500 Miles Hellfire 2
By Princess Alexandria
"So you're just going to believe HER?" Bobby was pointing at Tessa and Raven didn't like the way he did it with hostile accusation. "She's a Hellfire Spy!" His voice rose again and Raven stepped into the room filled with Xmen and Bobby tossing anger around. Tessa just sat still at the table and didn't respond to this. Raven just stared at him. "She's one of them."
"No she's not." Storm kept her voice calm. "She's always been one of us."
"That's bullshit. She fought us, I was there."
"I could hardly break my cover for a small battle." Tessa finally defended herself.
"You're just," His words made her lose focus and her eyes started to glow. "Shaw's little whore."
People started yelling, arguing, and Raven couldn't raise her voice enough to be heard. She watched as Tessa was approached by an angry Bobby and she moved forward, ignored by the arguing Xmen to slam her fist on the table. The sound reverberated. When people turned to stare at her she growled out in a controlled non yell, "Shut up, you don't fucking know anything about her or this because the PROFESSOR wouldn't let you know." Her fists clenched by her side. "But let me tell you about her, she paid the highest price for his fucking dreams and you have no fucking right to call her names or threaten her."
Raven glared at Bobby, who was looking a little stunned. "Raven?"
"Bobby." Her voice held no friendliness. "You ever threaten her again, call her names again, and I will kick your ass. Just grow up and stop blaming the messenger." She stared him down, full of threat. The old her never would have made this threat, but Raven was stronger now and could fight for Tessa if she needed to, not that Tessa wasn't able to fight for herself, but this was important to Raven. She wanted to be able to protect Tessa just this once. She'd spent years hating herself for not being able to do it before. Maybe it was making her overreact to Bobby, Raven considered.
After a moment Raven spoke a little softer. "You were my friend and I told you about Tessa once. If you don't remember and I know you don't, it's because the Professor stole that from you. Don't blame her, don't blame me, the Professor is the one that thought he could erase whatever he didn't like. He thought that his dreams and desires were more important than our lives and that he could do whatever he wanted for his cause. Even Magneto wasn't that evil." She shook her head, "We can prove it."
"But," He looked completely lost for words. Raven hadn't expected that just seeing her would do that to him, but the fight seemed to seep out of him when Raven confronted him.
"We can go to cerebra and get this straightened out." Jean spoke up. "See what he's done, and then we can discuss it. I know from my own memories that Tessa was an Xman, she lived here before you ever joined us Bobby, but the Professor erased that memory."
Bobby just nodded, looking defeated. Raven let out a breath she'd been holding as Kurt and Warren nodded, looking dejected. Jean led them out of the room.
"Well, once they are done we can discuss what to do next." Scott sighed and glanced around the room. "I'm thinking sending the students on a field trip right before the Professor gets home might be a good idea. Raven,"
"No." Raven could tell he was about to send her away from the action again. It was habit by now. "I'm the only one he can't sense, read or control. You'll need me." She stared into his eyes, her voice softer. "Don't do this to me again Scott, this time you really do need me. I was built to go after telepaths."
"She's right." Storm stood up for her. "She's the only one here that he can't sense. That could prove important."
"She deserves to be able to face him." Tessa added quietly. "You people were betrayed, but Raven and I, what he did to us really goes beyond that."
Emma spoke up. "Raven stays." Raven had never had so many people stand up for her right to be part of a mission before. She found she couldn't speak up herself because of the shock of it. Silence filled the room for a moment.
"Okay, okay." He shook his head. "We'll send some of the others."
When Scott moved to talk with someone else Emma moved to stand beside her and spoke quietly. "The change in clothes does no good if you beg for respect." Emma scolded her. "I've seen your strength, but you're reverting to a child in front of these people. No one respects someone that begs for it." Raven's jaw clenched but she didn't respond to the jab. She could see the truth in it. It was something Lady Heather would have said to her, know her strength and use it. Raven hadn't when faced with Scott, not enough, and now she needed to remember that. Being here made her forget that, but she wasn't going to do that again.
……………………..
It was nearly dinner time Raven noticed distractedly as she sat out in Storm's atrium. The rustle of leaves was relaxing and she had needed to get away from the others. The meeting had been tense and that's why as soon as it was over she snuck out here, away from them all.
"Darlin'" A masculine voice spoke softly, and Raven turned to face Logan coming towards her. "You doing alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Raven sighed and shifted to face him while still sitting on the bench.
"Liar." He smiled at her and took the seat next to her. "If you're doing fine you'd be the only one in the mansion." He stared out at the small pond Storm had included in the atrium with Raven, both quiet for a comfortable length of time. That was something Raven had always liked about Logan, she didn't need to always be talking with him.
"What if this doesn't work?" She finally asked him. "If we start this and he just wipes everyone's mind again."
"You heard the plan. It's solid. Sure there is risk, but we've got a good team and Tessa is working on giving you a backup plan that the rest of us won't know. You two are safe from his tampering." Logan shook his head. "He really should have thought of that before he pissed the two of you off."
"Yeah," her voice filled with disgust. There was a lot the Professor should have thought of.
"Darlin." His voice was tense. "I woulda killed every last one of them for ya. Still would." Memories of his offer to kill someone as they took her and Christy from the Hellfire club replayed in her mind and she knew he meant it. It touched her, knowing that.
"I would have had to break Tessa's cover to tell." She shook her head, her voice a bit shaky. "That was always the case. I couldn't tell about anything because of Tessa and what would happen to her." She looked up into his compassionate eyes. "What kind of man plans to do that to kids? To use them as hostages like that?"
"A heartless bastard." Logan actually answered her, she hadn't expected an answer. "A cowardly heartless bastard that takes little girls' love and uses it as a weapon and a cage."
"Yeah," She grimaced as she looked at the water in the pond again. "And I did love her. God, I would have done anything, anything at all he told me to do if he told me it would have kept her safe." The Professor had owned her thoroughly and at the time Raven had never known. "If he'd told me I needed to be a thief, an assassin, a prostitute, for Tessa I would have done it all. It makes me sick to know that, and to know while I was a good little girl, pretending to be happy just like he wanted, Tessa was being abused so completely for his dream." Raven shook her head as if trying to deny the truth but she didn't deny it. She knew, "I bought that man presents, I treated him like family. Nothing we do to him is going to feel like enough to me. If we turned him into a woman, wrapped him up and sent him to the Hellfire club it wouldn't feel like enough." Her voice cracked. "I want him to feel pain, unimaginable pain. I want him to feel helpless and hopeless and alone. I want him to lose everything he ever cared about and then I want him to die painfully. That's what I really want Logan, I want that." She went to wrap her arms around her body, but warm masculine arms beat her to it, pulling her closer.
