Had all that really just happened?
Mystique thought she had dreamed it maybe.
She felt a little dizzy from both blows, but she would be over it soon enough.
Suddenly Morph was pulling her up.
"What was all that?" he asked.
Kitty looked in through the wall. "Is...is he gone?"
"He's gone," Scott said, looking around. "The coward."
Kitty looked shaken up, but she must have been a tougher kid than she seemed, because she had enough of her wits to say, "Uh...thanks... I...I'm sorry. I should have asked first. It was just...no one said he was here, and I thought you kept something from me."
"Well, you should have, but I suppose it was partially our carelessness," Scott said.
"Idiot." Mystique was cross still. "What did you think would happen?"
"I don't remember authorizing you to be down here at all," Scott said. "Maybe you didn't let him out, but you were just going to watch, weren't you? Of all the despica--"
"Wait." Kitty tugged his arm. "Hold on, that's not true... Mr. ...uh...Cyclops. She tried to help me..."
"She...did?" Cyclops was flabbergasted.
"Yes," Kitty said. "Isn't she one of you?"
"Uh...no," Cyclops said. "She's...a reluctant ally in a time of few options."
Mystique made a face at him while he wasn't looking.
But then she looked down again.
"Well...uh...I suppose I retract my statement." Scott was still terrible at apologies. "You can just go back upstairs."
"Did he hurt you?" Morph asked.
Mystique put a hand to her arm and realized it was bleeding. "Not as much as he wanted to," she said with a vague smile.
Kitty looked faint. "Oh...wow...that was...so...intense."
"Yes, well, the first time you see it it always is," Scott said. "You get used to it after a while."
"Come on." Jean came in and motioned Kitty toward her. "They'll catch him, don't worry... You come with me. You need to calm down."
Kitty wordlessly followed her.
Cyclops went after the other two men.
Morph and Mystique just stood there for a second.
"You probably should let Hank see that," Morph said finally.
"Mother?" Kurt looked back in. "Are you all vright?"
"I'm fine," Mystique said. "I can take a hit from Sabretooth."
"It was pretty low of him to lie like that," Morph said.
"It was clever," Mystique said. "More clever than I expected. Perhaps he's learned something from hanging around smart criminals."
"How can you commend him?" Kurt said. "He has tried three times now to end a child's life."
"Who was commending that?" Mystique said. "Blaming me for it is the impressive part. I never would give him that much credit."
"Are you...feeling all right?" Kurt said blankly.
Morph shook his head. "That's just Mystique logic, Kurt, don't worry about it."
She had her own logic now? How patronizing.
"You're pretty lucky I was downstairs though," Morph said. "He'd have killed both of you. Why didn't you get help once you saw that?"
