[OP: "Hometown"-- 21 Pilots]

Somehow, things settled again after the conference ended.

The only thing that hung over them for the following days was Cindy's condition.

Hank finally took her to the hospital. Wally went with him, and, with a little people skills and helping the staff with some stuff, he convinced them to let Cindy be admitted.

She was out of danger soon enough, but still in pain and frightened.

The others took turns visiting her to keep her company.

The other victims of the attack recovered faster, though some with lasting PTSD about it, probably.

Kitty proved a little more resilient than expected of her and brushed the whole thing aside in favor of praising her own and the others' efforts at dealing with it.

"I mean, we survived," she said. "Just the three of us, and Trinity, for, like, a long time. That's impressive, isn't it?"

"Sure," Wally agreed.

"Don't let it make you cocky," Scott warned her. "You're still green. You were lucky the adults there were competent."

"You mean Mystique," Kitty snorted. "We just did what she said. But it was awesome, other than it was terrifying, and I hated it."

"That's superheroing," Wally said. He found it funny.

The X-men didn't find it so funny.

It didn't help that Mystique was encouraging Kitty to think of it that way.

"Kid's got a lot of potential," she said. "She'd better develop it quickly."

"I don't like hearing you say that," Scott said, "considering how you treated people with 'potential' in the past."

"Well, I'm fresh out of brainwashing machines, so I think she's good for now," Mystique said snarkily. 

Cyclops was really testing her patience, which was not immense to begin with.

"You say things like that, and then you wonder why no one around her trusts you." Scott got her back a little too well.

She frowned at him savagely but had no answer.

"Scott, shut up." Morph looked up, irritated now.

"Did you hear what she said?" Scott said.

"Yeah, it was a joke, Scott. Get over it," Morph said. "This is your way of thanking her for saving the kids?"

"I didn't mean that," Scott said. "Just that Kitty is a little arrogant about her powers right now."

"She's not the only one," Mystique said slyly, taking a sip of her drink so as to muffle her words.

"What was that?" Scott said.

"Just drop it," Morph said. "Kitty's attitude is not Mystique's fault anyway. She's just new at this. She'll simmer down. We all did. Except Logan and Gambit."

"Yeah, exactly--she could end up like them," Scott said.

"Your respect for your colleagues is truly touching," Mystique said, looking down at a magazine now.

"I don't remember asking you." Scott frowned at her.

"Did I ask you for your opinion?" Mystique was picking up Shine's habit of sassing him the same way he spoke to her.

"Why do you all say that?" Scott said. "Can't a man have his opinion? I am the team leader."

"Not of me," Mystique said. "And when I want your opinion, I will ask for it." She deliberately turned a page.

Scott had no retort for that. He sullenly left the room.

"That was brutal," Morph said. "But it must be nice to have an excuse to ignore him."

"Why do any of you put up with that ass?" Mystique asked bluntly. "No one likes him."

"I'm sure they do, and, he's our friend," Morph said. "I guess I also thought of him more like how he was in--uh, in the past. But he's been different than I thought. Anyway, he's still part of the team."

"I never picked teammates based on how much I liked them," Mystique reflected. "But even on teams of criminals, talking about your teammates that way would have been frowned on as too likely to cause fights. Disorder is a problem."

"Weird to hear that from you."

"Do I spend time actively causing disorder?" Mystique asked.

"Uh...no," Morph said.

That was more of his thing, actually.

"There it is." Mystique shook her magazine like she was trying to end the conversation.

Shine walked in.

"Well, the word on Cindy is that she's comfortable," she said. "And I think it's best to try not to worry too much now. Also, the invites just keep coming. Mike left a message saying we must have a dozen more. I'm sure some people are just after the controversy...and I don't know how much I like the idea of being on network television...but if we pass up a chance...I don't know."

She sighed. "I don't want to make this political. We're bound to seem that way."

"How is it not political?" Mystique asked. "I watched your speech on the news earlier."

"It was still playing?" Shine said.

"They've been playing clips of it non stop," Morph said. "I saw it too. It was really good. I mean...how did you think of that on the spot?"

"God just gave me the idea, and I went with it," Shine said. "Like Patrick Henry. No time to plan. But saying the truth is like that..."

