Sex Therapy

The words hit Sue Storm like a blow. The Invisible Woman visibly recoiled. Dr. Stone offered her most disarming smile.

"I know. The term carries a lot of baggage. People think of sex work and—well, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm not asking you to have sex with anyone other than your husband. But since the root of your stress issues seems sexual, the best way to work through them is with sex. Think of it more like a homework assignment. A scenario for you and your husband to engage in as a form of therapy."

Sue Storm blinked as she parsed this.

"You...think I can resolve my issues with sex...by fucking them away?"

The blonde heroine winced at the dirty word. She knew all those words, of course. Even used them, on occasion, in the privacy of her own bedroom. She had two children after all. Sex was nothing new. Yet she liked to be a good example for the children, and that meant watching her language to avoid any slips.

"In a sense. In the old days, I might suggest your husband put on a mask, but these days, and with the resources of the superhero community, we can do much better."

The psychiatrist reached over to her desk and retrieved two small palm-sized devices of polished chrome. Sue recognized them immediately. S.H.I.E.L.D.-style image inducers, able to mask an individual in a three-dimensional hologram. A nifty bit of spy gear, but not good enough to fool very sophisticated sensors that measured body heat, mass, or shape.

Dr. Stone handed them to Sue.

"So. Your assignment. Feed some photographs into these; the image processor will workup a full 3D image. Then you and your husband can play. I'd like you to try three scenarios: one where he pretends to be Peter Parker, one where you pretend to be Mary Jane, and one where both of you pretend to be the other."

Sue weighed the image inducers in her palms. Dr. Stone's explanation seemed...reasonable. While the Invisible Woman was still somewhat suspicious of the whole psychiatry process, she had to admit that everything Dr. Stone had said so far had rung true. And the thought of having sex with Reed, while he was wearing Peter's face...or her while she wore Mary Jane's...the heroine admitted to herself that the idea sounded kinky. Totally unlike their normal bedroom play.

She wanted to see the results.

Dr. Stone watched Sue Storm, her implants ready. At a moment's notice she could send out a gravimetric pulse that would knock Sue's brain into a receptive, suggestible state. Yet the villain didn't want to rely on that ability too heavily. It had limits, and there was always the risk of discovery. Best to manipulate Sue naturally, while she could.

"Alright," Sue said. "But I'm not sure what my husband will think of this 'homework assignment.'"

The psychiatrist smile. "I'm sure you can convince him to participate."