Tomorrow: A Cable Fic

The Circle of (my) Life

The next day I felt like complete shit. 

After forcing myself out of bed, I dragged myself downstairs to the kitchen where everyone was already conversing much too loudly and happily for my liking. I poured myself a large cup of coffee and leaned on the counter.

"What's wrong with you, Sleeping Ugly?" Wade asked. I groaned and rolled my eyes at him.

"Why must you be so chipper all the time?" I asked in annoyance as I took a sip of coffee.

"That would be the mania," he said. I nearly spat out my coffee, feeling the burn as it went down the wrong pipe. I shook my head, trying desperately to apologize as I coughed my lungs out.

"Nah, it's fine, I'm just fucking with you," he said. I sighed and rolled my eyes. "But really, it is the mania". I shook my head, stopping suddenly when Cable walked in. He seemed slightly out of sorts, too. His hair was messy, had a bit of a frown, and his mechanical eye appeared dimmer than usual. He looked in my direction, and for a brief moment we held eye contact, which only made my stomach churn. I looked away, clearly gaining Wade's attention.

"What's with..." he started, glancing from Cable to myself. His eyes widened, and he gasped dramatically. "Did you two-"

"No" I said, glaring at Cable across the room. I downed the rest of my coffee and slammed the mug on the counter. "Never will". I quickly walked out of the kitchen, brushing past Cable, and made my way up to my room. 

Slamming the door shut, I closed my eyes and breathed out. I felt the door being pushed open and looked up, stepping back. Cable slipped through the opening and closed the door behind him, sighing.

"We need to talk" he said. I furrowed my eyebrows, glaring at him.

"We talked last night, I thought you said everything you needed to" I replied. He shook his head.

"There's more-"

"What more can there be? Even though we're married, we can't be together" I said, cutting him off.

"Yeah, I can't have you hating me, though," he replied, "Yes, we get married, but that won't happen if you hold this grudge against me". I was taken aback slightly, and felt myself release whatever tension I unknowingly pent up.

"Look, what I meant last night was that we can't be together now because you still have to meet me in the future. If you're preoccupied with me, you probably won't meet me, and fall in love, and then everything-- me, Hope-- won't exist" he continued. I felt the guilt of it all hit me like a truck, and I fell back on the bed, letting out a shaky breath.

"I'm... sorry" I muttered. He walked over to me and sat next to me on the bed.

"It's hard for me too" he said softly, "I didn't think I'd run into you here... But I did, and seeing you everyday... it's tough. I look at you, and I see my wife, but I can't do anything. I can't hold her, I can't kiss her-"

"But you can" I whispered, fiddling with my fingers. I looked up at him shyly.

"But I shouldn't" he replied. I pressed my lips together and nodded, looking back down. My mind was like static; loud and distorted, chaotic. In less than twenty four hours I'd learned that my life would be everything I'd never even imagined; I'd marry the man of my dreams, have a daughter, but couldn't do anything about it for years. 

And then a little light came into my head.

"Tell me about her" I said. "Our daughter". He seemed taken aback and look straight ahead, a small smile coming to his face.

"She's beautiful. Looks like my mother, you hate that, but she's got some bits of you, too. She's got your nose, she scrunches it up like you do when you laugh. She's got your sense of humor, too. Can make anything into a joke. Finds the good in everything. She'll melt anyone's heart..." he said in a trance. Seeing him smile so genuinely made me feel warm inside. He looked over to me and I smiled back at him.

"Can't wait to meet her" I said softly. His smile faded slightly as he stared at me, making butterflies form in my stomach.

"I... I just really miss them..." he whispered. I reached out and held his hand, bringing it closer to me and holding it in my own.

"I'm here" I said, pulling myself closer to him. He chuckled and dropped his head slightly, shaking it. 

"It's... not the same" he replied, looking up at me. I brought his hand to my face, pressing his palm to my cheek.

"Maybe not... But I'm the one you fell in love with... That's something, right?" I whispered. Our faces moved closer together, and I felt my heart beating against my ribcage as his lips came inches from mine.

"You're dangerous" he whispered.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Because," he replied, "I can't keep myself away from you". He pressed his lips to mine, sending a wave of electricity throughout my body. I closed my eyes, focusing on nothing but Cable-- his lips, his touch. I found myself leaning into his palm, melting under his touch, yearning for more. My hands went to his chest, gliding up to his neck, pulling him closer. His hand moved from my cheek, gripping my wrist, a pulling it away slowly.

"We can't" he said.

"I can" I replied in a haze, still desperate for him. He shook his head.

"You don't wanna mess with this timeline" he said firmly. I clenched my jaw and watched from the corner of my eye as he got up and left the room, closing the door softly behind him. I sat in silence, brushing my thumb over my lips, still warm from his kiss.

Two things were certain: One, Cable couldn't resist the love of his life, no matter what time she was in.

Two, I would get my way.