"It does seem political though," Morph said. "Mutants are kind of a divisive issue."

"I believe we should stick to ministry," Shine said. "But how far does that go?"

"Where do you get the ideas for all this?" Mystique couldn't help but ask. "It's like you have a plan for this entire movement. Reminds me of that person you don't like me to mention."

"Which person is that?" Morph said.

"Apocalypse," Shine said.

"Oh..." Morph said.

"The truth is, Raven, I've been studying the history of movements my entire life," Shine said. "If you joined our ethics class, most of them are on my reading list. The Cross and the Switchblade, The Hiding Place, books on the American Revolution, The Civil Rights movement, and I also read about Holocausts and genocides and takeovers. Patterns emerge. I've been following the lay out of what seems to work and what doesn't. And the biggest thing was the church getting involved. Nothing ever happened without that. The evil examples had to undermine the church until it wasn't a threat anymore, but even so it was the main force behind fighting them. And when I was part of revolutions in other missions, we did certain things. The long and short of it is, I guess I just studied how to be a revolutionary. I always felt like I was supposed to be one, from a young age. Once I became a Christian, I just doubled down on it...less than successfully sometimes, but you learn from your mistakes. But here, it's been God's leading for sure, finding The Way was God--didn't you ever hear about that story from Rogue? And all the rest...the doors are opening."

"It's just amazing because the X-men have worked for this for years, and you've pulled off more in 5 months than we ever did," Morph said.

"Oh, the answer to that is simple," Shine said. "I'm not afraid of humans, you guys are. You can't revolutionize people you're afraid of. It never works."

She poured herself some coffee, as if she had not just shot down their entire effort.

Mystique laughed at her cavalier attitude. "Well, I guess that explains it all, doesn't it?"

"Are you laughing because you think I'm wrong, or because you know I'm right?" Shine asked.

Pause.

"The second," Mystique said, only just realizing it herself. "I suppose you are right--I just don't think mutants will be convinced to not fear humans over a few services and outreaches, and I think humans prefer we are afraid."

"Humans prefer not to be disturbed," Shine said. "As most of us do, if left to our own devices. Mutants just don't have the option, usually. It takes a lot to make people think they even owe it to the world to care about it. Storm and I were just talking about this yesterday...but anyway, you're right."

She sipped her coffee. "But the world always changes because of the few, not the many. We're the harbingers of change--that's the truth. Sometimes as few as 8 people change the world. Minority rules there. People tend to be like sheep--they follow the leaders. But we have to have leaders, or we have no order at all. And so far, not many religious leaders have emerged on this issue. If people begin to think mutants can be like them, in need of a Savior and kindness and love and justice, the need for laws will become moot, probably. You want to spread compassion, not just fairness. In fact, fairness is a last resort to changing things. Fair means people give you your due, the bare minimum of what they can. But Love means they give you abundantly as much as they can. The church operates based on that idea, not fairness, and so our movements have been lasting. A whole history course could be taught on it and not cover all of them."

"And many horrors have been done in the name of God also," Mystique said.

Morph wished she'd stop saying things like that...though he reflected that some of the others had also. It just seemed in poor taste to say it to a Christian.

"Yes," Shine said. "Horrors are done in the name of science too. We know several of them by name, do we not? Does that prove science is horrible? Or is it that people will slap the label of a good thing onto their evil intentions so that they do not feel guilty?"

"I knew you would have an answer," Mystique said carelessly. "But it seems that if God was so powerful, He could stop people doing those things, whereas science cannot. It's not a sentient being."

"A fair question," Shine said. "Perhaps you'd like God to stop you when you do things that He doesn't like? But, a hint, that's probably most of the things most of us do, up till a certain point. What if God didn't like the magazine you were holding there? Should He slap it out of your hand?"

Mystique lowered it nervously.

"Still, in His name," she said.

"Yes...well, why should they be any different?" Shine said. 

