500 Miles Hellfire 2
By Princess Alexandria
Once the comm connection was cut Raven found herself staring into Tessa's eyes, they just stood still and stared in silence for long enough to make Emma fidget. Emma's slight wince drew both women's attention to the blonde. "Tessa, that healer you found after," Raven's words trailed off. Everyone in the room could fill out the rest of the sentence themselves.
"She died, a sentinel killed her." Tessa's words were soft and Raven felt a wave of regret when she heard it. That woman had been kind and gentle to Raven and Christy when they needed it. "It wasn't long after she treated you."
"I hate this country." Raven glared at the floor.
"I know dear, so do I." Emma spoke gently and moved closer. "Things were so much better for us in Genosha, but now that it's gone this is what we have left."
"I could check and see if there are any other healers around. Perhaps a student." Tessa offered and Raven looked up, her eyes asking Tessa to.
"That would be nice. I wasn't looking forward to more cosmetic surgery to cover up yet another scar." Emma actually sounded amused. "If you had stayed with your old body I was going to refer you to my doctors dear. Your old wounds were leaving too many stories on your skin." Raven looked up to see Emma glancing at Raven's wrists, which weren't showing old scars now.
Raven could feel Tessa's eyes on them and then felt her hand on Raven's shoulder. The dark haired woman would be able to follow this conversation. "The others should be back within two or three hours." Tessa changed the subject. "The secondary team might be here in less than ten minutes."
"So you're saying the peace and quiet is over and now we have to deal with the riff raff." Emma sighed. "Is that it Tessa dear?"
"I wouldn't have put it that way." Tessa smiled just a little at the blonde and Raven found herself looking between the two again. There was tenderness there between them, Raven had seen hints of it during her captivity, but it was still there. Raven felt her heart clench a little at the thought that filled her mind, one that had been with her for a while and never had seen any evidence to prove it untrue. "We'll have a meeting to discuss our options now once everyone is back." Tessa's expression changed from opened and teasing to all business in a flash. "We do have decisions to make." Tessa turned to look at Raven. "I need you there Raven." A hint of pleading entered Tessa's voice, as if she were afraid Raven would leave now that the Professor was captured. "This isn't over yet."
"I'll be there." Raven answered Tessa. She wasn't going to go until she knew all was well, that the Professor and the threat he posed were really under control.
It was at that moment that Raven realized she wasn't going to stay. There had been a question in her mind before, when they were all working on the plan to rid themselves of the Professor. She did love the Xmen here, but this place would never be home again, and on some level she knew that, but even with the Professor gone it wouldn't be home. Tessa must have known that. It would explain her plea for Raven to stay for now.
………………….
The recap of the fight dragged on longer than the capture of the Professor took. Tessa didn't volunteer what the plan was now, and Raven did notice the dark haired woman was looking at her when she said that details were still being worked out. It was a clear hint that Raven was part of that as well. Raven would probably hear about that night during their talk. It was a habit of theirs that survived their years apart.
Raven was glad when that was over and Tessa pulled Emma away with a wave beckoning Raven as well. "I found out they have a student healer here, she's new and has just recently figured out how to activate her powers." Tessa spoke to Emma while Raven trailed behind them towards the med lab.
"She must be new, I haven't heard of her." Emma glanced back at Raven and smiled. "So do you think I should volunteer to let her practice on me?"
"It couldn't hurt right?" Raven shrugged. "Might as well try." Raven had no idea why Emma was asking, unless she was just trying to get Raven into the conversation.
"Raven you said you had been a nurse's aide. Could you get the bandages off of Emma so that our healer can see what she needs to work on while I go get the child?" Tessa didn't even wait for an answer and Raven stared after her ex as the woman walked away, wishing there was someone else to do this part.
"A nurse's aide? That's a far cry from physical trainer." Emma moved to sit on the med lab examining table, her legs dangling over the side.
"I did a lot of different things." Raven sighed as she looked at the bandage peaking out from under Emma's coat. "You'll need to take that off."
"Anything else I should take off?" Emma smirked at Raven and Raven glanced at the halter top that was safely out of the way, the bullet wound being higher, and Emma's shirt being barely there.
"No, that should do it." Raven moved to look through Hank's counters for a few things while she heard Emma removing the coat, but the soft hiss of pain had her turning around and moving toward the blonde. "Lemme help you." Emma had one arm halfway out of the coat, but it looked like any further motion hurt and she wasn't doing well finishing it. Raven reached out to gently help Emma by holding the arm of the coat and easing it off of her. That done Raven just finished up by helping Emma with the other arm. "I'm sorry, I should have thought of this. You shouldn't be moving your arm around so much." Raven felt a little disgusted with her slip up.
"Thank you." Emma sitting on that table was still nearly the same height as her standing and Raven found herself standing between Emma's legs when she took notice of where she'd stood.
"I'm going to go find," Raven pointed to where she'd been looking through the cabinets, trying to stop the slight glow of her skin, or the embarrassed flush under it as she backed away and then turned. "Yes, just need to find a few things. I mean you have stitches right?" She glanced back at an amused looking Emma. "So I need a kit to remove them after you've been partially healed."
"Does standing that close to me fluster you?" Emma's grin grew and Raven just tried to ignore her as she found what she was looking for and returned to Emma's side. "Or that you want to be closer still?"
