500 Miles Hellfire 2
By Princess Alexandria
"Hello." The cool Boston accent was a little grainy over the payphone.
"It's me." Raven spoke quietly, while looking around at the people walking into the store she stood outside of. "I'm just calling to say I'm fine."
"Just a moment. Let me get us a little privacy." Raven could hear Emma talking to someone, telling them something came up and she'd need a few minutes.
"You don't have to." Raven grimaced. She'd been nervous about making this phone call and really thought she'd done everything she needed to.
"I have things I need to tell you." Emma must have been moving because Raven heard a door close. "And just calling and saying hi isn't enough to make it clear you aren't being held against your will."
Raven sighed heavily, seeing the truth in that. "Thanks for your help in my escape." It felt strange saying that, but Raven wasn't going to ignore the fact that without Emma's help she could still be there. Without a regular body, Hank was never going to get enough information to let her go. Raven had thought about it and realized the Professor's angle. It was upsetting that he thought so quickly and it wasn't until Raven was alone with time to think that she'd realized the trick he was playing.
"Yes," Raven could hear a smile in Emma's voice. "They are still baffled as to how you did that. I claimed that I came back and with the distraction Nova gave us, well, they never noticed the cab never came back."
Raven stood up a little taller and stared at the store display with unseeing eyes as she fully focused on Emma. "Nova?"
"She attempted to escape the same time you did." Emma sighed, which still sounded rather regal. "Beat the Xmen bloody on her way to Cerebra, but since she couldn't sense me and others had seen me leave I had the opening I wanted. She's dead. Cerebra regrettably got damaged in the fight." It didn't sound like Emma regretted anything. "So the Professor has to do without it. He's very irritated, since he could have used it to find you, or he believed he could have."
"He couldn't. He never could read me." She paused. "She's dead?"
"Yes, her neck snapped rather easily. It was hardly enough suffering, but the Xmen were coming down the hall. Like you said, don't give them time to stop you." Emma sounded very pleased with herself and Raven felt the urge to congratulate the woman for doing it. "It was self defense after all, so my lecture was short and boring, but then quickly forgotten." Emma's voice became more businesslike and she spoke a bit faster. "He still needs about a day to repair Cerebra. I'm guessing he'll look for people that have seen you around rather than looking for you directly. He's determined, I can see why you ran."
"I'm not walking around as myself." Raven stared into the wall of the payphone and the distorted image it showed of the woman inside. She had adjusted another form she'd known, and Drahke stared back at her, with short hair instead of long and with skin pale enough to pass as white. Being an exact copy of her ex would have been creepier and there was no telling where Drahke's customers had come from. Better to not run into one. Raven had worked on this form for what she was sure Christy would consider barely any time at all. She'd been able to visualize better than her counterpart, her attention to detail as an artist and the fact she'd painted two paintings of this woman helped her tremendously.
"Good." There was a pause. "I dragged your bags up to my room. What are you doing with a teddy bear?" There was some teasing there and Raven blushed a little.
"Sentimental value." Raven sighed and leaned against the wall. "Are you convinced I'm okay now?"
"Not yet." Emma managed to drag the conversation on. "I'd like to meet you and give you back your things. I have your sketchbooks here."
"How can I trust that you aren't being controlled?"
"There really isn't anything I could say to that." Emma's side of the line had a rustling like the woman was sitting. "But I do like that you didn't ask how can you trust me. You do, don't you?"
"Why should I?" Raven bristled a little, but she rethought her comment and concern and realized that she hadn't considered Emma herself as a threat.
"But you do anyway." Emma sounded smug. "I can travel anywhere and bring your bags, but something tells me that I won't have to travel far will I? I can hear the subway, you're near a terminal."
Her eyes closed as she felt a strong urge to kick herself. "Yes, I'm in Manhattan." She admitted reluctantly.
"Why didn't you run further?"
"I was told I need to stay still for a while." Raven glared at someone who looked like they were waiting for her phone, and it worked. They decided to not wait.
"So you're working with someone?" When Emma spoke Raven groaned, realizing what she'd let slip. "You really are off your game today. Don't be mad at me for picking up on what you fail to hide." There was a rustling on the other end of the line. When Emma spoke again it was very conversational. "You know, I never saw you in most of these shirts. Some are getting rather threadbare. Were you really that poor?"
"You're going through my bags?" Raven had to be careful, her voice almost rose on that one. She took a few deep breaths to try and keep herself from loosing control. A portal on the street would be a huge hint to where she was.
"Well, yes." Emma spoke as if it was clearly obvious. "I didn't find much interesting. You're clothing style is as boring as Tessa's was when I first met her." Raven felt her heart starting to pound a bit. "Really, sweatshirts aren't very becoming on a woman. You have a figure that begs to be shown off." Emma sighed. "At least I never saw you in any of these in Genosha. You had better fashion sense, so why didn't you pack those clothes."
"Nevermind that. What made you think it would be okay to go through my things?" Raven forced the anger out past her shock at Emma connecting the sweatshirts to Tessa even if she wasn't saying they WERE Tessa's.
"I needed to see if I should bother hiding them from the others or leave them where you had placed them." Emma's irritating self-important tone was back. "While I doubt you'd mind the others finding your stash of fashion disaster clothes, your Teddy bear felt strangely filled with something and your sketch books had quite a few drawings of people you clearly care for. This woman here," There was a rustle of paper. "with the long hair in a pony tail and a commanding attitude shows up a few times. Then there is," More flipping of paper, "This one with the dark skin and bedroom eyes." Raven could see her sketches of Heather and Drahke in her mind as Emma invaded her privacy yet again. "But the one I thought would really get you was the series of a young black man, obviously drawn over years. He wasn't with you in Genosha."
