Love Song

Author's Note: This is THE SECOND Mystique and Destiny songfic. Blame it on Panther Nesmith- That 80s Couple is the obvious inspiration for this and for using something as retro as the Cure's "Love Song". Then again, you could also point the finger at VH1's I love the 80s marathon I watched this weekend. Anyway, this is set around the events of Self-Possessed. So sit back and enjoy this fanfic. And yes, people this is slash.

* ~ *

Mystique couldn't help but feel a remorse twist its icy fingers around her heart. She may have stopped Destiny's prediction from coming true, but it didn't turn out the way she had hoped it would have. Rogue hadn't wrapped her arms around the woman and forgiven her. That had only happened in the woman's fantasies. In reality- Rogue said nothing. She walked away. She was obviously hurt and disgusted by the simple truth that Mystique had raised the girl for the better part of seven years*. Once again, Raven's plan backfired. Instead of growing closer to her daughter, they only grew further apart.

"Stop thinking about it, Raven," a soft voice said. "You cannot change your destiny. Surely you've learned that- especially spending so much time with me."

She wheeled to face the speaker- her companion, Irene Adler or Destiny as others called her. A wry smile crossed her lips. "And I imagine I'm supposed to live with my fate of being cut off from everyone that I love?"

Destiny followed the sound of the voice and managed to meet the woman's eyes. Mystique looked away, almost ashamed as though the woman could see right through her- in a metaphorical sense at least. "I'm with you, aren't I? And besides, I never said she would be angry at you forever..."

"She'll forgive me when I'm in my death bed, I infer."

"Perhaps."

Raven felt a smile twitch at the corner of her mouth. She let it spread. After all, she couldn't deny herself the simple pleasure that only Irene could allow her to indulge in. "I love you," she said sheepishly. "You have no idea how much I've missed you. You always know how to make me feel better."

It was true. Only Irene could make her laugh- make her smile- make her forget what a horrible, awful world they lived in. She made her feel peaceful. Mystique crossed to the couch and sat down by Irene. She lay her head on the woman's shoulder with a content sigh. "Do you love me?"

"You already know that answer, my love." Irene smiled, ran her weathered fingers through Raven's scarlet locks, and began to hum a tune that they both knew well. Her lips parted and she let the song escape from her mouth, softly at first, but growing louder as she gained more confidence.

Whenever I'm alone with you,
you make me feel
like I am home again.
Whenever I'm alone with you,
you make me feel
like I am whole again

Mystique shook her head, laughing in spite of herself at the song and more importantly, how silly it was that Irene was singing it. "The Cure? How gothic. Darling, you're beginning to sound like Rogue."

The older of the two stiffened. "I happen to like the Cure. Besides, you can't tell me you didn't like the song. It was fashionable, I guess you could say. Besides, I think it fits."

Raven closed her eyes and mused over the irony. "Mmmm... you do make me feel whole again. My current state hasn't been quite together lately."

"You could say that again."

She raised a brow at the comment, and began to sing from where Irene left off. Her voice was deeper than Destiny's, and she couldn't carry the tune quite as well. Nevertheless, she sang the next verse- all the while stumbling over the melody.

Whenever I'm alone with you,
you make me feel
like I am young again.
Whenever I'm alone with you,
you make me feel
like I am fun again.

Feeling silly, Raven grabbed Destiny's hands and pulled her from her position on the couch. She began to dance as she sang on, ignoring the amusement on Irene's face. She didn't care if her voice made her lover want to be deaf rather than blind. The words spoke for themselves- the voice only delivered them.

However far away,
I will always love you.

Irene placed a hand on Mystique's cheek and lovingly crooned the next line.

However long I stay,
I will always love you.

Mystique joined in. The two sung in a jumbled harmony.

Whatever words I say,
I will always love you.
I will always love you.

The couple pressed closer together and swayed to their cappella.

Whenever I'm alone with you,
you make me feel
like I am free again.
Whenever I'm alone with you,
you make me feel
like I am clean again.

The dancing stopped as they took each other in- Raven beheld her lover in the flesh, and Destiny only in her mind's eye. Even so, the beauty that the two saw in each other was rivaled only by their fierce passion.

However far away,
I will always love you.
However long I stay,
I will always love you.
Whatever words I say,
I will always love you.
I will always love you.

Raven smiled and leaned forward, and met a pair of sensuous lips. Irene was a little surprised, but responded in the like, opening her mouth slightly to accept the tongue Mystique was offering. Destiny snaked her arm around the taller woman's neck and Raven placed her hands on the small of her back. They stood there, kissing, for what seemed like an eternity until a knock on the hotel door rudely broke them apart.

Mystique, annoyed, shifted into a more human form and went to open the door. "What is it?"

A short, fat man stood directly in front of her. "I'm sorry to disturb you, miss, but we've received a noise complaint from next door and would appreciate it if you kept it down."

She rolled her eyes and slammed the door in his face.

"Thank you," came his muffled response.

Mystique walked back to Irene, smiling. She shifted back into her normal self. "Now, where were we?"

Irene smirked. "They were complaining about your singing, you know."

She wrinkled her nose, a little offended, but grinned evilly. "I know something we could do that would really make some noise for our neighbors next door."

Destiny laughed as Raven pulled her onto the bed. She only wished these memories would last forever. She knew, however, that they would be short-lived.

* ~ *

Dun-dun-dun... Apocalypse allusion much? I hope you enjoyed this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it. This is certainly better than my other attempts! Please review.

To clear up a few questions you may have...
First of all- Why are they in a hotel? ...Well, there's a few reasons for that. First of all, the ending couldn't have happened like it did if they weren't. Second of all, this is set around Self-Possessed (like I said before). Irene came by to warn Mystique about Rogue. She needs somewhere to stay, and I doubt Mystique would want to bring her back to the BoM place. She definitely doesn't want to make Destiny live through the horror which is the BoM. Plus, Mystique would never live it down if her charges found out she was bisexual. So therefore, they rented a hotel.
Uh- why were they singing the song? Hmmm.... this one's a little more complicated. I have two fan fictions in which the song isn't sang, but it rather plays in the background while the scene is playing itself out. Many Evo songfics have their characters actually sing the song, so I thought I'd try it out for once. So this was the outcome- like it or not.

*- Mystique hinted in "Rogue Recruit" that "we" (Irene and Mystique) had "hidder her [Rogue] in the backwaters for the better part of five years." So, this meant that Rogue was ten or eleven when she moved to Caldecott. And in "Self-Possessed" Mystique revealed that she had raised her since she was four. So, if you do the math, Mystique raised Rogue for AT LEAST six or seven years.