Not Myself
By Princess Alexandria
Monday traffic in the city wasn't pleasant. Christy was glad that Emma suggested they leave a lot earlier than Christy had planned to. "So Mystique managed to impress Jacob enough to get a meeting with the second in charge. She had to help them move bodies to do it." Christy stared out the side window at the people walking along the street for a moment. "I don't know how we're gonna make this work, but she seems to think it's easy. I pretend to be Rob's fiancée and stay out of it as much as possible." Christy looked over at Emma. "I'm not ready, but we can't wait. Not anymore. So I'm supposed to follow her lead and mostly hide behind her."
Emma didn't look pleased at all. Her lips thinned for a moment before she opened them to speak. "Be careful and do what she tells you to. Don't second guess her out in the field, that's how things go horribly wrong."
"I know." Christy stared out the front window, her eyes widening as she saw a blur of red and blue dip towards the road and then back up towards a building. When he suddenly seemed to change directions a small smile escaped her. "It is so hard not to be star struck sometimes. That's Spiderman isn't it?"
"Yes I believe so."
"He was so famous on my world." Christy watched in fascination as he made his way down the street from so far above it. "The Marvel posterboy."
"Marvel?" Emma's question drew Christy's eyes away from the webcrawler she could barely see in the distance now. This was awkward. She hated to point this out.
"The comic company that covered your world."
"In your comics." Emma paused. "What did you see that made you interested in me?"
Christy gave Emma a soft smile. This she could answer. "I first saw you as part of the Hellfire club. You're outfit… well, lets just say it made me pay attention." She smirked as she thought of the drawings she'd seen. "I used to wonder how your students learned anything, because if you'd been my teacher it would have been so very hard to remember what you were saying, while you were wearing that outfit." The traffic wasn't moving at all at that point, so Christy could see she had all of Emma's attention. "You weren't in the comics much, not nearly as often as I wanted to see you." She shook her head. "I was actually young enough to be one of your students at that point. The time difference is really strange between our worlds."
"I'm twenty seven now." Emma sounded intrigued by the time difference.
"Really?" Christy turned to look at her lover. Emma was of course beautiful, and in no way looked old, but to find out Christy had managed to bypass her by that much was a surprise. "That is weird. I'm older than you now."
"So you liked me then? Why?"
Christy gave Emma a slightly guilty look. "At that point all I saw was a strong woman, smart, powerful" She smiled, "gorgeous… and that made you attractive, but it wasn't until after you started Generation X that I really took notice. I saw a movie with someone playing you, and I was sucked back in. I'd stopped buying comics, swore to myself that I wasn't going to waste my money like that anymore, but I started reading them at the store. That way I could tell myself that I'd kept my goal, and still know how you were doing. I didn't see every comic, just ones here and there and heard about them on the Internet." Christy stared into Emma's eyes. "You were never an angel, but you were so good."
"You are so sweet." Emma actually blushed. The traffic started to move and somehow the conversation did as well. Christy let Emma have her quiet time.
When they got to the airport, Christy had more trouble getting out of a car than she'd ever had before. She forced herself to not look back after kissing Emma goodbye and tried to push the pain of separation away.
…………………
Chicago O'Hare airport was nice. The foodcourt was better than most malls Christy had seen. She had dinner and waited for her connecting flight, which was running a little late. As she just stared around she noticed two people sitting at a table on the other side of the cafeteria. The flicker on one man's appearance made his companion's eyes widen.
He got up and moved quickly for the bathroom. Christy just shook her head. If a mutant needed one of those, they should really check it more often. That had been too close.
When he didn't come back out Christy checked her watch. She still had another half hour to kill. She watched the young woman left at the table fidget. He was taking too long. Out of curiosity Christy pulled her backpack onto the table and started checking the less used pockets. She thought she remembered packing Annie a spare battery last time she went to New York, but she didn't remember giving it to her. In the third pocket she found it. These weren't normal batteries, and it wasn't like anyone could walk into a store to get them. She'd bet money that was what was wrong. The man's battery was out and he probably didn't have a spare, or he'd be out already.
