There was a crack that resounded through the entire valley. The squabbling of the grounded jet stopped as every eye turned toward the bleak crack in the wall of dusty concrete, Storm reacted first - trying still harder to raise the jet from the floor despite the impossibility. There was nothing anyone else could do, just watch the crack grow larger and larger as the heart beats in the cabin seemed to synchronise with terror at the sure doom that was about to befall them.
Bobby clung to Rouge's gloved hand, his piercing blue eyes not meeting her eyes, fixed upon the crack in the dam, Rouge looked down, unable to bare looking at the people in the cabin. Was this her fault? She had not known with any idea how to land the jet, landing heavily she would not be surprised if it was her that had made the plane unable to start. She pulled her hand away from Bobby's scared and guilty and young and stupid. He met her eyes, sorrow so very present there, he forced a smile, then turned back to the dam. Rouge stood, hearing another crack, but this one was drawn out, longer, and with a resounding finality in it. Rouge looked towards the ramp at the back of the plane; Jean was nearing it, her leg trailing in a limp, Rouge was silent as she walked towards her. She knew very well what Jean was planning to do. But Rouge was not about to let her do it. She pulled the creamy glove from her hand and it dropped to the floor, placing her pale hand to the back of Jean Grey's neck.
Jean gasped very quietly as she felt the pull of her life from her, she stumbled as Rouge used her extraordinary power to tear away every memory of her life, her strength, but most importantly; her power. Jean fell back and Rouge caught her, laying her down gently, feeling the flow of a thousand new memories and emotions and inside her head, memories of Scott and The Professor, of Logan and her parents, Logan and even Rouge herself, an entire life forced itself into Rouge's mind as she felt her head throb, but she forced herself forward, ignoring the people behind her, the people she knew and loved and cared for, but, then again, that was why she had to leave them. She left the jet for Bobby, for Logan, The Professor and for Jean and for Scott; People with lives and families and homes, futures and pasts and plans. Jean had been ready to sacrifice herself for them, despite her happy past, her loving fiancee, her great job, her adoring students. What did Rouge have?
And so Rouge walked down the jet's ramp, using the stolen power of telekinesis to keep it shut behind her as she heard someone yell behind her. It sounded like Bobby, Rouge was sad she had not said her goodbyes to him; he would not understand, Logan would be furious, she thought grimly to herself, if there were any chance of her survival he would have yelled and shrieked and acted like the most frustrating father in the universe. But Rouge hoped he would forgive her
The dam had cracked long ago, streams of water leaking from it, pouring out slowly with every massive bang and screech of collapsing concrete and steel, but when the floods of water flew from it; no barriers, and nothing to stop it, it did so with an abrupt silence; like some terrible punishment from a furious god, it raced towards her as she faced it, tonnes and tonnes of liquid that may well have been a great wall of the searing blue. Rouge wondered if she had enough power for this.
She threw her arms in front of her, her mind screaming as she fixed everything she had on keeping it back, pushing the power inside her into a great wall of pure energy. her eyes slammed shut, her brow dripping with sweat, she felt the weight of the water, not on her body, but on her consciousness, feeling every overpowering drop of crystal powering against her. And against that she was nearly sunk.
She heard the professor's voice in her head, telling her, asking her, begging her, to return to the jet, but she could not help from the jet, keeping the water back would not be enough. She could not hold it of enough; she turned her body slightly, one arms still holding the massive wall of ocean she extended another arm towards the stationary jet, stretching another part of her mind to push the plane into the sky; her mind clawed at her skull in agony, begging for any kind of end as the power she threw around her ripped at her mind. The water she held back came closer, the water that seeped through reaching her as it soaked her shoes in ice that she could barely feel. But it did not matter; because the jet was beginning to rise. She felt the night crawler try and teleport towards her but she blocked it, keeping him where he was.
The jet was far above her head now, but she could still here the people inside it yelling at her, and the Professor yelling at her mind as he could feel the pain she was in now.
'Rouge, there are other ways to solve this, you cannot allow yourself to be taken to save us.'
'Watch me, Professor,' she sent him the message almost smiling, very aware of her stubbornness.
'Professor; something is wrong with Jean, there is something inside her, it is called the Phoenix, it's taking her over. She need help.' She used all the energy she could to make it sound urgent, but her strength was waning, her eyelids drooped as she felt drained of everything she had. Tears of pure exhaustion dribbling from her eyes,
'Professor, can you tell the guys a few things for me?' The professor finally ceased his inwards pleas for her attention as she pooled all her remaining strength, the jet would soon be high enough to get away, but she could not resist the urge to say goodbye to the only people that had ever loved her. She wished she could tell each of them individually, but she did not have the power, her brain felt on the urge of desiccation, the great wall of water barley feet from her as she pushed the jet higher and higher, feeling the intense weight of so much on a teenager's shoulders.
'I'm not sorry.' she knew the professor would speak her words, 'Don't blame yourselves, or be sad or… anything,' Tears were flowing like rivers down her cheeks, dripping from her chin, she cried out in agony as she nearly lost her hold on the water and let it encase her and the jet, 'I wanted to say thank you to all; The man that saved my life to many times to count,' To Logan, her permeant saviour and hero always, 'To the professor and the teachers that let me be part of something when no one else would have, and to Bobby,' To Bobby she honestly did not know what to say to him, and what she did want to say to him she did not want anyone else to hear, she drew on that need and projected these thoughts into his mind alone, she heard him beg her to get back on the jet in vain but his mind clogged in shock at her voice in his head,
'Thank you Bobby, you trusted me, always, and i…' Rouge fell to her knees in the effort of everything; of fighting the water and the night crawler who was still persisting, but what hurt more was that she had to say goodbye to Bobby, '…and i loved you for it. Hell; i loved you for everything, and the only thing i regret from today is that i can't be with you anymore.'
Rouge bowed her head.
That was it. Rouge she had gotten the jet away, she had held away the water and she had saved the people she loved. Rouge had said her goodbyes. It was done now. She had though tit would be hard; to let the water go and let it's crushing strength rip her apart, but it wasn't; her mind was worn, tired, she felt old, a thousand years old and dead and as though she just needed an end.
She let go.
I have no idea why this ended up Rouge/Bobby considering i hate that pairing and i'm a ROGAN supporter forever, but anyways,,
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