Home For The Holidays
By Princess Alexandria
A/N: I used the randomizer to get one character and picked the other. I did use the setting randomizer to make it a little more fair. For this ficbit, think movieverse, post X2.
Mystique watched from the trees, ignoring the cold in the air. She was so beautiful. Mystique tilted her head to the side and watched the woman standing on the small foot bridge over her small pond. It was that pond and the surrounding nature that made Irene purchase this place.
The chill in the air was nearly threatening snow, and here was her artist sitting out in it so that she could draw the pond she couldn't really see. A small smile came to Mystique's lips as she watched her lifemate. Irene was a little odd at times. She could have easily drawn this scene from the nice warmth of her studio and had it look exactly the same. Her powers did that for her, yet Irene regularly dragged her easel and supplies across their estate to draw these things in person.
Irene's hair had grown since the last time Mystique had seen her. Mystique stared at the cascade of brunette hair, starting to be lightly streaked with white and thought it looked good on her, but part of her ached that she'd been away long enough for her lover to look different when she came back. That was the biggest drawback of this war in her mind. It took her from her lover's side, to sleep in the bed next to some senator's wife. There wasn't a night that Mystique didn't wish it was her own lover with her while she impersonated Senator Kelly.
Mystique had to swallow her pain at the fact that it had been nearly a year and just focused on her lover, taking in all the beauty she'd missed. She could have lost her forever. They'd come so close to not being in time to stop Professor Xavier from using that machine to kill all the mutants on earth. Mystique had never been as scared in a battle as she'd been that day, and not because she could feel that man killing her, but because her wife would be feeling that as well. Irene was always kept safe. It was Mystique's one demand and the one that they'd fought over a few times, but Irene stayed safe… and… Mystique wiped a tear away from her eyes and took a shuddering breath. God, it was so close.
"Raven." Irene's voice called out gently. "I know you're there." Mystique could see Irene's gentle smile as the charcoal in her hand stopped working the canvas.
"I've missed you." Mystique stepped onto the bridge finally and the soft creak of word drew Irene's eyes to her. Mystique looked into her lover's milky eyes, knowing that it wasn't the eyes that let Irene see her, but she never shied away from them like other people did.
Irene put her charcoal down and started to wipe her hands on a towel to clean them a bit, but Mystique couldn't wait any longer. She took a few long strides towards Irene and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman's waist, pulling her tightly to her. Irene was safe. Little else mattered to Mystique at that moment.
"I love you so much." Mystique spoke slowly, solemnly. It wasn't just a greeting and she wanted Irene to know that. It was something she felt deep in her bones.
A hand with a bit of charcoal moved up to cup Mystique's face. "I love you too Raven." Irene smiled at her, softly, gently. It was times like this that Mystique knew how very lucky she had been when she found this woman. Few people would be able to accept her absence for a year without explanation, but Irene did. Mystique pulled her closer and noticed the light flecks of snow starting to fall. It was too cold for Irene to be outside, and Mystique wanted to greet her lover properly. In front of the fireplace, wrapped in her arms.
"Let's go inside." She whispered into a pale ear, just a hint paler due to the cold. "I want to warm you up."