This is an X Men fan fiction, inspired from the comic book and not the movie.
The Ice Queen Cometh
by
Morpheus
Part One
It was a calm, peaceful morning, with a layer of fog blanketing the green hills and farmer's fields. There were large clusters of trees in the distance, nearly appearing to sprout straight out of the mist itself. And then there were several farm houses and barns nearby as well, though not a human in sight.
Suddenly, a strange whining hum broke the silence, quickly followed by a dark figure descending from the sky. As the figure got closer to the ground, it would have been apparent to any witness that it was an aircraft...a strange black aircraft, and also one of the most advanced ones on the face of the planet.
Once the black jet had settled to the ground in a near perfect vertical landing, the engines turned off and the strangely quiet noise that they generated, at least in comparison to normal jets ceased. It remained motionless for a minute before a hatch on the bottom opened and a ramp descended to the ground.
A figure slowly stepped down the ramp, pausing on the grassy ground beneath the jet. He was a tall man, tall and athletic. This brown haired man was dressed in a strange dark gray uniform with yellow trim, as well as several noticeable yellow X's. All in all, the uniform almost could have passed as street clothes. Almost. And as a final touch, the man wore a golden visor with a red lens over his eyes, giving the illusion that it could have nearly been a single alien eye.
Scott Summers was the man's name, though he was more commonly known by the name of Cyclops in some circles, due to the visor over his eyes and his mutant ability to fire optic blasts from his eyes...energy blasts of immense force. He was the first person to ever be called an X Man and had long been the team’s field leader.
After Cyclops had taken a quick look around, seeing no one else in sight, he announced, "Come on," not even looking back at the people he was speaking to.
With that, the other X Men on his current team began to come down out of their jet as well. The first was a strange mutant who was humanoid in shape, but somewhat bestial in appearance. His very head had a strong resemblance to that of a lion, though the fur that covered his body was all blue. This was the mutant known as the Beast, being as strong, fast and agile as any that lived. However, in spite of his appearance and code name, Dr. Henry McCoy was anything but a brutish animal. He was long known as a brilliant scientist.
Next came a man in a red and dark gray costume which looked somewhat like lightweight armor. He had long blonde hair and a pair of white feathered wings on his back which had earned him the name of Archangel.
Just a few steps behind Archangel came a brown haired man, wearing a blue and white costume which was barely visible beneath the long black overcoat that he had taken to wearing. As soon as Bobby Drake, better known as Iceman reached the ground, he glanced back at the gorgeous blonde woman in the skimpy white costume who was taking her time coming down the ramp.
The woman was Emma Frost, once known as the White Queen, one of the X Men's worst enemies, and a powerful telepath second only to Professor Xavier himself. But that was before several tragedies had caused her to reconsider her life.
Then the final member of their current group joined them. He was a huge man, a 7 foot tall mound of massive muscles known as the Juggernaut. And like Emma Frost, he had once been one of the X Men's enemies...one of their oldest and most powerful foes, motivated by hatred of his stepbrother Charles Xavier, the founder of the X Men himself.
It seemed a further irony that Cain Marko, the Juggernaut could now count himself as a member of the X Men, especially since he was not even a mutant. He was one of the extremely few non-mutants to have held the honor of being an X Man, having gained his unbelievable strength and massive physical power from a magical artifact rather than the simple twist of fate which caused a mutation in a mutants DNA.
Once everyone had left the jet, they gathered around Cyclops, who was still staring out around them, grim expression on his face, which was nothing new. He took his responsibilities as team leader very seriously.
For a moment, all of them stood there, silently thinking about their mission. There had been reports of strange lights in the area, which normally would not have been enough to attract the X Men's attention in the least. However, their mutant detection system Cerebra had picked up a strong spike of mutant activity in the same location. A spike of activity which Professor Xavier thought could be either a powerful mutant using their powers or a powerful new mutant whose powers were just manifesting. In either case, he thought it important enough to send a team of X Men to investigate.
Finally, Cyclops glanced at the Beast. "Hank?" he asked.
With that, the Beast held up a small device he was holding and stared at it, adjusting a knob. He nodded faintly before answering, "The scanner is detecting a strong energy source. It appears that our quarry is a short distance approximately northeast of us." Then he pointed in the direction.
Cyclops nodded faintly, then looked at Emma, "Do you sense anything?" His voice was tense as he looked at her, obviously wishing that his wife Jean had not been occupied with other business and had been there to be their telepath for the mission instead.
Emma Frost looked in the direction that the Beast had indicated, her haughty expression softening into one of concentration for a moment before she answered carefully, "I sense...something. But it's very faint. Not enough to make out."
Once again, Cyclops nodded faintly, then he looked at Archangel. "If you would Warren..."
"I'm on it," Archangel responded, spreading his feathered wings and launching into the sky to scout the area.
While that was happening, Iceman glanced over at Emma, though trying to appear as though he was not. He carefully constructed the mental exercises that Professor Xavier had long since taught him to help protect his thoughts from being read by a telepath. At the moment, he didn't want Emma to read his mind.
Iceman, Bobby frowned slightly, still feeling a little odd working alongside the White Queen, though that was no stranger than working alongside the Juggernaut. However, his relationship with Emma Frost, the former White Queen was somewhat...complicated.
Though he wouldn't ever admit it, Bobby had a lot of admiration for Emma. She was a beautiful, intelligent and sophisticated woman. On the other hand, she was something of a grade A bitch who used to try killing the X Men. But his relationship with her was a little more personal than that.
Once upon a time, back when Emma had still been the White Queen and ran her own rival school to Xavier's, training young mutants for her own organization the Hellfire Club, she had been attacked by another enemy. An enemy who had killed most of Emma's students and left her in a coma. However, that was just the beginning.
When Emma came out of her coma, it had been to instinctively possess the body of the nearest person...who just happened to be Iceman. If that had not been bad enough, she had run off in his body, using his powers even better than he could, in ways that he had not even considered. It was because of this even more than the possession that he had hated her for awhile, and even now that resentment had not completely faded.
Of course, Bobby and Emma had long since kissed and made up, at least in the metaphorical sense, but the memories remained.
Just then, Iceman's thoughts were interrupted as Archangel landed back in front of them. "There's just a big glowing ball of light..."
"Let's check it out," Iceman commented.
And with that, Iceman's body shimmered and transformed, becoming the bluish white of pure ice. This was the ultimate manifestation of his mutant powers, the ability to manipulate ice and cold temperatures. Once he had merely covered himself with a coat of ice armor, though his powers had evolved to the point where he became solid living ice.
At the same time that Iceman had transformed, Emma Frost underwent a surprisingly similar transformation. Her body shimmered and became crystalline, an extremely hard organic diamond that made her nearly indestructible. Once she had been only a telepath, but her powers had recently changed, giving her the new added power of invulnerability, but at the small cost of her telepathy while in that form.
"Let's go," the Juggernaut grumbled, looking impatient. "At the rate we're standing around here, I'll miss tonight's Sopranos."
Without a word, Cyclops gestured to Archangel, who took to the air again. Then he stared walking towards the energy signature that Beast was detecting, the glowing ball of light that Archangel had reported. The other's followed behind.
Iceman smirked, then held out his hand, a blast of intense cold coming from it and creating an ice bridge, a sheet of ice which he slid along while creating more ice in front of him. This way, he quickly got ahead of the others though he avoided leaving them too far arrived.