Christy stared at her battery and then at the woman. Well, it was expensive, but not worth whatever would happen to them if she didn't hand it over. Christy got up with a sigh, tossed her backpack over one shoulder and grabbed her tray. Once she'd dumped it she approached her. "You need something?" She asked softly while holding the battery in front of her so the other diners wouldn't see it, not that a typical human would recognize it.
The woman's eyes widened and she looked wary for just a moment, before she smiled. "Yes." She was visibly relaxing.
"Have fun getting it to him." Christy smiled and handed it over. "I have to catch a plane."
"Thank you."
As Christy walked away, she felt like a hero. She made a mental note to nag Annie about having backup batteries more often.
……………………
Mystique noticed the headlights pouring through the living room window, so she put the journal she was studying down on the coffee table and moved to look out. Christy was back. Mystique just stared as the woman paid the cabbie, her expression giving away nothing. The day at Christy's work had proved that her co-workers really didn't know much about her. Christy was a woman of secrets everywhere. Christy was also right, it was very easy to pretend to be Christy Taylor. Too easy. Most people had some things that would trip up a shapeshifter and alert the flatscans to the fact something was off, unless a shapeshifter was careful.
Mystique had made errors on purpose just to see what people did, and they just laughed and teased her about her faulty memory. Apparently Christy was absent minded. Not a trait Mystique had seen in the woman herself.
She slipped the journal under the couch cushion and waited. When the door opened she decided to play a little joke and shifted into Christy's form again before reclining on the couch and grabbing a nearby magazine. Instead of reading she looked over the edge of the magazine and watched as Christy came up the stairs and glanced over at her. She took in the subtle flinch. "Come on now, you have something better to wear than that." Christy gave her a weak smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Okay, how about this." Mystique smiled and shifted to a pale skinned blonde Christy would recognize, complete with the White Queen's Hellfire outfit. "I've missed you, come give Queenie a kiss."
The brief look of hunger wasn't hidden very well, but Christy looked away. "So how was work?" Christy moved to the kitchen, refusing to play.
"Dull. You do that everyday?" Mystique shifted back to her own form and got up to follow Christy into the dining room. "I assigned an essay on the dangers of Internet Porn."
Christy looked over at her quickly, pulling the woman's attention out of the fridge. "You didn't."
"It's due Friday." Mystique wiggled her eyebrows and smirked. She couldn't resist doing that when she caught one boy browsing pictures of half naked women during class. "And everyone knows to thank that boy with the tongue piercing for it."
"Trevor?" And Christy got it in one. Not so absent minded after all. "He thought he could get away with that in class?" Mystique let Christy mumble about that while getting her drink. "I'm gonna hear about those essays from parents aren't I?"
"Hey, you have to push the line if you want kids to learn. They'll never forget this essay."
"Good thing I already quit." Christy didn't seem very upset. "You gonna help me grade them."
"Oh no, you are Christy Taylor, and you're welcome to it." Mystique smiled at her and watched the woman take a sip of her drink. "I just did what I thought you'd do."
Christy just stared at Mystique and shook her head. Mystique pushed it and she knew it. But she didn't know that while this Christy was prone to things like that, she didn't play herself at work. She was someone else. "Anything else I need to know?"
"This is new. Normally I don't debrief people on their own lives." Mystique was watching every movement Christy made, noticed the way she licked her lips free of the juice on them, took in the way Christy made brief eye contact with her. "Well, I did pretend work in the office with the door closed in the morning, taught… gave out the essay… did more pretend work in the afternoon and left. You didn't get a lot of visitors. Don't your co-workers like you?"
"No I'm a bitch." Christy smirked at her. "They are even throwing a party to celebrate my leaving." Yes, Mystique was fully aware of that. It made it easier to explain her need to have access to Christy's employee record and why Christy might want copies of her application materials and employee reviews. The idle chit chat lasted until Christy yawned for the third time.
