Of course, Gambit wasn't too happy with Mystique.

Once they were clear of the crowd, he threw a card at her feet, making her jump.

"Jus' what de heck did you think you were doing?" he said. "You almost got us killed."

"I don't see how I did anything," Mystique said. "It as all of yours fault for being so visible!"

"I don't think we can blame any one person," Storm groaned, rubbing her head. "Where's Shine?"

"West brought her back here," Rogue said. "I hope he knows how to help her. She didn't look so good."

Wally found them then. Shine was awake again, though she seemed slightly out of it. 

"You guys okay?" he said.

"Are we? Who almost drowned?" Rogue said.

"Oh...I've had worse..." Shine said. "I mean...I can't think of any worse right now...but that's probably just the concussion..."

"It was too close," Wally said. "I hate fighting on boats--has to be the worse terrain ever other than ice. Thanks, Rogue." He looked pretty shaken up.

"Oh...no problem." Rogue felt awkward.

"Well, that's the results of diplomacy," Logan said tersely, glaring at the dock.

 "You know," Wally said, a bit shortly, "I'm not really sure it was the diplomacy that made that whole thing go south. Seems more like it was striking back like that and making it worse."

"What? You'd let them just punch us without any kind of self defense?" Logan said.

"I don't know what I'd do," Wally said. "But I wouldn't have slammed them around like that, not without trying something else first."

"Ya already did that."

"Hey, it's not like you just try the right thing once. You have to try it again and again until it works," Wally said.

"And if we get hurt tryin' it, then what?" Logan said.

"There are worse things..." Shine murmured.

"Can we please not fight about this?" Storm said. "I think all of us had little more trouble there than we expected.... I never thought a boat would come so close to killing me. We all need to dry off. Let's just get back to the house."

"Hank's coming to get us," Gambit said flatly. "We get de cars later, when dis settle down."

Hank was there only a few minutes later.

"I hope you're all all right," he said.

"Oh, sure," Morph said. He laughed nervously.

"What were you doing over dere anyway?" Gambit asked crossly. "Gambit not like havin' to chase you on top of everything."

"Oh, well..." Morph wasn't sure exactly how to explain. "You know, I was just trying to see what was going on."

Mystique looked up and then frowned.

"You dang lucky, Shine," Rogue was scolding Shine. "If Momma hadn't told me you were in the water, maybe it would have been too late! Why didn't you just use those doorways?"

"I couldn't focus..." Shine said feebly.

Hank looked her over.

"I'll need to do a more thorough examination, but I think her concussion is mild based on her coherence. She must have passed out from the lack of oxygen."

Wally squeezed her hand. "That was just scary."

"I guess I should thank Mystique," Shine said, trying to smile. "It was close."

Mystique didn't acknowledge that remark at all.

"Why did you help?" Rogue turned to her oddly. "I mean...wouldn't her drownin' be the end of your problems?"

"Hardly," Mystique said. "More like just the end of what little freedom I have. I couldn't have gotten away from the rest of you."

Her bitter tone fooled Rogue, who just rolled her eyes and walked away.

But Shine wasn't buying it; however, she said nothing. Embarrassing Mystique wouldn't win her any points.

https://youtu.be/Tto278o9DFU

* * *

"Well, you all sure know how to vacation," was what Scott said when the bedraggled bunch returned.

Jean was more helpful: She made them tea and hot chocolate.

"Wow," Jubilee said, "I can't believe you guys got thrown off a boat."

"Yeah, it was how tolerant the people were," Logan said. "Guess preachin' don't work on everyone."

"But you survived." Kurt was quite worried. "Gott must have been vatching over you, Miss Shine."

"Yeah," Shine said.

"You nearly drown," Gambit said, "thanks to dat crazy woman. How dat God watching over you?"

"I think I was quite lucky," Shine said staunchly. "What if Rogue hadn't seen me? What if I hadn't managed to swim out from under the boat? I'm not a good swimmer at all. That was a miracle in of itself."

"I lost your sword, though..." Rogue said guiltily. "When Storm made the water all crazy, I lost my grip. I'm sorry."

Shine laughed.

For a second they thought the concussion had made her a little silly, but then she held out her hand and the sword appeared in it.

They all blinked.

"Can't lose it," Shine said. "You lost your hold on it. I can believe that--was never that great to begin with, but trust me, this sword is always going to be with me. Even if we lose connection for a few minutes."