A minute later, they all arrived at the spot and paused, seeing exactly what Archangel had reported. There was a mostly empty field with a big barn just a short distance away. But right in the middle was a dome of glowing yellow light. A faint human shaped figure, little more than a shadow, could barely be seen in the middle of it.
"Doesn't look much like Magneto to me," Iceman commented, feeling a bit relieved that it didn't appear to be an 'evil' mutant. Fights with powerful mutants like him who had a grudge against the world could be extremely dangerous. And lethal.
"There's someone in there," Juggernaut gasped, just noticing the figure for the first time.
"Interesting," the Beast mused, almost to himself, "It would appear that the theory of this being the manifestation of a mutant's abilities is the correct one. However, that does beg the question of what exactly those abilities might be..."
"It doesn't look too dangerous," Archangel commented as he landed again.
Iceman nodded faintly, moving closer for a better look. He iced down, reverted to his human form as he stepped next to the glowing bubble, being careful not to touch it as he tried peering within. However, that didn't make his view of what was inside any clearer.
"Can you try reading him again Emma,?" Cyclops asked.
"I'll try," she responded, shifting from her diamond form back to human so that she could regain the use of her telepathic powers. And with that, Emma stepped even closer to the bubble, a look of deep concentration on her face.
Suddenly, the bubble of light expanded outward, enveloping both Iceman and Emma. Cyclops yelled a warning to the others and they jumped back, though the bubble had only expanded out several feet before stopping again.
"Bobby!" Archangel cried out.
"Bobby, Emma...can you hear me?" Cyclops yelled to them, though there was no response.
"Want me to bust through?" Juggernaut growled, pounding one of his massive fists into his other palm. He glared at the bubble as if he were looking forward to smashing it flat along with whoever was inside.
"Not just yet," Cyclops stated grimly.
"Attempting to do so without being aware of the energies nature could prove quite detrimental," Beast added, while the Juggernaut looked at him blankly. "We need to..."
But before the Beast could complete the sentence, the bubble started to shimmer again, shifting colors slightly before just...popping. The whole energy dome just vanished completely, leaving no trace that it...or the person within had been there just an instant before. No trace except for the motionless bodies of Iceman and Emma Frost which were sprawled on the ground.
"Bobby! Emma!" Beast, Archangel and Cyclops exclaimed nearly simultaneous.
The Beast rushed to their sides, quickly looking them over. "They're just unconscious," he announced, though still looking a little worried.
Cyclops took a quick look around the spot where the glowing dome with the shadowy figure had existed such a short time earlier. He grimaced, turning his attention back to his downed team mates. "Let's get them back to the mansion. NOW."
Iceman, Bobby Drake felt lost in a sea of images and feelings, until he woke up with a start, realizing that he'd been dreaming. A strange dream, but a dream nonetheless. He slowly started to sit up, grunting slightly as he did so. He felt...off.
Suddenly Bobby felt a pair of hands grabbing his shoulder, and as he opened his eyes, he found himself staring into the furry blue feline face of the Beast, his longtime friend Hank. Hank snapped around, calling to someone behind him, "Emma's awake..."
"What...?" Bobby blinked in confusion, trying to piece together how he got there when the last thing he remembered was being by that glowing bubble.
Hank looked back at Bobby and asked, "Are you all right Emma?"
"What's this Emma crap?" Bobby asked in confusion, "It's me...your old buddy Bobby. I know you're older than me, but don't tell me that you're going senile already."
Bobby noticed a look of shock on Hank's face, though didn't think too much of it as he sat the rest of the way up. Then he paused, realizing that something was wrong. It was hard to put his finger on it, but he just didn't feel right.
Just then, Bobby looked down at himself, his eyes going wide in shock at what he saw. Instead of his own uniform, he was wearing the skimpy white costume that was normally on Emma's luscious body. But what was even more shocking was the fact at just how perfectly the costume fit him...
"Um...I don't think this is good," Bobby muttered as he poked at the two generous breasts that now adorned his chest. Another long look at his body indicated that it wasn't just Emma's costume that he seemed to be wearing. From what he could see....he was wearing her whole body. "This is definitely not good."
With that, Bobby looked around, seeing that he was in the medical bay, which considering his situation, whatever that actually was, was not a real surprise. Hank was standing there, staring at Bobby, while Annie, their attractive human nurse stood in the background.
Bobby stood up, staring at his hands, at his feminine fingers. He reached back, tugging lightly on his now long blonde hair. With a grimace, he looked down at himself yet again, seeing the familiar woman's body that had somehow become his own.
"Um...as rarely as I am at a lack for words Emma," Hank started uncertainly.
"It's BOBBY!" he snapped back in frustration, slamming his hand down onto the bed he'd awoken on.
For a moment, Hank just stared at the bed which was now half coated with a sheet of ice. Then he turned his attention back to the apparent woman before him and slowly responded, "Very well...Bobby." He took a few seconds more to compose himself then glanced at the ice on the bed. "It would appear that we have a situation..."
"YOU THINK?" Bobby blurted out, gesturing down at himself.
Annie blinked as she stared at Bobby, "You...you're really Bobby..." She sounded as though she was sure he was joking. At his sour nod, she gasped, not sure what to say to that and finally responding, "You're it kind of...," she searched for the word, "easily."
Bobby snorted, "When you've been an X Man as long as I have, you kind of get used to all sorts of weird things." Then he shrugged, trying not to freak out and embarrass himself, "This is just par for the course."
"Actually," Hank told Annie, "this is not much stranger than having the Juggernaut on the X Men."
Just then, a there was a beeping sound from a short distance away. Hank immediately looked over there and announced, "Bobby...Emma, or at least I would assume that it is Emma who is awakening in Bobby's body." Then he shook his head, "Alas, these matters of identity can be quite confusing."
As Bobby hurried to the other bed where his own body was beginning to move, he was irritated by the strange sensations that he felt from his body, especially the weight and jiggling that came from his breasts. They were so...noticeable.
But then Bobby was distracted from the strangeness of his body by the sight of himself sitting up. It was odd to see his own body from such a different perspective and just as odd to know that Emma Frost was inside of it once again. Yet that was still not quite as strange as the realization that he was in her body as well.
Then, Bobby's body sat the rest of the way up, its eyes opening and looking around in confusion. However, a second later, they locked on Bobby and went wide, an expression of shock and disbelief spreading over his face. But that only lasted for several seconds before the person within Bobby's body looked down and gasped again.
"What the blazes is going on?" the firm demand came. The voice was Bobby's, though the tone was pure Emma Frost.
"Well," Bobby started, not sure how to explain what he didn't know himself.
However, Emma frowned, a strange look passing over her face before she nodded, "I see..." She did not sound very pleased though. In fact, she glared at Bobby as though the whole situation was his fault.
"Please do not read my mind without my permission," Hank told her in irritation. Then he frowned thoughtfully, "Though it would appear that you do still retain your normal powers..."
"Yes," Emma responded, "I still have my telepathic abilities..." Then she shimmered and crystallized, turning into organic diamond before quickly reverting to 'normal'.
With a grimace, Bobby held out his hand and formed a ball of ice within it. A second later, his body shimmered as well and he transformed into ice, looking like an ice statue of Emma Frost. He nodded faintly, though he frowned deeply as he returned to flesh.
"This is most unusual," Hank thought aloud, staring at the two of them more out of curiosity now than anything else. "You appear to have somehow exchanged personas, yet you retain your own mutant abilities within your new bodies. Fascinating..."