"Guess you should get some sleep. I don't want to fill in for you again." It was almost two am.
"Mystique?" Christy sounded a bit less sure of herself now. Mystique watched the woman stare down at the empty glass for a moment before looking up. "Do you ever think about what you'd do if you were free?" Free, that was one way to put it, Mystique thought to herself. Being blackmailed got old fast.
"Aside from an entire cheerleading team?" She gave Christy a smile, but the slight frown in return showed Mystique this was a serious question. Her voice became more serious as well. "I'd pick my own missions and do them my way. I'd focus on OUR people, and what benefits mutants. I would use a god damned real gun. Why so curious?"
"I just wondered if you ever felt like just settling down." Christy question actually caught Mystique off guard.
"You don't like the rush like I do, do you?" Mystique shook her head. "I love the excitement. I love winning and the challenge. Most spies are adrenaline junkies. I've taken time off in the past, but I always go back."
"Okay," Christy didn't sound like she got the answer she was after as she got up and before Christy got to the stairs Mystique asked a question of her own.
"I read your journals. Why did you stop writing the day Genosha was destroyed?" Mystique's voice was quiet, and Christy looked a little startled by the question. The pause was too long.
"I guess I just didn't see the point anymore." And Christy's answer was award winningly vague.
"Okay. Good night." Mystique could see Christy hesitate, before she went down the stairs. When the door to Christy's room closed Mystique's smile faded, and her eyes hardened.
…………………………
Christy's work day made her grateful she wasn't staying on. Of course she was sure Emma had it worse after the accident, but there was a big difference between a life threatening event on campus and a damned essay that DID NOT require her students to look at porn. Five parents had called, and one just couldn't understand what she was saying about it not being required for her student to look at porn.
Of course Christy's boss heard about it, and the way she pointed to a student to explain it. Trevor's mother was more furious than any other, and Christy couldn't blame her. Christy was finally forced to forward her call to Christy's boss. "And to think I was gonna get that woman flowers for helping me out." Christy muttered as she shut down her computer to go home.
Christy found the garage door opened when she got there, and Mystique was in her more human colors working out. Christy parked her car and moved to the large open door. "You like an audience?" She smirked at the woman bench pressing what was probably a respectable amount of weight.
"The garage was hot and you don't have a fan." Mystique set her weights on the bar. "Not that moving hot air around would help." Christy took in the sweat beading on Mystique's body and wondered how long she'd been at it. "Shortpack had a friend drop by and they went out to the movies." Mystique was toweling off and Christy moved to lean against the garage door.
"Is he dating while on a mission?"
"If that boy went on a date I'd be shocked." Mystique sat back down on the bench. "And these type of missions don't usually take this long. There isn't a lot he can do to help either."
"I didn't mean to…" Christy could tell Mystique was a little protective of the handler.
"It's alright." Mystique smiled. "Warm up. It's sparring time."
Christy changed her clothes after stepping out of sight of the street and moved to open the smaller backdoor while Mystique closed the garage door. It was a pretty warm spring day and it made it clear that this garage wasn't gonna cut it without a bit more money put into heating and cooling.
"You ever find out the limits of your strength?" Mystique asked while blocking a hit to the face.
"Haven't tried." Christy stepped back and took in the casual stance Mystique adopted. Were they sparring or chatting?
"I had lunch with your mother while you were gone." Mystique smiled at her. "I had no idea you were such a little rebel when you were a kid."
Christy wouldn't have ever called herself that. She was an overly cautious child. "Yeah?" She smiled at Mystique like she had some idea what she was talking about. Her big rebellious thing was stealing flowers, and even then she never took more than a neighbor looked like they could spare.
"Yeah, I wasn't too surprised though." Mystique shot a few weak punches for Christy to block. They were barely making the motions of sparring anymore. "You were always a mutant rights activist, even before realizing what you were."
