Skippy, Part 1: Broken Mirror

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Skippy, scouting out the HeliX meeting for ambush potential, sees Kitty go off alone and gives in to temptation.


The dupe was a stupid idealist. He could remember feeling that way, before he'd learned better. It very nearly enraged him that the dupe had gotten so many of the other students--the ones who should rightfully have been his friends--to go along with this idiotic club, but it got them out of the mansion. It got them within reach. And he could be patient.

One of the humans--he didn't know their names, they didn't matter--leaned back, and there she was. His breath caught. She was even more beautiful than she had been the last time he'd seen her, just a few--no, it had been months, that was important, he had to keep it right in his head, he was the real one, and he was done with settling for anything less.

She smiled at the dupe, and he nearly left his hiding place to finish it then. She deserved the real one. She was too good to waste herself like that, on a fake.

He had to be patient. This was reconaissance. The rest would come later, and then everything would be right again.

Kitty finished off her soda and stood up. "I'll be right back," she said with a smile. She dumped the empty cup into the trash bin as she walked towards the bathrooms in back.

The opportunity was too good to resist. He shadowed her until they were out of sight of the group, then stepped into view. "Kitty--" His voice cracked slightly on her name, and he shut his mouth, trying to work up enough spit to talk. "I have to talk to you."

Kitty started slightly, unaware she'd been followed. "Jamie?" she asked, turning around. "I'm just..." She frowned as she caught sight of him. "Um, that's not what you were wearing a second ago..."

"No, it's--that's what I have to talk to you about. Please--over here, we can talk, you have to talk to me. Well, you don't, but--don't go back to him until you've heard me out. It's important."

"What are you talking about? Don't go back to who?" Jamie looked worried and... almost sick. "Are you ok?"

"Him.. The dupe. That . . . stupid fake that's been fooling you into thinking it's me." His face twisted. "Sleeping in my bed, taking my life, thinking it's me . . . you left me behind, you see, all of you did, and that--but I can forgive you, Kitty. I love you." He smiled, but it never quite reached his eyes. "I know you love me too. You just needed to hear the truth. I'm the real Jamie."

Kitty's brows furrowed. "Wha'... what are you... What do you mean, we left you behind? He's not..." He's not a dupe, she almost said, but something in his look cut her off.

"After the hurricane. I woke up, and everyone was gone. I had to walk back." He glowered. "And then I got here, and saw why. I didn't expect the others to know the difference, but you, Kitty, you know me better than anybody."

"After the... We... we didn't leave anyone behind after the hurricane..."

"Yes, you did," he said, smiling patiently. "You did. I got clear of the rocks, but my dupe didn't, and I . . . had to get away because it hurt, and the other dupe from the shelter came up right before we all collapsed. He's out there right now It's all a big misunderstanding."

"Clear of the roc... the wall?" Kitty's eyes widened, and she tensed, staring at the boy in front of her. It can't be... he... he died!

"Yes, exactly. I rolled clear after the first one hit me, but I duped--well, I couldn't help it, could I? Lots of kinetic energy in a collapsing wall. And the dupe got stuck. It hurt a lot--well, of course, because this was before I learned not to notice it. But not as much as coming back and finding out I'd been replaced hurt."

"No...," she said, stepping back. "No, you... How...? Where have you been?" Kitty knew in her bones that her Jamie, the Jamie back with the others, was the true Jamie. But who was this standing before her?

"I lived on the street for a while. I thought about going home, but, well, my parents were fooled too. Then . . ." He frowned. "I don't know if I should tell you. You'd probably take it the wrong way."

"Tell me... please?" Kitty bit her lip, looking worried.

"Well . . . if you're sure." He thought for a moment. "Do you remember how Mystique was pretending to be Bobby, right after all of that?"

Kitty nodded, her worry not decreasing in the least. "Yes..." she said, somewhat hesitantly.

"Well, she figured out what must have happened--she's very smart, and wasn't invested in believing my dupe was real--and came and found me, and Magneto took me in. Taught me how to control my powers, taught me . . . all sorts of things." His expression darkened momentarily. "He told me, he'd help me get my life back if I learned what he had to teach. But he doesn't keep his promises, so I left."