She pulled her Bible out of nowhere and put it on the counter. "God has a whole book full of what His real thoughts on things are. Short of causing catastrophic events every single minute of the day, how much more clear could He make it? People say God says nothing, but God has said everything there is to say, and His true followers spend their lives repeating it and taking it to everyone, and it is in the mouths of everyone who cries for real justice. If we will not listen to this, to the prophets, to each other, then we'd not listen to an angel from Heaven, Jesus said. And I believe him, because I have seen people get signs so clear they should shock them and bring them to their knees...but it doesn't. In fact, the more blatant God is, the more people hide from Him. Take Magneto." She shrugged. "It was clear enough there, wasn't it? But it doesn't matter. Does it?"

Mystique had no answer to that.

"So what's your next step, then?" She changed the subject. "Why not just go on the news? The more people on your side the better, right? It's not that hard to figure it out."

"You think so?" Shine said. "I guess that's true. Though a human speaking for them might anger more mutants."

"So will any of us doing it," Morph said. "People are going to be angry no matter what. I wonder about Storm though. And...if someone is going to figure out where we live if we get all this public attention."

"The attention is a safeguard in one way," Shine said. "While people will be out to get you, it would not go unnoticed if they did. The government will be forced to acknowledge it if the church clamored for it. That is partly why I outed Magneto at the meeting. They can't arrest people in church without getting outrage from thousands or millions of people, who will object to the idea that people can just walk into their church and be arrested. So they'll be careful."

"Sneaky," Morph said. "I never thought the church would be such a protection... We should have tried it ages ago."

"Yes, well, it is always the thing you are not willing to try that yields results," Shine said, "whether it's the evil thing or the good thing. Playing it safe is what gets tame results. Most of us have both an evil limit and a good limit in our minds. And unfortunately, they are less distinct for most people than they imagine. We have to watch that."

She laced her fingers together. "But for now, I think I'll focus on something else."

"On that note, Mrs. West--" Xavier came floating in. "--there is something here for you." He passed her an envelope.

"Who is this from?" Shine asked.

"From us," Xavier said. "The X-men. We have given the matter some thought--or I have, anyway--and this seemed like the right thing to do."

Shine opened it. "But this is cash," she said.

Mystique shot Xavier a strange look.

"Yes," Xavier said. "The original deal was for you to help take care of the house in exchange for your keep, but now you have taken on teaching, organizing these outreaches, and helping us with our other missions. It seems like you are doing more service for us than just staying here warrants. And we have thought that two adults might like to be more independent. The rest of us all have allowances because of our team contributions, so you and your husband should also."

"Really?" Shine said. "We were not going to ask."

"I know," Xavier said. "I believe we know you well enough now to know that, but we would not want to be accused of taking advantage of your resources."

"About time," Mystique commented.

"Excuse me?" Morph said.

"I thought that for a long time." Mystique shrugged. "I wasn't going to say so--it's none of my business--but I'd never do all this for free."

"Well, thank you," Shine said. "This means a lot, actually."

"Also, consider it a belated apology," Xavier said. "It seems your fears about Magneto were not unfounded. I wish he had spoken to me before doing what he did... If you both need a vacation after the last few days, we can handle things here."

"You know, we might take you up on that," Shine said. "I'll have to ask Wally."

She hurried out.

About half an hour later, she came back, dressed for going out.

"Storm and I are going for some R & R," she said. "My treat. You coming?"

"Me?" Mystique looked up, like she thought someone else was there.

"Duh," Shine said. "Rogue will too. The kids want to tag along, but they want to go to the mall."

"Does Jubilee ever go anywhere else?" Morph remarked. "Well, while you're there, could you pick me up some new headphones?"

"Sure," Shine said. "So? Raven?"

"I...but...don't..." Mystique faltered.

"You allergic to fun or something?" Shine said.

That did it.

"Fine." Mystique frowned at her.

"Good then. I'll get the car." Shine grabbed one set of keys off their hook and took off again.

"Well, you sure held out," Morph said smugly.

"Oh, shut up," Mystique said.

* * *

For some reason, some of the Morlock kids joined them.

Normally they'd be too scared to do so, but perhaps the conference had emboldened them.

And no one bothered them at first.

Some women did come up to Shine.

"Weren't you the one on TV? You gave some speech about mutants?" they said.

