The next day had been somewhat of a blur for Mystique.
She had found that she was unable to change her form in any way. While she, Eric and John had been on the street, escaping from the agents, she had needed to change. Her adrenalin running high, she hadn't noticed that she was actually somehow being forced to change into her original body against her will.
She had created clothes from her flesh on the street, but her body was unwilling to keep up even that charade, and the t-shirt and jeans she had created appeared to melt into her skin, leaving her very naked in the hotel room.
Shielding her from Pyro's eyes, Eric had given her a bathrobe to wear while he went to make her some tea. During the course of the night, she had been alternately crying and hyperventilating in a blind panic.
She had no control whatsoever over her ability, it was as if she had forgotten how to use her power altogether.
How could such a thing have happened?
The question was mind-boggling to the three occupants of the upscale penthouse suite. Mystique had been crying at the dining room table while her clothes were dissolving, and it was John who saw it.
He had been pacing back and forth behind Mystique's chair, trying to think of a way to help, and was frustrated when he came up empty. Mystique had laid her head in her folded arms on the table, exposing her back to him. While her t-shirt melted into her skin, John caught sight of something.
He stopped his pacing, and came up behind her. It was a small, black protrusion. It was tiny, it could've been a mole, but it was too dark and looked artificial. He reached out to touch it.
It fell off her and landed on the floor. "What the..." he muttered.
"What are you doing?" she asked him. He reached down to pick it up.
"This fell off you, what is it?" she looked at it and frowned. "I don't know."
Eric came in from the kitchen with a freshly brewed cup of tea. Wordlessly, he handed it to her. "Eric, do you know what this is?" John asked as he handed it to him. Eric looked at the tiny object closely.
It was jet black, with one end rounded while the other came to a sharp point, meant to pierce the skin. With a shock of realization, Eric understood what had happened. The object he held was more than met the eye. It was both a bullet and a syringe. While he was going through the computer files in the building, he had read of plans in development for a serum.
The serum could be injected into the bloodstream and negate a mutant's power.
The bullet was tiny; it had done no real damage because it was not meant to kill.
It was meant to deliver.
The serum was very powerful; the tiny amount that had been introduced into her body had successfully rendered her powerless. 'Oh, no.'
"Mystique, the weapon they had in development to negate a mutant's powers...it's a liquid injection. The FoH has created tiny syringes in the guise of bullets. Darling, you were hit, but I promise you I'll find the cure." Eric said as seriously as he could.
Mystique's eyes refilled with tears, and she reached out to hug Eric as if he were her last connection to life. He hugged her back. "Maybe you should go lay down, rest for awhile, and by the time you wake up we'll have a plan of action." Mystique nodded her head and went to their room without a word.
It was decided then, while Mystique was sleeping (or at least trying to) that they would seek the aid of Charles Xavier and his merry crew. Eric and John had run down their short list of allies, realizing that none of them had the means to help with this situation. Only Charles had the means- the medical equipment, the protection, the knowledge- to help them.
Reluctantly, Eric had made the call.
Mystique woke up to find herself in the same condition as when she went to bed. No blue scales, no red hair or lizard eyes. She had awoken early and the past night's events were still fresh in her mind. She had looked down at her body, both angered and frustrated to find that it had not somehow changed back to her version of normal overnight.
No such luck.
Eric had found her sitting before the twin mirrors that covered the closet doors on the floor. She hung her head, strangely ashamed to let him see her like this. He had spoken softly, as if trying to soften the blow. "Mystique, we're going to Charles, he may be able to help us." She had simply nodded, not bothering to say a word or even look up.
She felt material being draped over her shoulders, and then he was gone.
The helicopter ride took several hours, but Mystique hardly noticed. She sat in the back, silent and unmoving save for some fidgeting. She had to wear a combination of John and Eric's clothes, for she could not create her own from her flesh.
Neither the pants nor the shirt fit very well.
John glanced back at her from the passenger seat, and saw her sigh as she stared out the window. Quietly, he spoke to Eric, "She isn't taking this very well."
"Would you?"
"I guess not, but I think she has it worse than I would if it were me."
"Yes, I suppose she does. But don't worry too much John. She is strong, possibly the strongest of us all." John remained silent after that, contemplating Eric's words.
The mansion came into view, and he landed the chopper on the front lawn. They departed from the helicopter and strode to the front door. Eric and Charles had spoken on the phone, which John thought to be a little strange.
After what had happened at the lake, the Statue of Liberty and after all the incidents before that, John thought it was crazy that they could even bear to hear the other's voice. But they were friends for years...they shared a true friendship.
Eric knocked three times and the door then swung open. Charles Xavier sat before them in his customized wheelchair, wearing his commonplace suit and tie. He looked just as John remembered him. He greeted them with a smile.
"Hello Eric, Mystique, John. I imagine that this has been quite a trial for all of you, so we should get right to work, eh? Oh, and don't worry about the X-men, they won't be here for most of the day. I sent them out on another field trip, and they know nothing about this. Of course, we will have to tell all once they come back."
"Quite alright, Charles. I really can't thank you enough for this, it's insanely generous of you."