Bobby groaned at that, knowing that Hank was slipping into his absentminded scientist mode and thinking of this as just another puzzle to solve. And to Bobby, this was personal and he didn't want to be stuck like that for moment longer than necessary.
"Fascinating it may be," Emma announced coldly, "But I would much prefer to get my own body back. I do not relish the idea of remaining in this body any longer than necessary." She said 'this body' as though it were something disgusting.
Though Bobby completely agreed with Emma's desire to get back to normal, he glared at her, as though it were all her fault, "If I didn't know better, I'd almost think that you liked being in my body. After all, this is the second time you've taken it..."
Emma glared back at him, "Then I suppose it is a good thing that you do know better."
Annie looked a little confused at this. "This happened before?" She was new to the strangeness that surrounded the X Men and all the students at the school.
"Yeah," Bobby forced a grin, "Emma's an experienced body thief. She took mine out for a joyride once before, and then there was the time she stole Storm's body..."
Emma paused, remembering that incident and wondering if this was some sort of karmic payback. It had been years ago, back when she had been the White Queen and trying to destroy the X Men. She stole Storm's body in order to infiltrate them, though things hadn't quite worked out as planned.
"That was a long time ago," Emma commented, trying to keep her voice steady.
Suddenly both Bobby and Hank looked at Emma, a thoughtful look on both of their faces. "I believe that you used some form of portable persona exchange device when you...borrowed Storm's body?"
"Yes," Emma nodded, "It was a gun..." But then she sighed, "I know what you're thinking and I'm afraid that it won't work. That device was destroyed a long time ago and I have no idea how to locate a new one..."
"A pity," Hank muttered, "It would have made this much simpler."
"Actually," Emma thought aloud, "Even if I did still have that gun, it still wouldn't solve all of our problems. It might restore us to our proper bodies, but it wouldn't return our powers with us." She frowned, "As much as I dislike this body, I do not like the thought of losing my powers either..."
Bobby nodded faintly at that, knowing how she felt. He didn't like the thought of having to lose his powers either. They were a part of him...just as much as his hands were. And he'd heard that it was especially hard for telepaths to lose that power. That it was like losing one of their senses, like their vision or hearing. If they could both get back to normal without having to lose their powers, so much the better.
"So that leaves us where?" Bobby snorted. Then he frowned deeply, "How did this happen anyway. I mean, the last thing I remember was standing by that dome..."
Hank nodded, then explained how they had been pulled inside, then left behind when the dome vanished. "There was no trace of whatever caused your exchange," he told them. "Or whoever."
For a long moment, Bobby stared at Emma, seeing that she stared back at him, though she was doing it a little more casually and not being as noticeable. It was so strange to see himself like that. He frowned more, fighting back the urge to look down at himself again.
Then Hank abruptly announced, "Suddenly, I am reminded of Psylocke. Your situation bears a remarkable degree of similarity to her transformation."
Though neither Bobby nor Emma had ever been very close to Psylocke, they knew exactly what Hank had been referring to.
Psylocke had been a strange case, even among the X Men. She had started out as a proper British lady, albeit one with purple hair and telepathic mutant powers. But then, a sorceress named Spiral had played a strange game, making Psylocke trade bodies with a Japanese woman, a ninja assassin called Kwannon. Somehow, Psylock's mutant powers and unusual hair color had been transferred to her new body, just as her mind was. And at the same time, Psylocke somehow gained all of Kwannon's ninja skills as well, and perhaps a dose of her personality as she soon went from being prim and proper to being a tough as nails fighter.
"You think that Spiral might be behind this?" Bobby asked, feeling worried at the thought.
However, Hank just shrugged. "Honestly Emma...Bobby, I do not know. I fear that it might be one possibility. Another possibility is that the shadowed figure that we witnessed within the energy dome truly was a young mutant in the early manifestation stage of his or her powers. This could very well be a result of those uncontrolled new abilities."
"And this young mutant disappeared without a trace," Emma sighed, giving what little they did know for a fact.
Hank nodded at that, not looking any happier about it than Bobby felt. "I fear so."
"So," Bobby sighed, "Where's the professor....?"
"He departed for that conference on mutant affairs with Jean shortly after our own mission departure," Hank sighed. "We will have to contact him regarding this rather unexpected exchange..."
"Regardless of the cause, and whether or not we have Charles' immediate help," Emma stated grimly, "we have to find a way back to our own bodies."
"I second that," Bobby added, glancing down at his body, at his new breasts and then tearing his eyes away.
He quickly pulled up his mental defenses, just as the professor had taught him, to keep Emma from reading his surface thoughts. It was embarrassing enough to be in her body and he didn't want any reason to be even more embarrassed, which would definitely have happened had she seen what he'd been thinking.
"Therein lies part of the problem," Hank announced while Bobby was lost in thought. "Are we even certain that the two of you exchanged bodies...?"
"Well...DUH!" Bobby exclaimed, gesturing down at himself.
Emma echoed his thoughts with a loud snort, "I would think that it would be obvious."
"Or not so obvious," Hank told them, absently rubbing at his furry chin as he looked at them each in turn. "The fact that you both possess your own mutant abilities does provide an inconsistency. Or several alternate theories." At Bobby's blank look and Emma's deepening scowl, Hank quickly continued, "It would appear that some agency has resulted in the exchange of both your personalities and your powers. However, since you retain your powers, there is another possibility in that this agency may not have actually exchanged your minds, but may have somehow transformed your bodies to more closely resemble each other."
"ENOUGH WITH THE TECHNICALITIES," Bobby nearly screamed at his friend, "How do we get back to normal?"
There was a long pause as Hank stared at Bobby, then adjusted his glasses. Then in almost uncharacteristic simplicity, he answered, "I don't know."
"You don't know...," Bobby and Emma answered almost simultaneously.
"Not yet," Hank added in a rush, "But I will. Trust me," He put a hand on Bobby's shoulder, "We will find a way to reverse this. But to do so, we will need more information."
Once Hank explained that he was going to have to do a thorough medical test on each of them, both Bobby and Emma groaned. Neither liked the idea, though they knew that it might be necessary to get back to normal. And at the moment, that was the most important thing.
"It's going to be a long day," Bobby sighed, glancing over at Emma in his body, then down at himself, "A long day..."
Bobby Drake scowled as he hurried down the hallway of the mansion, relieved that the medical examination with Hank was over with but wishing that his time in Emma's body was as well. Thankfully though, the examination had been a lot quicker and a lot less intrusive than he'd feared. In fact, it hadn't even taken half an hour, and he'd spend most of it just lying inside of some MRI type tube.
"And here I was afraid he was going to tell me to turn my head and cough," Bobby muttered to himself.
Then Bobby looked around at all the teenagers he was walking past in the hall and shaking his head faintly. He was still amazed at seeing so many people around the mansion. It was so different from when he had first come there, when Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters had only had five students and it had been mostly a cover for the X Men. But that had been long ago, before the X Men had grown, and of course, before Professor Xavier had recently opened the school up for all young mutants. No longer was it just a training ground headquarters for the X Men, now it actually was a school, giving young mutants a place to be educated and be accepted.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to the mansion being so crowded," Bobby sighed.
"Hi Ms. Frost," a voice called out from behind Bobby. He started to turn to see where Emma was, until he remembered that at the moment HE was Emma. Or at least that was what anyone who saw him would think.
