The preparations continued over the next several days.

And things shifted a little within the household.

Emma definitely gave Shine a bit more of a wide berth.

She mentioned to Morph what happened though. Morph had, of course, already won her friendship...and they did have a lot of similar experiences, world-wise.

It did not escape Emma's notice how annoyed Mystique got when she caught them talking, even casually...and to be honest, Emma played off of it on purpose. But Morph never seemed to realize this fact.

It was Morph who told Emma more about how Shine and Wally had arrived and worked their way into everyone's trust.

The stories alone made Emma have to rethink some of her remarks... It was...all rather unsettling, wasn't it?

Morph asked her if Shine had gotten to her yet.

"She has a quick tongue," Emma said.

"Yeah...well, she means well," Morph said. "And...she's usually right. She's just trying to help. I've learned a lot."

"Everyone here seems to be under the impression I need to learn something," Emma said. "May I remind you, I did not come here by choice? I'm simply making the best of it."

She sipped her tea deliberately.

"Sure," Morph said. "Well...I did come here on purpose...but I think this is making the best of it."

Emma had no response.

Mystique walked in, shot her a hostile look, and walked back out.

"Weird..." Morph said.

"Perhaps she wonders what we talk about," Emma said slyly. "The world things probably. She's too curious for her own good."

"Who wouldn't be though?" Morph said. "But I think Shine is right about not talking about it too much. Wally told me some scary stuff about his world, too, and their problem with dimension crossing..."

"Hey, you don't have to explain yourself to me." Emma shrugged casually. "I just think some of the others here may feel out of the loop. But it's not my problem."

Didn't mean she couldn't stir the pot though. Emma rather liked doing that, much to the annoyance of the X-men she'd known before. And to these, she had a feeling.

* * *

"Frost sure doesn't waste time," Mystique complained to Shine, while Shine was trying to do laundry.

"What's the problem with them talking? I'm sure they have a lot to catch up on," Shine said. "News from home is always interesting."

"Yeah, but don't you find it suspicious at all?" Mystique said. "She's still hiding something."

"You want to talk to me about hiding things?" Shine said.

Mystique shrugged. "I wasn't so open about it."

"Sorry." Shine slammed the washing machine door shut. "I have a lot on my plate right now. I guess I'm taking Emma as I find her. I guess all of us are, until we find out more."

"How long can it take? Surely someone is looking for her," Mystique said.

"Yes...well, that is what bothers me. But Wally is right, we can't hurry this along--we tried.... We'll have to wait for them to make a move. It'll happen sooner than you want it to, believe me. This stuff is never nice to deal with. I'm trying to enjoy the lull before the storm."

Mystique frowned and said nothing.

"Of course if you're jealous, that's not going to comfort you," Shine said slyly.

"If I'm--don't make jokes like that."

"Green is not your color, Raven," Shine said. "Well, I guess technically anything can be your color. But...it's not really that hard to see, is it?"

"You don't know everything," Mystique said. "I have no reason to be jealous of her."

"I know, the new, shiny girl is a little much to accept."

"I'm not a child," Mystique said.

"And Morph likes her, which is more," Shine said, heartlessly. "But didn't you come to me because I would understand what's going on? If you want someone to be suspicious, talk to Cyclops. I'm sure he's still not sure about all this."

"Yeah, well, I don't really care for his input," Mystique said. "Even if what you said was remotely true, which it's not."

"No? I won't judge."

"No! What a stupid idea. What would we have to compete over?"

"Nothing, I suppose."

"Exactly."

Shine smiled to herself. "Fine, then. But you know, if I were you, I'd not just back off and take her attitude about it. Do something. We were just talking about this, weren't we?"

"Don't start with that again," Mystique said.

"Then go be churlish to someone else." Shine suddenly picked up her stuff, like she was annoyed. "Don't bother me with this if you just want to complain. I don't listen to whining."

She walked out of the room.

Shocked, for good reason, Mystique went back to the main floor. Even Shine had her limit...

Well, maybe she was whining... It was true, what did words accomplish? Nothing.

Maybe she was just getting bored here. Needed something more interesting... Things got repetitive... Even Frost being there wasn't that big a change...not with so many people around.

Sure...Morph had followed her around more before...trying to get her to talk...no doubt some weird amusement he had in the whole thing... It must have been distracting her from how dull things could get at this house.