Wally nodded. "I have one sometimes, but I mostly don't use weapons, so it's not really strong like that one."

"I think your gifts fall a different direction." Shine shrugged.

"Well, all dis is random chance," Gambit said. "Ain't nothin' in dis Divine Protection."

"Herr Gambit, I don't see how saying that is helping," Kurt said. "If Miss Shine thinks it was Gott, she probably knows best, doesn't she? I am sure she vas praying."

"A lot," Shine confirmed.

"I never understand how people jus' take random chance and call it God," Gambit said.

"I never understood how people take too perfectly orchestrated events and call them random," Shine said dryly, then winced. "Ow...you know, can we have this debate later?"

"Yeah, stop botherin' her," Rogue said to him. 

Gambit shrugged.

"Well, we're all glad you're all right," Storm said to Shine.

"What about you?" Shine asked.

"Oh...I was just momentarily shocked," Storm said. "Cold, dark water is...well...not a very pleasant thing for me, but...I'm all right now."

She seemed to be making light of it, considering she'd almost frozen up too much to swim, which was better than her usual panic, but not great.

"Well, I can't thank you enough," Wally said to Rogue. "I couldn't see much out there; I might have run right by her."

He had Shine on his lap. He didn't seem like he was ever going to let her go.

Shine patted his head. "I'm all right now, mostly."

"I suggest you all go to bed," Hank said, "after you eat something, that is. You've been under a lot of strain, and you wouldn't want to catch a cold. Though it's a warm evening, I'm sure that water was cold."

"It's the Atlantic, so of course it was," Shine said. 

"Is the Pacific any better?" Morph asked.

"No." She shook her head. "'Course the taste of oil might distract you from the cold."

"I think we might just sit for a while," Wally said. "But you guys go on."

Most of them filtered out.

Rogue looked as though she wanted to say something, but she didn't.

Scott only remembered at the last minute that Mystique was still out. "Rogue, can you put her back?" he said. "I want a debriefing on what happened from Logan."

Logan made a face.

"Sure..." Rogue took Mystique's arm. "Come on, Momma."

Mystique must have had her nerves shot from the whole experience, because she was far less cooperative about it than usual. That is, she said this as Rogue was leading her down the hall,

"Never thought you'd actually aid someone in keeping me locked up, Rogue."

Rogue felt a pang of guilt, even if she knew that wasn't fair.

"Hey, I didn't make you become a problem for us," she said.

"But you did," Mystique said. "If you hadn't run off to them as soon as things got hard, I would never have hated them so much."

Rogue paused to glare at her. "Why does everyone keep sayin' that, huh? I don't run away every time things get difficult."

Mystique's look was classic. Somehow a blue-skinned, red-haired woman could just give you the most scathing look of quiet disbelief without even having to try.

"What was I supposed to do, huh?" Rogue snapped. "Like you'd have understood? You never did! You never cared."

"I think I understood just fine," Mystique said. "You didn't give me a chance, Rogue. You just left!"

"You used me!" Rogue said. "I knew it!"

"Not until Xavier put that idea into your head," Mystique snapped. "You never mistrusted me before then."

"No, I did!" Rogue said. "But I pushed it aside. I thought you were kind or somethin', but I see now you made me do that to Marvel.... I had her locked inside for years!" She hugged her sides. "Could have been forever... Now that she's gone, I can breathe...but that don't make it okay that it happened! That don't mean I forgive you!"

"Forgive me?!" Mystique said. "After the way you repaid my kindness, I'm the one who should be angry." She made a fist, though not at Rogue. "They've spoiled you. You think you're better than me now, don't you?"

"I was always better than you." Rogue pointed at her accusingly. "Maybe I did some things, but you taught me to!"

"Did you complain?" Mystique said.

Rogue was struck speechless for a moment.

"Well...I had no one else..." she said in a low voice.

"Neither did I," Mystique said. "But you left me." Her tone became pained. "I never did that to you, Rogue. Why do you think you're better? You still did those things. I didn't make you do anything. Was I ever unkind to you?"

"Well...no..." Rogue said weakly.

"I helped you the best I could," Mystique said. "If it was up to you I'd be dead now, so who is really the one who used who, Rogue?"

Rogue looked like she'd been slapped.

"Why...you..." she sputtered.

"Not that I minded," Mystique said, in a different tone. "You were my favorite...only you act like I did all this to you. I can't keep skulking around this idiotic, little house with you acting so high and mighty to me. It's awful of you to do it."