"You... you were with him..." And now the fear was starting to show on Kitty's face.

"I left, though. I left to come find you. Isn't that the important thing? It doesn't matter anyway--once I get rid of the dupe it'll all be better. We can pick up right where we left off."

"No... no..." She shook her head. "He's not... Jamie's not the dupe. We thought you... that the other dupe had died in the hurricane."

"Oh, it did. But he's a dupe too." He stared at Kitty, intense and edgy. "He is. I'm the real one."

Kitty backed up, away from the boy in front of her. "Why didn't... why didn't you come back, come to the Professor? He could help?

"Because it hurt, seeing everybody making a fuss over him. Nobody cared enough to even look for me, until Mystique did. Everybody I thought were my friends, and nobody even wondered."

"We... you were dead. Jamie felt you die."

"No he didn't." He sighed, impatient. "There was me, and then there were the other dupes at the shelter. I ran after that kid, and got hit by the rocks, and got away, but when I got hit by the rocks, I duped, and that's who--and stop calling him that, I'm Jamie--that's who he felt die."

"Look," Kitty said, moving firmly away from any question of which one was 'real'. "We can go back to the Mansion now, and talk to the professor. Ok?"

"N-no." And now it was his turn to back up. "That wouldn't--there are things--he wouldn't understand, I couldn't explain them right. I need to take back the dupe for none of that to matter anymore I--" He paused, then straightened, electrified. "Or you could come with me! You could. We could just go off, and be together somewhere, and none of that would matter anymore, we wouldn't have to--he could have the rest. We could be happy."

"What?" Kitty exclaimed, startled, and took another step back, bumping into the wall. "No. No, we should... we should talk to the Professor." Her eyes suddenly widened. "What do you mean 'take back the dupe'?"

"What do you think?" he asked, puzzled. "He's not real, I am. It's pretty amazing he's stayed stable this long, but I'm back now, so there's no need for him anymore."

"No." Pushing off from the wall, Kitty stood deliberately between Jamie and the frightening dupe in front of her. "No, we... The Professor will know what to do."

"You're taking his side." He glared. "You shouldn't do that, he's a fake, he's not worthy of you. This isn't how it's supposed to go."

"Look, J..Jamie," she stuttered over the name. "I'm... I'm not taking sides. I'm just saying Professor X will be able to help you."

"I don't need his help! I know what I need!" He took a deep breath, clenching trembling hands into fists, then relaxing them. "This isn't going right," he mumbled. "Played my hand too soon. Bad tactics, Hydra, no treat . . ." He frowned, and continued in a normal tone. "I'm going to go. This didn't work the way it should have. It's not your fault, it's a pretty big thing to hear all at once. But I saw you go off by yourself and . . . I guess I got carried away. I'm sorry. I'll give you some time to think things over." He smiled at her. "I love you, Kitty. I know you'll make the right decision."

Kitty frowned, looking frightened as the dupe seemed to fight with himself. She didn't say anything, simply watched him, uncertain what he was going to do.

He nodded. "That's right. You just need some time." He turned to go, and tossed another smile over his shoulder. "See you soon." And he vanished into the crowd.

Her eyes were wide as they followed him, but as soon as she lost sight of him Kitty turned and rushed back to the table. "Jamie. Jamie!"

Jamie's head whipped around at the panic in Kitty's voice, and he got up to meet her. "Kitty? What's wrong? Are you all right, is--what happened?"

"I... I saw... Jamie!" Her eyes were a little wild as she glanced back over her shoulder, looking for the dupe. "There's... Oh God, Jamie, tell me that was a joke." Although she didn't see how it could be, Kitty was frightened enough to want any other explanation than the one her mind was supplying.

"I don't--" He put his arms around her, trying to offer calm support. "I think you're gonna have to back up a bit, love. What's wrong?"

