Happily Ever After?

AN: Hi, once again I must disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN X-MEN! After buying the X-3 DVD, I am not sure that I want to. (Lack of new features is certainly disappointing). So, I am not affiliated with Marvel at all. Sit back and enjoy, and if you like it, please review. If you don't, please review and tell me why.

Thank You,

Bry

Chapter One

Bath Salts

The blinds were drawn. The room was dark. Only a solitary stream of light filtered through the clear windowpane. The wind blew softly outside with the autumn colored leaves rustling. It was the perfect time in the morning. Ok, afternoon.

Marie D'Ancanto stretched out her arms before cradling the pillow against her dark auburn hair. Everything was perfect.

She nestled back into the warm spot underneath the quilt and smiled. Just thinking about the night before made her blush. Oh, Bobby. She giggled out loud. Who would have thought it? Rogue, correction Marie, actually… She couldn't even form the words in her head. So instead she rolled herself into the quilt and snuggled tighter.

She was a small girl so her curled up body barely took up a quarter of the full bed. She had the Southern creamy complexion that only made her bottle green eyes stand out more. Her hair was a dark brown that matched the dark mahogany headboard of the bed. Only the stark white streak of hair that was currently masking her face seemed out of place. Thankfully it was the only thing that made her not normal anymore.

Just a month before she hadn't been so normal. She hadn't been so sane either. Marie D'Ancanto was a mutant named Rogue. A mutant. What a thought. To think, a month before she was an outcast and a freak. People wanted her to die without even know her name. They feared her just for the word. Mutant.

She smiled. Rogue was no more. She was a simple Marie. Marie from southern Mississippi. Marie who has a family and friends. Marie who had a lover. She giggled at that word. Could anyone ever guess that she would have a lover?

She tossed the quilt of her body. It was too late in the day to be laying around in bed. She skipped over to her closet and slugged into a baby blue flannel robe and tied it closed with two tight knots. She fluffed out her hair from underneath the collar.

Marie walked softly over the pine floorboards and crossed the threshold to her bathroom. She reached into the bathtub and turned the water on. She sprinkled a few capfuls of bath salt and took in a deep breath. The smell of lavender floated through the small room. The floors were covered in cream tiles and the walls painted a soft rose. The pedestal sink didn't offer much space for cosmetics, but Rogue had never been known for being girly. What reason did she have to before? Why rub body cream on your hands if no one could touch them? Why put conditioners in your hair if no one can touch it? Why darken your lips with lipstick if no one could kiss them? There was no reason. Just one month before she could kill someone by the mere brush of the hand. An accidental touch was lethal. She was a mutant. She was a true rogue.

She shook her head. Marie stood in front of the old mirror. The glass was clouding with steam but she could still she her face. She was Marie now. She wouldn't be hurting anyone like that again. She smiled. She certainly proved that when Bobby had kissed her goodbye this morning. Marie twirled with the thought as she undid the sash on her robe and tossed the robe to the ground.

She sat on the edge of the porcelain tub and eased her foot it. The water burned. Just a bit too hot. She cranked the water handle to cool. Within moments she was sinking in the water and letting herself be submerged with the warm water and feelings. Life definitely couldn't get better.

When the FDA first released the cure, Marie had to think whether or not if she would take it? Was it worth being different if her life would be horrible? Storm had been outraged that she had even considered taking it. There was nothing wrong with being a mutant. There was nothing wrong with them. Oh, how easy was it to judge when Storm's power only included changing the weather. Sure, she could harm people, but only with her own decision to do so!

Marie had no choice. No one asked her if she wanted to be deadly. If she had been able to control her gift, correction her curse, maybe she wouldn't have let the nurse insert the needle into her skin. Maybe she would still be different. But she was hurting. It hurt her to see Bobby be able to hold Kitty's hand without him being in pain. It hurt to want to just hug him against her so badly but not be able to.

Marie soaked deeper into the tub. Her power had been to steal. To touch someone else's flesh with hers was an experience that she never wanted to feel again. First she would shock their nervous system, comparable to being hooked up the a car battery. Next she would steal their natural abilities or powers if they were mutant. Then she would steal their thoughts, their desires, and their dreams. Their voices and personalities would haunt her for weeks at a time. Finally there would be death. Not that she ever got to the point before, but she knew it was possible. The scariest part of her power was that she loved every touch. It was like nothing else to feel the power course her body. There was nothing like being able to be who ever she wanted. To feel their life force charge her batteries was like being on drugs. It was an experience that could become addicting. She had never been that scared before in her life.