"It ain't!" Rogue said. "I had every right to be angry at you, you know it."

"I don't know any such thing," Mystique said.

"And what about Kurt?" Rogue said. "I know what kind of person you are, now, Mystique. You're selfish and a coward."

"I may have left Kurt," Mystique said, not so steady as before, "but it's no different than what you do. Of all people, you shouldn't be judging me. We both run when it suits our own interests better, don't we? I did to Kurt what you did to me. We're the same."

Rogue was even afraid now. "We are not the same! You use everyone around you."

"And you don't?" Mystique said, smiling not very nicely. "Aren't you using that idiot with the cards? You like the attention, don't you?"

"Why, you--" Rogue sputtered, but then she stopped. "Well, that ain't none of your bus--"

"And Likstar--you're using her, aren't you?" Mystique said.

If Shine hadn't said the same thing, Rogue might have dismissed that jab, but it was like cold water in her face to hear it twice.

She went silent.

"Maybe it's wisest," Mystique said. "You see how it benefits you, don't you? That's why you stuck around here, I suppose. It was a better offer."

She was bitter now. "Why come back to me? Why give me a second thought? Just forget it all.... I guess I'd do the same. Maybe I shouldn't have blamed you.... In fact, I really didn't. It was Xavier who gave you false hope. I blame him. But now, I see, it'll never stop."

"What makes you think I'm usin' Shine, huh?" Rogue said in a small voice. "Did she tell you that?"

"Dear Rogue, I'm not stupid," Mystique said. "She offered you something, right? I think she understands you pretty well. She's said we're alike--I think I see what she means now. You saved her because of that, right? She told you no about something early today, didn't she? But you couldn't let her die, hoping she might change her mind.... It's true with power like theirs, maybe they could fix your problem. Maybe more than I or Xavier ever could."

She perhaps hadn't planned to say that, but the bitterness had her in full force now.

"But I wonder what she gets in return?"

"She didn't ask for nothing," Rogue said.

"Hmm," Mystique said. "Well, I guess she's more of a doormat than I am, then--maybe not than Xavier. He just asks you to pledge your whole lives to him. But he makes you think it's your idea, so I suppose that's clever enough. You think saving her life is going to earn you that help?"

"I didn't save her for that," Rogue said. "We're friends."

"Well, you tell yourself that, Rogue," Mystique said. "But I can see plainly enough it's just about need.... It always is. With people. That's just who we are. All of us, we're all selfish.... If there is that rare individual who isn't, they just get taken advantage of by everyone else. Like that son of mine."

"You leave Kurt out of this!" Rogue said. "He's a good person. He's not like you at all."

"I know." Mystique turned her back. "Well, you can shut me in now. I've said all I can say."

"I don't even know why you said it!" Rogue said angrily. "You just wanted to upset me, is that it?"

"Maybe I just want you to see truth, like I always have," Mystique said. "I told you the truth before, Rogue."

"And you almost got me turned into one of Apocalypse's minions!" Rogue said. "I can't trust a thing you say, either, Momma."

"At least you know what I am," Mystique said. "I can't fool you anymore." She cast her a bitter look. "Maybe it's not comforting, but it's honest. No one expects any different of me, but they expect you to be different."

"Be quiet." Rogue shut the door. It couldn't really be slammed, so she kicked it for a good measure.

But as it was too solid for her to just break, she only hurt her foot.

She couldn't believe Mystique...all those cruel things she said...

She flew off in a huff...but she was wiping away tears.

[Ouch...though I sort of thought Mystique had a point, at least partially. But talk about a merciless way to go about it.]

* * *

Wally and Shine sat for a while, and Wally asked, "You're okay? Really?"

"Have they all gone?" Shine said.

"I think so," Wally said.

Shine put her face in her hands and started sobbing.

"It's not even.... It's just the strain..." she said.

Wally rubbed her back. "I know.... It was awful, huh?"

"The way they were looking at me," Shine said, "like I wasn't even human anymore...I've seen that look before, Wally...on the faces of madmen and radicals and brainwashed followers...but of people in this free country we're supposed to live in? Well, I knew it happened, but I'm not usually so close to it."

"It's ugly," Wally admitted.

"And then I thought I was going to drown," Shine said, "that that would be it...too soon, you know?"

"Way too soon," Wally said.