Christy stayed quiet and focused on trying to get past Mystique's guard, but even distracted as she was with talking, Mystique was better. "Well it never seemed right to pick on people for stuff they can't control." Christy kept it vague, wishing she knew what Mystique was talking about.
"Your friend Elf was lucky you were there." Mystique pulled back and took a drink. "It's too hot in here for a decent workout." She muttered and Christy had to agree. "So your mother told me they sprained your arm. How'd that happen?"
"What?"
"When you jumped into the fight, the flying five year old of freedom." Mystique smirked at her.
Christy's mind drew a complete blank. She never read anything like that in the journals, but then those things seemed to be more recent. They started a little out of high school. "You know I still don't remember. It happened so fast I didn't feel pain until afterwards." She moved into a more ready position and her eyes grew wide as Mystique came at her full force suddenly. It took all her effort to block the blows that were jarring her arms. Mystique's expression was determined and Christy felt the kick sweep her legs out from under her.
The hard floor hurt as Christy's back slammed into it and then Mystique was pinning her down. "I win." Her words were cold and Christy just stared up at her teacher. "You never got into fights as a child, and aside from a small fall that required stitches, you didn't go to the hospital."
……………………….
Mystique stared down at the little liar and held on more tightly to her arms, expecting a struggle. From the comments that this fake Christy let slip, Mystique had the impression that Charles knew he didn't have the genuine article and didn't care, or everything was very elaborately set up. Still why force Mystique to train the shapeshifter that obviously already had that skill. When Christy just stared up at her and relaxed Mystique was a little surprise but she didn't lower her guard.
She could almost see the thoughts firing across Christy's mind as she laid there passively underneath Mystique. "Who are you?" Mystique asked. She was mad at Christy, and mad at herself for falling for it.
"Its part of the classified stuff I couldn't tell you." Mystique could hear the resigned tone in Christy's voice.
Mystique pressed harder down on Christy in case she tried to escape and stared her in the eyes. "You mean the part where you're not really Christy Taylor, but some shapeshifter that took over her life after Genosha was burned? You're good. Taking over a life for that long without having people suspect, that takes skill. Who are you and where does Charlie have the real article?"
"I am Christy Taylor." Christy protested a bit too angrily. Mystique smirked down at her.
"What color was Elf's hair?" When that didn't get an answer. "Who was your favorite elementary school teacher?"
"Ms. Wilson." Christy actually answered that one. Mystique's eyebrows drew together as she thought of more questions since she hadn't really expected Christy to know the answer to that one. She was picking things that couldn't have come out of the journals that Christy gave her, because obviously she was familiar with those.
"The dog that had a hip problem…"
"Moose." Christy didn't even hesitate with that one. Mystique was a bit surprised. This was more detail that one normally got when doing a background check for going undercover.
"What you said when you heard Magneto was going to run a country?" It was more recent, and not in those journals. Mystique watched Christy struggle to come up with something, but she obviously didn't remember saying that it was just a matter of time before he'd want a bigger country. Christy didn't have the answer. "Your job working for a warehouse was at…" Again it looked like she had her. Christy didn't seem to know about a warehouse job. It was brief, but it had been on her resume for the job she had now. "What as your first car?" Mystique kept rattling off questions as quickly as she could to see how much research the woman under her did.
"Ford." Finally another answer. "It only cost five hundred and I bought it with money from my first job."
"Your cousin's mutant power?" Mystique stared at Christy, knowing she'd just posed a false question, but Christy never caught it. She should have easily been able to say she didn't know of any mutants in her family, but that must not have been in the research.
"Come on… this is stupid." Christy struggled a little. "We could play twenty questions all day. I can't remember every little thing I've ever done. What did you have for breakfast a week ago? Your first pets name? There are things that just don't come to you in two seconds."