That comment restored Raven's equilibrium and she glared at the blonde telepath, shaking her head. "You really are deluded." Her voice was calmer. "I was a nurse's aide, not a nurse. Be a shame if I made a stupid mistake wouldn't it?" A less than subtle threat was in her voice.
Emma just laughed at her. "No, you wouldn't hurt me. I think we both know that." Emma spread her legs a bit more, making it seem obscene as Raven came closer, needing to remove the bandage. Emma's voice went soft and quiet. "It's okay to just admit it Raven, you care about me."
Raven didn't respond, but her eyes focused only on the bandage as she gently loosened it, pulling it away. A soft hiss escaped her lips as she saw what that bullet had done to Emma's perfect skin. It was clear that the bullet hadn't gotten in far, but what resembled cracks branched off from the bullet wound, as if the diamond form had been damaged trying to form around the bullet to stop it. The bullet hole itself was the size of a nickel, but the whole damaged area was easily three or four inches in diameter. Raven asked quietly as a hand moved to hover just over the damage. Her hand shook a little as she pulled it away without touching. "I'm sorry." Raven whispered as she looked up into Emma's eyes.
Emma reached out and rested a hand on Raven's shoulder. "It's hardly your fault. Forge is the one that shot me."
"Yeah." Raven's voice was flat, resigned.
"Raven." Emma whispered and Raven noticed the woman leaning closer. When she didn't stop and Raven felt soft lips covering her own she froze in shock. Raven didn't respond at all, she didn't pull away, she didn't kiss back, she just stopped moving at all. Emma pulled back from her and whispered with a voice that held some command and heat. "Kiss me back dammit." Those soft lips returned to Raven's and Raven tentatively leaned in just a little, moved her lips against the blonde telepaths and it was the soft moan from her own mouth that broke the spell. Raven's eyes were wide as she stared at Emma, while she took a step back away from the telepath. "Raven."
"No." Raven shook her head and took another step back. "No."
"Emma," Tessa's voice entered the room and Raven tore her eyes away from the blonde to see Tessa giving them a slightly puzzled look. She didn't see, and for some reason Raven was relieved about that. "This is Annie, a healer." The girl walking into the room with Tessa was actually green, a light green. Raven refused to look at Emma, needed to get away, so she stared into Tessa's eyes.
"The kit is on the table. I'm leaving." Raven nodded politely to the young girl and walked past them, or tried to, but Tessa's arm reached out to grab her own, a question in the dark haired woman's eyes. "I have other things to do." Raven glanced back at Emma and was surprised to not see the woman smugly looking at her as if she'd enjoyed tricking Raven, it was more searching and it sent Raven walking away again.
Emma kissed her. The thought was bouncing around in Raven's mind and no other thing she tried to think about managed to block it out as she wandered outside and around the grounds. She'd kissed Emma back, Raven thought with disgust. What the hell was wrong with her, Raven thought angrily as she found herself on the edge of the lake. Raven sat and stared out at the water.
……………….
She found things to do everywhere that Emma or Tessa weren't for hours. Finally she found something else to think about other than that kiss and Raven found herself standing outside of the room that housed their prisoners while the others were having dinner.
The door opened, but Raven grabbed it and made sure it closed silently when she saw someone else standing in the Professor's cell with him. Tessa's voice reached her and Raven moved to stand where she could see and hear this without drawing too much attention to herself. Raven's skin shifted to blend in with the wall behind her as she watched Tessa. The woman was tense, practically vibrating with irritation and that wasn't normal for her.
Raven should have felt guilty for spying on her ex, but she didn't want to leave Tessa alone with that man and she didn't see any other guards in the room.
"And another thing Charles." Tessa's voice was harsh, angry and Raven enhanced her hearing to catch it all. It sounded like Raven was coming in on the tail end of the confrontation. "You were going to do it again. When Emma offered you a way to continue your lies you were going to make an innocent woman suffer for them. You disgust me Charles."
"The needs of the world outweigh the needs of the one." His voice grated on every last nerve Raven had, but apparently she wasn't the only one. A loud slap rang out and Raven stared wide eyed at Tessa, who held up her hand again as if to take another blow.
"You bastard. That isn't for you to decide. You never learn." Tessa's hand lowered slowly, the thick emotions in her voice calmed. "You sent me into that hell and that was bad enough, but to purposely try to do that with Raven, that's despicable. You have no idea how hard it was to not save her when she was there, and I wonder if you got if my first call and just decided to wait. Teaching her a lesson were you?"
"No, I didn't get any of the calls until shortly before I sent the team."
"You're lying to me." Tessa's voice was deadly and Raven found herself not breathing, afraid to interrupt this. "Did you forget that I can tell? Tell me now that you rushed to help her as soon as you found out."
"We were away on a mission. We couldn't just drop it to run and save Raven from the mess she'd gotten herself into." Raven's fist clenched as she heard the man blaming her, but she gasped when she heard another loud slap.
"Don't ever, ever act like any of that was her fault." Tessa's voice was scary and Raven just stared at the back of the woman she'd followed into that hell. Tessa had been abused and for longer, but she was hitting the man for what happened to Raven. "My god Charles, of course she looked for me. You never told her and she's always been painfully loyal. It was only a matter of time." Tessa's voice calmed again. Raven suddenly remembered what Tessa said about Tessa's powers not working right when it came to Raven because that distance and control that the others usually saw was completely gone now. "So tell me, how long did it take you? How many days and rapes did she endure while you knew and didn't send someone or tell me that I could scrap that damned mission? How many days did I have to watch people hurt the woman I love Charles when it wasn't necessary?"