"There's... oh God. A dupe, Jamie. A dupe, it's gone mad. It thinks it's the original, that you're... that we left him, and you're a dupe and... He wanted me to leave with him. He kept talking about reabsorbing you." She looked like she was going to cry.

"Oh, hell." He held her closer, trembling a little himself. "Are you--no, of course you're sure. We'd better go to the Professor right away." He bent to kiss her cheek softly. "It'll be okay, Kitty."

Her arms wrapped around him tightly and for a moment she hid her face in his chest, shaking as she forced back the tears that threatened. "Jamie..." she said at last. "Jamie, he's... he was with Mystique..."

Jamie swallowed hard. ". . . All the more reason to tell the Professor right away God, you must have been so scared." He stroked her hair soothingly. "It'll be okay," he promised, as much to himself as to her.

"We should... yeah. We should go." She snuck another look over her shoulder, afraid she'd see the other one watching her, watching them.

"Right." Jamie looked over to the rest of the group and raised his voice. "Guys? We're quitting early today. We need to get back to the school right away. Explanations and the next date sometime soon, all right?"

Maybe because of the look in his eyes, nobody protested too much, and the meeting broke up quickly.

Kitty kept as close to Jamie as they left, and kept glancing back over her shoulder, looking worried.

---

And, in a parallax view (thanks, Rossi!) from the meeting table, Amanda and Bethany react to the news.


"You keep that up an' we ain't gunna get this done," Amanda murmured. Bethany pouted, but didn't stop running the toe of her sneaker up the back of Amanda's leg under the table.

"I thought all this training of yours was meant to improve your concentration," she replied, her smile teasing. Amanda lay down her pen where she was trying to write notes for fund-raising ideas and leaned over to kiss Bethany briefly on the cheek.

"I meant, luv, you keep doin' that an' I'm liable t' have me way with you right in the middle of this coffee shop, in front of all yer mates, an' mine," she said in Bethany's ear, punctuating her words with a gentle inhale that set Bethany squirming a little in her seat. She was about to say something about it being educational, but just then Jamie announced the meeting was breaking up early.

"Huh, what? No way?" the skater protested.

"What the fuck?" Amanda asked, looking up at Jamie in surprise. He was tense, she could see that easily, and beside him Kitty was pale and nervous. She decided on a closer 'look' before saying anything else.

"Hey, Madrox, what's the big idea? We're just getting something done here?" Bethany challenged, more unwilling to cut things short with Amanda than upset about the meeting itself, although she'd been glad to be finally doing something concrete. She was ready to continue complaining, but was silenced by Amanda laying her hand on her arm and giving her a meaningful squeeze.

"Somethin's up," the witch said quietly, eyes still fixed on Kitty. "Leave it, B."

"What…? How…? Wait, you're doing the aura thing, right? What's happened?" Bethany dropped her voice as around them people began reluctantly collecting their bags and preparing to leave, confusion plain in their voices.

"Dunno, but whatever it is, Kitty's scared out of her wits."

"More than a spider in the bathroom, then?" Bethany said, half-joking even as she began stuffing the notebook and pen Amanda had borrowed to jot notes down with back into her bag. "Unless it's a giant man-eating spider from outer space or something."

Amanda snorted and slid out of the booth. Around them then the rest of the group was doing the same, with varying levels of co-operation and complaint. "With half the stuff that goes on at the school, I wouldn't be bloody surprised," she said, waiting for Bethany to retrieve her skateboard from the under the table. "I'll walk you home. Just let me ask Clarice t' pick me up from yer place."

"'Walk me home'? You don't have to do that, babe." Bethany's protest was token - she was amused that Amanda thought it necessary. Amused and touched.

"No, but it'll make me fell better knowin' yer safe at home, with whatever Big Bad might be out there." Amanda darted into the crowd and snagged Clarice's sleeve, speaking urgently and quickly. The teleporter looked confused, but nodded, giving Amanda an odd look as the witch made her way back to Bethany and grabbed her hand. "That's done. C'mon."

Bethany grinned. "I love it when you get protective."

Cut-tags courtesy Matchbox 20, "Downfall."