"Yes there are things that don't come to you." Mystique's teeth were bared in a snarl. "but if you have mutants in the family, that should be pretty memorable." Mystique wanted to see how far Christy would go to cover up what she didn't know. "I'll give you time to try and remember how your cousin saved you from a housefire. Think. I'm sure it'll come to you." Mystique complicated her story and still Christy didn't catch it. The silence stretched on and Christy looked kinda frustrated. What a surprise, Mystique thought with sarcasm. Still the details that Christy or whoever this was did know were odd and varied. "You aren't Christy Taylor."
"I am." Mystique watched her glare back. "Just because I have a few holes in my…"
"Oh don't even try that one." Mystique shook her head. "You really are stretching now aren't you? Just admit it, I have you. You lied to me and I don't know what game you're playing, but I intend to find out why a shapeshifter like you wanted private lessons when you obviously have it down."
Christy glared up at her and tried to get up. Mystique's hold kept her down. "Dammit, I told you I couldn't tell you things. It isn't like I lied about that." Christy struggled more. Mystique had to struggle to hold onto her before the woman just laid back again, resigned to being captured. The hold Mystique had used was a good one for holding a larger or in this case, stronger opponent down. "I needed you to teach me. I didn't lie." Christy was obviously editing her words, and thinking fast but from this close Mystique couldn't miss the way Christy's eyes darted around as the woman struggled to come up with more stories.
"I don't want lies, or your latest cover. Tell me the truth or I'll take my research on the F.O.H. and I'll walk." Mystique noticed that seemed to scare her captive. Since it wasn't really Christy Taylor, threatening the mother might not work, but this little shapeshifter was really invested in taking down the F.O.H.
"Charles said I shouldn't tell you anything. That I couldn't trust you." So Charlie did know. Mystique watched Christy carefully. The woman sighed. "This is my base form. I look a hell of a lot like Christy Taylor don't I?" The smile was humorless.
"That bull about an explosion."
"happened." Christy finished the sentence before Mystique could. Christy stared at the ceiling for a moment, looking over Mystique's shoulder. "Can we go inside and do this, or are you going to hit me again."
"What? Tired of my body all tight and snug against yours already?" Mystique leaned down and whispered. "How about we stay here. I haven't decided if I'm done hitting you." Mystique leaned back and let go of Christy's arms. She still was on guard, but the fight seemed to have left the woman still laying on the ground. "CopyCat?" The name was the start of a list of names Mystique could think of as potential real identities of this woman. Still the chances of Copycat working with Xavier were… well as slim as Mystique doing it, so maybe it could happen. There weren't a lot of shapeshifters active in the world.
"Demise." Christy said her codename as she moved to sit once Mystique got off of her. She was still claiming to be someone new.
"Well, Demise… start talking." Mystique glared at her and waited. When Demise tried to stand a slight shift of Mystique's stance discouraged her. Mystique preferred to keep the edge she had and wasn't sure if the little Christy's wanna be would be a better fighter now that her cover was blown. When Demise went quiet Mystique snapped at her. "No, don't spend all day thinking up new covers… talk NOW!"
"I told you I couldn't tell you everything." Demise sounded a bit irritated. Too bad. "It wasn't like I kept it a secret I was told to keep you in the dark about some things."
"Well, I'm telling you now… turn on the light, and I better like what I see or… " Mystique's eyes hardened in her silent threat. She wasn't really sure what she'd do to this woman then. It would depend on what she said. "Talk fast, I don't want you taking time out to make up stories." She ordered.
"I am Christy Taylor." The continued claim was really starting to irritate Mystique. "Just not the one from this world." Mystique just raised an eyebrow at that. "I'm from another reality." It did sound crazy. Mystique had heard of other Xmen that pulled that trick off though. "That's why I was able to pull it off so well. We shared a bit of history and since she died," Christy hesitated, "I just took over. I needed a place to stay, and a job and she had those things."
"So you traveled to another world to become a teacher and live in the suburbs?" Mystique voice dripped with her sarcasm and disbelief. "It must have taken years of careful planning to pull off your diabolical plan."