"It's okay to want that darlin'. He hurt you bad and it's okay to want that." Logan held her gently and murmured that to her, absolving her of her guilt for her own feelings. "I'd want that. Nothing wrong with that." Raven felt a little trapped in his arms, but she forced her panic aside with a ruthlessness that time had taught her and let herself relax into his body. "Once its all done and said, if you need a little alone time with Chuck, I can get you in and look the other way."
"It's all fine and good to say that," Raven glanced around the atrium, "but he owns this place. No one's even mentioned that yet."
"That's cause Sage said she had a plan in the works. Said she'd take care of that." Logan let Raven pull away. "Figure she's probably had time to think of this. That girl is pretty damned good at what she does." Raven felt a lightness and pride fill her at Logan's words. That was her Tessa that earned Logan's praise and the man didn't hand it out lightly. "She says not to worry, I'm not gonna worry."
"Yeah, she's always been pretty good at anything she set her mind to." Raven smiled just a little and shook her head, remembering the teenage girl she'd loved so much and the many different things Tessa could do so easily that Raven had struggled with.
"Darlin'." Logan was talking a little slower and it put Raven on alert. "I've been wanting to ask ya something ever since Stormy told me what you'd said." Raven felt a touch of panic worried about the question, the details he might want. "She said what happened to you at that club, but what I don't get is what's going on with you, Emma and Sage now. If that place was that bad why aren't either of you doing something about Emma?" It wasn't a question filled with anger or accusation, he sounded like he almost knew the answer himself but just wanted it confirmed.
Raven would have liked to know the answer herself. She wasn't sure she did. Raven sat quietly trying to think of something to tell him. What she did know was that she'd already promised to not actually throw Emma to the wolves here and that meant not venting at Logan, who would take action rather than just listen to Raven complain. She took a deep breath and prepared herself to be diplomatic, something she didn't really enjoy being when it came to Emma. "Emma's," She struggled for words, "a bitch." She had to say it, "but there's more there. Always has been." Raven's eyebrows were drawn together like she was taking a very difficult written test, struggling with what to say. "She's trying to help me." Raven sighed heavily. It was true, it also left out a lot. Emma's help wasn't always kind. It often felt like a mallet to the head, but that was just Emma's way. Still it was a struggle to not complain about that.
"Kay, just wondered." Logan's eyes narrowed. "So in that club she never…" Raven felt her heart stop as he said that, asking her to say something that just wasn't really true at all. She didn't really know how to deal with this, so Raven lied.
"No, never." She whispered, but the grunt from Logan wasn't really sounding convinced.
"You afraid of her?"
"Of Emma?" Raven's voice actually rose a little in shock at the idea. "No." That no sounded much more real and Raven looked Logan in the eyes when she said it. She wasn't afraid of the blonde telepath.
"You ever wanna talk, you find me darlin'." Logan stared at her. "Get confused, angry, anything. This mission isn't gonna be a cake walk for you. Not that you can't do it, you always could do more than you did, but this is personal. Those are the missions that really eat at ya, the personal ones."
"Yeah." Raven nodded. This mission was already hard, she felt drained.
"And if anyone gives you a hard time, anyone at all, you come to me." Logan stood up, looking so much like an overprotective brother is was almost funny. It made Raven smile weakly at him. He went quiet for a moment, his hands curling into fists for just a moment. "Emma's calling for you. Want me to tell her to go to hell?" He had that far off look in his eyes that told Raven the call was telepathic and that her enhanced hearing wasn't letting her down.
"What she want?" Raven sighed as she stood up.
Logan just turned to stare at her again and it made Raven feel self conscious. "Says that Sage wants you in the Danger room. Looks like you have some secret weapon?"
Raven just gave him another weak smile and didn't answer that. Telling anyone else now would be a bad idea when going up against a telepath.
"Well, looks like the three of you have the Danger room for a while. The rest of us will stay away." He didn't push it. "But you sure about having Emma there? She's not immune to telepathy any more than Jean is."
"She already knows my secrets." Raven put her hands in her pockets and stood in front of him. "Look, I know its confusing with Emma, I'm confused, but I don't want to be defending her every time I turn around."
"I'll take care of it." Logan started off to go outside and Raven started walking in the other direction. Maybe if Logan said something other well meaning Xmen wouldn't lash out at the blonde. They really didn't have time for it now.
The danger room didn't look that different when Raven stepped into it, just metal walls and emptiness. Tessa stood in the middle of the room and when Raven looked up to the booth that normally housed the professor in her own sessions years ago, Emma looked back.
"I want to see what you're capable of now." Tessa looked at Raven as if she were putting together an idea of who she was and how they could use that. "I can't put together a decent plan without the data Raven. You and I will carry this mission." Raven felt a flutter of fear at what she was being trusted to do. She had only once been the main force and that was against humans while saving Mystique. This was just as important, but much harder. "He's been in and out of the others minds so often that I predict few will have enough mental defenses he can't bypass. He won't be afraid to use them against us if he is able to." Raven nodded that she understood. It was the same reason she never told Terrance the truth about her, this wasn't anything new to her, not being able to trust even the most trustworthy because of that man. "Emma," Tessa's voice rose a bit. "Could you start the program?"
The room transformed and it was almost magical. Raven stared as the plain and empty room became a copy of the hanger she'd seen that once when she and Emma came back to New York. "Nice."
"If we want to stop the Professor we have a lot of work to do." Tessa sighed just a little. "Don't hold back. Emma tells me that you are very capable of this, so do everything you can think of." Tessa's stance shifted and Raven's eyes widened a little as she realized the dark haired woman wanted to spar.
"I never could beat you Tessa."
"Things change. Try." Tessa gave her a familiar encouraging smile, one Raven had seen a hundred times in this room.
Raven felt rusty and wasn't doing well at all after about fifteen minutes of that Emma's voice interrupted them. "Raven, you are completely ignoring your new mutation. We can't afford for you to leave all your big guns at home." The blonde sounded irritated and bitchy. Tessa just raised an eyebrow at Raven as if agreeing. "And Tessa is hardly fragile. Why are you blocking so much more than hitting? I know you can punch."
"Well if it were you down here I doubt I'd have as much trouble." Raven glared at Emma. Trying to hit Tessa after everything they went through was hard.
"Well then perhaps we need to bring Emma down here." Tessa surprised Raven with that comment. Raven's eyes widened and she found herself wondering about her new strength and if she'd accidentally hurt the blonde. "Or not." Tessa was staring at her. "Emma start up a sparring program. We'll have Raven spar someone else for a little while. And Raven, go all out." Tessa's voice switched, became commanding, like the Mistress persona she had. Raven was a bit surprised to hear it, but then realized she'd heard it before. It was just that now she connected it to Mistress Tessa.