"And you know? I was angry at Mystique," Shine said. "I know now she didn't exactly intend to just ditch us--she was just scared--but for a moment, if I'd have my way I could have smacked her a few times myself for running off alone like that. She got me caught.... Or maybe I should have let her go, like Gambit said..."

"Shine, she'd just have been tossed over," Wally said, "and no one would have known. She probably would have drowned. She'd be even harder to see. Unless she can transform into a fish."

"I don't think she can." Shine took that seriously.

Wally almost laughed--but then realized he didn't really know either...so that was a weird thought.

"Well, I'd say how badly you scared me," he said, "but I don't want you to pay me back with bringing up all the crazy things I've done, so I won't."

"Thanks," Shine said.

"You'll be okay." Wally hugged her. "We'll bounce back. We always do. It'll seem better tomorrow, you'll see."

"I know...I know..." Shine grabbed a tissue. "Just right now I feel like I can't even move."

"So don't." Wally hugged her tight. "No rush."

Shine nodded.

https://youtu.be/NRfCFf-vlEk

"So you were jus' keepin' it together," Gambit cut in.

They both looked up.

"Dude, privacy?" Wally said.

"Gambit only catch de last bit," Gambit said. "But de evidence is dere." Nodding at the tissue Shine was making a pile of.

"If you're going to gloat," Wally said, "then I wouldn't." He frowned. "Not the time to say it would have been easier if we just drowned."

"Wally!" Shine said. "I know you're upset, but that is not fair. He's not like that."

Gambit looked uncomfortable. "Gambit not actually want you dead."

"Oh, comforting," Wally grumbled.

"Gambit have something might make you feel better," Gambit said, like he didn't want to say it but honor or something compelled him to do so.

"I don't see what." Shine was real encouraging. "But go ahead."

"It ain't much, but you'll probably make it a big thing," Gambit said sullenly. "On de boat...one of dem kids could've sold me out...but he didn't. Don't know why. Maybe he thought dere'd been enough. Maybe you got to him.... Maybe he jus' too scared. But knowing you, you'll say it was more important dan it was."

Wally and Shine exchanged a glance.

"If nothing else, he wasn't that low," Shine said. "So yes...it actually does help.... Thank you." She wiped her eyes, a little calmer now. "You know, Mystique didn't really mean to hurt me either. She tried to help, in her own way."

"Why don't you stop worrying 'bout dat witch for one day and worry 'bout yourselves?" Gambit said. "You people are de craziest, most reckless fools Gambit ever see."

"Counting you?" Wally was still not quite in the mood to be easygoing as usual.

"Is this that thing where we have to get hurt or something for you to feel comfortable around us?" Shine said. "I've known a few people like that. It's kind of weird. But I'd take it."

"Nah." Gambit shrugged. "Maybe you not invincible."

"Whoever said we were?" Wally said.

"Does knowing we can go down make you feel like this is a fair fight?" Shine asked.

No answer...so that was probably a yes.

"Well...great," Wally sighed.

Shine shrugged, then she laughed weakly. "Well...at least he's honest about it. Could be worse."

She hugged her knees. "For the record, God can use people to do His will. But if I'd needed Divine deliverance, it would have happened."

"If you say so," Gambit said skeptically. "But it don't make no sense."

"We've both survived worse," Shine said. "So've you. That is what does not make sense. You've got it backwards."

"What else is new?" Wally said.

"All right, let's play nice," Shine said. "I'm kind of tired. You want to carry me up there, or do I have to walk?"

"Easy does it." Wally stood up and picked her up. "You know, I got injured too. I banged my knee pretty bad when I tripped on that stupid deck."

"Want me to baby you? I'll just shove aside the concussion," Shine said.

"I know you just got one to get a chance to get some extra attention," Wally said. "Make it a longer break, right?"

"That was totally my plan, Wally. You guessed it," Shine said. "A whole day of bed rest after this is totally what I wanted first thing after coming home."

Gambit rolled his eyes.

"Well--" Xavier came in. "--I take it they'll be all right.... I wish I could say the same for all of us. I sensed Rogue was quite distressed over something, though I am not sure what. The incident itself wasn't that unusual."

Gambit suspected Rogue had had some kind of fight with Shine earlier, but he had no intention of telling this to Xavier.

"Mystique's part in all this puzzles me." Xavier put his hands together. "While she continues to act selfishly, she has not gone out of her way to engage the team. And she helped a little. Her reason, I was told, is that she thinks they will preserve her a small bit of freedom. But I think she could have gotten away. Easily. Why choose to remain on the ferry?"