"It was an accident. None of it was planned." Christy's fists clenched, but she didn't make a move to fight. She just seemed a little angry. "She died the night I got here. The portal… it sucked her in. I was stuck on the side of the road with her car and no idea what to do. When I found her purse in the car… I just, I needed to do something, so I went home, to her home." Against her better judgment Mystique was starting to believe this. The odd things that Christy did know made more sense that way.
"So you have a fancy device to hop ship and go back?" Mystique had seen every inch of this house in the time she'd been here, checking it out whenever Christy left her and Shortpack there alone. He didn't even realize how much she'd gotten into, but still it hadn't answered her questions. It did, however, let her know that there was no machine here.
"No." Christy hesitated. "It was a one way trip. My world died."
"You the only one that came across?" The expression on Christy's face answered it. "Why?"
"Because the others were already dead." Christy's voice got softer.
Mystique went quiet as she thought about this. The real story, and she was inclined to believe it was real, because any liar knew to keep things more realistic than that, was far more intense than she thought it would be. She'd considered that Charlie was testing her, or that the woman in front of her was playing Mystique and Charles both. This… well no sane person would have come up with this idea as a possibility.
"How did the portal…" Her words trailed off as she watched Christy. Little things were making more sense now, like why Christy wouldn't know why her bedroom walls were so ugly and dark. Small hints that Christy had seemed to have left on purpose, or never thought Mystique would put together.
"I told you I thought I could trust you." Christy just stared, her eyes becoming a little pleading. It made her look a bit like a puppy, the way Christy seemed to beg with her eyes for the trust she claimed she was about to give to be well founded. "I'm an Omega. I made the portal after they died. I take in death energy. It's my main power."
Omega. Mystique just stared. That would explain Charles not wanting Mystique to know about the girl. She had even more power than the huge list suggested if she could do that. Death… Demise. Her name was her power, and Mystique started to wonder how much death it did take to pull off something like that.
"I didn't know I could do that but when my world died… they gave me what I needed to escape." Christy shook her head lightly, her voice soft and pained.
"The explosion?" Christy had told her that it was an explosion that made her reform her body and Mystique was seeing that Christy had been at least partially honest in all of this. If it had been Mystique, she would have had a more iron clad cover if she wanted to keep her new life. Christy's cover had been full of holes from the beginning.
"An asteroid."
"God." Mystique's respect for Christy climbed. "So Charlie didn't want me to know you were a super-mutant."
"No, not really." Christy sighed. "And I can't even pull that portal off again. It took a world dying to make it. So, while technically I'm an Omega, I'm operating as a metamorph with a healing power now, and a weak metamorph at that."
Mystique went quiet as she studied Christy. The girl could actually be as powerful as Magneto. "You aren't weak, just inexperienced." She gave Christy a small smile. Charles wouldn't be hiding that particular power if he thought it was as useless as Christy did.
Christy spoke softly. "You're my friend, and I want to trust you." Friend? "I don't have a lot of people I can be honest with, not even a little honest. My kids don't know. The Xmen do, but I had to tell them. Emma knows." Christy reached out and Mystique let her take her hand. "I'll watch your back. Please watch mine."
"An Omega." Mystique just shook her head. "Don't worry. The market for Omega's is kinda fickle. They'd need proof." She smiled at Christy.
When Christy sighed heavily it grabbed Mystique's attention. "I don't want to blackmail you, but I'm not stupid." Mystique tensed up and her smile left her face as she stared at Christy. Was she going to threaten to turn her in? "I was working on something. It was just supposed to be a gift, but… " Christy's jaw tensed. "I'm having another one of Forge's machines being made so if the Professor shuts his down we can still cover you." Mystique just watched her little intern with a bit of shock as she realized what she was hearing. "I was told it should be working in another two weeks. As long as you don't tell anyone my secrets or use them against me… I'll do what I can to keep the government from catching you."
"How did you do that?" Forge wouldn't just hand over the plans and Christy had been here, except for that short trip she just took. "Why?"