Raven wasn't sweating or breathing hard after a rather intense session with a featureless form. She'd hit hard and she'd even managed to use the extra arms she trained with to catch it off guard. Tessa's voice stopped it from attacking again. "Danger room, add the Professor's features to the sparring partner."
Raven's eyes narrowed as the Professor stood in front of her. It didn't matter that the man couldn't really stand. Her skin started to glow as she forgot to mask it and she clenched her fists. "Raven, get your anger out now, because you need to be clear headed later." Tessa spoke and moved toward the door. "I'll be in the booth."
………………….
Raven waited until she heard the door close and then just narrowed her eyes at the Professor look a like. She had so many fantasies about hurting the man that she wasn't at a loss for what to do now. Raven clenched her fists and shifted, long Logan like claws popped out of her hands and she growled at her opponent, sharp teeth clearly visible. Raven lunged forward with more speed than she'd shown earlier and slashed at the man, cutting a red mark across his stomach that should have been a killing move, but he just fell back and moved into a defensive position. Raven's feral grin and the rush in her body was her answer, feeling far more like the Wolverine than she'd ever thought she'd be.
The Professor lunged forward and Raven slammed her claws into his shoulders, but his momentum made them fall backwards, Raven falling on her back hard and his body keeping her from being able to move her arms. She shifted the claws off and kneed him in between his legs, pushing on him. This fake man was a lot stronger than the real would ever be. The claws came back out and she slashed at him, the way he didn't bleed was very unsatisfying.
"More real." Raven called out, pushing the limits of her voice activated power.
"He'll still be stronger than the real thing." Tessa told her.
"Fine." Raven's eyes narrowed as she noticed the slight flicker in his form at this Professor was reset, the damage erased and his expression was more real.
"Raven." His voice was the same and Raven didn't wait to hear what else he'd say she lashed out at him, grabbing him by the crotch and shoulder and tossing him into a wall. It wasn't nearly the effort she thought it would be. He grunted in pain when he hit it and Raven smiled. That was real enough.
While he worked to stand up Raven stood still and thought of another Xman, one that couldn't get his own revenge. Her form grew taller, wider, shinier. Large hands clenched into fists and Raven pulled one back to slam it into the wall, missing the Professor by mere inches as he moved. Peter's form was strong and the wall dented. The slam to her legs tossed her backwards and since she wasn't used to this much mass she fell. Raven rolled after the kick the Professor gave her ribs and shifted as she moved, keeping the shine and metal but shrinking to her own size. Growing too much was too hard, she wasn't ready for that yet. Water puddled on the floor and Raven nearly slipped as she got up, but she moved away from the puddle and blocked a kick at the same time.
She slammed her fist into his face, and with the feel of giving flesh she growled and slammed him again. "I hate you." Raven hissed as she straddled her fallen opponent and hit him hard enough to kill a normal man. "I hate you." She missed and dented the floor. He used that opportunity to grab her arm and roll over, pinning Raven under him. His eyes were so cold, but Raven just screamed, "I HATE YOU." A swirl of power and tentacles grabbed her opponent, pulling him up into the air. They swarmed him and latched onto his arms and legs while Raven stood up and glared. "You can't possibly hurt enough." She sent a message to the other part of herself and those tentacles pulled, ripping his body into four pieces. "But it would be nice if you could."
Raven closed her eyes to the blood and gore she'd left in the doubles place and closed her portal. It was good for more than just dimension hopping.
"Shall I reset it or are you feeling a bit calmer?" Emma's voice interrupted Raven's thoughts. "Can I say I'm certainly glad you don't hate me." Raven shifted back to her normal form without saying anything. Raven's expression was cold.
"Again."
"You really want more?" Emma asked and Raven turned to glare at the booth. "Okay, more." Emma reached down and flipped a switch and a new Professor was in front of Raven. Raven dodged his axe, which Emma seemed to feel he needed and got ready for another battle.
An hour later Raven was getting ready for another killing blow. Once the Professor was down it was Tessa's voice that spoke. "That's enough Raven." It was almost angry, and Raven looked up at the booth to see Tessa watching her. "There aren't many more ways for you to kill him."
"I can think of a few." Raven stared into Tessa's eyes, enhancing her own so she could actually see them from this distance. "But I'd need a few things." Raven was fully aware that Tessa most likely didn't like to see her like this. Raven's voice softened. "Tessa, they won't let me kill him. This is all I have." She ignored the tear trailing down her cheek. "He hurt us, hurt you, and I can't ever forgive that."
"Oh Raven." Tessa had tears in her eyes and Raven knew she shouldn't be able to see that from here, but she ignored the part of herself that told her to keep some secrets.
"Don't cry Tessa." Raven spoke gently. "My innocence died a long time ago. You don't need to cry for it." Raven sighed and turned to walk for the door without saying anything more. Raven walked into the locker room and showered while absorbing some more water to replace what she'd lost when the Professor's image drew blood. She let the warm water run over her naked body and sighed.
"My innocence died a long time ago." A cool voice mocked her. "No, you still have it Raven." Raven just opened her eyes to stare at Emma and shifted a bathing suit onto her body. Emma just smirked at that and then stared into Raven's eyes. "You do still have it, battered and bruised it may be." Her smirk faded. "Tessa doesn't loose her mask easily, but you were right, she was crying. I don't see that often and she's had more than enough cause in her life. She saw your pain in there, not the blood you shed and it made her cry. I'll admit it was an amazing display of pain Raven."
"What the hell are you doing here?" Raven shifted metal over her body in silent threat.
"You wouldn't hurt me like that. You wouldn't even spar with me." Emma glanced at the form and then back into Raven's eyes. "You act tough but you're just a scared and hurt little girl." Raven's hands shook. "Your daddy betrayed you worse than you ever imagined anyone could and you want to hurt him back, but you lash out like a berserker and it isn't pretty." Raven was starting to feel like she might actually be able to hit Emma after all, but then Emma's expression softened. "Are you okay?"
"Why can't you just ask that without all the crap?" Raven glared at the woman and turned the water of the shower off.
"Because it isn't crap and you need to think about it," Emma held out a towel and while Raven could have dried without it she took it and ran it over her arms to start. "You had no strategy except hit him hard and often. You can't do that when it's real."
"I know that." Raven tossed the towel aside and just absorbed the water on her, shifting her hair to look decent. "I know, and it isn't right, but I'll leave him alive." Raven glared at the towel instead of Emma, but Emma's touch on her shoulder made her look up.