He gave out a yelp as Tessa did something. "a few days, long enough to finish the mission."
"Days." Tessa stepped back and Raven watched the woman wrap her own arms around herself. "Days."
"I knew you'd find a way to keep her alive long enough for us to complete the mission and get back."
Tessa stared at him and Raven couldn't take her eyes off of the clear pain in Tessa's eyes. "I should have known. You never did understand how a place like that could destroy someone and still leave them alive. I need to go, because I want to kill you and it's too soon for that."
"Tessa, you may be upset with what needed to be done, but don't take it out on me for knowing what was needed and how to get it." The Professor called after Tessa as Tessa stepped out of the cell and locked him up again.
"You were wrong Charles, and I should have seen that before I did, but then you did everything you could to make sure I wouldn't see. You gave her to me just to take her away, and she was worth more than that. I was worth more as well Charles. I used to wonder why you thought I wasn't worthy of being a hero, but now I see it. You don't know what a hero is because you aren't one. Raven is a hero and you couldn't see her either." The door locked and his reply was lost with the soundproofing as Tessa walked away. When the woman came close Raven let her color matching shift fade so that Tessa would see her, but Tessa didn't look surprised.
Tessa walked right into Raven's arms and Raven wrapped the woman up in a hug holding her tight without saying anything. Tessa needed this, and it felt like it had years ago, holding her. It made Raven realize that she hadn't hugged Tessa at all in these past few days. Tessa's crying was a shock, but Raven just rocked gently from side to side holding her. "It's over," Raven whispered into Tessa's hair, "It's over." Raven tried to comfort Tessa while sympathetic tears trailed down her own face. Just seeing Tessa in pain ripped her apart.
"It's never over Raven." Tessa's body shook. "I chose that man's mission over you, you said it yourself. I can still see the pain in your eyes when I did it, and hear Christy's words. My damned memory makes sure I don't forget what they did to you there and then I stayed while you were off alone, scared, hurt. After everything I did in that club you were still willing to come to me and I threw it all away for that man."
Raven didn't know what to say because it was all true, so she just hugged Tessa tighter and did her best to stay strong when the familiar love she always felt around this woman tore at her heart.
Tessa's whisper was pained and almost too quiet to hear. "I was wrong."
After another minute Tessa pulled away, wiped her eyes and fell back behind the emotionless mask. Raven let her. "I need to talk to you about my plan."
"My room?" Raven let the subject from before drop for now, but her eyes stared sympathy and affection into Tessa's, which caused Tessa to look a little startled.
"Okay."
…………….
Raven watched Tessa as the woman outlined what they already knew, this place belonged to the Professor. "He can pass on ownership of the school, or his money, but he was very careful about what it would take to make changes like that. It requires that he and his co-signer go into the bank, into a room that nullifies telepathy with a group of three people that are listed in no computer I can reach. It's set up to prevent shapeshifters or telepaths from being able to do what we plan to do. With a cosigner no single shape shifter, like Mystique, or in this case you, could pretend to be him. With that room no telepath can make the bankers see what we want them to see. Without knowing who the primary contact is we can't even start the process.
"His cosigner?" Raven's voice held a thoughtful tone as she considered the problem and the other shape shifter in the state that she could ask for help.
"Forge. I'd hoped to talk him into helping, but you told me he wasn't a pawn like the rest of us. I can have Emma get the information about the contact out of him mind, and I'm sure she'd love to help. His shooting her would mean she would hardly be gentle about it. You can imitate the Professor can't you?"
"Yeah, I could do it." Raven hadn't tried but she felt pretty confident that between Tessa and Raven they could create a good copy of the man.
"So we just need to find a way around Forge as the co-signer. Trying to telepathically control him for that long would be difficult, he's not immune, but he is rather strong, and that room is designed to weaken telepathic control."
Raven nibbled on her lip and Tessa started to stare at her. "You have a way?" Tessa smiled just a little as she noticed this.
"I might." Mystique shouldn't be too hard to talk into this. "Can you look for any devices on their plane, something that doesn't belong?" It wouldn't hurt to claim they needed to buy the help, it would get Mystique something out of this.
"I could."
"I need," Raven glanced out at the darkening sky, "a car, a night and whatever device they have in that plane and I'll be back." Raven stared into Tessa's eyes promising. "I will be back."
"Okay." And Tessa didn't even ask what Raven was up to. That was trust and Raven gave Tessa a grateful look.
Raven was loading the device into the car an hour later. "I may have help with me when I come back." She told Tessa and looked over at the dark haired woman that was studying Emma for a moment before turning back to her. "Not popular help though. Anyone I bring in here is allowed to leave." Her voice held a command.
"Who are you getting?" Tessa asked her.
Raven nibbled on her lip for a second. "An ex girlfriend, and I won't have her help us just to be locked up next to the man we're fighting."
Tessa was always amazingly intelligent, so when her eyes widened a little and then the woman sighed Raven knew Tessa was piecing it together. "She's a criminal isn't she Raven?"
"Yeah." Raven felt a bit nervous at how Tessa would take that.
"And a shape shifter." Tessa's voice was flat and clearly displeased even though with Tessa it wasn't blatantly obvious. "Mystique."