"It isn't…" Raven's protest faded and she sighed in defeat. "He started college and it was just time. He'd been running with me for years and I may not be able to have a life, but he could. I left him behind."
"Yes, well if anyone were to look through all your drawings dear they'd catch quite a few things you try to keep quiet." Emma sounded thoughtful. "I see Tessa and me in here. Some of the drawings are rather old." There wasn't anything Raven could say to that so she didn't. "Your memory of detail is very good. It almost looks like we posed for these, but I know we didn't. Did you even need me to pose for that painting?"
Raven fidgeted a little with the thought. "It wouldn't have been as good. The shadows and highlights would have been off."
"But you could have done it. That's pretty good dear." Emma's smile was something that Raven could visualize as well as they spoke. "So," Emma sighed. "For the question to prove it all, all those nights we were working on that painting did you ever want to stay over?"
Raven chuckled at the way Emma found to have Raven prove herself. "We did it in the morning."
"We did? How did I manage to sleep through doing IT with you?" Emma teased and Raven fought a blush as she caught the innuendo that was more Mystique's style than Emma's.
"Don't, don't go there." Her voice was tense.
"Sorry dear. I had to be sure." Emma did sound a little regretful. "So, do you want to trust me enough for me to give you back your bags?"
"Can you meet me at Penn Station tomorrow?" Raven played the scenario through her mind and with her new form she could check the place out for other xmen before approaching Emma.
"You really know how to show a girl a good time." Emma grumbled. "I'd been thinking a nice restaurant with dim lighting and privacy."
"You'll have to settle for corndogs and a busy subway station." Raven envisioned the mall attached to the place. "The foodcourt, near the Burger King."
"I'll be there. How does sixish sound?"
"Lovely." Raven muttered and looked around herself, getting a little more nervous with being on the phone this long. No one appeared to be rushing to catch her. Her phone call didn't look to be traced. "See you then."
"Be safe." Emma's reply as Raven was hanging up still reached her ears and Raven just stared at the phone for a moment after it hit the cradle. How did things get so mixed up?
The next night Raven stood in a shop in Penn Station, pretending to look at magnets. Her eye was actually on the blonde sitting at a table near the Burger King. Raven's eyes trailed over Emma for any sign of tension or a hint that something was wrong. When it looked like Emma was nothing but bored, Raven stepped out and started glancing around at the other shops for shoppers that were too familiar. She moved past Emma and to a shop on the other side of Burger King, looking at the ice cream flavors as if considering it. Her new form didn't earn her any of Emma's attention, until Raven saw the blonde look up and right at her with a small smile on her face. Emma held her eyes and slowly pushed a bag out from under the table with a foot, hinting that she had Raven's luggage. How she figured Raven out was a mystery, but with cautious eyes to other stores, Raven moved to stand near the telepath.
"I can sense everyone here but you." Emma glanced at the other chair, invited Raven to sit. "I'm betting you're my date for the night."
Raven sat, still feeling a bit exposed and vulnerable. "I wouldn't put it that way." While the form wasn't hers, she did use her own voice.
"Raven, you are picking up your new powers amazingly fast."
"Um, thanks for bringing my stuff." Raven reached out to touch one of the bags.
"You aren't going to take off on me are you?" Emma took a sip of the Pepsi she'd ordered for her wait. "I have a lot I wanted to talk to you about." Raven glanced around the station, checking out darkened corners. "And I do know how to keep myself from being followed. We're safe."
"How are things?" Raven gripped the handle of one bag, still a little tense.
"Well, I've found myself interrogated about you repeatedly. It gets tiring." Emma pushed her Pepsi towards Raven. "Sip?"
"No thanks." Raven pulled one bag strap over her shoulder.
"I took the position as a teacher at the school, but I live in town. No point tempting fate by sleeping there." Emma's finger caressed the dew on the Pepsi cup. "If he is as unscrupulous as you say, well he's very good. No one suspected him of such underhanded tactics. Logan, however, has asked me a few times if I knew what your attitude with him was about." Emma looked up at Raven. "That man thinks the world of you. I believe if it came to your word versus Charles' that Logan would believe you." Raven stared down at her own hand wrapped around the handle of another bag. It was nice to hear that. Logan was also the one that offered to go kill whoever hurt Raven in that club, before Raven lied and said she was fine.
"I could really use a nice meal." Emma interrupted Raven's thought. "And a friendly face, but I'll settle for your company." It made Raven smile just a little.
"I can't. I don't want to drag these around."
"I do have a car." Emma's eyes were piercing. "And I'm sure you'd like to hear about how the others have been since you left."
"Why are you doing this?" Raven's jaw clenched as she considered the offer.
"Because you never wanted to leave there, you just didn't see a choice." Emma paused and smiled teasingly. "And because it's been a while since I shared a meal with someone who would rather stab me in the back. I feel like I need to keep my social skills up."
It wasn't funny. Raven felt irritated with the reminder of their hostility, but it wasn't that long ago that she would have preferred a fight to a meal with this woman. But that was before, before they had no one but each other to keep them alive in Genosha. Raven didn't return Emma's smile at the teasing and just sighed instead. "Scott looked like he's been through hell."