Mystique had the distinct feeling she might have a problem with needing to be in danger at all times in her life to feel like she was doing something at all. How pathetic could she get?

But what else was there to conclude? Why else would she be bored? This was the longest string of not having her life threatened she'd had in ages...and she wasn't enjoying it.

She wondered if Kitty was feeling some of the same doldrums; the kid seemed depressed lately... Why she cared, she didn't know...

Maybe she was just getting homesick...

Kitty was in the living room right then, reading. The other kids must have been off doing something fun.

Mystique joined her in there.

Kitty looked up. "There's nothing to do is there?" she said. "It's snowing again."

"This entire house is full of people, and yet it's dead quiet, and there's nothing interesting happening," Mystique commented.

Kitty sighed. "Yeah."

"You're going home for Christmas, right?" Mystique resorted to small talk, of all things.

"Me? I was," Kitty said. "But my parents always go visit my aunt and uncle, and they said I could come...but I'm not ready to have the 'talk' about being a mutant with the rest of my big, loud, Jewish family yet." She winced. "So I said I wasn't going to go."

"They wouldn't like it," Mystique assumed.

"They...just...you know, they don't really know anything about it," Kitty said. "I'd just get asked a lot of weird questions... I don't want to deal with it. Who knows...? I might get reported. I don't know all of my cousins and step-family that well. It's not like..."

Mystique shrugged.

"Do you have family?" Kitty asked.

Mystique shook her head vehemently. "No...what family I did have, I never spoke to. They're dead now."

"Oh..."

"Same story as most mutants." Mystique shrugged. "No one likes it."

"My parents try to be nice about it," Kitty said. "But I know how it is--I'm just...inconvenient to them now. I don't want them to try to be nice just for my sake, and everyone else will just be thinking, 'That poor family, they have a freak now.'"

"Smart." Mystique knew no one would appreciate her encouraging this attitude, but she didn't care. "It's tough for us. Humans don't get it."

"I think they do," Kitty said. "At least, my parents do...being Jewish... They had to think about things like this too. Maybe they'll understand my problem. But I know they'll still try to convince me not to, if I admit it...so I just had to make it sound like I really didn't want to leave this house."

Mystique shrugged again.

Morph came in.

"Whoa...it's dismal in here..." he said. "We should light a fire or something... It's cold too."

Kitty had on three layers and a wool blanket, and she shrugged.

"A ball of yarn and you'd be all set," Morph joked.

Kitty didn't like jokes about her name.

"Maybe I'll just go sit in my room," she said huffily, passing through the wall.

"Huh..." Morph said. "Oops..."

"Don't bother her." Mystique hugged her sides. "She's homesick already."

"Is that what's bothering her?" Morph said. "Poor kid...but she could go home. Her family is cool. Storm and Logan told me about them."

"Morph, really, just because apparently you never have had any problem with being a mutant, does not mean other people haven't," Mystique said a little testily. "It is only harder for her family if she's around, and she knows it. She has to make the smart decision."

"That is depressing." Morph lit a fire anyway. "And I think it's not true. If people love you, they'll work it out. My family didn't care that I was a mutant."

Mystique was silent.

"It's been ages since I talked to my dad, though..." Morph said. "I wonder if he's...still around." He looked kind of upset suddenly and sat down.

"Must be hard to keep up with family gossip when you live in another dimension." Mystique suddenly realized how bizarre that was. "What would possess you to do that if your family was so great anyway?"

"I just...needed a new start," Morph said.

Mystique gave him an odd look but shrugged and was silent.

"Anyway, it's a long time ago now," Morph said...at length, like he wasn't sure whether to go into more details or not.

"Long ago, far away," Mystique said. "So who cares? That's what I always say too."

"It's not really something I talk about."

"I know," Mystique said. "That's pretty clear. It's none of my business anyway."

"Well, if you really want to know..." Morph said.

"What part of what I just said made it sound like--?" Mystique began, but Morph went on anyway.

"It wasn't being a mutant that was the problem," he said. "I guess it's been long enough, now, I don't really mind anymore. But my mom, she was great.... Things were good for a while, but she passed away. I was a kid. She got sick."

"Oh." Mystique hadn't seen that coming. 

"Yeah." Morph shrugged. "After that, my dad and I got a lot more distant... I think now, maybe we just didn't understand each other's way of dealing with the situation...so he put me in boarding school because it was just...too uncomfortable. Then I found out about Xavier's school--over in that dimension, of course. Just made the most sense. But I never felt like I had to go there because I was a mutant. But I liked them. Other mutants are pretty funny weirdos. So...I have no complaints about it."