Emma just stared into her eyes and something in them kept Raven from snapping at her. Raven was almost afraid to blink. The silence became awkward and Emma didn't do anything about it, she just rested her other hand on Raven's other shoulder. The telepath's voice was quite and soft when she finally spoke. "Don't let him drag you down Raven. Don't let him make you a creature of bitterness and pain, don't let anyone do that to you. There is a spark in you that is just too good for that and it would be a tragedy for it to go out." Raven had no idea what to say to that. She noticed Emma leaning closer and Raven felt shaky and nervous at this strange behavior, but the sound of the door opening had Emma standing back again. "Remember that Raven, you are too good for that life." Emma spoke one more time and then moved to leave, leaving a completely confused Raven behind.
"Raven?" Tessa's voice shook Raven out of her stunned stare in the direction Emma had gone and Raven finished leaving the showers. "Are you doing alright?" Well, that made it clear Emma hadn't told Tessa where she was going.
"Not a scratch." Raven gave Tessa a weak smile and finished leaving the showers.
"You showering in your clothes now?" Tessa looked at the clothes Raven had on.
"No, I'm not wearing any clothes." Raven smiled just a little and moved for the door Tessa had come in. "I could use dinner." She wasn't really hungry, but she did want out of this room.
"Okay, let's go raid the kitchen." Tessa seemed to be quoting something a young Raven used to say and moved to hold the door for her. Raven felt a wave of tenderness at the familiarity of that move.
Dinner was rather quiet and when it was over Tessa left Raven saying she had work to do, but that she'd be by later to tell Raven what the plan was. Raven walked past a few Xmen watching television, feeling a bit antisocial, and walked back into Storm's atrium. She loved what the woman had done with the place. It was relaxing and safe feeling. Raven found her spot near the water and pulled her legs up to wrap her arms around them as she thought about her day, her life, and the women that brought her to this point.
"Irene," Raven whispered, "am I doing the right thing? Can we do this or will this just be a huge mess?"
"You can do this." A voice startled her and Raven looked towards it to see a young girl with hair a darker blue than her own and yellow eyes stepping out of the shadows towards here. "Raven." The girl stood still, staring at her and Raven just stared back, a bit surprised that a teenager managed to sneak up on her. "I never expected you to end up in danger." The girl moved to sit on the side of the pond. "I left you in Austria because my life was too dangerous for you," Raven's eyes widened in shock, "and you ended up in Genosha when it happened. I heard, Irene told me, and I am so sorry."
"Mys…"
"No, I'm," Mystique smiled a little, "going by Foxx right now."
Raven shook her head and stood up. "Why are you here?"
"I'm just here to warn you Raven." Mystique stood up. "Not every Xman was manipulated. There are those that chose to follow him with their eyes wide opened, and one of them will be coming back here with him. Don't fall for it if Forge claims to see the light, that man is Xavier's right hand man in all of this."
Raven nodded and started to try and remember what she'd heard about Forge, but her mind wasn't working very hard because she was more focused on Mystique. It would have been nice if the woman were in her true form. "I've missed you."
Mystique smiled a little. "I've missed you too, but I still stand by what I said. We just weren't meant to be." Raven swallowed hard, trying to get around the lump in her throat.
"I still love you." It wasn't an overly romantic love, but it was real and it was there with her respect for the woman. It was words she'd never really said before, and once again she knew she'd done Mystique a real disservice by staying quiet. The woman looked surprised and shouldn't. "You and I, I always thought we were good together, not great, but really good."
"Yeah, good." Mystique moved closer and pulled Raven into a hug. "And I love you too." Mystique whispered in her ear. "So you be careful with your battles Raven, because I'd hate for you to get hurt." Mystique squeezed her tighter. "And who knows, maybe you'll find a great love someday. If you do, let me know, because I'll be doing background checks on any of your lovers." Mystique laughed just a little.
"I'm beginning to think great love only exists for children." Raven sighed and reluctantly let Mystique go. "Or maybe you, but when I love with everything I just lose everything."
"No, no, it's real." Mystique stared into Raven's eyes. "It's real and it's out there for you. Hard to find, so if you find it hold on really tight. Don't let anything stop you. Having Irene was worth the pain of losing her."
"But she loved you just as much as you loved her." Raven sighed heavily. "No one loves me like that, and I wonder if anyone ever has."
"I loved you just as much as you loved me." Mystique spoke quietly. "But sadly, we only loved each other some. We weren't ready Raven. It was too soon perhaps, but we both went into it guarding our hearts. That's not the way to love."
"I wish I could have let you in." Raven felt waves of regret for what they never did, they never overcame their pasts for each other. "Maybe in some other reality you and I are great together. Maybe some Christy isn't so rigid and can run with you into whatever you get into when you aren't around me."
"Or maybe some Mystique is tired and just wants a home and a lover in some suburb." Mystique teased lightly. "She's watching football and playing on the internet while her lover works to support her lazy butt."
"Somehow I can't see any version of you doing that." Raven shook her head. When Mystique started to move it felt like the woman was leaving. "I need to talk with you." Raven's voice cracked as more serious discussions ran through her head. She reached out to take Mystique's hand, in an effort to make sure the woman didn't run off. "I need,"
"I'm not leaving. I like the paintings you left in my bedroom." Mystique gave her a soft smile. "I'll be there when you're done here."
"We're going to stop the Professor." Raven's words made it clear it was an invitation to join her.
"This one is yours. I want to help you, but Forge has a way of tracking me. It would put them on alert if they realized I was here, and if you find a little black box don't break it, I need it. I'll help with the clean up if you need me, I'll be right there." Mystique caressed Raven's hair. "Shapeshifter now, I'm impressed." The sound of talking reached them and Mystique pulled back. "I need to go, you take care." Mystique's expression changed, making her look younger. Raven struggled to not watch her walk away. Mystique always did blow into her life like a soft breeze, and just as hard to keep a hold of as a breeze she blew right out again.
Storm and Jean came into view and looked a little surprised to see Raven there. She tried just nodding hello and continuing her staring at the water, but both women moved to sit instead of walk on by. It reminded Raven of living at this mansion and the times she'd wished for privacy but couldn't get it, just those days she was in a mood and wanted just to be left alone. Her body language must have said something, because while Storm and Jean talked with her, they didn't talk about anything Raven didn't want to talk about, anything serious. They talked about the atrium, they talked about small embarrassing things that happened to them years ago, and they ignored the large elephant in the room that was the questions the Xmen had and the questions Raven wasn't in the mood to answer.
Raven excused herself before that truce on questions failed and went to her room to prepare for bed hours before she'd normally even consider it. She didn't plan to sleep just yet, but she did need to think.
…………………
"Raven." Tessa's voice interrupted Raven's staring match with the ceiling. She turned her head to see Tessa in the bathroom doorway. "You are a difficult woman to find." Tessa spoke softly while stepping into the room. "Emma couldn't find you, so I thought I'd try here."