"He has been." Emma leaned forward, her elbows on the table. "He was possessed by someone a lot less loving than Christy. Apocalypse took him over and forced him to do things that haunt him." Raven felt a wave of pity as she heard that. It was bad enough not controlling her own body, but to have the person in charge be evil would have been worse. "I hear that he just isn't the same anymore." They sat in the station for an hour, Emma telling Raven about the pains her friends had gone through in the past few years. Raven absorbed every word, feeling pain and pride for her friends as story after story came from Emma's lips.
"And that's just Scott and the Summers clan. Storm and the others have been rather busy as well. I've heard some things through the grapevine." Emma glanced at her watch. "Any chance you'll reconsider dinner?"
"I can't." Raven answered, but she wasn't feeling as confident with her no as she had in the beginning.
"Perhaps another time?" Emma stood up. "Call me again next week. Once he gets the Cerebra up I'll want to be sure you aren't brought in."
"Yeah, I'll call." Raven stood up and grabbed her bags, getting ready to leave as well. She didn't notice anyone following her onto the train, but once she got off in Brooklyn, Raven shifted her form and picked up a cab.
The next week Raven found another pay phone, this time in the financial district. The week after that she called from the Broadway. On the one month anniversary of the death of Genosha Raven called from the zoo inside Central Park.
"Emma." Raven's voice was a little shaky when she called and she hated that she didn't sound more in control.
"Raven, are you okay?" Emma asked and her voice was softer than normal.
"There were tears in her eyes, weren't there? You do remember."
"Yes, there were tears." Emma spoke slowly.
"I'm painting her, and I just needed to know." Raven took a painful breath.
"She was a lovely girl." Emma spoke and Raven leaned against the pole the phone was on. "So smart and so mature."
"Yeah." Raven did her best to not let the tears in her own eyes fall, but they did.
"Look, Raven," Emma spoke a little faster. "My plans for today were to get amazingly drunk and pass out sometime after dinner. Would you care to join me?"
"No, no, I'm fine." Raven watched the gothic girl sitting with her boyfriend on the bench in front of the lions and her heart ached.
"Raven," Emma sounded like a teacher at that moment, "you called me two days early. You never do that. Do you want to come over?"
"I can't drink." Raven whispered into the phone. "After I tried to kill myself I had to promise never to do drugs or drink again." Raven wasn't going to go back on that promise, and there was a good chance neither would affect her anymore.
"Oh, well that's unfortunate." Emma paused. "Well we could have dinner at least." Raven shifted so that she was staring at the ground instead of the gothic girl that had started Raven's tears. Her mind argued with her as she actually considered the offer. "Ellie used to talk about putting on the play Taming of the Shrew," Emma sounded lost in her own memories. "She liked the idea of a strong woman in such an old play."
"She was pretty strong." Raven spoke quietly. "She got me the job at the gym. Told me to follow her from the park and just walked away, I had to walk fast to catch up with her."
"She wasn't afraid to talk back and while I hated that I still respected it." Emma sighed. "Come over Raven. I live far enough from the mansion it should be fine. They don't even have my address." Raven didn't respond so Emma spoke again. "You shouldn't be alone."
"I always am." Raven's voice was sad, pained.
"And you shouldn't be now. I can't pretend to understand what your relationship with Ellie was really, but I suspect it bordered on illegal due to her age." Emma's voice softened, which helped to soothe Raven's sudden anger. "You wouldn't cross that line, I noticed that, but you wanted to. She wasn't just a friend to you." A soft gasp was all Raven managed to answer, she herself wasn't sure what her relationship with Ellie was but it was special. "Get in a cab and come to me. Do you have something to write with?"
"No." Raven shook her head. She couldn't do this. It was bad enough she called this woman weekly, she just couldn't do this. "I've gotta go."
"Raven," Emma called out to her as Raven hung up the phone. Raven stared at the phone for a moment after she'd done that, tempted to call back, but she wasn't going to do it. It was madness that led her to call in the first place, she wouldn't compound the issue by running to Emma for a good cry. For god's sake, it was Emma. She shook her head in disgust and moved to walk away.
It took her an hour and a half to get back to the house and when she moved up the walkway she froze as she saw someone standing there.
Raven sucked in air as she stared at the woman on her porch. Rogue turned to look at her and Raven fought the urge to look around nervously for the others. "Hi." Rogue looked a little puzzled and it was then that Raven's mind filled in a possibility that Rogue wasn't here looking for Raven and Raven's cover wasn't blown.
She had to force her body to relax. "Hi." Her words sounded cautious, she should have covered that when she made her voice change.
"Ah'm just…" Rogue turned her body to completely face Raven. "Ah'm Rogue, who're you?"
Raven kept her expression cautious on purpose now, as well as puzzled. She needed to talk herself out of this, because Rogue was a powerhouse and if Raven was exposed she'd never be able to outrun this woman. "I'm El," She went with a shorter version of her new last name. "I live here."
Rogue looked surprised by that one. Raven watched her glance in the front window and everything was still as it had always been. Raven's mind moved quickly, considering her options and possible explanations that could work for this. Only one did and it wouldn't make her popular with Rogue. With a deep breath Raven continued. "Renting it. So, what can I do for you?"
Rogue studied Raven and Raven could see the wheels turning. Who would Mystique rent out her house to? Someone in her same business was the answer Rogue was filling in, it was clear by the cautious stance and the intense scrutiny Raven was getting. Rogue had no idea that her mama was not so shallow as to only help other terrorists. "My Mama lived here. She leave anything behind?"
"Aside from furniture? Sure a few things." Raven shrugged. "Pictures and stuff."
"Any books?" Rogue took a step down the stairs, "diaries?"