Xavier smiled at that. "Well, you're probably right about that. You two are nothing but trouble, but what the FoH has done is unconscionable. If there is any way I can derail their plans of spreading this manipulation, I'll do it."
He led them down to the lower levels of the house, down into the tunnels. One of the doors opened and led them into the medical area.
It was highly clinical, immaculate.
"All right, Mystique, I'll need a blood sample. Also, we may have to do some x-rays. Would you sit on the table here?" He gestured to the table, and she did so without a word. She had not said anything to anyone since the night before. Her expression hadn't changed much at all, and she was being very distant, Eric was beginning to worry about her.
Xavier took out a stethoscope had listened to her heartbeat; he took her pulse, temperature, and other vital signs. Eric and John stood idly by, wishing for something to do. "Well, her vitals are completely normal. Whatever was injected into her body has not affected anything other than her power."
He took a blood sample and went off to the lab, bringing John along with him, leaving Eric and Mystique alone. The x-rays were coming up; she had changed into the provided paper hospital gown and lay down on the examination table.
Eric sat in a chair close to the table. She had never shown him her human form. Despite being lovers, friends and teammates, it had been one of the few things she kept secret. He looked at her closely.
She was beautiful.
Her face possessed a noble, aristocratic quality. Her skin was fair, but had a healthy glow, almost sun kissed. Her hair was honey blonde, resting just above her shoulders. She had eyes the same shade as his, bright blue.
She looked different, but she was still Mystique.
A lock of hair had fallen into her eyes, and Eric reached to brush it out of the way. His hand stayed on her face for a few seconds longer, and she made eye contact with him for the first time that day.
He could see how frustrated and scared she was. In turn, she could see how determined he was to help her. A silent moment of understanding passed between them. There were things that needed to be said, but they never got the chance.
Charles and John came back from the adjacent lab area and the contact was broken. Eric removed his hand and sat back in his chair, while Mystique returned her eyes to the ceiling. "All right, this won't hurt a bit. Just lie as still as you possibly can." Charles directed. Mystique did as she was told as the x-ray process began.
"Well, there hasn't been any internal damage, which is lucky. I still have to examine her blood, but we'll have answers soon. John, why don't you and Mystique get some lunch? This could take a long time." John and Mystique nodded, leaving the medical lab.
They walked through the metallic hallways, in a somewhat awkward silence.
John and Mystique hadn't really bonded on the level that he and Eric had. He knew nothing of her past life, and very little of her current one. What must she be feeling right now?
He now knew that that was what she looked like under the blue scales, and he had to give Eric a hand. She was hot! Not just your everyday cute chick seen at the mall, but she was grade-A magazine quality hot; and the most ironic thing was that she didn't even seem to notice, but if she did, she didn't care.
As they rounded a corner of the large house on their way towards the kitchen, John bumped into someone. "Uh-oh." He muttered as he saw that it was Cyclops.
Charles had spent a great deal of time explaining the situation to Cyclops, Storm and Wolverine. They understood it, but they detested the idea of them staying in the mansion. Charles felt it would be necessary if he were find a cure, while the X-men felt they would be better off somewhere else.
"They'd be better off ANYWHERE else, Professor! Have you forgotten what Magneto tried to do at Alkali Lake!" Scott demanded.
"No, Scott. I haven't forgotten, but I have forgiven Eric for it."
"Professor, how can you trust them? What if Mystique is just faking all of this just to spy on us? They've done it before."
"What do you mean before?" asked Logan from the doorway.
"Mystique was a student here, Magneto was her teacher." Ororo explained quickly.
Logan shrugged, "Why am I not surprised?"
Despite the many protests, the Brotherhood stayed. Eric and Mystique were given a vacant room, and John was allowed to use his own former dorm. The X- men and Brotherhood had no choice but to learn how to cooperate and get along, Ororo had even gone as far as letting Mystique borrow her clothes until Eric restored her powers.
It had been weeks since they first arrived, and as far as Mystique knew, nothing helpful had been learned. Eric spent most of his time in the lab with Xavier, working hard to find an antidote.
She appreciated his effort, but she was beginning to feel a distance separating them. They had not been intimate and rarely spent time together since he was now so busy.
The one time they had attempted the act had ended disastrously.
Flashback
One, two, three.
Mystique pulled the brush through her blonde locks more out of boredom than vanity. She didn't really care what her hair looked like, but she had to do something to occupy her time until Eric returned from the lab.
Eric was always working late; she wanted to at least show him that his efforts for her weren't unnoticed.
Four, five, six.
She stood before the bureau, barefoot, clad only in another borrowed nightgown of Storm's, letting her mind wander to take up the empty minutes of the night.
Her train of thought, of course, never strayed far from the topic at hand. How much longer would she be without her powers, trapped in this body? Granted, it was her own human body, the same in size and shape as her blue form, but to her it represented a world she had left behind.
Eric entered their room, careful not to disturb Mystique. She had been very distant since the whole ordeal began, he knew she had been skipping meals and avoiding sleep. She had withdrawn from him, so far that she hadn't even noticed his presence.
Slowly, he went to her, placing a hand on her back. She turned to him, but her eyes wouldn't meet his. Eric's heart sank at her diminished vigor; Mystique was a shell of her former self.