"She was very good to me." Raven's jaw clenched as she said this. "And she will help me if I ask her to, but if I can't protect her I won't ask."
"If she behaves she'll be safe here." Tessa finally spoke.
"Thank you." Raven slowly reached out and pulled Tessa into a tentative hug again, but just held her close enjoying the way it made her feel. Tessa held her just as tightly.
"She's the one that you went to Afghanistan to rescue isn't she?" Tessa pulled back and moved to open the car door for Raven.
"Yeah." Raven gave Tessa a small smile of thanks for opening the door and slid into the driver's seat.
"I'll make sure she's safe here. Anyone you care about that much," Tessa's words trailed off.
Raven felt like she needed to say it, "I was willing to kill for you too Tessa." It hardly sounded romantic, but Raven wanted Tessa to know she was loved. "I still would."
"I would hope you never have to." Tessa closed the door, ending the conversation.
Driving to Brooklyn was turning into a nostalgic event. Raven remembered driving there to meet Irene waiting on the sidewalk for her, and Mystique taking her car so they wouldn't get caught. "Irene." Raven spoke into the car as she turned onto the street the house sat on. "I love you." She could never tell if the woman heard her before, but it didn't stop Raven from talking to her. "Wish us luck." Raven turned into the driveway and shut the car off. She just sat there for a moment in the dark, before sighing heavily and getting out of the car.
She unlocked the door and slipped inside, but called out. "Just me." So that Mystique didn't come down shooting. Raven put the device on the table near the door and stared at the familiar handwriting on what was clearly an envelope for a card. It was addressed to her so Raven picked it up and opened it.
"Good Luck." The front of the card said and Raven smiled even as her eyes grew watery. Opening the card she saw that Irene had done more than signed it, it was a small letter.
"It came in the mail." Mystique's voice had Raven looking up to see the blue female leaning over the railing of the stairs she was only halfway down. "You don't have to leave do you?"
"No." Raven lowered the card back onto the table. Mystique never opened Raven's letters from Irene. It was out of respect for Raven's own relationship with the dead woman and that had always touched Raven. "She just wanted to remind me that she loves me too." Raven's hand rested on the card. "Sometimes I wish that she'd been the one to raise me. Rogue had it good."
"Well, it certainly would have made our relationship kinkier." Mystique teased just a little. Raven blushed and just moved to pick up the gift she had for Mystique rather than address the comment.
"I've got your box." Raven held it out and when Mystique gave her a far too amused look Raven blushed again. "Pervert."
"Yes darling." Mystique finished coming down the stairs and took the box from Raven's hands. "Doesn't look like much does it, but then Forge never made them impressive looking just effective." Her voice wasn't as amused now. "So you managed to overthrow their king?"
"He's locked up but there are some complications I was hoping you'd help out with." Raven moved to sit in the living room and filled Mystique in on the fight and Tessa's plan to rob the Professor of the school and the money needed to run it. The Xmen planned to do what the Professor had been pretending he'd been doing all along and actually help young mutants without expecting the children to sell their souls to his dream.
"Okay, I'm in." Mystique moved to stand and Raven clearly got the message that Mystique would be willing to take off right away, but Raven wasn't ready yet.
"I said we'd be back tomorrow." Raven spoke quietly, asking if it were okay with her eyes. "I know we aren't together anymore, but I was hoping."
"What were you hoping for?" Mystique didn't tease.
Raven stood up, "That we could stay here for the night."
"Being home isn't as great as you'd hope?" Mystique asked and Raven wasn't sure how to answer that.
"It isn't home." Raven spoke quietly. "I think maybe Vegas is home."
"The city of sin, why not." Mystique gave her a small smile. "Still, that mansion is so big and you'd rather stay here tonight?"
"I'm not empathic, but there is just too much emotion in the air there right now." Raven answered and Mystique just nodded like she understood that. "And I'd rather stay here with you. We go back now and we won't be able to sleep."
"Okay, we can go tomorrow just as well. I'd rather be able to sleep too, I'm sure that it will get rather intense when they see me."
"I won't let anyone hurt you." Raven's promise was more serious sounding than she intended, it was almost an oath.
"How nice, I won't let anyone hurt me either. I should be just fine." Mystique teased, but she pulled Raven into a hug and held her for longer than strictly necessary. "Why don't we work on your Professor form for a little tonight before we go to bed. I'll grade you and everything."
"I don't have the chair."
"We'll have you train with it tomorrow, for tonight just use a dining room chair and we'll chat. Get his mannerisms down pat."
"What about you?"
"I don't need the practice like you do. I pretended to date that bastard Forge after Irene died. I know everything I need to know about him." Mystique's voice was cold, but the idea that Mystique had to pretend so soon after Irene died, Raven reached out and rested a comforting hand on Mystique's shoulder. It would have been before Mystique came to Raven, and Raven knew it was real with them.
Raven slipped into her bed very tired a few hours later. It was strange being in it alone when Mystique was in the house, but Raven understood. It would be harder to remember they'd broken up if they still slept together.
…………………..
They drove up to the gate of the mansion at about eleven the next day. Raven just sat at the security gate knowing that she didn't know the codes and hoping that someone would realize this. "Come in." Tessa's voice came over the comm as the gate swung open, but it sounded like it could have been a recording rather than Tessa, too mechanical. Tessa wasn't happy. Hopefully it wasn't because of something going on in the mansion. Raven felt a wave of concern for Tessa as she drove through the gates.
