Being a mutant was never easy. Raven, alias Mystique like she wants to be called, knows that pretty well. She had to learn it the hard way. Her family, her own blood, tried to kill her as she was just an infant.
One day, a man called Erik Lehnsherr, alias Magneto, showed her that she has the ability to fight against injustice towards mutants and to show everyone that she's actually superior to them. His visions seemed legit to her then, so she followed him straight even if that means that she has to abandon Charles, her foster brother who took care for her and has given her the feeling of a real family as nobody else did. Erik's cause was more important to her than Charles back then. But today, she realises that this was a mistake.
Her beloved mentor Magneto has tried to kill her for his own surviving. That made her realise that others have no value for him. How could she have missed that point?
Today, she knows that Magneto's ideology might be right but his way of reaching its goals is completely wrong and that means that she has to stop him before he causes any more chaos as like he did before.
In the past year, she tried her best to track him but somehow he's always managed to escape and to leave false clues. This has led her to go for the most desperate idea which came to her mind before giving up: She needs help from Charles. She is unsure about if he's gonna help her but it's worth a try.
She stands at his door nervously in her usual blonde appearance and takes a last comforting breath before she knocks loudly. A familiar face opens the door slowly. It's Hank. He immediately smiles as he notices who knocked on the door.
"Raven... Hey... what are you doing here?"
"Hey Hank, good to see you. I'm here because I need your help. Actually, I need help from Cerebro. There's someone I need to find and Cerebro is my last opportunity. May I come in?"
Hank looks confused but he lets her enter and guides her to Charles study. On the way, Mystique notices some young mutants who seem to live at the mansion now. It's quite impressive that Charles and Hank seemed to have realised their dream of a school and a safe place for mutants.
"Come in, Raven!" Charles shouts just as she wanted to knock. She enters straight and Hank decides to stay in the hall. Charles looks like a new man now. He almost looks like she remembers him from their stay in England. He looks like the professor again and Mystique is relieved to see that he's better. "Hey, Charles. I guess, you already know why I'm here."
"Yes and I can understand it pretty well but I also have to tell you that catching and killing him won't change anything."
"Are you insane? If Erik's dead humanity won't have a reason to hate us anymore. He's the reason why we are persecuted and mutilated."
"That might be true but killing is no solution, Raven. It never was. You saw what happened with Trask. He is no thread anymore. There are always other ways. The same goes for Erik. As he was imprisoned, we had no trouble with him."
Mystique shrugs. "Will you at least help me to find him?"
"I can try. But promise me to act legally and not end his life in wrath." Mystique takes a deep breath. "Okay, I promise" she replies and Charles puts on a happy face. "Good. Follow me to Cerebro then" He rolls out of his study and Mystique follows him. Hank still stays next to the doorframe and doesn't move, only his gaze follows them. Mystique notices that and tries to encourage him to follow them by showing him a hand gesture saying "Come on!". He understands and follows them instantly.
Standing outside of Cerebro in silence with Hank while Charles is doing his work makes Mystique nervous. She really hopes that Charles will be successful.
"So... how are you lately?" Mystique tries to break the ice and start a conversation with the silent Hank who is just staring at the floor, avoiding her gaze. It's so adorable that he's still so shy after all those years.
"Me? Oh... I'm fine. And you?" He mutters, finally looking at her face with a slight smile.
"I'm fine, too. Did you build this... I don't know... basement here? It looks incredibly futuristic and so cool."
"Ehm, yes. Charles and I wanted to make this here look special and important."
"Well, you definitely reached this goal. It's your masterpiece, Hank."
"Thank you." Mystique shows him a bright smile. She means it. Cerebro and this basement, whatever might be behind the other doors, are a true masterpiece. Charles should be proud to call such a genius like Hank a friend.
"Do you want something to drink or anything else?" Hank offers.
"No thanks. I'm happy." They exchange a short glance.
Moments after, Charles appears with a disappointed look. "Sorry Raven. I could not find him. It seems like he disappeared from this planet. Either he's wearing that helmet or he's dead." Mystique shrugs. "He cannot be dead, Charles. I think he's just hiding."
"I'm sorry." Charles seems to be sad, too. "It's ok... at least you tried. Thank you for that." As she is just about to leave, Hank suddenly throws in, "Why don't you search at night time? I'm sure that he's not smart enough to sleep with it." Mystique and Charles exchange a look. "He's right, Raven. We could try it." She doesn't know what to say. Charles is her only chance. "Okay let's try it tonight again. Thank you for your effort. It means a lot to me." She leans down to hug him. "Of course you can stay here for tonight. Your room is still free and untouched. The kids won't disturb you, I guess." Charles whispers in her ear. She lets go of Charles and turns to face Hank. A little heavy hearted, she gives in and accepts their offer.
At one o'clock in the morning, Mystique and Charles go after their plan. She is waiting outside of Cerebro while Charles does his work. She really hopes that this time it will work because Erik is giving her too many sleepless nights. Thankfully, she could spend this sleepless night with Hank who was kind enough to give her company and distract her a little with stories about the new students which she loved to hear. He seems to be happier, too, since the last time she saw him. After all, he deserved it.
"I found him." Charles throws in and Mystique is full of happiness.
"Finally!", she exclaims with a bright smile on her face. "So, where is he?"
"He's currently in a small flat in Paris." He writes down the address on a small piece of paper and hands it to Mystique. She hugs him once again. "Thank you so much, Charles." "You're always welcome, Raven. Just be careful and don't forget about our little agreement."
"I won't. Believe me. Goodbye Charles." She lets go of him and goes to the lift. "And come here more often. Hank and I miss you a lot." Mystique turns around and smiles. "I will but my mission comes first. Bye." "Goodbye Raven."
Charles goes back to sleep and Mystique heads for the main door. "Are you already leaving?" Hank interrupts her. She stops in her tracks and turns around to face him. "Yes, I do. It's urgent remember?" Hank's face falls. He's visibly sad. "Yes, I do... But don't you want to sleep at least a few hours or eat something before you leave?" Mystique shots him an annoyed look. It's cute of him to be that caring but she knows exactly what she needs and what not. But on the other hand he might be right.
"Sorry. You don't need to listen to me. Ehm... goodbye." He leaves the hall fast, heading for his room. Hank can be such an innocent cute little lamb sometimes. Mystique adores this somehow. She decides to follow him. "Hey Hank... you're right. I should sleep a little. But only this night." His expression changes to happy now. "Then... Good night and sweet dreams. Scream if you need something." Mystique bites her lower lip and smiles. "Okay. Good night." She goes to her old untouched room, puts her bag with her few belongings down and sinks down on her bed to sleep.