Raven smirked just a little, "Sure with tiny little locks and Hello Kitty on the front." Her voice held scorn at the idea, but Raven knew what Rogue was talking about. Destiny's books. Raven had seen them here or there in her travels, as she stayed at other homes Irene owned, but there were no diaries here. After Raven's experience with Christy's small 'prophecy' about the Hellions Raven was never tempted to open one of Irene's books. "Oh wait, that's mine." She chuckled, coldly making fun of the woman in front of her.
"You mind if Ah look?" Rogue's voice deepened just a little. It was her own version of don't mess with me and Raven just crossed her arms and let her eyes travel slowly over Rogue's body, lingering at her breasts while Raven gave Rogue a leer.
"Normally I don't let strange women into my home unless I picked them up at a bar. You as good a fuck as your Mama?" It actually hurt to say that, but Raven kept herself from wincing as she licked her lips and winked. Rogue was sensitive about her inability to touch, so Raven pushed it by walking up to the woman and reaching out as if she were about to caress the woman's hair. "Nice stripe, born with it?"
Rogue stepped back quickly to avoid contact just like Raven knew she would. The woman's expression was far from friendly now. "How about I show you my bedroom, we could start the hunt there." Raven's voice was indecent. "You'll need to look real hard."
"Nevermind." Rogue looked almost ready to push Raven away as she walked around her and back down the path to the street.
"Oh but I really wanted to help you out." Raven called out to Rogue, careful to not speak louder than she thought safe. She'd explored her limits and she wouldn't be yelling anytime soon. "You a screamer?" She asked when Rogue didn't respond to the last comment. "I bet I could make you scream."
Raven unlocked the door and slipped inside, leaning against the door to close it. With a heavy sigh she whispered. "My god." Disgusted with herself, she tossed her purse onto the table and moved toward the kitchen. "It worked, that's all that matters." She felt slimy. She also felt nervous and didn't switch back to her real form like she normally did when she got home. Raven checked the rooms on that floor and then climbed the stairs, looking for anything out of place in case she caught Rogue on her way out instead of on her way in.
When she got to the third floor Raven stood nervously outside a door before opening it to what had been the master bedroom. Raven didn't sleep in there out of respect, but she did use it for something else. The door opened and Raven stared at the only evidence any Xmen that knew her would need. The easel had a nearly done portrait of Ellie, minus the eyes that Raven had needed a second opinion on. Paintings leaned against the walls of the sunny room, paintings of mutant diners, of mutants working out, mutants shopping, people Raven remembered even if she didn't know their names filled canvas after canvas. Buildings she's walked past daily were in the background. Raven was recreating Genosha artistically, it was the only way she could. She swallowed hard and checked her art, looking for any indication that anyone had been in this room.
Raven spent most of her days in there, with the soft décor of Irene's bedroom as her only comfort as she faced this past. She'd never painted so much so quickly, but she was afraid she'd forget, that the details would fade.
It would be an expensive shipment but maybe it would be better to get some of these out of the house. Raven felt like it might be better to get herself out of the house as well, because she wasn't foolish enough to think embarrassing Rogue would keep her away for long if she really wanted something.
Raven took an inventory of her work and calculated the cost of mailing. She could send these out tomorrow. Heather would assume she was leaving New York and it might help… oh damn, Raven thought. She hadn't contacted Heather in a while and Heather might worry about her since a whole country was destroyed. Raven moved to Irene's desk to write a letter to go with the paintings, which she was definitely sending out tomorrow now.
Raven found herself painting again that night but it took her a few hours to let her own form out. In the privacy of her home Raven let herself glow.
The next week Raven couldn't tell if she had only one week from her last call or if the normal schedule for calling was unchanged. Without knowing she played it safe and ventured outside again. She only left the house once a week for the call and groceries if she needed them. She was tired so this time she only went as far as the other side of Brooklyn to make her call.
After Emma got rid of whoever she was talking to her voice became a bit more urgent. "Raven, Storm's team is back and she wants to see you."
"I can't risk it." Raven closed her eyes in pain as she said that. She wanted to see Storm, she did, but what would happen if they took her into custody.
"I think you need to see them." Emma sounded mysterious and it just irritated Raven. "Storm has been making things difficult. She's under the impression that I know why you left and she wants to know. What would you have me do, tell her?"
"NO." Raven felt the hum of her powers at her talking too loud and cursed herself as she fought to keep it contained.
"Raven?" Emma called to her when she was quiet too long.
"That was too loud." Raven whispered into the phone, more quietly than she had been speaking before.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Don't tell her." Raven protested quietly this time. "Don't tell anyone."
"Why not?"
"Because it won't make a difference." Raven sighed heavily. There was silence on the other line for a bit too long.
"I'm surprised Raven. After all you suffered at the Hellfire club and you were already broken by the Professor. It should have been easier for us to rebreak you in our image." Emma's words were cold. "You don't dare stand up to your Master?"
The phone in Raven's grasp cracked as her grip tightened. "You bitch." She growled out quietly.
"Master Charles required your silence years ago and you are still silent. It's a shame such an obedient slave escaped you would have been…"
"Shut up." Her voice was almost too loud again but Raven used her anger to help her control the power surge.
"He didn't take anything away from you did he Raven, you just gave it all up willingly."
"No I didn't." Raven was breathing heavily, "He took everything I cared about and broke it. I wasn't even half alive there, I had to go."
Emma's coldness faded and her voice was softer. "Are you alive now Raven? Does hiding from the people that love you make you feel alive? Because I doubt that."