Bobby looked at the source of the voice and it took him a moment to recognize Chalk. Chalk was a 17 year old mutant who had come to the school just the week before. He was 6 foot 3, very well-muscled and had earned his name from his pure white skin and hair.
It was only then that Bobby noticed the expression on Chalk's face. It was...extremely unnerving. And it was only then that Bobby remembered one of the other's mentioning Chalk, and specifically, saying that the teenager had a major crush on Emma. That realization suddenly made Bobby go pale.
"Hi Chalk," Bobby quickly responded, "I've got to go..."
And with that, Bobby hurried away to the safety of his room, where he quickly closed the door behind him and let out a long sigh of relief. It was a good to finally be away from all those eyes, those eyes which looked at him and only saw Emma. He cringed at the obvious lust that had been directed at him.
Bobby just wondered how Emma dealt with that all the time, especially with her telepathic powers. Then he snorted, "She probably gets off on it..."
Closing his eyes for a moment, Bobby just stood there, taking several deep breaths as he tried to calm down. However, it wasn't helped much by the fact that with every breath, he could feel the slight shifting of his new breasts.
"Take it easy," Bobby told himself firmly, "You're an X Man, damn it! You've seen things a lot weirder than this..."
With that, Bobby moved to his bedroom mirror and stopped, staring at the reflection of Emma Frost. She was just as beautiful in his mirror as she was standing across a room. However, the reflection did lack the confidence and poise that Bobby normally associated with Emma.
"Weird," he muttered, "Even for the X Men."
A moment later, Bobby willed himself to ice up, transforming himself into his icy form. He looked at the mirror again, seeing what looked like an ice statue of Emma. Bobby let out a faint sigh, relieved that he at least still had his own powers. He could just imagine how much more trouble he would have been in if he and Emma had swapped powers as well as bodies. Then again, he thought that it might be interesting to see what it was like reading minds.
Once Bobby had iced down, he continued to stare at himself, until finally he started to smirk. He'd always wanted to see Emma naked, and he doubted that he'd ever have another opportunity like that. Bobby wasted no further time in stripping out of Emma's skimpy costume.
"Wow," Bobby whispered, then let out a low wolf whistle at himself. Emma's body was just as nice as he'd always imagined. Of course, her costume hadn't really left a lot to the imagination.
Bobby was feeling rather satisfied by the sight of Emma's naked body, and even somewhat excited. The sensations were simultaneously similar to and different than normal. But then he paused, suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable with the situation.
"God, I hope I'm not stuck like this," Bobby told himself grimly, hating the idea that he just might be. "Hank and the professor will find a way to fix this. They have to..."
With that, he sat down, realizing that he probably wasn't going to get too much sympathy from the others. After all, Hank had gone from fairly normal looking to blue and furry while Warren had been changed quite drastically himself for a period. And since Bobby had been something of the class clown back when it was just the original X Men, he suspected that they'd probably think of this as some sort of karma.
"Some joke," he muttered, feeling less than amused.
Then with that, Bobby did the only thing he could at the moment. He turned on the TV then sat back and waited.
The X Men's conference and briefing room was state of the art, containing not only the best image projection and communication technology available on Earth, but some from beyond it as well. And the technology did not end there, extending even to the seats that surrounded the meeting table, seats which were capable of being easily adapted to physiology's that were other than normal.
At the moment, every member of the X Men who had been on that morning's mission was seated around the table, as were most of the other X Men who were currently at the mansion. It was not the full team compliment as others were as yet on missions, yet there was still enough mutant power collected there to overthrow a small country.
The Juggernaut sat in a seat that had been adapted to support his massive weight, though he made little secret of the fact that he would prefer to be sitting on a bar stool. One in an appropriate location, and having a beer in his hand.
One of the X Men who had not been present that morning was Nightcrawler, an acrobatic blue mutant who held some semblance to a demon thanks in no small part to his long pointed tail. However, in truth he was anything but evil, having served as an X Man and a hero for many years.
Northstar sat with the near perpetual scowl on his face, wearing his standard black and white costume. This Canadian was a newcomer to the X Men, though not to super heroing. He had been a longtime member of another super hero team called Alpha Flight, and was now not only an X Man, but the first homosexual X Man as well. However, such a distinction was inconsequential among a group that included two blue mutants and another with wings.
And though no one spoke of it yet, all attention was on Bobby Drake and Emma Frost, who both sat uncomfortably in their seats. It was obvious that everyone already knew of what had happened, which made Bobby extremely uncomfortable. Emma on the other hand sat up straight, her normal snobbish expression looking odd on Bobby's face, ignoring the looks and trying to pretend that there was nothing wrong.
"I told the professor about what happened," Cyclops started off, drawing everyone's eyes to him, to Bobby's relief. "He'll return from the conference as soon as possible, but in the meantime, I'm sure that Hank can find a solution."
With that, the Beast stood up, adjusting the glasses which looked slightly odd perched on his feline face. He looked at Bobby and Emma and started, "I performed a detailed medical examination of our two unfortunate exchanges. As far as I can tell, they are indeed within each other's bodies, though that does not rule out other possibilities."
"We went back to the field and double checked," Cyclops said, "But there was absolutely no trace of the mutant responsible for this."
"If it is a mutant who did it," Archangel pointed out. "It could have been a trap."
Cyclops nodded his head to acknowledge that. "Once Jean or the professor return, they'll be able to use Cerebra to try searching for the mutant signature that the professor spotted this morning."
"Why wait," Emma pointed out, "I am perfectly capable of using Cerebra myself."
Again Cyclops nodded, knowing that Cerebra, their mutant tracking device required a telepath to use it. Emma was indeed quite capable of using it, though with her being the one affected, he hadn't thought she would be capable. "Very well. See what you can find."
"Of course," Emma responded, the snobbish tone clear even though it was Bobby's voice. He shook his head slightly, thinking about how strange it was to hear his own voice like that.
"Until we find out more," Cyclops announced, slowly looking around the room, the single red 'eye' of his visor looking slightly intimidating, "we all need to be careful. If this was a trap, it's unlikely that whoever was behind it is through with us."
With that said, everyone got up to leave. It had been a much shorter briefing than normal, with everyone having already been filled in on what had happened beforehand. However, Cyclops knew the value of discipline and making sure that everyone was not only well informed but on the same page.
Just as Bobby left the briefing room, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around, startled to see that it was Northstar. That was surprising since he knew that Northstar didn't really like women and avoided touching them when possible. And unfortunately, Bobby knew that at the moment, that was exactly what he was. At least physically.
"You look...uncomfortable," Northstar told Bobby. He looked a little uncomfortable as well and not quite his arrogant self. "I thought you should know that something similar happened when I was in Alpha Flight."
"Yeah?" Bobby blinked, his interest definitely caught.
Northstar nodded, "Yes. My old teammate Sasquatch had his soul trapped in Snowbird's body, yet he kept his own powers as well."
Bobby stared at Northstar for a moment, knowing that the last time he'd seen Sasquatch, he had definitely been a guy. "How did he get back to normal?"
"He did not handle it well," Northstar continued. "And in the end, he was transformed back." Then just as Bobby was about to ask how, Northstar admitted, "I'm afraid that the same way won't work for you...but I thought you should know."
"Thanks," Bobby told him, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
Though that bit of knowledge didn't do Bobby any good, he supposed that it was nice to know that there was another guy who'd gone through what he was going through and who had managed to get back to normal. Of course, Psylocke had never returned to her original body.
