here. I'm still… I know I'm here, but I'm really still not sure I'm here. I… will never doubt that he loves me." But she finally admits the fear to, of all people, Richard's sister, "But does he want me back in his life that way? Or just… as Aurora's mom and his friend?"

There is a soft chuckle at Elisabeth’s uncertainty, giving the hand a squeeze. “It’s true, he has feelings for Odessa… but,” Kaylee holds up a finger, “Trust me when I say he still feels strongly for you. I’ve been here since the day he learned you were just lost and not dead.” There is a knowing to the smile she offers Liz, “Like you said, the man did tear a hole in time and space to get you.”

The smile does slowly fall away, “That being said, don’t focus on that. Focus on you and that little girl. You have just made the most….” Kaylee doesn’t know how to explain it, but simply decides on the simplest, “amazing trip of a lifetime. You deserve some you time before you have to focus on a needy male,” ehe telepath says with a mischievous grin and a wink.

“And if my brother doesn’t realized exactly what he got back, well… “ Kaylee lets out a suffering sigh, letting go of Elisabeth’s hand and setting back in her chair, “…that is his own damn fault and not yours.”

Yeah. Yeah, he did. And he pointed it out on the plane too. "I don't honestly at this moment think he's the needy one," she admits on a soft huff of laughter. "It's been… incredibly lonely, Kaylee." She looks down and swallows hard. "Magnes grew up a lot over those years…" well, in some ways. "And for a time, the other Felix and my friend Ygraine's alternate were Godsends. But I've been untethered to anyplace… for a very long time. Aurora, and my people, are the only thing I've allowed myself to be connected to. But for all his growth, Magnes has never been someone to really talk to, exactly."

It's difficult to explain, and Elisabeth finally just gives up on trying. "The hardest part of being here is that I'm still untethered," she says quietly. "Some part of me thought that when I got here, it would feel like home. But I think I've forgotten what home feels like." Her lips twist slightly. "Standing on the other side of the portal, tuning it… just for a moment, I could feel the resonance of home. It was … there aren't words." She looks up. "The one other moment it felt right to be here was on the plane. The rest of the time, I'm just… waiting." For what, she has no idea.

“That kind of loneliness I get,” Kaylee does. “I spent five very long and lonely years in New York’s past. I can say for a fact, no matter how we romanticize it… the past was a nasty place to be. I wasn’t really alone, I had people I had met around me who loved and supported me, but… it was still lonely.” It wasn’t a time of her life she really speaks of much, even if she sometimes feels it. “You still need that you time to process and get used to being here and not having to worry about what the next day will bring… or if you will ever see the man you loved again.”

Fingers tap on the arm of the chair, before she sits forward again, eyes intent on the woman in front of her. “After I was rescued, Joseph disappeared and it was a while before I saw him again. Whatever happens from here forward… if he truly loves you he’ll find his way back to you.”

There is a small bark of laughter at herself, “Lord, listen to me.” The telepath gives her a sheepish smile, “Sorry, I guess what I am saying is… take it one step at a time.”

"What if I'm the one who can't find my way back?" she whispers, trusting this woman who wears the same face as someone she considered sister. "What if I never find my way home again after all of this?" Elisabeth looks to the side, blinking back tears. She's shed so goddamn many the past week or so, you'd think she'd be out of them.

Pulling in a breath suddenly, she shakes her head quickly. "I'm sorry — you didn't need that shit," she says, waving her hand as if to brush away the words she just released into the air between them. "I'll be fine. It's not my first rodeo." Her tone is firm as she dismisses it, the titanium spine that got her through the past 7 years very much in evidence — determination is one thing she has never lacked. Though some might call it an excess of stubborn.

“One step at a time, Liz,” Kaylee offers up again, with a gentle and understanding smile. “You’re not fine…. But just one day at a time. One hurdle at a time. Maybe you’ll get there.”

The telepath falls silent allowing the other woman to compose herself, watching her and not watching at the same time, as if a lowering of her eyes would give the audiokinetic a measure of solitude. “I’m not her,” Kaylee confirms softly. “My life took a different route; but, while my answers and reactions might not be the same…. I want you to know that you can come to me anytime. I’ll do my best to support you.”

Pushing to her feet, it looks like Kaylee is going to give Liz her solitude back. “We’re family. It’s what makes us stronger… makes us who we are.” There is a hint of something when she says that, but then it is gone behind the smile. “Anyhow, you get some rest.”

"I appreciate it more than you know," Elisabeth replies quietly. There are a lot of things that maybe should be said, but she simply pulls in a breath, lets it out slowly, and nods. "I will. One step at a time is pretty much the story of my life." Though she hasn't voiced the thought, it occurs to her that she's grateful to be kept in quarantine for a month. Acclimation first among the small group of people is overwhelming enough.

"Thank you, Kaylee." For listening, for the sense that she cares, for a lot of things. "I'll bring Aurora to meet you at dinner." Her smile is faint. It'll give the curious little one a time limit to bombard her aunt with questions.

Kaylee inclines her head a bit in recognition of the gratitude shown. “I look forward to it and many more discussions.” Tucking a tray lock of hair behind her ear, the telepath takes her leave giving Elisabeth a little more quiet time. A little me time.


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