"And though we walk through the valley of death," Mystique muttered in response to this.
"I walked through that valley," Raven's expression closed off. "This isn't it."
"I'm sorry. You seem so fine I forget sometimes you were in Genosha. It just doesn't seem real."
"I know." Raven took the turn towards the front of the main building rather than the garage. It wouldn't do to walk up, it would just mean that crowd over there would get to them sooner. "Thanks for agreeing to do this."
"I'm doing it for more than just you." Mystique told her, "but I would have done it if it were just you."
"I know." Raven gave her a small smile. "Showtime." She threw the car into park and shut the ignition, while trying to ignore the small group on the steps. Mystique didn't even take a deep breath to prepare as she got out and Raven wondered at her confidence as she got out of the car as well.
"Mother." Rogue didn't sound overly pleased. Kurt was near her, and Scott had joined them. All three teams had a representative, Raven thought as they came to a stop in front of the group.
"Hello Rogue." Mystique glanced past Rogue, "Kurt." Raven really didn't envy her ex her relationship with her children. At least Terrance had liked Mystique, but that one was Raven's. "Raven tells me you have all finally decided to stage a mutiny, I just had to come by and see."
"Tessa and Emma are working on getting the name we need and how to contact him." Scott spoke and while he was wary sounding he wasn't hostile. Raven gave him a grateful glance, knowing that he would probably much rather lay down the law for Mystique and a few quiet threats to enforce it.
The tension didn't completely leave as they all moved into the mansion and then into the debriefing room. Raven took long strides as she walked, trying to create an impression of confidence and control and Mystique did the same, making them look very much a team as they both moved to sit at the table and wait for the rest of the people.
Shortly after they sat Emma and Tessa came into the room. "Well, we have it." Emma spoke to everyone, but her eyes lingered on Raven. "I had to work for quite some time to break through that man's defenses. It appears that his mutation enables him to be very unique in his mental shields, but Forge gave us everything we wanted. He is guilty of knowing what was going on and going along with it." Storm looked like she'd been afraid it would be that. "Charles and Forge are also leading a network of less reputable operatives that specialize in espionage," Emma glanced over at Tessa, "Well more espionage." There was a small smile aimed at the dark haired woman. Emma's eyes glanced over Mystique before staring into Raven's eyes. It made Raven uncomfortable so she looked away.
"We have already initiated contact with Mr. Steinbeck, the man that starts the process whenever the Professor wants to make major changes with his money." Tessa picked it up from there. "Raven and Mystique will need to meet him at five tonight to make some changes." Tessa pulled out a sheet of paper. "I've outlined the changes that should be made now. We can't do it all at once or it will be far too suspicious. What we are doing is taking over ownership of the school and enough money to keep it running is already pushing the boundaries of believability, so Raven you'll need to play it as if the Professor is suddenly aware he's getting older and can't keep up with all his various activities so he's letting the school go to Jean and Scott, his oldest and most trusted students." Raven sighed when she heard that, even though she didn't care about the Professors opinion anymore really it was Raven and Tessa that deserved that title. They were the ones that knew about the lies, although they didn't know about the same lies.
"Okay." Raven felt like everything was hinging on her ability to pretend to be that man, and it did. It was a lot of pressure, but she'd be damned if she left this school in his hands. She'd wanted to take everything from him and this was a terrific start.
"She needs to train with his chair. If she can't control it that will look suspicious." Mystique added. "Her form is dead on now, she's pretty strong in the shape shifting portion of it all, but the mannerisms, little habits, things that different people have that set them apart from others those are harder for her and Raven hasn't lived here in years."
"I have assembled some footage from the security cameras around here." Tessa responded easily, as if Mystique was a regular member of the team. "And the chair is still in the hanger. I can show Raven how to work it."
"Then we've got work to do." Scott interrupted. "Raven start with the chair, get the basics, then spend the rest of the time on the footage. We can bring some of that with us in the van when we take you to the office so you can study on the way. There is no way you can be perfect in this amount of time, but you don't need to be. You just need to be good enough that people chalk up any differences to stress or anything else." He turned to Storm. "Call Kitty and see if she can help us with his computers, we need to find out what the Professor has going on right now and Kitty is the best we have." Scott's eyes trailed over to his own team. "We need to keep the school running, so I'm having Storm's team work on contacting anyone who had been an Xman for any length of time and telling them what is going on. We need to word out before anyone assumes that we locked him up for no reason."
"I'd suggest we wait on actually contacting them until Raven's mission is complete." Tessa added and Scott agreed quickly. "And I'm going as backup with Raven and Mystique. I'll feed her information as she needs it."
"What about us, we want to help?" Bobby asked, sounding desperate for a mission.
"Jean and I are about to become the owners of a school. I'll need an accountant to help set this up." Scott glanced at Warren, "This is a business, but since we don't know what the Professor was doing we need everything gone over."
"I'll take a look." Warren offered. He was the owner of a large corporation and Raven knew that, but she wondered if perhaps Emma would have been a better choice. Warren tended to let others take care of his business a bit more than Raven suspected Emma did.
"You'll also have any mission that comes up."
"About that Scott." Hank spoke up and Raven noticed his looking a bit nervous. "I quit the Xmen a few years ago, planning to work more on research but the Professor…" His words trailed off as his expression became more pained. "I would rather work behind the scenes." Everyone went quiet as they heard this and Raven noticed a few clenched jaws.