Then as Northstar turned away, Bobby found himself facing Warren and Nightcrawler, who were near polar opposites of each other in appearance. Warren, the Archangel looked every bit his namesake, while Nightcrawler, Kurt Wagner looked fairly demonic. Both looked sympathetic, which almost seemed strange in that neither of them looked completely normal and Bobby hadn't imagined them getting too shook up at his no longer looking normal. Or at least normal for himself.
"How you holding up?" Warren asked cautiously.
"About as well as can be expected," Bobby sighed.
Warren nodded, then smirked just slightly as he added, "Well, I suppose you can use all the support you can get..." However, he was staring at Bobby's new breasts as he said it, making Bobby blush bright red.
"Please forgive him," Kurt said in his German accent, "This is a rather unique situation."
"Sorry," Warren apologized, though he didn't sound very sincere.
Bobby just groaned, realizing that this was payback for some of the jokes he'd played at Warren's expense back in their younger days. Of course, Warren had gotten his share of licks in too back then.
"You know," Warren started with a look of false innocence on his normally serious face, "I just realized...since you're in Emma's body, does that mean YOUR last name is now Frost?"
"It would certainly seem appropriate," Kurt added with a bit of a grin. "Maybe you can start calling yourself Jackie Frost since your normal code name is no longer quite...accurate."
Bobby glared at his friends, knowing that they were just yanking his chain a little, perhaps even trying to lighten his mood a bit. However, at the moment, he didn't want his mood to be lightened. "Bite me," he snorted as he started to turn away.
However, to Bobby's surprise, Warren apologized again, this time looking much more sincere. And then he bowed, giving a smile with all the grace and charm that had earned him the reputation of a playboy and ladies’ man, picking up a surprised Bobby's hand and kissing it. It was an action that he was much more likely to have expected from Kurt.
Bobby quickly yanked his hand away, then glared at his two friends before turning and storming away without a word. He grimaced, hating the way Warren had patronized him. Though Bobby knew that it hadn't been serious, really nothing more than friendly teasing, it still pissed him off.
As he made his way back to his room, Bobby scowled the whole way, hating the way people were looking at him. Or at least hating the way some of the teenage boys were looking at him. It was far too close to the way he'd looked at Emma occasionally, and though he didn't possess Emma's mind reading powers, he knew exactly what they were thinking.
But once Bobby was back in the safety of his room, he had no idea of what to do. He'd never by the time to just hang around doing nothing. He briefly considered taking a shower to clean up, but the thought made him feel even more self-conscious.
"Great," Bobby sighed as he sat down, poking at his breasts and shaking his head before turning his attention to the TV.
The distraction provided by the TV did little good to soothe Bobby, especially as he remembered it's nickname, 'the boob tube', which only reminded him even more of his own new assets.
"Hank got used to being blue," Bobby muttered, trying to convince himself that it could be worse.
Then Bobby's thoughts turned to more practical matters. He needed to know how long he was going to be stuck in Emma's body. And like it or not, there were things that would have to be taken care of if he was going to be in there for any length of time at all.
Letting out a long sigh, Bobby stood up, "Looks like I need to have a little talk with Emma..." He frowned, forming a small ice statue of Emma in the palm of his hand, then setting it down on the edge of his desk as he left the room.
While Bobby hurried down the hall, he noticed that people were still looking at him like they had earlier, yet there were other looks this time as well. Stranger looks. It wasn't until he overheard a few whispered words such as "Iceman" and "traded" that he realized why he was getting those looks. Word of his exchange had gotten out. Of course, that was no real surprise. It was hard keeping any kind of secrets around the school, not when there were several telepaths among the student body and even a mutant who could hear a whisper from a mile away.
Still, Bobby spat, "Damn," as he picked up his pace. It was even more uncomfortable having the kids look at him and actually know who he was inside.
Then Bobby noticed Chalk standing in the hallway, watching him with an intent expression. It was an expression that Bobby was not at all comfortable with. He hated guys looking at him like that. For a moment, he frowned, sure that he'd just seen Chalk a minute earlier in the other hall. But as he looked back, Chalk quickly went down another hall and out of sight.
"Weird kid," Bobby muttered, quickly forgetting about it as he continued on his way.
When Bobby got to Emma's room a minute later, he paused outside the door, suddenly not sure if he should knock or come back later. Then again, he reminded himself that he didn't even know that she was there at the moment. She could be anywhere else in the mansion. But he grimaced and knocked anyway.
To Bobby's relief, Emma was there, so he wouldn't have to go around the mansion looking for her. She took one look at him and scowled deeply, obviously not completely comfortable seeing her own face on someone else but trying to hide it.
"We need to talk," he told her as he went inside.
Emma stared at him and nodded, letting out a long sigh. "Yes, I suppose we do..." The emotions that she had been trying to hide were now much clearer in her voice.
However, rather than get straight to the point, Bobby remembered something else, "You were going to use Cerebra to look for that mutant..."
"No sign of his mutant signature," Emma spat out in frustration. "It's as though he isn't even on Earth anymore." She scowled deeply, a glint of steely determination shining in her eyes, "I'll look again later on..."
It was bad news, but not completely unexpected. Bobby grimaced, realizing that he'd started getting his hope up for nothing. But then again, things never seemed to go right or easy for the X Men. Somehow, that almost seemed a natural part of being a mutant.
"If we're going to be stuck in each other's bodies," Bobby started, having to pause as his voice choked, "We're going to need more wear than these..." He gestured down at Emma's skimpy costume which he was still wearing, "I came to see if I could borrow some clothes..."
Emma scowled but nodded her agreement. "That would be...practical."
A minute later, Emma was going through her closet, pulling out clothes and frowning as she stared at them. "No," she thought aloud, "I can't give you this. It's Versace..."
"Don't you just have some jeans and T Shirts?" Bobby asked, though he couldn't remember ever seeing Emma in anything so casual. She had expensive tastes, though fortunately the money to afford them as well.
For a moment, Emma just glared at Bobby, making him want to cringe slightly. It was strange getting that impression from his own body. Then Emma stated, "On the other hand, I can't very well have you dressing like a slob in MY body and ruining MY reputation."
A short while later, the clothes that Emma was willing to lend Bobby were packed up for him, and he looked at them, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He would have liked to have complained a bit, but knew that he couldn't very well do that after having asked to borrow some of her clothes in the first place. He reminded himself that he should have known that she wouldn't have something like jeans and T shirts.
"If you need any instructions on how to put anything on," Emma stated as she held up a bra and gave Bobby a wry grin, "I can provide them."
"I can figure it out," he grumbled.
"This should be enough for several days," Emma continued. "Hopefully we should be back to normal before any more clothes are necessary."
Bobby nodded agreement, hoping the same thing with all his heart. Preferably, he would like to get back to normal before he had to try even those clothes on. After this, Bobby just sat there and talked with Emma for a little while, discussing their situation and what they might do if they did not return to normal soon. It was a prospect that neither wanted to consider.
Then thinking about the looks that the guys had given him in the hall, and that even some of his friends had given him, Bobby asked Emma, "How do you deal with the way guys stare at you...?" He was embarrassed at asking, at admitting aloud that he'd actually noticed the attention. That was almost as embarrassing as having to ask Emma advice of that nature. "I mean, how can I stop it...?"
Emma gave a faint laugh which made Bobby scowl to hide his growing embarrassment better. Then Emma smirked, obviously amused by the situation. Then seeing the look on Bobby's face, she nodded faintly and grew more serious.
