Pretend to be Normal

"She's awake," that snobbish voice again.

Dr. Stone opened her eyes and stared into the calm, confident gaze of Emma Frost, the White Queen. The psychiatrist dropped her gaze and looked around to see that she was in a kind of lounge, elegant wooden floors and book-lined walls, a massive fireplace and high ceiling, ornate and old furniture.

She was lying on a couch rather than a table. All of the X-women in the room were centered around Sue Storm. Moonstone took heart in that. If they suspected the problem was with the Invisible Woman, then they might not look closely at Dr. Stone. Which was good, because Moonstone had no way to hide her thoughts from a telepath, or her alien moonstone from any kind of deep tissue scan.

Just act normal, Moonstone thought to herself.

"What happened?" Dr. Stone asked. "Where am I? We were in the middle of a therapy session, and then I—must have passed out."

"A very interestin' therapy session," an older, slim brunette in a labcoat with a Scottish accent said. She had a handheld scanner of some sort and was running it over Sue Storm's body, about an inch above the skin. That would be Moira Mactaggart. "Yer methods are a bit queer, doctair."

"I am a licensed psychiatrist and sex therapist," Dr. Stone said hotly. "With special training in dealing with superhuman patients and sex disorders. I—"

"You are in the Hellfire Club," Emma Frost said. The tall blonde in the white leather outfit had a small half-cape and an X-shaped cutout that showed more of her torso than it concealed. "And we're not here to discuss your methods. The Invisible Woman contacted us because she believed she was unduly influenced during her session. Lost control. Fortunately, we determined that you were only unconscious, not actually hurt."

And how did you determine that? Dr. Stone did not ask.

"So far, we have found no direct evidence of manipulation," the youngest woman in the room said. That, Moonstone decided, had to be Magik. She was dressed in Gothic cosplay, all black leather and spikes, her long blonde hair falling down to her ass in a single waterfall, carrying a sword as large as she was.

"I don't believe there was any," Dr. Stone said flatly. "It was an...intimate session. Emotionally cathartic. Losing control, in the appropriate circumstances, is rather the point. Normally I would be in a position to put a stop to such things before they get too out of hand, but I...failed to prepare myself appropriately."

All eyes in the room went to the doctor.

"In what way?" Emma Frost said, and Moonstone hoped that twinge of discomfort behind her own eyes wasn't the telepath probing her thoughts.

"I've been on a dry spell lately. Sexually," Dr. Stone confessed. "It felt good. Too good. I...passed out from the pleasure."

Karla's cheeks burned. It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't entirely a lie, either.

"But...I thought I hurt you..." Sue said.

"Susan, no," Dr. Stone said firmly. "I simply came until I was unconscious. That isn't your fault. It's mine."