"Of course." Scott stood up. "If there are any other Xmen that have or should have quit please tell us now."
Raven hesitantly raised her hand. Kurt's went up as well. Mystique fidgeted in her chair when she saw her son's hand up, clearly unhappy. What was more surprising was that Scott's hand went up as well.
"Okay. If you want to walk away you can, but we could really use everyone's help right now." He lowered his own hand and looked around the room. "Things will be different now and I'm staying on as the Headmaster here, and I'll still be an active Xman because regardless of how we got here we are still needed." Scott turned to Raven. "Raven, I appreciate that you are willing to come back for this mission and I want you to know that I, we, won't expect anything more of you but you are welcome here and always will be." He looked over at Kurt and Hank. "Hank, if you want to stay in the lab that's fine as long as you remember to come out to sleep and eat." He gave Hank a small smile as a few people weakly chuckled. "Kurt,"
"I'll stay." Kurt announced.
"Okay." Scott took a deep breath. "Let's get to work people."
……………….
Watching the Professor that closely was irritating but Raven was still working on small ticks and habitual motions he made with his hands as he spoke while Mystique as Forge drove them to where they were going. Tessa was in the back of the van working on something. It was a rather quiet ride except for the voice of the Professor from the tapes and occasionally Raven as she mimicked it.
With the device Tessa gave Raven the dark haired woman could see what Raven saw and whisper in Raven's ear the names of this or that man's wife or kids. While a few tried to object to the Professor saying he was too old to do it all, two hours later Raven and Mystique left the building satisfied while the Professor lost his school.
"If we did a few more of these, perhaps with Donald Trump and Bill Gates you and I could be set for life." Mystique spoke quietly in Forge's voice.
"It isn't like you're hurting for money now." Raven looked up at Mystique but both of them were still in the men's forms and would have to stay that way until they got into the mansion, just to be on the safe side. "And I'd rather keep my stealing to assholes who really really deserve it."
"I'm sure we could find a few of those." Mystique grinned and opened the van door for Raven to maneuver the chair onto the lift. It was hard work since she wasn't really used to it, but she managed and Tessa gave her a small smile as Raven was moving into her place.
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Mystique pushed the chair into the mansion for the last few steps and then smiled down at her as she shifted into her own form, "You did it Raven. You were pretty amazing for a baby shifter." Raven shifted back and stood up.
"Thanks." She smiled at her partner in this ignoring the other Xmen waiting to hear the news, before she turned to face them. "We can pull his damned name off the buildings now." A few Xmen smiled, those that weren't still consumed by the betrayal. "Who wants to tell him?" Her grin was evil as she glanced around the room.
"Why don't you?" Tessa spoke up from behind her. "Go in there and tell him how you did this. The one that he always underestimated took his school from him. Go tell him that."
"Ah," Raven lost her amusement at what they'd done with Tessa's suggestion.
"You did it Raven. He never thought you'd amount to anything remotely close to a decent spy and you impersonated him and stole his school." Tessa's voice became coaxing.
"Come on, don't you want to rub his face in it?" Mystique joined the discussion. "You've been bitching about him for years."
"How do you know that?" Scott asked and Raven closed her eyes and sighed as she imagined how well this would go over.
"Who do you think has been helping Raven avoid you all?" Mystique glanced around the room.
"Sure, take credit for someone else's work." Raven smirked at the redhead, partly to cover up her unease about revealing secrets, even though she didn't need to hide anymore.
"Well, Irene would want me to have it." Mystique's voice was teasing and comfortable even among people that Mystique could consider enemies.
Raven looked up, "We spent Christmas with Irene and Mystique, Rogue brought me." Raven turned to smile at Rogue, trying to convey that she was grateful not blaming. "Christy was upset and Mystique was so familiar to her that it helped to be there." Raven decided to avoid talking about the planned murder and go right to what this was about. "Irene came to us later and told me that if I didn't leave the school before Christy left the Professor wouldn't let me go. He'd already said that when I quit the Xmen and told him I'd leave, but he really didn't think I'd leave while possessed so we did. We went and lived with Irene and Mystique for a while and once Christy left," Raven went quiet. "I left. Irene would warn me if anyone was closing in on me and she picked where I'd go so that no one could try to anticipate me." Raven looked over at Mystique. "Irene saved me." She spoke quietly and shared her gratefulness and love with Mystique. "Again and again she saved me, and Mystique was my rock, my constant, the only living person in my life who really knew who I was."
"I had wondered who you were talking about when you said you had help." Tessa spoke softly, then sighed. "So are you going to talk to the Professor or shall I?"
"I'll do it." Raven was worried that her own anger would make her do more than just talk, she didn't want the others to be upset with her, and part of her thought that there was nothing that man could say to her that she needed to hear anymore. But maybe she did.
"Good." Mystique moved closer and rested a hand on Raven's shoulder, encouraging Raven to turn around and face her. "I need to go, but you know how to get in touch with me if you need me again. Robbing him is fun and I'll sign up for more missions like this." Mystique leaned in, "And I hear Donald Trump isn't really a nice guy so if you change your mind about taking our show on the road let me know. We could be rich rich rich." Mystique leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips. "Have fun explaining that one." Mystique whispered into Raven's ear with a teasing voice and pulled back. Raven's eyes narrowed at Mystique's games but the blue woman just waved. "It's been fun, bye all." Mystique walked right out the door and no one moved to stop her, most eyes were on Raven.
