She nodded slowly, in all frankness she agreed with Lee. NY seemed to be a magnet for trouble – not only for people in this time, but even in her time apparently. It wasn’t a coincidence she managed to get teleported from Boston to New York City, after all. Despite it’s culture of acceptance & pro-mutant, the city had a fair share of bigots. Plus, after hearing about the rip, it seemed that some mutants were causing damage in ways that they might not be able to predict. 

She gave a weak smile, “I understand. You left for the safety of your son but he wouldn’t come. This city… It can be home to dangerous elements. There is good elements, too, of course. As a parent, I imagine it must be tough to try to keep your child as safe as possible despite the horrors of the world, of humanity.”

Gwendolyn definitely seemed understanding about what Lee was saying. Some things were just universal, Lee realized, across not only space, but also time.

”It’s not tough,” Lee said after a moment, a small frown on her face. ”It's terrifying trying to protect him, but make sure to prepare him.”

Lee paused, taking a deep breath as her frown deepened. ”I just hope people are more accepting and less cruel by the time his powers emerge,” she finished softly.

She smiled as she listened, nodding as she spoke. This conversation got very intense. Gwen had chosen not to get married in her time, or have children, mainly because she didn’t want too. She saw how many women died from childbirth, or how many children died before reaching even 2 years of age. It was… Depressing. Lee confirmed most of her feelings of not wanting children, though – it is just too d*mn scary keeping them safe.

She smiled encouragingly, “I am sure things will be better. Look how far we have come since my time. The union was in the middle of the American Civil War. Guess who lost? The slavers did. Good people, people with justice, will always win in the arc of history.” Granted, terrible other things ended up happening - the Holocaust, the current political climate towards refugees and such. But she was trying to think of the good things. She was trying her best to be encouraging. Whether it worked, she had no idea. She wasn’t the greatest when it came to emotions – despite herself being a basket case of emotions. 

Lee nodded. She hoped that Gwendolyn was right. The woman seemed so optimistic, so sure that things would be better. Lee hoped that she was right, but wasn't expecting it to happen. Individuals might become more tolerant, more accepting but people weren't; two seperate mutant registration acts told her that much.

”At least we'll know and be accepting of what'll happen. It's more than either of us had.” Another frown, a glance down at the table.

”Unfortunately, the arc of history doesn't mean as much when you're not an immortal or a Time traveler,” Lee finished with a slight, one sided smile.

She fiddled with her empty coffee cup as she waited for Lee to respond. Gwen presumed the woman probably had some serious doubts about it.

She nodded, “Precisely. Imagine in my time? If you had a mutation, you were automatically presumed a witch, sorcerer, etc. Some type of demon. Certainly has improved since then.” She nodded affirmatively.

She laughed and nodded, “True, true… But your child’s child will be in a more peaceful, tolerant world than you will be. Speaking of which, how do you know he will be a mutant? Did you have that… Um… What do you call it… Genetical test?”

Lee hadn't really thought about how mutants would have been viewed in the past. She knew there had been mutants, Sebastian was a prime example of that, but she hadn't really heard much about his past. It did make a lot of sense, though.

Did that mean that witches that had been put on trial had actually been mutants? It was a very interesting idea to consider, but this was most likely not the right time.

Her grandchild would live in a more peaceful world? That was wishful thinking, hopefully the world wouldn't end first. Yes, Lee could be a bit pessimistic.

But when Gwendolyn asked if they had done testing on Kevin to know that he was a mutant, Lee frowned and tilted her head. ”Why would we bother doing something like that?” Lee asked. ”It's like how two people with blue eyes will likely have a kid with blue eyes. I'd be surprised if he wasn't a mutant.”

Gwen sighed as she tapped the side of her cup. Despite the atrocities that were committed by previous generations, the 1800’s was still her home. She missed her family and her life dearly – after all, she went from being very wealthy to being moderately okay. 

Gwen was taken a little aback by the sudden response. She wasn’t sure if it was just in her head, but it seemed very… Defensive. Gwen mumbled an apology, “Oh… Oh, well… I mean, some people do. I would love to do a test on myself, just to see what my ancestors had been. Maybe even find who my family is at this time.” She shrugged a little, unsure of how to finish her wording.

When Gwendolyn apologized, and explained why she was thinking of getting a genetic test done herself, Lee realized what she had fully meant asking about the testing. ”I must have misunderstood what you meant,” Lee said her tone softer than it must have been before. ”In my experience, most people asking that would be hoping the test would say human.”

At that point, Lee sat there thoughtfully for a few moments. ”You know, I've never even thought of doing that. For the longest time, I had no use for my family.”

Gwen gave Lee a smile after she explained why she reacted the way she did. It made sense – people probably did that test and immediately found out they had an X-Gene and would flip and leave their kids or something awful. It definitely wasn’t some hope he was human. She could care less if was a human or mutant – a person is a person, no matter what an X-Gene is. She gave a frown after thinking about it for a second, “I understand, but that was definitely not my intention.”

She kind of frown smiled. It was a weird emotion. It was a smile because she was going to say they could do it together – Gwen would even pay for it for Lee. But a frown, because of the no use for her family. She decided to make a joke of it, “I don’t really have any use for mine, either.” She laughed, considering they were in a different time. Well, technically dead now, but Gwen preferred to think of it as they were just in a different timeline. Whether that made sense or not, she wasn’t even sure. 

Gwendolyn hadn't meant what Lee's mind automatically jumped to when questions of genetic testing came up. That was very good. Lee was really starting to like the younger woman sitting across from her, might actually be able to become friends, but that would never work if Gwendolyn she would test her son hoping he was human.

And Gwendolyn tried joking that she had no use for her family either. Though Lee doubted that was true in the same sense, Gwendolyn had already been too concerned about how her family had fared after she had ’left for that to be true, the talk about family made her glance at the ready holding her sister's and son's drinks. ”I should probably be getting back,” Lee said. ”My sister is liable to send out a search party for me soon. But it was great to meet you.”

She nodded, checking her watch. They had been talking for quite a while. "It was a pleasure speaking with you. Have an amazing, wonderful day and please reach out if you do need assistance. Or even a friendly chat." She smiled as she stood up and daintily shook Lee's hand again. She threw away her empty coffee cup and headed off, finishing her exploration. 

(I think we can consider this a wrap. Thanks for the great thread! <3)