"Why was she looking?" Raven sat up and swung her legs off the side of the bed.
"She was looking for me. I can't use my telepathy right now." Raven didn't like that answer and she looked into Tessa's eyes for a clue as to why she couldn't use that power. "I ran into some problems and had to try and create a shield like yours to protect myself. Taking it down right now isn't an option." Tessa sat down so elegantly on the side of the bed with Raven. "That isn't what I came here to talk to you about." Tessa shifted on the bed so that only one foot fell to the floor and she faced Raven, who had to copy her pose. "I have a few more questions about what you are able to do with your powers. They were more developed than I thought they'd be so soon after you received them." Raven didn't bother explaining the training she got while Christy was in her body, or that hanging around with a shapeshifter like Mystique was bound to teach her something. "And I am worried about your tendency to glow when you're upset."
"I can control that if I want to."
"Okay." Tessa was looking at her, her eyes moving over Raven's form and it felt intimate. "As you may have guessed I want to confront him as he's coming off the plane, before everyone's mental shields alert him to something being wrong."
Mystique's words earlier put Raven in an awkward position. "There's more." Raven grimaced a little. "Forge is going to fight us, he's working with the Professor, I mean really working with him."
"How do you know this? I wasn't aware you'd even met the man." Tessa was very alert looking. Raven couldn't lie, she'd made a promise to Tessa years ago that they didn't lie to each other, but she couldn't tell the truth because Mystique trusted Raven to not get her arrested or captured. Raven stared at Tessa with a slightly pleading look in her eyes. "You can't tell me?" Tessa sounded a little surprised at that. "Can you tell me how sure you are of this? Storm will have a hard time accepting this. Could you be wrong?"
"No, I'm not wrong. I," Raven sighed, "trust the woman that told me completely. If she says he's trouble, he's trouble."
"Okay." Tessa almost looked like she had a headache for a moment, but she just shook it off. "One problem at a time. I want to find out more about what you can do, so we'll be running you through a few shifts to see your limits."
"We shouldn't do that on the carpet then." Raven glanced down at the floor she'd probably make quite wet.
"No, I want you to maintain mass. That puddle you make would be a giveaway as to what your vulnerabilities are. I don't want anyone here making that connection." Tessa found vulnerabilities? Raven wanted to ask what they were, she knew Christy had been afraid of fire, but was there more?
……………….
They were up late so when familiar pounding on her door woke Raven up Raven wasn't happy. "Go Away." She called out as loud as she dared.
"You really aren't a morning person are you? I'm surprised you picked morning for the painting you were working on for me if this is how you react to a new day." Emma sounded amused. "I brought some of my coffee for you. Let me in dear."
"Are we being attacked?" Raven asked while staring up at the ceiling.
"No, I wouldn't be out here with coffee if that were the case." Emma sounded a little irritated.
"Is the mansion on fire?" Raven rolled to hug her pillow to her body. "No, I'm betting it's not. Why the hell can't I get some sleep? Tessa keeps me up late and you wake me up early. No, go away." Emma's laugh through the door was a surprise, and when Raven took a moment to think about what she said she blushed. "No we didn't…" She stuttered and then just groaned as Emma knocked again.
"Dear, I will make you drink this coffee whether its nice and hot or cold. I'm not leaving." When Emma said that Raven finally rolled out of bed and went to open the door. Emma was dressed in white, which was familiar, and she smirked at Raven. "Here," Emma handed Raven a coffee cup and then reached out to the table in the hall and grabbed another. "Let's go inside." Emma motioned for Raven to get out of her way and Raven just stared at her, ready to tell her no for a moment, before finally just giving in and moving to the side to allow Emma in. "You slept through breakfast." Raven glanced at the clock to see that she had. "So Tessa kept you up late?" Raven sighed as she closed the bedroom door while Emma teased her. "Things going that well between the two of you?"
"No," Raven took a sip of the cup she'd been given. "It was work."
"Shame, Tessa seems like she could use a rough tumble or two. She'd rather rigid now isn't she?" Emma took a sip of her own cup while Raven glared at her. "I'd offer, but with the two of you sharing a bathroom like this, well," Emma smiled at her, "unless you'd like an encore of the last time you watched?"
Raven turned away and resisted the urge to think of that time. "Why are you here?"
"Because the children are being rounded up for a field trip, the Xmen are arguing over who has to take the little monsters in spite of this being settled yesterday, and Tessa is working on the computer and isn't any fun to try and talk to when she has apparently a dozen things she's trying to do. You weren't busy and I was bored."
"Any chance I'll luck out and they'll send you on the field trip?" Raven asked, her tone weary and irritated.
"Not likely. All telepaths are given a pass on the field trip and you know it. I'm needed here." Emma seemed too smug. "Do you like the coffee dear? I had to have this delivered yesterday, after I had a cup of whatever Jean thinks passes for coffee it was a must."
"Never drink Jean's coffee, she doesn't actually drink coffee herself unless she hasn't slept and she only makes it to stay awake so it's always too strong." Raven sat down on the bed and took another sip.
Emma's voice was softer, concerned, "Are you ready Raven?"
Raven let out a humorless chuckle. "I have to be don't I?"
"Yes, I suppose you do, but that doesn't mean you are."
"Just nerves." Raven stared into her coffee cup. "I'll be fine." Emma's hand entered Raven's field of vision, grasping Raven's cup and taking it away. Raven let the blonde have it and watched as both coffee cups were placed on the night table.
"I'd say by watching your danger room session that you've been imagining this for years." Emma rested a hand on Raven's knee while staring into her eyes. "I know it probably won't be as bloody as you'd like, but surely you want to see his expression when he realizes what you've done to him, how you've destroyed his network of lies." Raven wondered if she should shift pants on, since she'd just been in a long tshirt when she answered the door and she could feel Emma's hand on her skin, her eyes fell to the offending hand distractedly and then back up to Emma's face. "Revenge doesn't make it better, but it can feel good on it's own."
"You really shouldn't be preaching revenge Emma, if I took it to heart you'd be in trouble." Raven spoke flatly and shifted her leg so that Emma's hand fell off of it.
"True," Emma nodded her head slowly once as if conceding a point, "but you have absolutely no desire to hurt me. You don't hide it well, I know you like me. You hate that you do, but you do like me." Emma's smug smile had Raven grinding her teeth. "So your threats are nothing but amusing, because I know you have no intention of ever following through with them."
"I wouldn't bet on that if I were you." Raven told Emma coldly and shook her head in disgust at Emma's chuckle. The woman didn't take her seriously at all.
"So I was thinking," Emma acted like Raven hadn't spoken at all, "that you actually still owe me a painting. You never did finish the last one."