"Yeah, thanks." Raven muttered clearly unhappy.
"Anytime lover." Mystique's parting shot as she closed the door behind her had a few more eyes staring at Raven. That bitch, Raven found herself smirking as the humor of the situation hit her. Maybe later she'd ask Mystique why she did that, right before she told the woman she'd told every Xman here that Mystique was Raven's little submissive, that would scare Mystique. They traded off on that role, and Raven wouldn't tell anyone here about the specifics, but maybe she could convince Mystique she had said it. If she could get Rogue to say some things that would seem innocent to Rogue but have a double meaning.
"Raven," A voice interrupted Raven's planning her revenge and she looked around the see she still had everyone's attention. "You and mah mama?" Rogue just had to ask. Raven felt even more uncomfortable saying anything to Rogue.
"We were." Raven started for the door. "Well I might as well go talk to the Professor." She was feeling more motivated to go now.
"Raven." Storm's voice was disapproving and Raven turned to glare at Storm, deciding that she couldn't just run.
"What? Are you going to tell me that the woman that was there for me, believed in me, was patient and kind with me when I could barely stand to be touched, wasn't worthy of my love? No, you don't know what my life has been and you don't get to disapprove of my love life. While it lasted Mystique was the best thing that could have happened to me." She didn't yell but her voice was forceful and commanded respect. "and she will always have my love and respect for that. So no, I don't want to hear what anyone here has to say about this." When she turned to leave she was surprised that no one tried to stop her, they actually listened to her.
Raven was standing in front of the cell the Professor was in far too quickly. The guard on duty of course had to be Emma, Raven thought bitterly, noticing that Emma wasn't leaving, but was still pretending to be reading some magazine at the table across the room. Raven had noticed that Emma wasn't a part of the crowd upstairs, but she hadn't considered where the woman might be.
"Hello Professor." Raven spoke as she stared at him and engaged the comm system that enabled them to speak without opening the cell.
He looked tired and old Raven noticed while watching him study her. "Raven." His voice was cold.
"I just thought you'd like to know I just stole the school from you and gave it to Jean and Scott." She stared him in the eye and watched his eyes widen a little. "It's legal, you don't own this place anymore and you can't use any more kids like you did us."
"You couldn't have." He started and Raven gave him an evil smile while shifting into a copy of the man. As soon as his eyes widened in shock she shifted back to a younger version of herself, wearing the uniform she had worn while training in Tessa years ago.
"You took kids," Raven shifted to an even younger woman with dark hair and pale skin. "and you sold them for your dreams Professor. What about our dreams?" Raven let the younger Tessa form melt back into her own present day one. "So we're stopping you now. You'll never do that to anyone else again."
"You're a shape shifter." He sounded stunned.
"And you missed your chance to exploit that, is that breaking your little heart?" Raven glared at him.
"But it takes two to change," He started, but Raven's shifting into Mystique in the middle of his words stopped him. "Oh, it's Mystique." His voice was colder as he assumed that Raven never could have done this and that he was really looking at Mystique.
"She helped me." Raven shifted back. "I played you and she played Forge and you now get to play the unemployed prisoner. If there was true justice in the world I could turn you into a woman and throw you to the wolves you tossed Tessa to. I'd love to do that to you. Let Selene and Sebastian show you what hell really is, but that's just a dream. One I've had for years." Raven leaned closer to the divider on his cell and bared teeth sharper than natural. "But I can make sure you end up penniless, alone, and take away all your Xmen. I can ruin your reputation by exposing your lies."
"I had to do the things I did, I had to make the hard decisions, to try and make this world one we could live in."
"You had dreams Professor, but you betrayed your own dreams when you enslaved us and denied our dreams." Raven let her eyes burn bright. "I have dreams Professor, dreams filled with pain and suffering and loneliness and loss. I'm going to share all of that with you. My dreams will become yours. They'll become your reality." She flipped off the intercom so that she'd have the last word and turned to leave.
Emma was giving her an approving smile. Raven opened her mouth to say something, but she didn't know what to say to Emma, so she just turned and walked away.
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Things were pretty boring for the rest of the day with people going over paperwork or making calls Raven was able to walk around and not see Xmen everywhere. It made her wonder why she was staying, but Raven started for her room anyhow.
She could hear the soft music coming from Tessa's room and Raven walked through the bathroom to the opened door on the other side. Tessa was sitting cross legged on her bed with red glasses on, doing something in the air that looked strangely ordered as if it were really something. "What are you doing?" Raven had to ask, looking at Tessa seeming like a mime.
"These are special glasses that enable me to browse the internet and a few other things." Tessa explained while continuing with her hand dance. "The controls are only visible to me and I have sensors on my fingertips rather than a mouse." Raven moved to the chair in Tessa's room and sat back watching the dark haired woman work.
"Cool." Raven didn't know what else to say. Tessa had always been more into computers than Raven. "But can you pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time?" She teased while shifting two extra arms onto her own body to do just that, while pretending to do what Tessa was doing with her original arms. It had actually taken a bit of practice to do that move when she added the two arms. Tessa smiled, but kept up with her work.
"You've just deleted the files you were trying to save." Tessa nodded to the motions Raven was making with her hands.
"I meant to do that." Raven joked back and finally Tessa did something in the air and turned to face Raven.