"I don't want to be imprisoned again. Never again." Her voice cracked and Raven had to work hard to suppress her power again. It was far too hard a phone call, she thought it would be safest to hang up. "I've spent too much of my life like that and I won't let him do it to me again."
There was silence and Raven moved closer to the phone, thinking of hanging up, but Emma's voice was soft and concerned. "Again?" Emma asked, "What do you mean let him do it again?"
Raven rested her forehead on the plexiglass of the phone booth. "I joined the Xmen around the same time that Jean did, but they never saw me until a little over a year later. There was a secret floor in the mansion, below ground so no one would see windows. I was supposed to be a spy and he didn't want his heroes knowing about that."
"I see." Emma spoke quietly.
"It was so easy to get caught up in the idea of being a hero, but that wasn't what he was turning us into." Raven closed her eyes and felt the tears leak out. "I wasn't as good as he wanted, so I got to move upstairs. I had to pretend I hadn't been living there and I had to keep my mouth shut. If I slipped he erased it."
"And so you learned never to tell." Emma spoke gently. "But you don't have to hide that anymore."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because," Raven stopped herself from answering that Tessa was still a pawn and Raven couldn't risk doing anything. It was like Tessa was a hostage the way Raven's silence was enforced by her concern for her first love.
They both sat just breathing into the phone for a moment. Emma's voice was the first to be heard. "I think you need to see Storm and her team. I can arrange a neutral territory."
"No." Raven shook her head even though Emma wouldn't see it.
"Raven, I can promise you that if you don't do this you will regret it for the rest of your life. If you want I won't even tell them you'll be there. I'll just throw a party and make sure Storm and the others come. You can hide in some other form until you feel safe."
Raven just stared at the gum on the ground as she thought. "Why would Storm go to a party you threw? She never liked you."
"She still doesn't, but I believe I can get her there."
Raven sighed quietly and considered it.
"The Professor is leaving town in two days to lobby in DC for the displaced Genoshans that weren't in the country when it happened." Emma's voice gained strength. "They've been trapped in countries all over the world without passports because Genosha is gone and no one is helping them."
"Karen?" Raven's eyes widened at the thought. She just assumed Karen would go back to her first country, but if she was trapped somewhere Raven needed to help her.
"I already arranged for her to come to America with her husband. I found her and paid for the red tape to be cut." Emma's answer made Raven sag in relief. "I also told her you survived as well."
"Thank you." Raven bit her lower lip to keep herself from making a sound of pain. "Thank you."
"I didn't do it for you." Emma sighed. "I've been helping those that I can."
"It's still good of you."
"The Professor will be out of town for days Raven, that was the point of the story. We'll do the party somewhere away from the mansion and he won't even be around to find out about it. I won't invite everyone, it might be too overwhelming for this. Will you do it?"
"I can hide as a caterer or something?"
"If that makes you feel more comfortable."
"We'll try it." Raven agreed, not fully believing she'd follow through, but it did sound like a good opportunity.
When Raven got home she entered the house slowly. It felt off and it took a moment of looking around to see why. A pink something sat on the coffee table. Raven enhanced her hearing and listened motionless for any movement in the house, she stayed frozen like that for a full minute, before she determined she couldn't hear anyone else breathing but she could hear the wind of an opened window somewhere.
She moved into the living room and stared in disbelief at the Hello Kitty diary sitting on the table. She knew who had to be involved but it wasn't Rogue's style at all. Raven moved around the couch and reached out to pick it up. The lock was sitting beside it and something was sticking out of the book. Raven opened it slowly to find a poker card in it, the Queen of Hearts, and a few words jotted on the first page. "You don't treat a lady like a whore." That was all it said. It felt like a scolding.
"I don't believe this." Raven muttered as she stared at the page. She looked up and glanced around for any other indication that someone had been in there, but without this diary she never would have been able to tell. Raven swallowed and moved to take her stairs slowly, to start checking all the other rooms of the house.
Nothing looked out of place until she got to the Master bedroom. Raven opened the door and looked around at the two paintings she had in there. The finished one had clearly been moved. Raven stepped into the room cautiously and noticed the lipstick on the mirror. "Nice Cheri, you aren't a complete cad." Raven just stared at the writing and let the panic rush over her for a moment. Whoever it was saw her art, but she didn't recognize this. Maybe it would be okay. Raven felt the urge to just leave to be on the safe side. She even turned to go grab her bags, but then Irene's words returned to her. Don't run.
Maybe he would keep thinking she was some rude woman living in Mystique's house. Maybe he'd never put it together. He had to be with Rogue in some way, because no one else would think to leave that hideous diary. It would be funny if it weren't so scary.
………………
The house wasn't what Raven expected. It looked normal, well to do but not crazy rich. Raven checked the address against the house again and shook her head. This was the place. Even the neighborhood wasn't gated. Emma wasn't hiding behind her wealth here. Not like the security apartment with a super view. Raven imagined the view again, and the nearly completed painting that would have saved it forever.
She pushed the black rimmed glasses she was wearing back into place. They weren't the norm for this face, but Raven liked to make adjustments. Her masculine facial features and her dimpled chin needed just a little something more to make it more severe and glasses worked. It gave her a more librarian look than a Psychologist, but was fine. Her black slacks and white button up shirt were as formal as she thought she'd need to go for this little gathering. Raven walked up the walkway slowly. She stood in front of the door and took a deep breath before knocking.