"Clearly." Mystique sat up for more. "And here all this time I thought nothing bad ever happened to you except Sinister. Impressive. I'm sure everyone else is buying it too."

"It's not like it's an act." Morph frowned. "I'm not upset about it anymore."

"Clearly," Mystique repeated. "Or anything else... Same old Morph, isn't it?"

"I shouldn't be surprised you'd take that view of it. But things just happen."

"Your mother dying is something that just happens?" Mystique said oddly. "Speaking as someone who probably wouldn't have cared if that happened, I find that kind of strange."

"What do you mean you wouldn't have cared?" Morph said. "Everyone cares if their parents die."

"Just not Morph," Mystique said.

Morph realized she'd trapped him. "Uh...I didn't mean I didn't care...I just meant it was a long time ago."

"Why does it matter how long ago?" Mystique said. "Does anyone else even know this? Or is that more of the secret life no one knows about?"

"Stop it with the life--I don't have a secret life!" Morph said. "I mean...not like that... Can we talk about something else?"

"Deflecting," Mystique said. "Typical."

"I'm deflecting? Who just said they didn't care about their mom?" Morph said.

Mystique bristled. "My mother tried to kill me. I haven't cared about her or my other family since I ran away from home, when I was a kid. I think that's for the best. And it was so long ago, now, I doubt any of them are alive, and I never thought to find out. Does that answer that?"

She regretted admitting that as soon as she said it.

Morph was shocked. "Oh...sorry, I...uh...I had no idea... Shouldn't have said that."

Mystique looked down. "I shouldn't have said it. The past is in the past now. It doesn't matter."

"Do you...listen to yourself?" Morph said. "Sure it does... That's horrible... Wow, now your trust issues make sense."

He got a glare.

"Shouldn't have said that out loud," Morph said. "Sorry..." He laughed nervously. "Uh, no, it's not funny. I just..." He looked uneasy. "That's why my dad and I stopped getting along. I tried to deal with the situation with humor. Most people are okay with that...but not my dad. So...some things don't change, I guess. There, now I'm just as embarrassed as you. Does that help?"

"I wasn't embarrassed," Mystique said. Though she was. "It was just how it was. And my story isn't very different from most mutants who were born around that time. It was new to the world still. Sabretooth has a similar story, I know. Even your best buddy Wolverine does. Probably. If he could remember it. My family rejected mutants, and it had nothing to do with personalities...but the fact that I could shape-shift put them in a bind."

She stared at the fire. "No one had to know... That was the deal. But it wasn't enough. Mutants can't control their powers very well before a certain age. They couldn't handle the uncertainty. So they punished me." She said this with no emotion at all. 

"Oh..." Morph said.

Mystique had the smile of people who don't even realize what they're saying is seriously messed up anymore. [Therapists know that smile well.]

"It was almost pathetic in hindsight... They used to insist I keep my blue form while I was at home. I think they thought I'd murder them or something if I shape-shifted at home...but if I went out, even just into the yard, I had to assume human form. The neighbors wouldn't like it...knowing there was some possessed person next door. That's what they called it back then. Or God's judgment... It was a different time."

She suddenly looked up. "But after what happened to Kurt, I realized that it's not really any different now. Mutants who don't look like humans will always have it the hardest. Shape-shifting? It's a double-edged sword. Acceptance at a price. At least, it is for me." She looked at her hands. "But that's just the way it is. I stopped caring after a while. The one thing I'd change if I went back in time was how long I put up with the situation at all... I can't say I blame Kitty if she wants to avoid it altogether. Smart choice."

"Wow," Morph said, seriously. "That's...rough.... I thought it was awkward getting blamed for things in school, but I guess it wasn't that hard compared to that."

"I don't need pity." Mystique crossed her arms. "And that's not why I said it. But there are reasons to be cautious, that is my point."

"Yeah, I guess so." Morph had no words. "I just can't believe people would do that to their own family."

"The way yours sent you off instead of dealing with the problem head on?" Mystique said. "I can believe it. Nothing really changes, does it? Just takes different forms. Shine would probably say that's like some kind of weird metaphor for shape-shifting itself. No matter what you look like, it's the same person doing it. Sooner or later, the truth comes out. And it starts all over."