"Yeah, I had no idea I was going to be filmed," Shine said. "Those pesky reporters sneak in everywhere."

"That was pretty cool," the woman said. "So...are there a lot of mutants, then? I mean...around here?"

"Well, you could say there's a few," Shine said. "Storm? Are you done yet?"

"You said to try it." Storm was in a makeup store with samples. "I was trying to be thorough."

"Sugar, I think that one was the right color for ya," Rogue said. "What did you think, Momma?"

"I have no opinion whatsoever." Mystique had been like this the whole time. She frowned at the woman talking to Shine.

"Wait, are they mutants?" The woman gawked at them like they were zoo animals.

"What are you lookin' at?" Rogue asked. "Move along."

They blinked.

"You'll have to understand that you can't just ask that outright," Shine told them. "It's a sensitive subject. But thank you for your support."

"Aren't you scared of them?" the other lady asked.

"Of mutants? No," Shine said. "But I am scared of what prejudice does to people. You'd agree, right?"

They nodded and walked away in a hurry.

"I think you made them uncomfortable," Storm commented.

"I thought they were making you uncomfortable," Shine said.

"A little, yeah," Rogue said. "But ya don't have to help us, y'know. We're big girls."

"Oh," Shine said, and she moved towards the counter.

Mystique frowned a little.

"What?" Storm saw.

"Nothing," Mystique said. "She was trying to do something nice for you, and you didn't even thank her."

"We just meant she doesn't have to put herself out there for us," Rogue said. "That's all."

Mystique picked up a tube of lipstick and glanced at it idly, since she had no cash anyway. "I'm sure that's what it sounded like to her."

"Perhaps she is right." Storm pursed her lips. "Shine only meant to spare us. We shouldn't let that bother us. She is very protective of her friends."

"True, even Momma," Rogue said.

Mystique was not amused by this.

"Though, I admit, I'm surprised you're pointing it out," Storm commented, "since you have not been extremely grateful for Shine's support either."

Mystique was silent. It was true.

"I suppose that does not make it untrue though," Storm went on, not one to discard something just because she didn't like the source.

Rogue actually thought it was odd that Mystique had stuck up for Shine, period. Come to think of it, she'd done it quite a bit lately. Was it possible Shine's persistence had finally started to wear her down?

If so, Rogue was going to have to say Shine could work more miracles than just healing your mind.

As they moved on, she ventured what was a pretty astute observation for her. "I dunno, though, Storm. Maybe Momma's way of bein' grateful ain't the same as ours."

"What do you mean?" Storm asked.

"Well, I'm startin' to think that maybe people are just different," Rogue said. "Momma never was the cuddly and wishy-washy type, even when she was fakin' bein' someone else. Not sure she's cut out for it, with all the...deception and all."

"I had always thought deception was more based in fake emotions than the lack of them," Storm said.

"Yeah...funny, honestly, I can't see that big a difference between her now and her then, except that I know the truth," Rogue said. "I guess she was always like that, pragmatic. She didn't make me feel sorry for myself about my powers--she pushed me to develop them. I was angry over that for a while, till Shine suggested maybe it was just the best thing she knew how to do. And it got me to thinkin', maybe I'd not know any better myself, if not for findin' the X-men. It made sense at the time... I guess all I'm sayin' is Momma is helpin' Shine the only way I've ever known her to help anybody, y'know...workin' with her. Maybe that is her way of sayin' she's grateful."

"An interesting thought, Rogue," Storm said. "And it also puts her in a more human light. I have not really known how to act around her. Shine wants us to be kind, and I think we certainly owe it to her to try, but beyond that, I can't understand her at all. I suppose...deep down, I have resented her for your sake also."

"For mine?" Rogue said.

"I know how much anger you had after you learned the truth," Storm said. "It can be difficult to forgive someone for hurting your friends. But, it would seem, in your eyes, perhaps the damage she did was not so intentional as we thought."

"Tell ya the truth, Sugar, the worst of it is wonderin' if she really was just doing her best," Rogue said. "Means her best was that far off the mark, if ya get what I'm sayin'."

"But no one is perfect," Storm said. "How many of our own efforts have been misguided? Once I thought being worshiped was benefiting the people around me...but it was not. And it was driving me mad. How many of us on the team have such a story?"