Emma opened the door and gave her a curious look for just a half a second before giving Raven a small smile. The telepath was wearing jeans and a blue shirt, which looked good on her but weren't likely what she planned to wear that night. "You might want to pick a different form. They've seen pictures of Karen." Emma opened the door wider and was obviously studying Raven. "Although your changes are interesting. Two arms for one. Can you do all four?"
"Yes, but I keep knocking things down with the extras. It takes practice to use that many." Raven used her own voice rather than the much deeper one that Karen had. "So this one is out?" She hadn't even risked using her normal fake identity to walk up to the house just in case. That one was what she was living as right now and no one here was going to see it.
"I'm afraid so." Emma started to wander in a direction so Raven followed, but she was looking around at the nice décor and obvious class of the home. The couches were pristine white, paintings that Raven suspected were originals graced the wall. It was classy and yet still a lived in room. Raven could see a magazine out on the coffee table and felt the urge to go see what Emma was reading, but she just returned her eyes to the blonde. "Karen's picture was seen by at least a few of the people coming tonight." The kitchen was where they were going. "Would you like some wine," Emma stopped for a moment and looked over at Raven. "Sorry, I forgot. I bought two types of juice, I have coffee, tea, water."
"Water is good." Raven waited and watched as Emma got a bottle of water out of the fridge.
"We have about an hour before anyone arrives." Emma glanced at Raven again. "Would you please revert to yourself?" With a few inches lost in height and a sudden slight increase in the lighting in the kitchen Raven stood there. "Still glowing?"
"Yes." Raven took a deep drink of the water. "So who's coming?" She felt nervous and eager and scared and dreaded the whole thing.
"Well, I told Storm that I had information I couldn't give her around the mansion." Emma sat down at the kitchen table. "I may have hinted to it being about you and that the Professor was the last person that should hear about it. She was very quick to pick that up. She's not nearly as trusting as Scott. I wonder why the Professor didn't put someone more gullible in charge of that team."
"She gets results and she commands respect. Storm is a leader and even if she weren't in charge she'd be in charge." Raven took the seat across from Emma.
"She is a bit of an Alpha woman, leader of the pack and all." Emma conceded and Raven studied the blonde, another Alpha in a different pack. What was Emma's pack now? She wasn't really an Xmen, but Raven never heard of any other affiliations. "She'll bring her team, but perhaps not everyone."
Raven studied her bottle of water as she considered that. "Who's on that team?" There were Xmen she didn't know out there. Watching the news showed her that. Storm was always opened to new people, willing to give a chance. It was why Raven switched teams when Storm started one years ago. She'd assumed that Scott was the one holding her back, but while Storm took her out more than Scott it wasn't nearly as much as Raven wanted. That was the Professor at work yet again, never telling her she'd never be a real Xmen but making it impossible for her to be one.
"Well, Hank is occasionally with them. I have no idea if he'll be invited tonight though." Emma sat back in the chair, seeming to lounge in it. "Rogue and Remy will undoubtedly be here."
"Remy? Who is she?" Raven noticed the slight smirk Emma gave her before the woman hid it.
"HE goes by Gambit. He's the resident thief and Cajun Casanova." Raven grimaced a little at having been that wrong. Now that Raven thought about it and how saying Rogue and Remy's name together seemed natural to Emma, Raven suspected who bought her the Hello Kitty diary. A thief that actually leaves things instead of taking, well he would have taken the diaries if they'd been there.
"Anyone else?"
"Well there is yet another Thunderbird, a young man prone to idealism and impulsiveness, Neal Shaara" Raven shook her head slightly, she didn't know him. "Bishop is a man from the future. He came back in time to play around with fixing the past." Raven was starting to feel like the world really did continue to turn without her. A lot of strange things had been happening in the years she'd been gone. "They just recently took on a brother and sister from Australia," Emma waved a hand as if to brush that aside as unimportant, "I have no idea what their names are." Emma smiled just a little. "And a woman going by the name of Sage. Storm brought her onto the team, but most of the others are still a little leery of her. She's a bit of a recluse."
"I hardly know any of them." Raven was taking a risk here and it would have been nice to not have so many unknowns in the equation. Storm wouldn't run right to the Professor, she'd think and consider what Raven told her first. She was the best Xman to come to, Raven told herself again. Even if the Professor had announced a capture Raven policy, Storm wouldn't just blindly follow it.
"Well you do know some of them." Emma reached out and took Raven's bottled water. Raven watched with some irritation as the blonde drank from it and put it back as if that were normal.
"You do that to annoy me."
"It takes so little to annoy you." Emma practically admitted it. Raven glared at her. "It isn't like I never offer to share."
"Stop playing whatever game you're playing." Raven's voice was cold. "I'm tired of it."
"All of this from a sip of water? I know you value water more than most but this is a little overboard."
She opened her mouth, ready to explain exactly how Emma annoyed her, but then Raven shut it. With a heavy sigh she turned to look at the dining room through the doorway and away from Emma. She took a few more deep breaths.
"Are you counting to ten?" Emma sounded amused. It took Raven some effort to not let herself respond to it with a growl. "You are rather high strung today." Raven ignored her and could almost feel how much Emma hated to be ignored. Raven had to turn away a bit more to hide her own small smile at the irritated huff of air Emma let out.
The doorbell interrupted them. Raven looked over at Emma with a bit of alarm on her face. "Just the real caterer. She's bringing the food you'll serve."