"Or it stops," Morph said. "I think there is a big difference between what happened to us. I left on purpose and found the X-men...and that was better for me. But you never found anywhere to really stay. Maybe some of this is luck. And timing. Maybe if you'd come to the mansion...but then, the school wouldn't have been started yet when you were a kid, huh?"

"Xavier wasn't born yet," Mystique said. "It's true, by the time this place started, my path was set. Maybe it is luck." She shrugged. "Mine has never been good. I just had to make the most of it."

"And that's all this isn't, isn't it? Another stop. Another situation. But then, guess you could say I'm doing the same thing...but I intend to stay this time."

"Even if you could pull that off, the circumstances will change." Mystique shrugged. "All things change. There's the idea of permanence, but it's an illusion. Especially if you know you'd be likely to outlive anyone you even liked. Why bother worrying about something lasting, then?"

"I guess. But maybe it's worth it anyway. I'd like to think so. I have no idea, really, how long I could live either...maybe a long time. But I figure I'd always want to be around people like this, ones who want to make the world better... I've had to start again a lot, but I think that's okay. You just find people who have the same values, and you get to make new friends. Maybe it sounds childish...but it's happier that way, that's for sure."

Mystique had nothing to say. She couldn't do that...but if she could have, maybe she would have. It just wasn't in her character to be able to be that trusting.

"Of course I guess it sounds like I just think that because I never had to deal with losing," Morph said, after a pause. "But that's not true. Like I said...pretty much all of them are gone now. But I have new friends."

"What happened to the other ones?" Mystique was desperate to change the subject.

Morph shuddered.

He didn't expect to have that reaction after all this time, and it surprised him. Maybe he wasn't totally over it.

Mystique noticed. "That bad. Wow."

"It's...it's the alt universe, you know...caution..." Morph said. "Well...I didn't really talk about it."

Mystique said nothing.

She wasn't going to force it. She didn't really do that.

Morph kind of thought though. Maybe he was being a little unfair. She'd shared a lot of personal stuff, even if she'd done it in a fit of temper in a way, over Kitty, but still...maybe evening the odds would smooth this thing over.

But it had been ages... In fact, he'd never actually told anyone else what happened...

"You can't repeat it, if I do tell you what happened."

Mystique was interested now. "Why would I?" She shrugged.

"Some people just retire, you know, or they get lost," Morph said. "But the two times I really, really hate thinking about...those are what made me think I just needed to move on. I guess I ran a little from it...but change is good.... The thing is, here, there's versions of them who are still alive, so I can't talk about it even if I want to. That's why it's a secret."

"Oh my gosh, one of them was Colossus' sister, wasn't it?" Mystique said.

"What in the--how the heck would you have guess that?" Morph flinched.

"I just remembered something odd about when he mentioned having one..." Mystique said. "That's all... You shouldn't have known who she was. She's one of them, isn't she? The Exiles."

"She was..." Morph said. "And this version of her, the one here, isn't the one I knew. So she's probably going to be fine. But the one I knew, she went by Magik. Nice kid...a little weird...but nice [only Morph would call her that from what I read].... She had a lot of trouble with her power, though...but in the end she wasn't invincible either. One of the bad guys we were fighting killed... I saw it happen." He sighed. "It's...just not right...when that happens to a kid."

Mystique was silent, somber.

"That was one blow," Morph said. "But we went on...then this thing happened to one of our other members.... I guess an alien took over their mind.... Kind of thing happens on that job.... He didn't know what he was doing. He couldn't help it... He killed another member. Close friend of mine. I almost snapped then."

"Really?" Mystique said, surprised.

"All things considered, maybe the whole Sinister thing wasn't that big a surprise..." Morph said. "I think I had a dark side before that.... My other friends, they helped me... I even worked things out with the guy; we're cool again now. Actually he's the one who tipped me off about Emma, so...yeah. But after losing two members like that...and in such...uncanny ways, the new squad was cool, but it just didn't feel like home anymore, and there were too many memories, so I left. The X-men seemed the right place to be. And that's how it's been, for years. Until Sinister." He rubbed his head. "Funny, I almost forgot about those times... I guess that part of me was always in there...I just ignored it. Sinister can't just put things into people. I think he was already there. Some anger...or fear...but I didn't think of that till now."

Mystique was silent for a moment, then she said, "I can see why you'd want to put all that behind you. If it happened to me, I'd never look back. I've never had that exactly. I always left before it would happen. Usually, I didn't get a choice. Maybe it's the only thing I don't regret about my lifestyle in general."