"There are several options available," she told Bobby thoughtfully, apparently deciding to take this seriously. "A woman can enjoy the attention and even encourage it. She can get angry...which does not really help. She can try hiding her attractiveness...which I would not recommend." She glared at Bobby with that, as if giving him silent warning not to even dare ruining her reputation. "And she can ignore it...or at least present the impression that she is."
"Thanks," Bobby sighed, not sure that her advice would do any good.
His first thought was to make himself less attractive, which would not be too easy in Emma's body. However, the thought of what she might do to him if he did do something like that was enough to make him reconsider. Or at least give it a bit more thought.
Finally, Bobby picked up the clothes and started to leave. He paused long enough to tell Emma, "I'll stop by later with some of my clothes..."
Emma gave a disdainful look at that, obviously not looking forward to wearing anything of Bobby's, no more than he was looking forward to wearing hers. However, she did grudgingly respond, "Thank you. I would appreciate that."
Bobby shrugged, then left, going a little slower this time as he returned to his room. He remembered what Emma had told him and made his best effort to pretend that there was no one else in the halls with him. That he was walking alone. He didn't even glance at any of the students who crossed his past.
As Bobby clutched the borrowed clothes tighter in his hands, he glanced down at his protruding chest and grimaced. His scowl deepened and he sped up his pace, nearly bumping into one teenage mutant but not pausing to apologize.
Then from behind him, Bobby faintly heard, "White Queen my ass... They should call her the ICE Queen..."
When Bobby arrived at his own room a minute later, he paused, noticing something white down at the other end of the hall. It was Chalk, who just seemed to be standing around. However, the white mutant gave Bobby a strange look before hurrying away.
"Must have heard what happened with me and Emma," Bobby muttered to himself, thinking that Chalk had to be heartbroken. He knew that he certainly would have been if a woman he'd liked suddenly got turned into a guy.
Once Bobby was safely inside of his room, he let out a long sigh, carefully setting the clothes that Emma had lent him onto his bed. He stared at them for a moment, thinking that they were certainly higher end clothes than he usually wore. And he knew that before long he'd be wearing them himself.
With a sigh, Bobby stripped out of Emma's costume, standing there naked, purposely avoiding the mirror. He already felt a little guilty about the way he'd stared at himself earlier, even though he wanted to take a look at Emma's naked body again. However, it lacked quite the same thrill since he was the one inside of it.
After a minute, Bobby went to the bathroom that he shared with the room next door and got his bath ready. He might not be thrilled with his new body, but it still needed to get cleaned.
"I'm usually not one for warm baths," Bobby sighed as he settled into the water, then smirked as he made a small 'glacier' form on the surface of the water. Then after a brief though, he created another floating chunk of ice in the shape of the Titanic. "Better."
The bath felt a bit better than normal, which Bobby put down to his now softer more sensitive skin. Personally, he would have preferred getting back to being 'thick skinned'.
Bobby was still a bit curious about his new parts, fighting back the urge to check them out a bit more closely. And perhaps even play with them a bit. It was a strong curiosity, but on the other side, there was an equally strong fear that Emma would suddenly burst into his head telepathically the moment he attempted something like that and demand to know what he was doing.
Still, the warm bath and his soft washing did feel pretty good. Perhaps even a little too good as his nipples were starting to respond to the wash cloth. However, he didn't give in to those urges or that curiosity, remembering Emma.
Eventually Bobby finished with his bath and dressed up in the clothes that Emma had lent him. He had a few small problems with the Bra, cursing to himself as he put it on, but he managed. And once he was finished, he stood in front of the mirror, staring at his unfamiliar reflection.
Finally, Bobby whispered, "This isn't TOO bad and I guess it could be a lot worse. I suppose I can handle being stuck like this..." Then he grimaced, "For a little while."
The office of Professor Charles Xavier, founder of the X Men and the headmaster of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was decorated in a classical and tasteful style. There was a wide wooden desk, with dark wood inlays in the walls. Bookshelves, filled with great works of literature and reference books of all sorts filled nearly every corner.
Bobby sat in a chair on one side of the desk, his legs crossed in a feminine manner at the instruction, nearly the demand of Emma frost just a minute earlier. His current clothes consisted of a white and blue spandex uniform, a new costume which had just been made for him.
Sitting beside Bobby in an identical chair was Emma Frost, dressed in an impeccable white suit which seemed to serve as both her new, and temporary uniform, as well as a replacement for the clothes which Bobby had proved. Though unspoken, the suit served as a clear statement that even in Bobby's body, she was indeed Emma Frost, the former White Queen.
Then as Bobby glanced over at Emma, feeling a little impatient and about to ask what was taking so long, someone stepped into the office. He was a tall man with a dark suit and without a single hair on his head. It still surprised Bobby to see the professor walking, thanks to another mutant's healing powers, when he had been used to seeing him in a wheelchair for so many years.
"I apologize for being late," Professor Xavier greeted both Bobby and Emma, "I had a minor discipline problem with one of the students to attend to."
"I understand," Emma responded with a slight nod, having once been headmistress of her own school of mutants and having a great deal of personal experience in those matters herself.
With that, the professor sat down behind his desk and carefully looked at both Bobby and Emma. His expression was guarded, as though he did not want to give anything away just yet.
"How are you two holding up?" he asked after a few seconds.
Bobby just frowned and gave a shrug, while Emma wryly responded, "I'll survive."
The professor nodded, then started, "I know that you two exchanged bodies three days ago, but I'm afraid that we are no closer to finding a way to reverse it." Then he let out a sigh, "Unlike some of you, I do hold to the belief that this was not caused intentionally, but was the result of a young mutant who was unable to control his...or her powers. Unfortunately though, Cerebra has not been able to find a trace of this mutant." He paused again, rubbing at his temples, "Hank found traces of extra-dimensional energy at the site and believes that this unknown mutant teleported away."
"Just great," Bobby grumbled, "He could be anywhere on Earth..."
But the professor corrected, "Or not on Earth at all. Cerebra's inability to detect that mutant's signature seems to be evidence of this."
Emma scowled deeply at that, "Then we will have to keep looking until he or she returns to Earth. I certainly have no intention of remaining like this."
"I second that," Bobby added with a sigh.
"There does appear to be another side effect to your exchange as well," the professor mused as he stared at Bobby, apparently trying to change the subject a little. "It seems that dichotomy between your body and mind has made it very difficult to read your thoughts."
"And Emma?" Bobby asked, thinking that he rather liked the idea of a telepath not being able to read him. It was always disconcerting to have someone know exactly what your most private thoughts were, even if it was someone you trusted.
"She's a telepath," the professor reminded him with a slight smile, "Her psychic shields were strong enough before this." Emma had a faintly smug expression at that, which annoyed Bobby.
After they had finished talking a few minutes later and were leaving, the professor stopped Bobby, letting Emma continue on her way.
"How are you holding up?" The professor asked gently, "Honestly."
Bobby hesitated for a moment, wondering how he could tell the professor just how embarrassed he felt or how uncomfortable. It almost seemed strange for the professor not to just pick those thoughts up telepathically, saving Bobby the trouble of putting them into words. In the end, Bobby shrugged again, trying to act cool, "Like Emma said...I'll survive."
"I am sure that you will," Xavier smiled gently. Then he abruptly announced, "I heard that some of the others have started calling you Bobbie Frost..."
Bobby snorted at that, "Kurt started it as some kind of joke." He was not particularly thrilled with the teasing but had been trying his best to ignore it, knowing very well that any reaction could spark an escalation.