Raven took a deep breath and picked a form she was pretty sure hadn't been seen before. Remembering that some Australians might be coming, Raven switched it again, but then considering Rogue's being raised by Irene Lois was a poor choice as well. Raven flipped it to Terrance for just a second, but the added size made her feel unbalanced, she quickly pulled her body tighter and went with a form Mystique took once, in the mountains. It left her damp and a puddle on the floor. Raven glared down at the water that she pulled in from where ever to make Terrance puddle under her with a frustrated growl. That always happened when she went smaller. She should have been thinking. And a form of Mystique's, like Rogue might not have seen that, Raven thought a bit angry at herself for making such poor shape choices.
"I would love to work with you on those powers." Emma spoke quietly. Raven didn't bother to answer the underlying offer. She concentrated harder, growing by a few inches. Some of the puddle came back into her but there was still enough that she'd need to mop up. Her hair went dark brown and her cheek bones became more pronounced. Raven glanced down at the leather and the Mistress wear had to go. With another moment of concentration black slacks and a white top like she'd worn to the house covered her.
"Do I want to know what lead to you knowing that one?" Emma asked and Raven just glared at the woman. "She's not a member of the club." Emma was studying the form Raven had picked and Raven found herself standing very still as the woman circled her. Lady Heather would probably not be too happy to know her likeness was playing submissive here. Raven shook her head to clear herself of the thoughts invading them and glared at Emma.
Her voice was deeper, more commanding, when she spoke. "Are you going to answer the door?"
"Is it safe to do so? Are you done flipping through forms like others shuffle cards?"
"I'll stay with this one." Raven was familiar with Heather's expressions and she gave Emma a challenging one. Emma just gave her body another glance and turned to leave.
"Was that a Dominatrix?" Emma couldn't resist the parting shot as she stepped out of the kitchen and Raven's fists clenched in irritation at the tone Emma used, like she'd discovered a secret. Raven would have loved to respond, but someone was waiting. Raven just gave a heavy sigh and moved to find a mop or towel in this kitchen before someone slipped on her puddle. At least Emma hadn't teased Raven about not being house broken, Raven was sure the blonde would tease.
The caterer moved quickly and explained to Raven what food she brought, which lasagna was the vegetable one, what to do with the containers, which didn't include needing to wash them. It was all prepared and ready, it just needed to be served. The dessert sat in the fridge to keep cool and the other dishes sat on the counter. Emma left Raven to get her instructions from the caterer as if she really were a servant. Raven didn't care for that at all. Really all that Raven needed to do was bring the dishes out, fill a few glasses, take away dirty dishes, how hard could that be? She could play waitress. She started by finding the silverware and setting the dining room table. Without knowing how many people were coming she set ever place, the table was large enough for twelve. Not something Raven had seen in a private home before.
Emma came back into the kitchen after going to change. When she entered the room Raven's eyes widened just a little as she stared at the blonde. The dress was shimmery and clingy and low cut. It showed a lot of flawless back and cleavage. Emma's hair was up in an elegant style and she'd done this so quickly.
This dress looked better on Emma than the one they'd been painting had. Raven turned and finished pulling out serving utensils. "You look like a high priced prostitute." Raven insulted Emma and then turned back to see Emma smirking at her.
"Find me attractive do you?" Emma wasn't at all bothered by Raven's glare. Raven just turned back to the dishes she was serving later and tried to think if she needed anything else. "You always insult my appearance when you like it, so you must like the dress."
Raven gritted her teeth and wished for something she should be working on. "You look like a slut in anything you wear." She grumbled and Emma actually laughed at her.
"I'll let you off the hook." Emma started to walk closer. "You poor deluded thing. You can't even admit it to yourself can you?" Raven could feel Emma right behind her, and Emma's voice became a seductive whisper. "Or is this how you pick up women? Bring them in with your insults to their appearance."
Emma was teasing and flirting. Raven turned and glared at the woman standing much too close. "I don't really get around much. You and your friends left me with a few issues." Her voice was cold and accusing. It wasn't like she could date like a normal woman. She needed more trust than could be established quickly. Sure she'd had two lovers, but Emma wasn't going to know about that. They were both rare types of women that could get through Raven's walls. Raven wasn't going to sit on the woman's couch and let her play counselor, but she did want Emma to realize what was done to Raven. "I can barely sleep through some nights, what do you think having someone touch me does to me? I can barely force myself to endure it in the beginning." Even with people she trusted the first few times together were tense, people she could 'pick up' would be impossible. Raven shook her head, fuming. "So no, I don't pick women up." She turned away from the woman who had finally stepped back to give Raven space. "Funny thing is, before what you and your friends did to me, I'd been with someone three times in my life, three times when I was nineteen."
Emma's voice no longer held the flirtatious edge. It was soft and slow. "There is nothing I can say to make it better Raven." Emma said the nothing but the obvious.
"No, you can't." Raven's words sadder than she'd intended. She should have just kept her mouth shut; she didn't want to talk about this now. Raven's anger seeped out of her. "Let's just get this party over with." They stood in silence and awkwardness. Raven moved to get herself another bottled water out of the fridge, and her hand lingered over the beer bottles a little too long before she pulled the water out.
"Raven." Emma just spoke the one word, but there was something in it that made Raven look back at the woman. "Will you be alright with serving tonight?" Subject change. She could do that.
With a sigh Raven's shoulders relaxed a little. "Yeah. It's not too fancy an affair, I can pull it off. I've gone into jobs with less idea of what to do than this."
"I'd love to hear about that sometime." Emma sat down elegantly at the kitchen table.
While leaning against the kitchen cabinet, Raven considered the underlying question. "Maybe later." With Raven not offering up a story they'd run into another pause in the conversation.
