16417/Titans 3023: Of Future Parentship, and Current Friendships

Titans 3023: Of Future Parentship, and Current Friendships
Date of Scene:	26 November 2023
Location:	Titans Timeship
Synopsis:	Irie gets to have a chat with present-Caitlin about the state of affairs with the fact that she's future-Cait's daughter. They realize that they're more alike than they thought and agreements are made.
Cast of Characters:	Irie West, Caitlin Fairchild

---

Irie West has posed:
    Irie's list of people she needs to talk to has dwindled down to one: Caitlin. The current one, not her mother from the future. That one was earlier and was filled with tears and hugs and happy reunions. She doubts the conversation with Cait will be any of that, save for filled with tears, which is why Irie saved this conversation for last. It, by and far, is going to be her hardest.

    It isn't hard to track Caitlin down. The ship isn't //that// big and they were warned not to go venturing into the ship. "Hey there," she says bashfully to Cait. "Um. We should probably talk. I have... I have things I want to say to you, things you'll want to hear." She looks up at her friend, "Come with me?"

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
When Irie hails Caitlin, the Amazon startles momentarily. It takes her wide green eyes a moment to relax, and she pats the air apologetically for her reaction. "Sorry, I'm-- sorry," she says, finally. "I'm just feeling a little on edge. Walls are closing in, y'know?" she explains, and manages a rueful sort of smile.

But she does push off the counter and head in the direction Irie indicates. Caitlin seems unsure of how to gauge how much space Irie physically might need from her. Not too far as to be standoffish, but not so close as to make her feel confined.

"I still need to talk to myself," she admits. "I had a long talk with Do-- Troia and Future Me, earlier. I just don't know what to say," she confesses.

Irie West has posed:
    "No, it's oaky," Irie reassures Cait as they find themselves off into a private corner. "I'm the one who should apologize. I'm... I'm sorry you found out this way. I'm sorry I didn't warn you." Quieter, smaller, she says, "I'm sorry you found out at all."

    There's a moment of silence as she bites at her lips before venturing onwards. "You're not her," she finally blurts out. "I mean. My mom. You're not her. To her, I up and disappeared and never came back, and doesn't remember me appearing in 2021 and joining the Titans. So..." she splits her hands apart, "Divergent timelines. I should have guessed since Cats 2 should have been a thing by now but never was."

    "So you don't have to be her, if you don't want to," she says quietly. "You don't have to be my mom. It's okay if you don't want to be my mom. The last thing I want is for you to feel pressured into //having// to be something you don't want to be. Or dating somebody you don't want to date. This doesn't have to be you. If you never date Wally, I'm fairly certain that I won't disappear into a cloud of causality."

    "But... you're family to me, even if you're not my mom," she says, lifting up her chin. "//All// the Titans are, and you're no different. You gave me a place to stay when I had nowhere to go, and you gave me a family when mine was left behind years into the future, and more than anything, I don't want that to change." Quieter, and sounding a bit small, "but I understand if it does."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
While Irie gets her words out, Caitlin listens with a somewhat solemn intensity. She can't help but examine Irie's fair features. Now that the connection is revealed, Caitlin is clearly wondering how she could have missed it. Irie's hair was more like Wally's but she had Caitlin's eyes and nose. The resemblance is impossible to deny.

"It's not--" she sighs, pushing her hair back from her face to tuck behind one ear. "It's not that I don't like Wally. Or that I don't want to be a mom. It's that--" another steadying breath. "Irie, I'm biologically only twelve years old," she admits. "I was a test-tube baby. My dad was my sole genetic contributor. I grew up in a VR environment. I'm sorry I didn't say it before, I just... it's just something I don't like talking about," she admits.

"What I'm trying to say is that I know I'm not /ready/ to be a mother. In another ten, fifteen years, I might feel like I've got my life under control enough that I can raise a child properly."

A hand lifts, to forestall Irie's response. "But," she amends. "You do need family. Wally's your father and I am-- eventually-- your mother. I owe it to myself, my future self, and most of all to you to step up and become who you're destined to be. It'll be an adjustment period," she agrees with a wry humor, "but between me and Wally, we might be able to form one halfway-decent parent."