"I suppose that it does make sense to adopt a more appropriate name if you are going to remain like this for very long," the professor mused aloud.
However, Bobby had the distinct impression that it wasn't a spur of the moment thought. It had the feel of a rehearsed comment, one which was meant to help him accept the idea that he might indeed remain in Emma's body for some time to come. Bobby frowned, suspecting that this was the professor’s subtle way of telling him that he should start accepting that possibility.
"And even you have to admit," the professor continued, "Frost does seem more appropriate, both in power and body."
"And what should we call Emma?" Bobby asked sarcastically, "Emmet? Somehow I don't think that she'll go for that..."
Xavier let out a sigh, "And somehow I think that you are correct."
With a snort and a semi-sarcastic "Thanks for the pep talk," Bobby left the professors office, silently relieved that the professor couldn't really read his mind at the moment. Right then, he didn't think that the professor would have liked what he was thinking.
Bobby hurried away from the professor's office, wanting to find someplace where he could be alone with his thoughts, though discounting his room as that place. He had spent more than enough time staring at its walls during the last few days and wanted something a little more scenic and relaxing.
Eventually, Bobby found a quiet corner, an unoccupied study area with a window that provided a clear view outside. However, it was not the view which interested Bobby, but the solitude.
After several minutes, Bobby was beginning to feel a little more relaxed. He stood at the window, silently watching the students moving about below. A faint smile formed on his lips as he saw a green skinned girl blowing what looked like soap bubbles out of her mouth.
Suddenly, Bobby heard something and turned around, startled to see a tall white skinned figure standing there. Chalk. The young mutant seemed to turn up almost every time Bobby turned around. If he didn't know better, he almost would have sworn that Chalk was actually stalking him.
"Hi Ms. Frost," Chalk greeted him, seeming to ignore or be unaware of the fact that Bobby was only in Emma's body and not really her, though he had to have heard about the swap. Probably everyone in the school had by then.
Bobby scowled, turning back to the window. "Go away. I want to be alone."
However, Chalk made no move to leave. Bobby turned back towards him, beginning to get quite annoyed. The pale mutant just stood there, an intense look of lust in his eyes as he stared at Bobby. It was a look that sent chills down Bobby's spine.
"Why are you teasing me like this?" Chalk asked, almost demanded. The tone caught Bobby off guard. "I know that you want me..."
"What?" Bobby gasped in shock, realizing that the intense look in Chalk's eyes was more than just lust and admiration. There was madness in there as well. He'd seen it in enough eyes to recognize it.
"You want me," Chalk repeated, "You've used your mind powers to make me want you...making me think of you all the time..."
That was obviously not true as Bobby had no such powers and he had no doubt that Emma would NEVER do such a thing either. Even when she had been a 'villain', she never would have resorted to such a thing.
Bobby stared at Chalk, "You're crazy..."
Without warning, Chalk moved forward, much faster than Bobby would have thought him capable. His hand grasped Bobby's shoulder, holding him tight. Bobby grimaced and tried to pull away, but it was completely useless. Chalk's mutant powers made him five times stronger than a normal person of his size. And even without his mutant power, he would have been a lot stronger than Bobby in his current body. Or even his original.
"Why do you make me need you?" Chalk demanded, holding Bobby even tighter, "Then pretending you don't want me?"
Bobby grimaced, then tried to lash out with his powers, intending to freeze Chalk in ice. However, nothing happened. It was only then that he suddenly remembered Chalk's other mutant powers...the ability to temporarily neutralize other mutant's powers, just by touching them.
A sudden burst of fear stabbed through Bobby's heart as he realized just how helpless he was at the moment. He was faced with an insane teenager who was much stronger than him, and he didn't even have his own powers to fall back on. He struggled harder, to just as little effect as his earlier attempt.
"You'd better let me go NOW," Bobby started to threaten. But before he could finish, Chalk put a hand over his mouth.
"Of course, how could you not like me," Chalk went on, "I'm even your favorite color..."
Once again Bobby increased his attempts to get away, everything he knew about hand to hand combat and unarmed self-defense. However, nothing seemed to work. He couldn't even get any balance. And when he saw his chance and kneed Chalk in groin, the white mutant just grimaced, pulling his grip even tighter.
"Why do you pretend not to want it?" Chalk asked, looking confused. Then he suddenly brightened up, "Oh...you like playing hard to get. Okay Ms. Frost...I'll give you what you want..."
Suddenly Chalk tossed Bobby to the ground, beginning to undo his belt. Bobby's eyes widened in horror as it began to dawn on him exactly what Chalk had planned.
"HELP!" Bobby cried out, hoping that someone would hear him. But at the same time, he remembered that he'd chosen that corner for privacy because it was away from the main corridors or where any of the classes were being held.
Bobby tried to get up and get away, but Chalk quickly grabbed him and slammed him back to the ground, then started tearing at Bobby's clothes, eager to remove them. Again Bobby screamed for help, for Chalk to leave him alone....for anything.
"OH GOD NO!" Bobby screamed out in horror as Chalk straddled over him.
Bobby had never been so terrified or helpless in his life, not even while facing down Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. He rather would have been facing down an army of evil mutants than spend a single moment with that lone lunatic teenager.
Then to Bobby's stunned disbelief, a loud voice suddenly boomed out, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"
In instant later, Chalk was suddenly pulled off of Bobby...then sent flying through the air and into a wall on the far side of the room. A large hole was smashed into the wall, while Chalk slid down and fell to the floor with a loud groan. It was only then that Bobby looked up at his savior, gasping in disbelief as he saw the large frame of the Juggernaut, the last person that he ever would have expected to save him.
"My God...," Bobby gasped out, his whole body shaking horribly as he started getting to his feet. He'd never been so terrified, so helpless... After all those years training, fighting armies, villains and mutants with the power to blow up whole cities...he was nearly RAPED by some crazy teenager, and he hadn't been able to do ANYTHING. He'd had to be saved by someone who used to be one of his worst enemies. "My God..."
"You all right?" Juggernaut...Cain asked in concern.
Bobby took a deep breath, looking at Chalk who was still lying on the floor, then up at Cain. "Thank you," he whispered, cringing in humiliation.
"I heard someone yelling," Cain started.
Suddenly Bobby turned and glared at him, snapping, "NO ONE HEARS ABOUT THIS!"
Cain stepped back slightly, a look of surprise on his face. "But," he gestured to Chalk.
"No one," Bobby growled, his heart racing with the terror...and the realization of just how close he'd come. Just another ten seconds... And if Cain hadn't come... "Not one word..."
"Um...yeah...OK," Cain responded uncertainly, but nodding his agreement anyway. It was Bobby's business, so it was his call.
For a moment, Bobby just stared at Cain, desperate that no one find out about this...about his humiliation. He'd never been more humiliated...more ashamed and he couldn't bear the thought of anyone else knowing.
Then Bobby suddenly turned and nearly ran down the hall, tears pouring down his cheeks, feeling as though he was going to split apart from all the crushing emotions within him. He was bursting from rage...rage, shame, humiliation and helplessness. All of it threatened to completely overwhelm him and bury him under the raw weight of it all.
When Bobby reached his own quarters, he slammed the door behind him, shaking like a leaf. Then he howled out, trying to give release to the burning cauldron of emotions within him. However, that did nothing to ease the horrible torment that he felt.