"Nothing she do make any sense," Gambit said.

"It may be time to consider just allowing her to leave," Xavier said. "If I could only seal away her memory of how to find this place, I would do it now. But she puts up quite the fight mentally with me. It would be hard to overpower her without hurting her. And then, Likstar and West do not wish me to do it. I'm not sure Kurt does either. They are not X-men, but I worry that perhaps with their abilities, they could undo it even if I was successful, perhaps even make her immune to it. Then we would be worse off. If only I could persuade them it would be the kindest solution."

"One thing dey don't like is mind control," Gambit said, with almost grudging respect. He had never submitted easily to Xavier's probing either. [Canon, btw.]

"Yes...well, something I think you have in common," Xavier said. "It seems you're getting along a little better. Have you decided to call off your war of words?"

"More like we decide to keep de war more civil," Gambit said. 

"That is probably for the best," Xavier said. "I think I'll turn in now."

Both of them did.

* * *

The next day had everyone still recuperating, Shine especially, though she said she was feeling much better after Hank's help.

She seemed to heal fast, all things considered. Wally said it might be a world travel perk.

He and Gambit did retrieve their cars and their stuff with them.

Jubilee got her gift, which she was delighted with, mostly because she'd been thought of at all.

"That's really nice." She hugged Shine.

Shine winced at being jostled, but she said, "I'm glad you like it. Mystique helped me figure it out, actually."

"Why would she know?" Jubilee said.

"She can read people pretty well," Shine said. "I wonder how she's doing today."

"I'm sure hoping she'd be rethinking her poor choices is too much," Scott said. "With any luck, she just won't try something. And I suppose lecturing you on your reckless actions is also a waste of breath."

"Scott, I'm glad to see you are coming around to accept it," Shine said dryly.

Scott glared at her, but then he shrugged.

Even he didn't care to rub it in too much in light of what happened...and that Shine hadn't done that much to actually bring it on herself.

"Where is Rogue?" Storm asked. "I thought she'd have joined us by now."

She winced then and sipped some tea.

"How much salt water did you swallow?" Jubilee asked.

"More than I should have..." Storm said, pained.

"Maybe Rogue is not feeling well," Jean worried. "I'll go check on her."

So she did.

"While you vere gone," Kurt said, "Mike called. He said there vas more to talk about the new idea they have, and that they vould be ready to take another shipment of things to the Morlocks also. I told him I'd pass it on."

"Glad it's still going well," Wally said.

"I also told him ve'd help vith construction again," Kurt said.

"I guess they knew we'd do it better than anyone," Logan said.

"Of course." Shine looked at him archly over her coffee.

Suddenly they heard something slam upstairs, and then Jean came flying to the room.

"Rogue is gone," she said.

Gambit dropped his cards.

"Gone?" Scott said.

"I mean, at first I thought she had just left her room," Jean said. "But when I tried to sense her, I realized she's not here at all. Some things of hers are missing too... Do you think she took one of the cars?"

"I'll check." Wally dashed out of the room.

A second later he was back. "One is gone. I think it's the one all of you use."

Logan glared. "Why did she go?"

Shine had gone real quiet, then suddenly she said, "Mystique."

"Mystique?" They all looked at her.

"Rogue put her back in her room," Shine said. "But it seemed to me it was odd that she didn't come back to talk to any of us afterward... I didn't think much of it at the time, but, Mystique might have said something to her."

"Dat--" Gambit got up. "I think we'd better go have a talk with her."

"Wait a moment," Storm said. "We don't know Rogue has gone anywhere particularly worrisome. Perhaps we should just contact her with Cerebro first."

"Yes," Jean said. "I'll get the Professor. We may not need Mystique...and anyway, we couldn't trust what she told us without probing her mind."

***

A few minutes later, Xavier and Jean did use Cerebro.

They found Rogue just fine, but Rogue didn't answer them.

After they'd tried asking her several times, they gave up.

"From what I could sense," Jean said, "she's upset about something, but I think she was trying to hide what it was. I do think Mystique was involved. But not just her..." She glanced at Shine.

Shine took the ice pack off her head. "Rogue and I had a slight disagreement yesterday," she said calmly.

"What did you say?!" Scott said.

"Nothing that would make her run, Scott," Shine said. "And I'm afraid it's none of your business."

She thought Rogue would kill her if she told Scott about the whole power thing, and Scott was the worst person to hear that and not jump to the wrong conclusion.

