John threw his arms around Alison and they twirled in the sand, "God I missed you-"

His favorite blonde tossed her hair and playfully wriggled her way out of his embrace. "Oh, you really missed me, huh? What was it you said to that woman- something about that she shouldn't be mad because there was only one girl? It sounds like you've been doing pretty well without me so far,"

John shrugged and lunged at her, though Alison easily dodged. John chased her over the sand, "Ok, I won't lie! There have been other girls! Since you left Xavier's, I flirted and dated, and yeah, I slept with three other girls since you- but you don't really want to spend the rest of the night rehashing our little black books, do you?"

He finally leapt forward and caught her around the waist. He nuzzled her neck.

Alison thrilled to his attention; when he'd approached her on the boardwalk, only hours ago that afternoon, she had been almost speechless at the sight of him. Gone was her introverted, skinny boyfriend from sophomore year at Xavier's, replaced with this well-muscled character. She hadn't recognized him at first, and had done several double-takes to make sure.

She had been with her sister, tan and blonde like her, but she had been the only mutant born into the family. Her younger sister, a lanky seventeen year old who chose to adopt the nickname of Angie, had been the one to call her attention to him. "Alison, look at that guy over there, he's heading straight for us," her sister's voice had carried with it an element of excitement, but Alison had always been one to play it cool.

She nudged her, "Jeez, Angie, who taught you how to flirt? Watch and learn, I- oh my God, is that…?"

"Who?"

"He looks just like this guy I dated at the mutant school…it can't be him though…"

John heard the last statement and moved right up to her, "Oh, yes it is! Alison, you look…wow," he finished as he made no secret of his approval while he looked her up and down.

She had been skinny and awkward as he had been- what to expect from a couple of freaks in a school dedicated to their fellow freaks? Now, though…John couldn't stop himself from looking at her, starting from her painted pink toes, moving up mile-long tan legs, a slender waist, high breasts and a striking face. She had always been pretty as a girl, but now as a young woman she could stop traffic. His mouth went dry.

"John…my god, is that you? You're looking pretty 'wow' yourself!" She said, returning the up and down appraisal. He'd grown taller and gained some much needed wait, most of it was obvious muscle. His face seemed harder, more defined, and his dark hair had grown lighter. He'd never been a fan of guys who dyed their hair, so she chose to assume that it was simply a visible manifestation of his mutation.

Alison had felt joy surge through her chest, and couldn't stop herself from jumping forward and forcing him into a hug. From there, they have just become completely absorbed in each other for the rest of the day and night.

She sighed, "Ok, ok, fine…I think I'd rather keep quiet about my boyfriends too, since there have been so many…" she stifled her laugh at John's sour face. "Hey, John, come on! We're on vacation, we're on the beach! I mean, you took me back to a penthouse and we were busted by an angel- how wild is that?" she laughed, "I almost put on an entire laser show I was so surprised by him," Alison went on, snapping her fingers and creating flashing sparks of colored light.

John looked out over the dark ocean, and thought that, reunited with the only girl he'd ever loved, out on the Cali shore, there was nowhere else he'd rather be. He sat down in the sand and stretched his arm out to her. Alison slid down to sit next to him and enjoyed the closeness they could share, while time was still on their side.

Raven looked out over the city. "I'm sorry about John…he said he knew that girl from school, some old girlfriend I guess. I'll throw him off the roof if you want me to."

Warren smiled slyly and shook his head. "No, I don't think you'll need to do that- he's still a kid, I'm sure we both have a story like that, some kind of skeleton in our closets…"

Raven shrugged, "Not me, not really. Part of the job was to never get caught, you know? I haven't made it clear, I know, but Eric and I…I loved him, in the way a student loves her teacher. I believed him, I hung on his every word when I was younger. I was a student at Xavier's when he arrived and presented us with the idea of actually using our powers as a way to stand up for ourselves. Before, it had always been, 'hide and turn the other cheek'. Xavier…what did he know? He never had to wake up in the morning and look at this,"

Then, as Warren stood beside her, baffled, watched as Raven was swept away before his eyes, revealing the infamous Mystique standing in her place. The creamy skin was engulfed under a dark sea of indigo scales, the green eyes swirled away into bold chrome yellow and her dyed auburn hair twined into the long crimson scales that covered her head.

He looked at her, unsure of what he should say- it was the first time that she had morphed in front of him. Though he had seen pictures and video footage of her in her mutant form, there truly was nothing like the real thing. "Whoa," he breathed.

The dark lips smirked at him. "Yeah, whoa. It feels good to be back," she relished the echoing timbre of her own voice, a medley of every form that she'd ever morphed.

"You're beautiful…" Warren felt mesmerized by the unique woman before him, almost entranced.

"Warren, that reversal injection…thank you," Mystique leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. He was surprised, but he couldn't say that he also wasn't pleased and a little bit thrilled.

He reached to bring her closer and deepen the kiss, but Mystique pulled back. "I like you a lot, Warren. You're a really good guy, but I'm not for you. You knew that before I even came here."

Warren shrugged, defeated but his pride remained intact. "Yeah, I know I did," he sighed. "But you can't blame a guy for trying, right?"

Mystique laughed. "I guess not. Don't worry, John and I will be out of your hair soon." She seemed intent to end the night there, but paused on the way to the stairwell door. "Hey Warren?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her, this conversation was reminiscent of the short talk they'd had on the plane. "Yes."

Mystique's yellow eyes held his, and she looked out over the city skyline horizon. "What does it feel like to fly?"

As she asked the question, she began to morph herself back into the human form that he had become so attached to; the only difference being that she had also created for herself a pair of wings- Warren's eyes widened at the sight, his heart thundering at the sight of a kindred spirit. The wings rose above her shoulders, the feathers a sharp black to contrast with his own pristine white.

He understood- this would be a night for them, tonight they would own the sky. He thought it fitting that he could give her the one thing that apparently, Eric never had. Tomorrow, he would deliver her back into another man's arms, but tonight he could give her the sky.

He took her hand and led her to the edge of the roof.

John and Alison didn't part ways until nearly four in the morning. His lips were still tingling from her last kiss as he let himself into Warren's penthouse. He hoped that Mystique hadn't waited up for him- he didn't feel like talking, he just wanted to crash. It occurred to him as he crossed the living room that he'd nearly forgotten the reason that Warren had brought them across the country was to find Eric…well, he'd been a little distracted…

John pulled off his t-shirt and exchanged his swim trunks for a pair of boxers. A moment later, he was in bed and dead to the world.

Mystique stood over John and watched him as he slept. He had found happiness while in the company of that girl, and not just the happiness that comes from the release of sex. John was happy. Mystique didn't want to wake him- what had to be said was to be between she and Eric first, and then, afterwards, John could go see him.

Warren was still asleep as well, exhausted from all the flying they had done the night before. In truth, so was she. It was enough of a challenge to create the wings from her flesh, but then the flying! Amazing, as she knew it would be- when he'd carried her, she had been terrified of being dropped, but when the wings were her own, she had felt indestructible.

Time's up, she thought. They had only been in California for a few days, but she now knew where to find Eric, and was prepared to do whatever it took to meet him face-to-face. She checked her purse for the weapon, and stepped out into the hallway.

Mystique stepped out of John's room and left the penthouse altogether. She had morphed into Raven and made her way on to the park where Warren had told her she'd find Eric. She took a seat at a table and decided to try playing a game of chess against herself while surveying the park.

The black side had nearly made checkmate against the white, when a shadow fell over her board.

"Hello there Raven,"