"Nothing," Bobby whispered to himself, "I couldn't do anything at all..."
With that, Bobby turned to the mirror on the wall, freezing as he saw Emma's face. Feelings of hatred, disgust and shame filled him at the sight, knowing that this had only happened to him because of that face. Because he had the body of a woman. And as much as he disliked that fact before, he hated it even a hundred times worse now.
"DAMN!" Bobby spat out bitterly, punching the mirror as hard as he could.
The instant that Bobby's fist connected, it was instinctively transformed into ice, shattering the mirror but leaving him unharmed. After glaring at the shattered mirror which had a thin coat of frost coating it, Bobby let out another howl of anguish, this time releasing not only his rage but unconsciously wave after wave of bitter cold.
Within moments, every surface of the room was covered with a thick coat of ice, while large icicles, up to several feet in length hung from the ceiling. However, Bobby was barely aware of this, his power lashing out more of instinct than any form of conscious will.
Finally, Bobby collapsed to the ground, a network of protective ice spikes forming around him in a near cocoon. And in its center, Bobby curled up and cried, the hot tears that ran down his cheek being nearly the only warmth left in the room.
It had been several days since the 'incident' with Chalk had occurred, and Bobby had scarcely left the safety and security of his quarters in that time. He had avoided leaving his sanctuary as much as possible, though at the moment he had little choice.
Just the day before, Bobby had felt the pains start. It was like a wrenching in his very guts, and though he thought it might be a side effect of the exchange, had had hesitated about going to sick bay for it. He had held off, until a short while earlier when he had noticed himself bleeding from his new equipment.
It was then that Bobby had realized what was happening. It was the curse that every woman suffered...a period. He grimaced, cursing nonstop as he was suddenly faced with his body betraying him even more, with yet another humiliation added onto what he'd already suffered.
"DAMN IT!" Bobby spat, knowing that as much as he hated the idea, there was only one thing he could do. He was going to have to have a little talk with Emma.
Bobby walked down the hallway with a deep scowl, aware of every pair of eyes that settled on him and even those that weren't. He could feel their stares, imagining that they looked into him and saw his shame and humiliation. And with each person that he passed, his scowl grew deeper, his glare being enough to cause some in his path to step to avert their eyes and even step to the side.
There was no doubt, Bobby knew, that when they looked at him they saw a beautiful woman. Even when they knew who he really was inside, it was Emma that they saw, her gorgeous face and sexy body. That was what they saw, and it sickened him. That kind of attention reminded him of what had happened, making him even more bitter about what he had become.
Then one boy came up to Bobby, "Um...excuse me," he started.
However, Bobby snapped, "Leave me alone," not even bothering to look at the boy as he continued on his way, not wanting to be bothered.
"What a bitch," the boy gasped from behind Bobby.
Bobby heard, though offered no response to the comment, at least not any conscious one. However, the temperature dropped several degrees and small ice crystals formed on the hallway walls as he walked past.
"Talk about getting the cold shoulder," another mutant gasped as Bobby left the scene.
Just a minute later, Bobby arrived outside the door to Emma's quarters, hesitating only a moment before knocking. However, after another minute, he was disgusted to still be standing there, unanswered.
"Damn," Bobby grimaced, realizing that of course Emma wouldn't be in her quarters. She wasn't the time to stay cooped up no matter what. That left only one place to find her.
It didn't take long for Bobby to find the classroom that he was looking for and step inside. There were a dozen students sitting at their seats, some looking completely ordinary, as though they could be students in any school anywhere. Others however were quite strange looking, even inhuman in appearance.
However, it wasn't the students which Bobby was really looking at. It was Emma, standing at the front of the class and teaching, wearing a stylish white suit that he silently admitted didn't look bad on his body, though he certainly would have chosen a different color.
"Can we talk?" Bobby grimly asked Emma.
Emma paused for a moment to give Bobby a look, then turned to her class. "Remain seated children. I will be back in just a minute..." And with that, she stepped out into the hall with Bobby.
"I've got a problem," Bobby started, squirming uncomfortably at the very thought of the subject.
"You're experiencing my monthly visitor?" Emma commented, more a statement than a question. At Bobby's surprised look, she continued, "I was expecting you..."
"Expecting?" Bobby blurted out in surprise, and a little anger.
"Of course," Emma explained calmly, "I am very well aware of when it was due and thought that you might have questions."
"You knew this was coming and you didn't warn me?" Bobby demanded in outrage, beginning to get pissed.
Emma just rolled her eyes, "You're making too much of it." Then she added, "Once I am finished with my class, I will meet you in my quarters and give you the talk." The last bit was given in a slightly sarcastic tone.
Bobby grimaced, glaring at Emma and suspecting that she was enjoying this. He thought that it would be just like that bitch. However, he nodded his reluctant agreement, knowing that it would still be a little less embarrassing to go to her about this problem than any of the other's. Bobby would rather have died than ask Jean advice on female problems, or even let any of the guys find out.
Eventually, Emma returned to her quarters where Bobby had been waiting impatiently, and he suspected that she had intentionally taken her time getting there just to piss him off. And with the way he was feeling, that did not improve his mood in the slightest.
"I feel foolish having to explain this to someone who looks not only like an adult woman but like myself," Emma told Bobby, scowling a little as she pulled out several 'feminine hygiene products' and set them down in front of Bobby.
"I know the birds and the bees," Bobby grumbled.
"Perhaps," Emma responded blandly, "But I am sure that you lack experience in this particular area..."
Bobby grumbled but didn't argue since he knew that Emma was right. So as humiliating as it was, he forced himself to sit there as she explained the practicalities of his new biology, his period and how to take care of them.
By the time Emma was finished, Bobby knew far more about periods than he had ever wanted to. Emma had patiently explained, and Bobby was sure with some amusement, everything from easing the symptoms to applying tampons. And to his disgust, he was now wearing one, though he supposed that this further humiliation would be better than letting blood dribble down his legs.
"And you have to do this EVERY month?" Bobby stared at Emma in disbelief. "No way..."
Emma shrugged, a casual gesture that was normally unlike her. "You get used to it."
"NEVER," Bobby responded emphatically, desperately hoping that they found a way to change back so that he'd never have to do it again.
However, Emma just looked at Bobby with an expression that seemed to say, "We'll see..."
After a few seconds, Bobby sighed, then quietly told Emma, "Thanks." He was both uncomfortable and embarrassed with having talked to her about something so personal, though at the same time, he was a little relieved that at least there was someone he could talk to. "I appreciate this..."
For a brief moment, Emma looked uncomfortable with Bobby's expression of gratitude, then she nodded. "It was no problem."
Bobby nodded back just slightly before leaving, a small bag in his hand containing the feminine hygiene items which Emma had suggested he take. He was thankful for her assistance, yet horrified at the thought that anyone should happen to see what was inside of the bag. With that, he made a mental note to stay very clear of that boy Refrax who had the X ray vision until he got back to his room.
"Disgusting," Bobby muttered to himself bitterly, wincing at the cramping in his guts, "How can women stand this every month?" Every time he thought that he'd found out just how horrible it could be being a woman, he discovered something else.
With that, Bobby hurried back down the hallway to his quarters, his scowl deepening with nearly every step and the thoughts of his latest pain and humiliation. Students quickly parted out of his way, which suited Bobby's foul mood quite well. Such was his determination to return to his quarters quickly, he was not even aware that the temperature dropped several degrees as he passed by, causing a number of students to shiver at the sudden chill.