"How do we know?" Gambit said.

Shine gave him a steady look. "It wasn't because of that," she said carefully, "if I know Rogue."

"What could Mother have said to her?" Kurt said.

"I think it's time we find out," Logan said.

Shine got up. "Let me ask her," she said. "And Kurt. She will not be able to lie to us. And if it involves me anyway, I'd rather you all not be listening in."

"And you think we'll just let you do that?" Scott said.

"Do you want to find Rogue or not?" Shine asked.

"Let's let her," Xavier said. "Mystique seems to trust them slightly more. Trying to force it out of her would be difficult."

"I wonder how bad it was," Morph muttered.

* * *

Mystique was sitting idly when they opened the door.

"What do you want now?" she said dully.

"What did you say to Rogue?" Kurt asked outright. "She's run from us."

Mystique, perhaps to her credit, looked shocked.

"She...ran?" she said. Then she laughed. "How droll. Of course, why didn't I expect it?"

"Mother." Kurt was reproachful. "If you said something cruel to her to upset her, you shouldn't have."

"All I did was tell her the truth," Mystique said. "But it seems she can't handle it any better now."

Shine sighed. 

"Mystique...please, just tell me what set her off," she said quietly. "Anything that might have made her run."

Mystique was quiet.

Kurt shook his head. "Rogue does this often, yes?"

"Too often," Shine said.

"Perhaps then, any one thing might not help us," Kurt said. "Still..."

Mystique looked up. "I know trying to lie to you is a waste of my time," she said, with a defiant look, "so I'll just tell you. I pointed out to her how she is using you. There."

Shine put her folded hands in front of her mouth the way people do when they are trying not to scream. "You told her that?"

"Yes."

"Well...I guess I said that too," Shine said. "But I have a feeling you didn't soften it, did you?"

"Why should I?" Mystique said.

"And she vould run avay?" Kurt said. "Over this? That is unkind, but, surely she'd know it's not true."

"Well, the trouble is, Kurt, it was partly true," Shine said. "But I never would have thought she'd run from us just on that."

"I might have said it about more than just you," Mystique said.

"Did...did you do this on purpose?" Kurt was upset now. "Just to get her avay from the X-men? Mother, how could you?"

Mystique's expression flickered for a split second, but only Shine noticed.

"Well, and what if I did?" she said, bitterly. "It's what I wanted, isn't it?"

"Oh...Mother..." Kurt was saddened. "This is not right. Is your heart still so hard? They are her friends."

"Spare me your lecture, Kurt," Mystique said.

Kurt looked almost like he might get angry for a moment, but he clamped his mouth shut and went out of the room.

Shine frowned at Mystique.

"I know perfectly well you have overshot," she said, "or...whatever the word is--I'm still a little cloudy.... You would never have thought Rogue would leave, would you? Not if she didn't before.... I doubt she's going to stay gone. She'll come back. And you'd better hope she does, for your sake. I can't protect you from everything, you know, Raven."

Mystique was going to say something snide until she heard that last word.

"Wh...what did you just say?" she said.

Shine realized her mistake. "Oops...I had forgotten I wasn't supposed to know that, was I?" She shrugged. "Oh well, I know everyone's real names. I'm sorry."

"Don't you ever call me that!" Mystique said. "That name is dead."

"Shame," Shine said. "Two of my good friends are named Raven. I rather like it. But I can try to refrain."

"Tell me--" Mystique frowned. "--you know Rogue expects you to do something for her. She's not stupid. Are you going to do it?"

"Do you think I should do whatever it is you're thinking?" Shine said.

"I don't know," Mystique said. "It's impossible, or so we thought."

"Then you're thinking of the wrong thing," Shine said. "We're not here to change DNA. But beyond that, who knows what is possible? It's not your decision though, is it?"

"It wouldn't make her happy," Mystique said.

"I know that," Shine said. "Why do you think I told her no?" She folded her arms. "Don't say anything about it to anyone else, please. They would never understand what we mean by offering at all. And if we haven't done anything yet, then there's no reason for anyone to get upset."

"You're giving me that kind of leverage?" Mystique said.

"Do you really think it would help you to share?" Shine scoffed. "You might hurt me, but that will not get you out of here. You wouldn't risk hurting what little trust I have in you, would you? I'm sorry if I sound mean. I'm not happy with you right now, but some of this is my doing also. You get to hide in here. I will not." 

She walked out of the room.

[Uh oh....]