"What?" What did painting have to do with anything right now? Raven thought to herself, wondering at the leap of topic Emma just made. "It was destroyed, I don't have to make you another."
"You weren't done, so technically you never did deliver a completed painting." Emma picked up her coffee again, looking pleased with the argument she was starting. Pleased, Raven's mind went over that thought again while studying Emma and seeing that the woman did actually want an argument. With a slight smirk Raven decided not to play, it would irritate Emma more.
"I guess I'll see if they left anything from breakfast or if I need to actually cook." Raven stood up and moved to get her own cup back. "Thanks for the coffee." Raven shifted into jeans and a tshirt, while moving to the door.
"It's rude to leave a guest like this." Emma objected.
"You aren't a guest, you're a parasite." Raven couldn't resist the jab as she grabbed the door to start to open it. "At best you're a pest, at worst…"
"You won't find a good rhyme Ms. Dr. Seuss." Emma stood up regally to follow Raven to the kitchens. "So lets get you ready for your big battle with Daddy."
"He's not my dad." Raven's amusement at their exchanges fled.
"No, but you did think of him like that once. All of these Xmen were overly attached to the old man." Emma walked past Raven into the hall. "Really quite clever of him. Even if anyone decided to fight him, they'd always hesitate to hurt daddy. His planning was quite clever, but he did underestimate a few people." Raven closed the door behind them and walked along side Emma in the wide halls. "He'll find that out now won't he Raven?"
"Yeah." Raven sighed, wondering if he really would. Emma moved closer and reached out to hold Raven's arm, as if Raven were escorting her through the halls.
Emma was so close and spoke quietly. "Shape shifting is a more complex power than my new powers, I'll admit that, and you are doing amazing. I am impressed dear, you haven't had those powers long." Raven felt a blush on her cheeks as she realized that compliment actually did mean something to her.
"Thanks." Raven muttered and noticed Storm walking down the hall, giving them a strange look. Raven pulled her arm out of Emma's hand and moved to the side behind Emma so that Storm could pass.
"Morning Raven." Storm looked serious and not in the mood to chat. Still her eyes strayed to where Emma was touching Raven again. "Emma." That one word held disapproval and clear dislike.
"Ororo." Emma's one word back was cold. The tug on Raven's arm had her moving again. Raven gave Emma a wary look as she noticed the woman taking up her spot next to Raven again, with her hand on her arm. Still since that stopped as they went down the stairs Raven didn't call her on it. It wasn't worth the smug teasing she'd get for saying anything, Raven told herself, and it didn't really bother her enough to put up with Emma's word games.
After finding a bite to eat, Raven left for the library, wanting to kill time and get away from Emma for a while. The woman was up to something, and Raven found herself not wanting to know what it was this time. She really didn't know how to deal with this new complication with Emma now. She was too touchy and complimenting Raven a bit too much. It was strange and not really comfortable, but how could Raven say stop being nice to me? That just didn't make sense.
"Raven." Tessa didn't sound very happy as she stepped into the library, "ETA on the Professor is thirty minutes." Raven sighed and put the book down she'd been attempting to read. It wasn't like she was having luck concentrating anyhow. "The children left an hour ago, and our team is all that's on the grounds." Our team, it sounded weird. This group was hand picked for those most likely able to go against a telepath of the Professor's power. "You need to get into position and I'll cover for you so that the others don't see you."
"Okay." Raven stood up and just stood there for a moment in front of Tessa, hesitant to leave. "You be careful." Raven whispered to her ex lover and reached out a hand slowly to touch Tessa's hand. "I mean it. I really don't think I could handle seeing you get hurt for real." It had haunted too many of Raven's dreams for years, the reality of it might completely undo her.
"I'm hardly new at this Raven. I'll be fine." Tessa squeezed her hand. "Now go, just like we talked about last night. Stick with the plan as long as you can. I've disabled the cameras to the hanger for fifteen minutes. The Xmen will get into position in fifteen minutes. You need to be ready before then."
"Okay." Raven's eyes became determined as she moved for the elevator. She had to hide once on her way as Jean was moving to the last minute meeting Tessa was calling to clear the way for Raven. Raven finally stepped into the hanger with a sigh and looked at the pile of artwork for the yard that was sitting in the corner waiting for someone to actually haul it up. It had been there for a week if what Tessa said was true and was a familiar view here. Shifting as she walked Raven's skin went metal and her muscles gained the strength she'd need to lift the statue of a young woman rather than drag it to the closet. If she dragged it, there would be marks someone might notice. It was heavy and Raven struggled with it for twenty feet and shoved it away. With one last look at it Raven took in the details she'd need, before she closed the door and moved to take its place.
Her skin went granite looking and Raven took the features of the statue on as her own, her skin hardened and Raven stopped breathing, even though it was just her in the room. She stopped her heart and made a conscious effort to even smell like stone. She stared straight ahead unblinking and became a living statue that would hopefully even fool Logan.
Raven enhanced her hearing and waited.
Rogue walked in and moved to one of the planes. She opened a panel to the engine and started to work on something. Raven didn't move at all, but Rogue was in her line of vision occasionally. In a few more minutes Storm came in and moved towards Raven, which made Raven a bit nervous, especially when Storm started staring at her, but then the woman moved to stare at a few other statues and Raven could see a map of the gardens in Storm's hand. The woman sat down and started to try and figure out where to put what statue. Storm actually caressed Raven at one point, but she didn't know Raven wasn't a statue.
The hum of an engine reached Raven's ears and a minute later the clank of the ceiling doors opening filled the hanger along with sunshine. Storm had little flecks of lightning traveling over her skin, barely visible to Raven's enhanced vision. It was her stronger natural defense against telepathy. The loud engines of the new plane quieted and Raven waited tensely for the man and his stooge to come out and play.
"Hey Professor." Rogue's southern drawl filled the room after a clank and Raven knew that was the start. Rogue was good, she didn't sound at all suspicious or upset. Her mama taught her well, Raven thought with a touch of satisfaction. Storm however had to unclench that fist Raven could see.
Jean, Logan, Emma and Tessa were out there doing their parts out of Raven's line of sight. That was their main team, they kept it small, just those with some natural defenses against the Professor. Another group was nearby in case this turned to hell. And yet another group was with the children, but were also ready to move if Tessa or Raven didn't contact them, but their move would be more public and destructive. Tessa took no chances with this, there were plan B's, C's, Raven wouldn't be surprised if there was a Plan Z.
"Hello Storm." The Professor's voice grated on every last nerve Raven had but she didn't move, didn't blink. "I'm surprised to see you here still."