"I was just monitoring a few websites." Tessa swung her legs over the side of the bed. "And I may have been looking into a few things you said. You had a precog guiding you and you were in the middle of Genosha when it died Raven."
"And now I'm the most powerful mutant in the house." Raven sighed. "I know. It's not a coincidence, even though I wasn't sent to Genosha, it was the first time I picked my own place without getting a letter from Irene, but she knew I would." Raven looked up into Tessa's eyes, "but she wasn't the only one. Ellie told me that I was supposed to be there when she met me. I don't know what to think, but I do know that sometimes knowing the future means you have to pick between crappy futures. It makes me wonder how bad it would have been if I had skipped Genosha, if that was the better choice."
"That sounds like the voice of experience."
"I had my own relationship with precogs. I understand how it works." Raven's eyes fell from Tessa trying to hide the guilt in her eyes. Raven went quiet as she considered her own secret. "It isn't easy having to hurt people to save them. Irene was heartbroken when she decided to not warn me, I know she was, because no matter what happens I believe that the alternative would have been worse. I believe that."
"No, it isn't easy." Something in Tessa's voice, a tone of pain, had Raven looking back up. "And hurting you and Christy was hard for me, but I knew that if her spirit wasn't broken a little the damage you'd both suffer would have been worse. Still, it hurt. Hearing her beg me to not touch her." Tessa's eyes were watery and Raven had to really work to remember a time when Christy wasn't begging Tessa to touch her rather than not. "Finally being with you, but like that, was a horrible distortion of all my fantasies about you. All my dreams."
Raven didn't really know what to tell Tessa, so she went with a darker truth. "I at least had you some, to me that was better than nothing. It's gotten me through these past years, knowing what you feel like. I wanted you Tessa, I wanted you more than anything, and sick as it may sound I'm glad you took us. It wasn't flowers and sunshine, but it was you, and I had been burning for you for years." Raven felt a flush of shame on her skin. "I'm not a flowers and sunshine kind of girl Tessa." She didn't elaborate. Tessa was watching her silently, Raven could feel it. She heard Tessa stand up and the creak of the mattress as it found the sole occupant missing.
"Raven." Tessa's voice was gentle and the woman's hand moved to caress Raven's jaw and gently make Raven look up. "You deserved the flowers and the sunshine and anything else you desired, no matter what it might have been." Tessa knew, Raven could see it in her eyes, which didn't have those red sunglasses on now. "You deserved more than I could give you and more than I chose to give you. Oh Raven," Tessa's fingers caressed Raven's face so gently. "I cheated you out of so much, and for you to actually be grateful for what you did get, that's just not right. You deserved more from me."
"I did, even Christy did," Raven agreed with watery eyes, "but that doesn't mean we didn't enjoy what we were given, even if it was never enough." All Emma had done was take and all Tessa did was give, and it had frustrated more than just Christy that neither had been a complete lover, but then that wasn't what they were. "That place was hell Tessa, but I meant it when I said if it were just you I would have stayed, because with you," Raven's voice was shaky, "with you it was heaven too. The worst part of my life had some of the best moments in it."
"Oh Raven," Tessa's voice cracked and Raven watched as Tessa leaned down. Raven's arms moved to rest on Tessa's shoulders as the dark haired woman kissed her softly. Raven held on as Tessa started to pull away and pulled her close again, kissing with more passion and soon Tessa responded. Oh Tessa, Raven thought as she received one of those kisses she'd enjoyed all those years ago, the kind that made her want to melt. Tessa's kissed moved over Raven's cheek and then ended with a soft kiss to her forehead. "Oh Raven, I hurt you so much."
"I know that." Raven reached up and caressed Tessa's hair, before slowly standing. It left them standing so very closely. "But I want you to know something Tessa." She stared into Tessa's eyes. Raven's voice became a whisper. "I forgive you." Tears trailed down Tessa's cheeks and Tessa took a shuddering breath. "I forgive you Tessy." Tessa rarely lost her composure so much but Raven had to move forward and hold Tessa in a hug, worried the woman would fall to her knees without the support. Tessa's tears were soul deep and Raven rocked her gently as Tessa cried, but Raven felt better, stronger, having done this. It was something that seemed to free a part of Raven's soul. "I do Tessy. I could never stay mad at you." Raven spoke with a slight teasing in her voice, remembering times when they were young.
"You should." Tessa pulled back and wiped at her tears.
"Well," Raven let Tessa go completely, "I guess we'll just have to disagree."
"Raven, I," Tessa started hesitantly, but the knocking on the door stopped her words. Raven turned to glare at the door, swearing she could tell by the knock who it was.
"If we stay very quiet she might think we aren't here." Raven spoke quietly.
"She can't read me, but she can sense where I am." Tessa answered just as quietly. "I'm not completely psychically invisible like you."
"Okay," Raven sighed. "I'll see you later."
"You could stay." Tessa moved towards the door but didn't open it with the next volley of knocks. "Or is she unforgiveable?"
"Look how she acts now?" Raven shook her head. "If I forgave her she'd be worse."
"I doubt that's possible." Tessa smiled just a little before turning to the door. Raven made her way out to the bathroom as Tessa started to let Emma in. Emma never saw her there. Making sure to lock the bathroom door from the inside so that no one could come through, Raven started the shower and her pre bed rituals. She could hear the soft sound of talking in the other room, just beyond normal hearing range, but she didn't bother listening in.
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