Rogue took things very personally, was the difference. Unlike Storm.

But she was at least trying now to look at it a bit more openly.

"So...d'ya think I was wrong to get that angry?" She asked quite a rare question for her.

"I don't know that I can blame you. You were very upset," Storm said.

"What I was was plumb guilty," Rogue said. "I know it... I didn't have anyone else to blame. I figured if I let her back in my life, all she'd do was lie to me again... I couldn't take that." She looked down. "But...then...was that unfair? I can't tell anymore."

"Certainly, she should not have lied to you," Storm said. "But, of all people, mutants could understand why anonymity would be appealing. I suppose the real question is, was all the love and care a lie? Or was the form it came in the lie? And I cannot answer that. You are the one who remembers...but, when you absorbed her memory of it, what did you feel? Surely you would have absorbed the truth? She could not hide it from you that way."

Rogue stopped walking. "Oh...what? How did you know I did that?"

"I was told later that you did, and that it made you upset, and you flew away," Storm said. "So the truth must have come out then, right?"

Rogue had the strangest look on her face. "I was so distracted by Ms. Marvel I never gave what I felt then much thought. The feelin's I absorbed, and the ones I had on my own...I think it all blurred together."

"That makes sense," Storm admitted. "It's hard to know the truth, then. But it does beg the question, to use a phrase Hank would use, why she'd risk such exposure if she intended to lie to you again."

"Oh, shoot," Rogue said. "That makes too much sense..."

She cast a look back.

Mystique had not followed them closely. She was veering more towards Shine, with the air of someone who knows they are not wanted in the group but doesn't have the nerve to completely join a different one.

[I can relate to that a little too much for comfort.]

"Did I...completely miss that?" Rogue said, in abject amazement. 

[Yeah, Rogue, you kind of did.]

"It must have been unusual for her to expose herself so completely," Storm mused, almost to herself, now thinking how strange the whole situation had been. "Considering how she had incriminated herself already as Mystique... She must really have wanted the truth to come out."

Rogue felt a little sick...

It couldn't be that she'd...actually repaid such a rare moment of honesty by...but...what was she supposed to do? Anyone would have been angry! Mystique was foolish if she thought it wouldn't happen that way...

And who was the real victim here? Rogue was still the one who was duped. Why should she feel sorry for Mystique? Didn't Mystique feel sorry for herself enough as it was?

So why did she feel so guilty?

[This is a tough one, I have to say.

I can't in any way justify Mystique's methods, but I also don't care for Xavier's.
On the other hand, Mystique has been mistreated her entire life that we know of and has a very distorted, mistrusting view of the world and people, and in her experience, if you don't play them, they will not care about you. So one might argue her lack of a moral compass makes more sense than Xavier's willingness to play God to the point where he is removing people of vital information they need to make educated life decisions.

Perhaps what I find less disturbing about Mystique, myself, is that she does bad things when she thinks she is slipping and losing something.

What disturbs me about Xavier is how he does these things when he is not threatened, and when he honestly believes he is doing something good...but doesn't see the problem with them.

Even in Wolverine and The X-Men, Emma Frost withholds less info than Xavier tends to do on a regular basis, and she's supposed to be a bad guy. But then, Mystique is the same way. Does it freak anyone else out that two female villains known for deception still tend to be more honest about what they did than the guardian of the freaking X-men is? Food for thought.]

* * *

"Are you all right, Raven?" Shine asked a short time later.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Mystique bristled at it.

"Sorry..." Shine shrugged it off.

Mystique shrugged also. "Aren't you the one who should be upset?"

"Oh...I guess you noticed that," Shine said. "But I will let it go. They didn't mean it that way...I think."

"Perhaps not, but you shouldn't just take that from them," Mystique said.

"Wouldn't you?" Shine said. "Not everything is worth fighting about--and you know how I love to argue, but even I have to pick my fights. People say things they don't mean to be hurtful a lot, and I personally say a lot of things that come out wrong. The words can just get jumbled in your head.... I mean, not that Rogue doesn't really feel that way..." She sighed. "She's so independent. Man, you two are alike."