Irie West has posed:
    Irie bites her lower lips as she listens as Caitlin explains. "Only twelve?" she asks, and then turns pensive. "That might explain why the Speed Force kept aging us up. You--" she catches herself. "Mom didn't say anything about it to us at the time though. Maybe she thought we had enough on our plate that we didn't have to worry about that."

    She shakes her head vehemently, however at what Cait says next. "No, see, that's the point. You don't owe it to me to be my parent. You //owe// it to yourself to be what you want to be. If that's my parent, I'm not gonna say 'no' but... I want that to be something you //want// to do, not something you feel like you //have// to do."

    "Give yourself some time, okay? I can give you some space if you need it," she says. "It's the same I offered Wally when he first found out. I didn't push him, and I'm not gonna push you. We're in a different timeline. Either things will work out like they did for me, or they won't, and it's okay if that happens."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
There is a moment when Caitlin starts to speak, then thinks better of it, and just smiles wryly again. "Lookit us," she says, gesturing back and forth between them. "Both trying to nobly self-sacrifice to make the other person happy."

"But the truth is that if I backed down now, I would regret it forever. No, I'm not ready for it," she admits. "Which means absolutely nothing, 'cause life happens whether you're ready for it or not. You got very unfairly deprived, Irie. /Iris/," she amends. "And it's in my power to help make up for that. If I didn't help you, how could I look myself in the mirror without feeling shame?" she posits, rhetorically.

Caitlin hesitates, then opens her arms and offers Irie a hug. "If you're patient with me, I'll do my best to be patient with you, and we can figure this out together."

Irie West has posed:
    Irie can't help but chuckle as Caitlin points out their own need to sacrifice their happiness for each other. "Like mother like daughter, I guess," she responds with a grin.

    She listens and nods and when a hug is offered, the offer is taken. "Thank you for trying," she says, breathing into Caitlin's chest. "You don't know how hard it was seeing you every day and not being able to say anything. I was so afraid I'd messed it up so many times but..." she squeezes tighter. "I think this is gonna work out okay, don't you?"

    She lets go, finally, and scoots back sniffling a little bit. "I... um... told you I had a twin brother, right?" she ventures. "I'm pretty sure I mentioned him around you before. Jai. He's the one who takes after you."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin hugs Irie firmly, and releases Irie carefully once she's had a chance to get her emotions under control. Hugging Caitlin is like hugging a warm old tree; a perception of pure strength and comfort.

"Yeah. Jai." An expression of wonder crosses Caitlin's face. "I'll ... I don't know," she admits. "Part of me wants to see him, see what he'll be like in your time. But on the other hand, I don't think I want it spoiled," she admits.

"We should figure some things out," she tells Irie. "I mean, once we're home and in our comfort zone. And talk with your ... father about things, too," she says. "I won't lie, this situation has put a lot of pressure on me and it's stressing me out seeing him. I don't want you OR him to feel like you have to walk on eggshells with me. But for now, maybe we can do some activities together. Mother-daughter stuff," she ventures. "Just start small and let things grow out naturally?"

Irie West has posed:
    "We're twins so you already got an idea of what he looks like," Irie says with a grin. "Not going to spoil the rest. Future-Mom showed me what he looks like all grown up and... yeah. I'm glad she showed me that. It might be a while before I get to see him again."

    She purses her lips and nods. "Yeah. Now's not really the time to hash over the details since we've got a universe to save. I just... I didn't want to go into that without making sure we had a talk and figured something out."

    "But I'd like to do some mother-daughter things with you!" she says with a grin. "We... we never actually got a chance to do much stuff like that. Everything was happening all the time. You know how it goes for people like us. But yeah! Start small. Go out and get a pedicure together, or something. I've never gotten one before. I think that'd be neat! We'll figure it out."

Caitlin Fairchild has posed:
Caitlin reaches out with both hands and gives Irie's fingers an encouraging squeeze. Of course, she could have no way of knowing that her future self had embraced Irie the exact same way during Irie's childhood. "It's a deal," she confirms. "Stop the bad guy, save the universe, have a /very/ serious talk with myself about my relationship with Donna, and then go back in time and start doing some family stuff," she declares.

"Just... don't Parent Trap me," she pleads. "I can work with the concept of being a mom, but I'm definitely not quite 'there' yet in terms of the practical buildup." A little light blush works over her cheeks at the admission. "Deal?"

Irie West has posed:
    Irie laughs brightly, and squeezes Cait's hands in return. "Deal!"