"Tessa wanted to stay a little longer." Storm had it, the voice was right. "She has something she's working on." Storm sounded normal, none of her anger showed. The whir of a machine, most likely the Professor's strange hoverchair and the clank that was regular enough to be Forge's footsteps let Raven know the men were in motion.
Hopefully plan A wouldn't fail too quickly, but it would fail. There was no doubt in Raven's mind. That was why she was part of plan C.
Storm spun around quickly, suddenly, the idea to catch them off guard. Raven stared unblinkingly as lightening arced towards someone just out of her sight still. It was frustrating to not be able to turn her head but Raven just listened as a cracked but no cry of pain followed. Storm was in motion and Rogue was in the air, for just a moment, before she fell for no visible reason. Raven just stood still and watched Mystique's daughter land hard on the ground and not get up. Oh god, this was one of the hardest things she'd had to do for a mission. What made Rogue fall, had the Professor gotten into her mind or was it some strange weapon Forge made? Not matter what it was, how bad it was, she had to do nothing, just watch. In other missions when the teams didn't want her in the action she was well out of the action. She'd never had to watch or hear them get hurt.
Storm screamed and Raven couldn't even turn to see why. It stopped and the silence was eery. The Professor wouldn't kill them, so they had to be okay, Raven told herself as she waited. The whirl of the hoverchair started again. "Thank you Forge." The Professor's voice reached her even if she couldn't see it. "Something is very wrong here."
"Storm's okay, my new electroinhibitor doesn't seem to have done too much damage." Forge spoke and Raven was repeating in her own mind, don't move. Still as a statue, don't move. "Do you think they've been possessed?"
"I'd like to believe that." The Professor's chair started to come into her line of sight and he was shaking his head. "Storm was blocking me as we were landing, and it might be an enemy or it might be something else."
"How many are here Charles." There was the sound of metal on metal, something being assembled.
"I sense three more, but there may be four. Storm mentioned Tessa and I haven't been able to read Tessa since she returned." His answer was almost correct, but he was missing one. Raven made sure she wouldn't start to glow, focused on her appearance, as she waited for the second wave. "I don't sense any children. They should be here." The Professor's voice was cold and calculating.
"Oh we didn't want you anywhere near children Charles." A cold voice called out, barely restrained anger clear and Raven had never heard Jean sound like that before. "Forge, we aren't possessed we just aren't under mind control any more. He's not the nice old man he appears to be." Raven couldn't see her but Jean was sounding like she was at the doors to the tunnel, the one that lead to the mansion. The Professor's eyes narrowed and it was clear he was using his powers, Raven had seen that look on his face a hundred times. His slight wince was heartwarming. He wasn't overpowering anyone easily.
"What are you talking about?" Forge acted innocent and Raven wished she could call out and tell Jean he wasn't, but Tessa had made a decision about not telling the others yet and Raven would follow it.
"Chuck here doesn't practice what he preaches." Logan's voice entered from somewhere higher, but Raven couldn't tell where. A crash and something rolled along the ground towards Raven as Logan's landing on the box in the room broke it and let various engine parts roll. Logan probably didn't know why he had to do that, but it did clutter up more of the floor, narrowing the path that the Professor could take out of the hanger to one closer to Raven. "He's been telepathically erasing things from our minds and its stops today. You hurt our teammates too much. This one's for Raven." Logan moved in and Raven watched the man that was more a brother than she ever really thought she'd have dodge a shot of something from where Forge stood. He was rushing the Professor and shots missed him three times before he rammed into something red, a ball of some forcefield around that old bastards chair. "You bastard!" Logan yelled as his claws worked to try and break the field. "How could you do that to little girls like that? Use them like that. I'm gonna invite Raven to your cell and let her rip your testicles off Chuck." Logan growled and moved to dodge another shot, before a gun flew through the air towards Jean, too controlled to be anything but Jean's telekinetic powers controlling it.
Raven thought as she noticed the red ball of a forcefield start to flicker that perhaps it wouldn't get down to Plan C. While she'd love to be the one to take him down, she would only do that if Jean and Logan got hurt. It made her not want to be the hero this time. She was hopeful until she heard Jean scream.
"That gun is designed to only allow someone with cybernetics like my hand, use it." Forge spoke so calmly as that gun did something to Jean. Raven felt her neck move a little before she stopped herself from looking. God, Jean was down.
"That is quite enough Logan." The Professor's voice was harsh and the slashing sounds stopped. Logan collapsed like Rogue had, the Professor got him. Logan would have been better off getting shot, it would have kept him down for less time with his healing factor.
Raven, Emma and Tessa were up. Round three. It wasn't comforting at all. Clearly Forge had something to keep telepaths out or Jean would have just gone in and stopped him. Emma wasn't going to be able to keep up with this battle, and Tessa could fight well, but this wasn't as easy as Raven had hoped. Why weren't the others winning, and if Storm, Rogue, Logan or Jean couldn't do it how the hell would the three still standing manage? The four strongest were down. Now she had to stand still while the other two walked into danger.
The Professor's chair moved a little closer as he navigated around the tools Rogue left out and some box sitting in the way.
Clapping filled the room, slow clapping. "Well done Charles." Emma's voice filled the room. "I'm surprised at you, taking down your Xmen so quickly." A gun clicked. "No, no, I'm not here to fight." Emma's boots clicked on the ground. Emma must have come to the same conclusion Raven did because this wasn't in the script. "I wanted to talk deal."
"What are you talking about Emma?" The Professor didn't sound like the patient old man he pretended to be. Raven stared ahead, watching out of the corner of her eye as Forge kept his gun on Emma, who kept walking until Raven could see her, until she was about six feet from the Professor.
"It seems you have a little obedience problem. I can let you know how widespread it is, but what I want is Raven. No chasing her, no attempts to take her from me. I want my slave back Charles, and if you keep chasing her I will have a hard time holding on to her." Raven's jaw dropped just minimally. No one saw. "Tessa betrayed you for her, so why would you want to keep Raven around?"
"I don't have her."
"No, you don't. But if I were to suddenly acquire her I'd want your word that she'd remain in my possession."
"And what would I get for this?" Oh, Raven's heart ached when she heard that. He was actually considering it, considering knowingly selling her into slavery for information. It shouldn't have been a shock but it still was. She had to focus, really focus, to not start glowing as Emma started to talk. Maybe if she believed Emma was serious she wouldn't have been able to do it, but she kept herself from glowing.
"You would get a list of who knows what you've been up to, the location of their backups in case you erase a few more memories, Tessa set those up so you don't have other ways to get them, and you'd have more leverage with Tessa again."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Tessa betrayed me. I take that very personally, don't you?" Emma's voice was cold and dangerous. It calmed. "I can make your whole problem go away Charles. Do we have a deal? It isn't costing you anything you already have."