"Christy said she'd only been with two people." Emma spoke quietly. Raven sighed. This was the never ending conversation, the pain of that week always came up repeatedly. Raven was guilty of doing this too, but she didn't like it when Emma did it. She thought they were done with it for the day.
"Yes, that's changed now."
"Her Emma wouldn't hold what happened to her against her. She'd be angry she couldn't exact vengeance, she'd," Emma paused and her voice was quieter, "feel guilty that an Emma had hurt her lover. She'll hate herself and she'll hate me, but she'll be there for Christy."
Raven stared at the stove in silence. It had nothing on it of interest, but it was somewhere else to look. Emma was claiming to be able to tell Raven how Christy's lover would react, and Raven could see how Emma might be able to. Raven opened her mouth for a moment, then closed it again. Finally she opened it again, speaking very quietly. "Would she forgive Christy if she fell in love with someone from here?" Raven often worried about her double and hoped that this world hadn't stolen everything Christy was fighting for away from her.
"Tessa." Emma supplied a name. "How that woman managed to…" Emma's words trailed off and Raven turned to lean on a counter and face Emma. "Or was it you?" Both, Raven thought but she didn't let any answer show on her face. Perhaps this was a mistake.
Emma sighed loudly and just stared at Raven for a moment. "If it is you, and I remember enough to know that is a possibility, Christy's lover will question it. She'll want to know what exactly Christy found attractive in you. She'll probably be concerned about self esteem, I would be. Christy was rather hard on herself when she compared herself to you. She clearly didn't feel she measured up to you."
"That's ridiculous." Raven objected. "Christy was so brave and strong, stronger than me."
"She put you on a pedestal." Emma spoke while clearly thinking and remembering. Raven wanted to object, but she couldn't really. She remembered all the thoughts about Raven the hero, and Raven never was much of a hero. She'd saved a few people by then, but she'd never done anything huge. Not like the other Xmen. "Her words when, well," Emma's eyes told Raven she regretted bringing it up. "When you were with Selene and right afterwards Christy's guilt about your situation and her past were very clear. You were her hero, the part of herself she wanted to be there but didn't believe she really had."
"You couldn't read her." Raven spoke, but her voice was a bit leery as she considered the fact that for a while during that night Emma could have. Christy had let her in. Raven knew these things about Christy, but she'd been in her head. She hadn't expected Emma to pick up on in so easily.
"Not completely. And if it is Tessa that Christy fell for, and she did tell Tessa she loved her, Christy's Emma will need some time to adjust. I would like to say Christy's Emma is likely to understand immediately, but she might not. It might be an issue." Emma's words weren't a comfort. Raven sighed and ran her hand through her hair. Christy had believed it would be okay, but she'd been a bit nervous as well. She probably had no idea. Christy wasn't someone who would have ever tested that before. "But knowing what Christy is going through just to get home to her will help."
"When is Storm getting here?" Raven filled the silence with the change of topic.
"Any minute now. We'll be eating at eight." Emma must always sound like she's giving orders. Raven glanced at the clock and noticed they had twenty minutes. "I decided to give you time to adjust by insisting we eat first." Raven nodded once. That was a good idea.
Raven was busy pulling the food out of their stay warm containers when she heard the door. She looked up at Emma and Emma gave her a comforting look. "It will be okay Raven. I'll promise you that. No one coming in that door is going to do anything to you. They'll all be glad to see their run-away sister again."
"She's going to be pretty mad about me not calling, and I only know two of them. Rogue…" Raven grimaced as she thought about what she'd done to Rogue recently.
"Oh don't worry about who you don't know. I'm sure you'll all be like old friends by the end of the evening." Emma smiled at her and started across the room. Raven's eyes followed her feeling like Emma was playing her games again, but she couldn't figure it out. It was just in the way Emma walked, the slight sway of her hips that screamed I know something you don't know.
With a deep breath Raven returned her attention to preparing the meal for transport into the dining room. She could hear the door open and Emma's greeting.
"I'm only here for Raven Emma." Storm's voice was cold and firm and Raven's hand shook just a little as she heard it. It had been a long time.
"Storm, I am fully aware of that. Would you and your team like to come in?" Emma's voice was a tad colder too. "I see a few people are missing."
"Sage is running a little late." Storm's voice was closer, inside. Raven shook her distraction off and turned to focus on the fridge, she moved to take a quick inventory of the drinks she had to work with. Enhancing her ears around the fridge was irritating because the buzz of the machine grew louder, but Raven worked to tune that out. "She was waiting to pick up Logan. He was out with Scott's team."
"We don't want Scott's team in on this Storm."
"They won't be, but Logan needs to be. You better have a good reason for my lying to them about our plans for tonight. Raven was one of theirs for years."
"Nice house Cheri." Another voice interrupted and Raven closed the fridge and listened to the familiar Cajun accent. Some of the people from the bar had it.
"Thank you Gambit." The polite tone was back. Emma was clearly not popular. Raven stopped moving and considered that. It was a bit of a sacrifice for the blonde to put on this little gathering for Raven.
She ached to step out of the kitchen and see who was here, and to see Storm. Raven heard the question about drinks being asked and rather than hide her ability to listen from so far away she gave in to her temptation, moving towards the living room to offer help with taking drink orders. She checked her reflection in the glass of the oven as she passed it, and Heather stared back at her. It made Raven's back straighten a bit with a nearly unconscious mimicking of the Mistress. Her throat was cleared as she shifted her vocal cords to do a bit deeper.
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