He cupped her cheek and brought her face up to meet his. Tenderly, he pressed his lips to hers, pleased when she parted her mouth for him, allowing him to deepen the kiss.
Eric smoothed his hands down her body, frowning slightly as he felt how thin she had become. He brought her closer to him. Mystique broke the kiss to make a small gasp of surprise as he molded her body to his, jumping and nearly crying out when she felt his hands abruptly slide under the chemise to rest against the bare skin of her belly.
He kissed her again, taking her hands in his as he backed up to the bed, and pulled Mystique onto his lap. Her long legs draped over his, toes nearly touching the floor as she straddled him. The thin strap of her chemise had slipped off her shoulder and Eric kissed the newly exposed skin. Then her collarbone, then her neck; he lazily made his way up to her mouth.
Mystique remained passive, letting Eric play her body like a harp. She wanted to please him as well, but he nudged her hands away, "This is for you." He panted between kisses. He was content with her teasing, feather- light strokes at the nape of his neck.
Boldly, Eric's hand had found its way down from her back to her inner thigh. He smiled when he heard her sharp intake of breath, followed by the soft moan of his name. Mystique pressed her forehead to his, her breath coming in heavy pants.
Torturingly slow, his hand moved up her leg, underneath the silk hem of her nightgown. A hoarse cry erupted from her throat as he caressed her, Mystique's hands pulled tightly at the fabric of his shirt. Eric grasped her hips and lifted her off his lap, setting her on the bed. Mystique welcomed his weight and his touch as he came over her.
Their fingers interlaced as Eric kissed his way down her body, making her feel so good that all the worries from the past months began to slip away. Mystique's breath died in her lungs as his other hand slid upward, along her ribs and under her chemise to cup a breast-his hand was incinerating her, turning the blood in her veins to scorching lava. Moaning, she pressed her head to his shoulder and pushed harder against his thighs. Eric removed her chemise and tossed it aside, kissing his way back up her nude body.
Mystique panted as heat waves rolled over her while Eric's seductive, punishing hands and mouth played havoc with her body and mind. Mystique felt that she could faint from the pure sensation of it. Wet kisses covered her stomach and thighs, Eric brushed his lips up her torso, pausing when he came upon her cursed scars.
He had always been troubled at the sight and feel of them. Mystique's eyes snapped open as the memories came rushing back. Wolverine driving the unyielding length of his claws into her innards, shredding the muscle tissue, leaving her for dead.
She looked to her side and caught her reflection in the mirror, unable to recognize herself. Eric was with another woman that had stolen her body!
Panicking, Mystique shrank from his touch and cried out, "No, no, Eric, stop!"
Eric immediately stopped and got up, letting her away from him.
Defensively, she backed away, up to the headboard. "Mystique, what's wrong?" he asked, "Did I hurt you?"
Mystique wrapped her arms around her knees, seemingly trying to protect her naked body from some threat she saw in him.
Threat from Eric? How could she think it was possible?
He had no idea what to say, but it was obvious to him that whatever he had done had triggered this negative reaction.
'Negative' wasn't a serious enough word for the situation, she looked absolutely terrified of him!
She sat across from him on the bed, trembling; her skin washed pale in the moonlight, making her appear delicate and frail.
"Mystique, I'm sorry." He said gently as he moved forward, thankful that she didn't flinch when he put his arms around her.
"No, Eric, I'm sorry...it's just, I can't-"
"It's alright. We don't have to, I can wait as long as it takes." He pulled her into his lap again, for affection rather than lust.
They stayed together, their bodies nestled together like spoons. During the night, when he knew Mystique was still awake, but pretending to be asleep so that he wouldn't worry about her, Eric had made her a promise.
"Mystique, I'll find the cure for you."
That horrible night had been weeks ago; Eric spent every night in the lab with Charles, but he told her nothing of their progress, if any.
She was starting to feel deliberately left out of the loop.
Whenever she tried to ask him about it, he would remark, "We have found nothing new, I'm afraid."
He was hiding something from her. She could feel it.
There was only so much she could take; this was her life they were talking about! One night while she was sleeping, she felt movement beside her. Eric had quietly left their bed, taking great care not to wake her, and left the room.
He closed the door behind him and strode towards Charles's office. She watched his departing form, and made the decision to follow him. If he refused to tell her what he was hiding, she would find out about it herself.
She may have been unable to shape-shift, but she was still "Sneaky Mystique".
Carefully, she had crouched down next to Xavier's office doors, and listened in on their conversation.
Eric's voice was the first she heard. "What did you call me up here to talk about?"
Frowning, Charles wheeled himself behind his desk. "Um...Eric, it's not that easy to discuss. I did a blood test and..."
"What! Why didn't you tell me?"
"Eric please, this is very difficult. I did the blood test and I found that the serum is still active. In fact, it's bonded to Mystique's genes."
Eric's face fell, his heartbeat increasing rapidly. Little did he know that Mystique's actions mirrored his own.
"Do you understand, Eric? It may not be possible for Mystique to recover her lost ability. She may have to live the rest of her life as a human."