17 March

We've been looking around Versailles for the better part of the morning,

but I could swear there's something wonky about our tour guide...

I can't put a finger on it, but "she" seems a wee bit too friendly, and

'hovers' a bit too much for mine or Shin's liking.

We broke for lunch, and I insisted that Shin and I "slip away" for a bit,

and between his phasing and my psi-talents, we managed to give her the

slip, and follow her at the same time...

...turns out my suspicions were correct.

No sooner than she thought she was alone, the guide shifted...into a

familiar indigo skinned, oranged haired chick.

Raven Darkholme. Aka Mystique.

I shoulda known my grace period would run out sooner or later.

I came to Paris to spend time with my guy. Not have my first vaccation in

years interrupted by some dodgy shapeshifter with delusions of parenthood.

I don't care IF she's Rogue's foster parent. She's nothing to me, and I'm

certainly not above putting her out of my misery so I can get some peace

and quiet.

Now, I just gotta figure out who she's talking to on the cellphone...German

I think...or maybe Yiddish, knowing my luck...and if what I read at the

Institute is right, Xavier's old nemesis, Erik Lensherr is either Jewish or

gypsy. Dunno which, but that gives me an idear or three to work with...

And what the two of us might be up against.

Blessed Lady! Why does my life have to be continually littered with these

psychos with delusions of grandeur, martyrdom and motherly sacrifice?

I'm half tempted to start melting brains and ask questions later...

Shin was of a mind to simply leave, but I wasn't...I came here to see Paris,

the Louvre, Versailles and all that. I'm not going to let them keep dictating

my life. Period.

And before he could stop me, I pulled us through the wall and tapped her on

the shoulder...after erecting an invisible forcefield around her.

Suffice to say, the look on her face was worth every penny...

So, here I am telepathicly reading her the riot act, and it's taking Shin to

keep me from frying what passes for her brains, when wouldn't you know?

Nick Fury's boys and girls in blue show up.

The slightly guilty look on Shin's face told me all I needed to know...

And y'know what?

In a way I was kinda glad, becuase their timely arrival kept me from doing

something I might regret later...like experimenting with the brain-through-

nose removal described in the Egyptian Book of the Dead, or finding out just

how refined the microkinetic end of my abilities really is these days...or

practicing my Atemi moves at full strength...or learning if my forcefields

are really airtight..or not...

And who's going to believe the reality of me being Rogue? My psi-sig and

DNAnalysis profiles are so far off hers that SHIELD couldn't mistake me for

Rogue, but her sister, yes...

...and being 'with' an upstanding member of the community like Shin, well,

who'm are they going to believe? A lying terrorist--or a known, respected

CEO of a major SHIELD contractor?

So, they got their shapeshifter, and I got my vaccation back...

But, I had the uneasy feeling that it wouldn't be the last I'd see of that

shapeshifter...

Shin rubbed my shoulders while they interviewed us--and I told them the edited

version of the accident...and they got a scan of my genome to add to some

kinda implant Mystique's got...apparently keeps her from taking my form...

Not that that's a bad thing.

This Italian countess stuck around with us after they hauled Darkholme off,

actually turned out to be a hell of a armchair historian, and was quite

familiar with all kinds of neat stuff about Versailles.

She gave me a SHIELD micro-com or 'panic button' should I be harassed by

any more of my sister's looney cohorts...I'm glad, in a way, becuase I'm

not really "up" on metahuman fighting and stuff. I may be good in a

fight, but that doesn't mean I know all the "stuff" or how to keep normal

folks from getting hurt.

Neither does Shin, for that matter.

Some things are best left to the pros, we both think.

And right now, I just want to loose myself in history and poke around the

hallowed halls of Versailles and the Petite Trinon...becuase that's what's

more important to me right now...spending time remembering how to be Ana,

and learning how to be half of this neat yin-yang thang that Shin and I

have going.