"I don't regret it though," Morph said. "I wouldn't change a thing about being their friend. But maybe you're right, nothing does last. That's okay though." He shrugged. "It lasts as long as it lasts. That's no reason to squander it while you still have it."

He rubbed his head again. "It felt weird to talk about that finally. I thought it would be harder."

"It's not hard," Mystique observed. "Talking about the past. It's just pointless. Usually." As she didn't want to be that cruel. "And people don't usually want to hear it. They like to live in their little bubble."

"I think I'd want to know."

"You didn't want to talk about it."

"Honestly? I didn't think you'd care," Morph said. "And I don't like to bring people down."

"It's just the truth," Mystique said. "If that brings people down, it's because they want to believe a lie. That's all there is to it. But if that's how you think of it, maybe you have just as big a problem as I do thinking people really want to know the truth about you. All that, but shape-shifting is still a disguise, isn't it? We can't help it."

"I hate that you might have a point about it," Morph said. "Maybe...maybe it is. I mean, clearly not the same way. You mostly just become other people, I use it to be funny...but maybe it's the same thing we're doing, really. How does it feel to drop that for a while?"

Mystique dreaded getting asked that, but at the moment, it seemed less intrusive.

"Honestly?" she said slowly. "Like it won't last. And, as usual, like people would prefer it if I was anyone else but Mystique. I don't know, how does it feel not to make jokes about something for once?"

"Very weird." Morph was more honest. "Maybe a little unnatural... Still, after being brainwashed, I think I'm never going to be able to be quite that carefree again. At least before, I trusted myself, even if I didn't trust fate. But I guess I'm starting to be okay with it. Actually, I think that's where you're better at something than me."

"What?" Mystique said weirdly.

"You always admit it so easily." Morph shrugged again. "That it's impossible to be different than what you are. It was really annoying, at first...but I kind of think I wish I could admit that that easily. I don't think I could. Not without turning it into a joke."

"It's not like I admit it because I'm more humble," Mystique said. "I just don't delude myself..."

"Technically that is kind of being more humble, if we get down to semantics," Morph said. "So..."

"Oh, shut up," Mystique said, not sure how to take this anyway. "Who was the other person who died?"

"Uh..." Morph didn't expect her to just ask that. "Well, her, uh...mutant name was Sunfire."

He looked uncomfortable again.

"Oh." Mystique suddenly got suspicious. "I see."

"I don't really want to talk about this anymore," Morph said suddenly. He got up.

Mystique shuffled in place, perhaps offended a little.

"Nothing personal," Morph said. "I just...I need to clear my head after that... Sorry."

"Whatever," she said. "Go ahead. What else is there to say about it?"

"Thanks for understanding," Morph said. Maybe it was a joke, who knew? At this point he didn't know either.

He exited fast.

Mystique had a lot to think about after that.

"Aren't the two of you all cozy now." Emma interrupted her by walking in.

"It wasn't your business," Mystique said.

"To use your words, I didn't hear most of it," Emma said snidely. "Just a few highlights...but I could tell who was getting upset. And yes, that girl he mentioned was someone special, if you were wondering."

"I wasn't," Mystique said. "And it's none of your business to be poking into people's heads. Didn't Shine tell you not to do that?"

"That was more of a sense I got, actually," Emma said. "You know, you're not the only one who can't help being what you are sometimes, Mystique."

She looked oddly upset for a moment, before masking it again. "You and I have something in common. We made our own path in life. I really ought to relate to that, if I didn't find you so deeply annoying to be around."

"I didn't ask you to poke into my head," Mystique said.

"Newsflash: I didn't really have to," Emma said smugly. "It's not that hard to figure it out. After your little tirade to me about what I'm not getting about all this, though, it's almost amusing. Who is really not getting it? You're lying to yourself, and you know it. How long till everyone else sees it? What will you do? Run again?"

"What will you do, Frost? When that past of yours comes back to bite you?" Mystique said savagely.

"I really don't know," Emma said, suddenly serious. "If it does. But it might not. I have literally left the world. Morph has the right idea. But you, on the other hand..."

She left that to hang and walked out.

[You know, Emma may come to regret those words soon enough, but brutal, nonetheless.]

https://youtu.be/4_AOmYI2PqE

[Clear--21 Pilots]