"I like you." Three words and they had the power to stun her completely. Christy stole Forge's plans and was making a machine to protect Mystique… because she liked her. There was no talk of sending her on missions, of having to repay in any real way. "I told you I'd watch your back, and I meant it."
"And if I decided I want to leave then?" Mystique asked, just because she had to know. She saw Christy tense up and the thoughtful look on her face.
"I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do, and I won't. But people are dying, and my kids can't come home until I fix this."
Mystique smiled. "Well, good thing I hate to leave a job half finished." Christy gave her a small smile back, but was obviously still concerned about what Mystique forced her to admit. "I knew a teacher with such a clean record couldn't have made those shots on the beach."
"Yeah, my real record isn't so clean." Christy stood up and Mystique made no motion to stop her. "I need a drink." The tone of voice made it clear Christy would have liked alcohol, but it didn't work on her anymore.
"I could use one too." Mystique waited for a still tense Christy to pass her on the way inside. There were more stories, clearly more, but Mystique had enough for now. She'd been right, at least partially. "Charlie should have known I'd figure out something was up."
"I think he expected me to be a better actress." Christy said as they started up the stairs. "Too bad I didn't care enough to really try."
"You saying I only figured it out because you let me?" Mystique's indignation made her voice rise. Christy was teasing her again. Mystique hid her own smile, glad that she hadn't been completely wrong about this woman being likeable. Having another woman around had been nice.
"I had to hand you the journals for you to figure it out." Christy glanced at her with a bit of a smile. "Once I realized what I'd done I pretty much knew I'd screwed up."
"Oh yeah, that was a big mistake, but it wasn't your first." Mystique started to critic Christy's performance and explained how to do it better with even less inside information. Some day Christy would be able to take other peoples forms, and it couldn't hurt to start thinking about it now.
While she was talking, part of her mind was working on how she was going to split from Charles. If she didn't want him coming after her, she needed to do it right, which meant she'd need more than two weeks to plan it. A glance at Christy's attentiveness as Mystique explained how to bluff a little better when asked small questions made her smile. Her little intern turned out to be far more interesting than she'd have expected.
Mystique wasn't really sure what she could do so she wouldn't feel like she owed Christy big. She knew this was a marker that Christy would end up calling in some day. No one went through that kind of trouble without expecting something in return, and while Christy may believe it was free now… when she needed something, Mystique would probably hear about it. Still owing Christy was better than being Charles' pet spy. Her hand moved to play with her necklace. Owing Christy was also better than owing some unknown. Christy was offering help upfront, not after some unnamed mission was completed.
She glanced at the necklace. That man and whoever he worked for used this to find her, she was sure of that, but since she had no other leads for help she'd kept it and waited to hear the big ultimatum they'd offer for their help. It was time to take this toy and dump it in the Puget Sound. She didn't need to be their double agent and didn't trust them to fulfill their end of the bargain anyhow. Accepting their help would have been just trading one master for another, and Christy, well she was most likely to truly offer Mystique freedom.
She glanced up at Christy taking a sip of her drink and took in the way that pink tongue played with the bottle's opening without noticing how very seductive it was. Mystique gave Christy a flirtatious smile and watched the woman's eyebrow raise in question. "You keep licking that opening like that and I'll give you something else you can lick." Christy was also a hell of a lot pretty than the guys pulling Mystique's strings now. She grinned wickedly at the woman and waited for the teasing to begin.
…………………….
Christy took a deep breath and watched as Mystique got them both another drink. Sometimes you have to give a little to hide the rest, and it looked like Christy managed to pull it off. She didn't like to think about Mystique betraying her, but it was a possibility. An Omega level power that couldn't be used wasn't likely to be as tempting as inside information that could be used would be. She released her breath and felt her body relax a bit. And now she didn't have to worry as much about what she said around the Mystique. She could say she knew how to do something without trying to figure out how to explain away how she'd learned. She could explain about Jacob and Jake. She could be herself. Christy's smile made Mystique look at her a little funny, but she didn't care.