Mystique swallowed that only because Shine had earned it more than the others had.

"Perhaps I taught her too well." She managed a small bit of humor instead.

"I'm just the same," Shine said. "Shocking, I'm sure. I think I was just bred to be that way, in a way."

"You mean you were taught it." Mystique supposed she meant the American ideal.

"I was left to handle things on my own a lot," Shine said instead. "Education...motivation...emotional distress. I used to be obsessed with introspection because of that. Of course...having a lot of adults tell you how wrong you are, without any help whatsoever to fix it, will do that to a girl. Isn't it good that you can choose who you surround yourself with once you're an adult?"

"That sounds tame compared to what I experienced." Mystique couldn't believe she'd just said that so easily.

"I'm sure it is," Shine said, not offended. "But the good thing is, God does not compare our pain. He cares about all of it."

"Why doesn't He do something about it, then?" The bitterness came full force.

Shine paused and looked serious. "He does...just not how we want Him to. I used to ask God to change things with my parents...and things got worse.... Finally, He just gave us the resolve and the clarity to get out of it. And then the path to healing. One thing I understand now is that we all are going to get something in life that's hard...whatever it is. If you don't get it when you're young, you get it when you're old. We all have to face the dark abyss both outside and inside of our souls."

She shrugged. "How you look at it is how you find out who you are--that's a quote. In that time, you can either look up, or you can sink down into the abyss. Pain is just a part of life, and it's not fair...but I think it's not fair what we do to God, either, with our abuse of His gifts. And yet He still makes the most out of it... I think He expects us to do the same with what people to do us, because He requires that we become like Him...and when we set our mind to that, He does help us...but, no, He won't help us feel sorry for ourselves. We'd never get out of it that way."

Mystique stared at her. "Do you really believe that crap when you say it?" she said incredulously. "Do you have any idea the kind of darkness I've seen? And that people put others through? Making the most of it? It's a wonder if we survive it at all..."

Why was she so upset?

Shine had touched some nerve she didn't know she had.

"You know, if that were true, I'd hate your God," she said venomously. "Doesn't that make Him worse than even Apocalypse--?"

"Shush!" Shine cut her off fiercely. "Be careful before you speak such blasphemy, even in a fit of rage, Raven. It's painful to me--and to God... But if you feel He is unfair, He can handle that. I suggest talking to Him about it. Not me. I have my answers. I walked through my own personal hell and came out, and I have seen God's faithfulness. Sure, I have doubts...rarely now, but I wouldn't trade God for a life free of trouble. That life would have no meaning whatsoever for me. And I don't believe you want it nearly as much as you might think you do. I don't think anyone does. At some level, we're meant for more, and we know it.... Also, I have heard it before..... Many people hate God."

She laughed suddenly. "But hating Him will not change His mind about how He deals with us.... He will have mercy on who He wants, and He will judge who He wants. And in the end, He is right. He cannot be wrong. We can be wrong, though. Who can accuse God? Who can prove how He does things is not the best way? Is there someone stronger than Him who can do it better? Is there someone wiser than Him?"

She tilted her head. "Can you put together the cosmos at a molecular level? Or decide who is formed in the womb, and who isn't? What color their eyes would be? Can you make your own heart beat? Can you wind up enough DNA to unwind it and go to the moon and back? Can you know the names of trillions and trillions of stars? And galaxies? Did you make the soul so that it can feel emotions?"

Mystique stared at her.

Shine shrugged. "If you can't do all that, then who are you to say God did it the wrong way? It's more likely we've broken it. Anyone can break something, but not everyone can make it. Isn't that true? I promise you God will answer your anger and hatred, if you truly want them answered. But if it's an excuse to do as you want, you won't like the answer when you do get it. An honest seeker is given mercy, but a liar is not. I can't judge you. I only know what I did."

She stopped speaking and seemed to think she'd said enough. "All right...sorry if I caught you a little off guard there. This subject is...well, very emotional for me...but what I said was true. I can't take it back."

She moved on to find the others again.

Mystique stood still a moment--and then followed.

[One thing I find interesting about Shine is that, where many people would become sympathetic, she tends to get very fired up.]