He looked thoughtful. "You can't let the Xmen see her or it could get messy." And he just sold her out so easily. Raven felt even more disgust with him.
"Okay then." Emma smiled.
Another voice entered the room, Tessa's. "I'm never letting you touch her again. Never." Forge stepped further into Raven's slice of vision with his gun raised. It looked normal, like a regular bullet wielding gun, and that wasn't comforting. Tessa wasn't bullet proof. "You can't do this to her again Charles. Raven deserves more."
"Then you should have stayed quiet."
Forge was almost close enough to touch and Raven watched his outstretched arm and the gun in his hand. She could stop him, but her mission was the Professor. Raven struggled with that, if she stopped the man with the gun she might not get a shot at the other man, the one they really needed. She was having trouble trusting Tessa, something she didn't used to have before all of this. She wasn't sure she could trust Tessa to come out of this in one piece.
Raven didn't move as he walked past her. She did pray though, pray that when this was over she didn't look at her inaction right now with regret.
A fight broke out, Raven could hear a few gunshots, the slamming of one body against another and the gunshots stopped. Raven had to just listen and it felt like hell, but she did what she was told and stood still, waiting for the opening she needed. A tear trailed down her cheek unnoticed as she listened to a fight rage. When it stopped Raven found herself enhancing her hearing again, trying to hear everything.
"There." It was Forge's voice and Raven sucked in a little air. "She can't move Charles, but what are you going to do with her now?"
The whirl of the hoverchair started up and Emma moved to the side clearly anticipating the direction Charles would have to go, and partly ensuring it. Why didn't she take the chance to attack him, was she seeing something that Raven couldn't? Should she not?
Raven didn't realize that she normally clenched her fists before attacking, but she forced herself not to follow that old habit and watched as he came closer, Emma walking along side him, the other side, and in part herding him but he didn't see it. Tessa was vulnerable, Raven would need to move fast if she moved.
"Now." Tessa's voice called out quietly, perhaps too quietly for normal ears to hear over near Raven, but Raven lunged forward, watched as the Professor's profile started to turn towards the statue attacking him, but he didn't move fast enough. Raven hit the field around him once, twice, and was through it. Her fist moved with less strength into his cheek, spinning his head around and his body over. The man didn't move and Raven looked up to see Emma already in motion towards Forge and Tessa sweeping her legs out even while under some type of net, knocking him back but not over. A gun shot rang out and Emma fell backwards. "NO." Raven screamed and her power called a portal. Tessa slammed a fist into Forge's face hard enough to snap his head back and he fell, but Raven took just enough notice to see Tessa win the fight and then ran to Emma's side.
"Emma, Emma." Raven kneeled beside the woman, and was startled to feel a hard hand take her own. She stared down into Emma's diamond form.
"I'm okay. Secure the Professor. I'll help Tessa get that net off."
"Too late." Tessa stood tall with the net on the ground. It hardly seemed to be a threat to her. "Here." Tessa held out a familiar device, an inhibitor like the one Raven had worn in the Hellfire club. This one worked though. Raven took it in her hand and stared at it a moment, before taking a deep breath and turning to the Professor and snapping it around his neck. Raven then picked him up out of the chair rather than risk any other devices being built into it. Slinging him over her shoulder she turned to Tessa and noticed beyond her Jean standing up. A groan behind her sounded like Rogue. Her portal showed her Rogue and Storm standing up, it reminded Raven to close the portal.
The look Jean shared with Emma made Raven feel like she had missed out on something and they were quietly keeping it from her.
No one was seriously hurt. Tessa took control over Forge and insisted that until he was cleared of being controlled he was to stay locked up. Storm wasn't happy but it was more with the situation than Tessa. The danger room was Forge's baby, so they didn't lock them up in there.
Raven stood outside of the cells and stared at the Professor without saying anything. He was awake and angry, but they didn't need to hear him with the soundproofing if they didn't want to.
Logan moved up next to her, a comforting presence. "Hey."
"You guys took a dive didn't you?" Raven asked quietly while staring at the man that had been prepared to enslave Raven again.
"You did it Raven, you locked him up." Logan answered, but it wasn't really an answer. "You needed that didn't you, or you'd always feel like a victim."
"So you all took a dive. What if I couldn't do it?"
"We knew you could."
Raven turned away from him, her body shaking a little, but he pulled her around and hugged her tight. "We had faith in you. We didn't know you'd become a statue, but we knew that this was something you needed to do." Logan gently petted her hair. "You were under his thumb for so long, you needed this. Emma explained it, how you'd never feel free if we did it for you, and that made sense darlin', but you did it." He went silent but still played with her hair. After a moment Raven pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Didn't know you could become stone darlin'."
"I'm a shape shifter." She looked over his shoulder when she noticed motion over there, only to see Tessa and Emma there watching her. Emma had a bandage on her shoulder, where she was hit as she was transforming to diamond, it hadn't bled as she was the precious stone, but that woman got hurt working on a mission that really had nothing to do with her. Raven stared at the blonde, holding her gaze with an almost tender but definitely guilty expression on Raven's face. If Emma were a fraction of a second slower in turning to diamond that could have crippled her, the gun was powerful.
"So you really did have a secret weapon." Logan smirked at her, pulling Raven's attention back to him. "Go call the others before someone decides to run into traffic rather than babysit the kids another second. I'd do it, but they were told to only believe you, since this was your mission."
Tessa moved to Emma and Raven watched. Knowing they weren't able to talk telepathically didn't make it seem like they weren't. Tessa rested a hand on Emma's shoulder for a moment and her expression seemed to say I'm glad you're okay. Emma's answering smile seemed like a response of, you should have known better than to worry. When the two of them looked toward Raven, Raven gave them a weak smile. They tricked her, and it was yet another example of Emma's help feeling like a mallet to the head. Still with Emma being the only one with a lasting injury Raven didn't feel like calling her on it just yet.
As they started to walk down the hall, the two women flanked Raven. "No one doubted you for a moment when we brought up the fact that you should do it. No one argued that you couldn't, or that you shouldn't. They all believed in you Raven." Tessa spoke softly. "And they let you take the bad guy down by yourself."
"He wasn't so tough was he Raven?" Emma added, but then they turned into another room to make those calls.
"No he wasn't." Raven answered quietly. "Just standing there while everyone else got hurt was."
"We're used to a little pain, and we're okay." Emma reached out and took a hold of Raven's arm again while belittling her own injury, "And I must admit your concern about my wellbeing was heartwarming." Raven wasn't feeling up to answering it with a verbal jab, she just stood still waiting for Tessa to get the comm link up. When Tessa looked over at them Emma let go, and Raven moved closer to the screen to give the report that all was clear. The others could come home now.