What good had she ever done with her power anyway? She was horrible in battle. The first time her power was used it was against her will when Magneto hooked her up to his mutant making machine. The device that was directly responsible for her white streak of hair. Luckily Logan had been able to cut her out with his adimantium claws before she turned all of New York City and the United Nations Summit into a group of mutants, whom all would have died since the machines mutations were not stable. Great job, Rogue. Or, let's not forget the time at Alkali Lake where the only thing she could do to help was damage a plane instead of flying one. One of the many reasons that Dr. Jean Grey got out of the Blackbird and died. Actually instead of dying became a demon that not only killed her love, Scott Summers, or Professor Xavier, the one who founded the school for mutants where she still lived, but also Jean or the Phoenix as she had liked to been called, killed hundreds of mutants and US soldiers while destroying Alcatraz Island. Not that Logan received any guilt when he had to kill Jean, his only love. No. If only Rogue knew how to fly the jet.

Marie dunked her head under the water, her knees popping to surface. She held her breath for as long as she could, letting the feelings of guilt wash away. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't her fault. She surfaced for air, gasping for breath. It was so easy to let herself fall into a state of guilt. That was all her power allowed her to feel. Guilt. Better off gone. She was normal now.

Wiping her face with a washcloth, she felt better. Better not to think about it. Think about Bobby. Robert Drake, her boyfriend for the last two years. The only one who had continued to try to get not only physically but also emotionally close to her. Not that it was that difficult this last month. Her smile came back to her face and slid back into the tub.

Marie stepped out of the bathroom after an hour in her blue robe. Selecting her bra and panties with care, she dressed herself in front of her dresser. She shimmied into a pair of dark jeans. Opening up her shirt drawer, she stopped. The sun was shining bright outside, but it surely would be chilly with the New York fall. The green sweater Jubilee had bought for her last birthday probably would be for the best. It was pretty, being the color of her eyes, but it covered so much of her skin. The turtleneck covered her throat, and the sleeves hung lower than it probably should. Jubilee had been kind enough to know what kind of clothing made it easy for Rogue not to feel like a freak. But now, without having to worry about killing anybody by displaying her wrists, Marie wanted to wear something a little bit more, well, revealing. She grabbed one of her sleep t-shirts instead. Sleep had been the only time Rogue dared to be normal. Well, until the government had attacked the school. She had been testing out a night gown that showed way more skin than she had ever dared in the past but ended up regretting it while she ran around worrying about killing people with a touch. Long sleeved shirts had been the way to go ever since.

Marie tugged on the hem of the purple t-shirt. She crossed her arms against her chest and rubbed her arms. She was free! She ran a brush through her wet hair and decided to let it air dry. Her stomach was growling and it was way past time to go find something to eat.

She all but danced down the hallway and slid down the stairs. If this is what having a cloud at your feet felt like, then she was never going to regret cloudy days. She zipped down the school corridor and snuck back into the kitchen. The mansion was silent, with it being Tuesday. All the kids had school. And all the mutant staff was teaching so Marie had the place to herself. She popped open the fridge and pulled out the fixings for a sandwich while sticking a pickle in her mouth. She twirled around to the main island and started doing a little dance to the music in her head. It was jumbling and crazy and full of happiness as was her dance. She could barely settle down and sit on one of the stools when she heard the sound of clapping behind her. She whipped her head around so fast her mane of hair cover her eyes that she had to push it back before she could see her admirer.

"Wickedly done, Rogue." Bobby, her Bobby, was leaning against the door jam with a smile on his face. "Nice to see you recovered from last night."

Marie picked up her neatly cut sandwich and started chewing on the end.

"Oh come on, don't tell me know you are shy." Bobby walked into the room laughing at his own choice of words.

Marie continued eating her sandwich.

He stood behind her stool, his six foot four frame towering her petite body. He was starting to get nervous. "Rogue?"

She gently put her sandwich down and turned to look at him. With her Southern twang she replied, "My name is Marie."

Bobby sighed. He wrapped his arms around her body, and purposely placed his hands on her arms. "Trust me, I know." He kissed her cheek. "I am sorry, Marie, old habits."

She turned her head so her face was facing his. "Let's make sure to create some new ones." She kissed him hard, experiencing a new sense of power that was still new to her. The power over a man. Finally she let him go.

Bobby smiled again. "There is the girl I remember from last night," he said. "How are you feeling… are you feeling ok?"

"Just perfect."

"I mean, you aren't hurting right?"

His concern was just so adorable. "I feel perfect."

"Good, I just know you have never…"

She quieted him with a kiss.

"Point taken."

She went back to enjoying her sandwich. With a full mouth she asked, "Why aren't you in class right now? I thought you were in charge of Algebra?"

"I let the kids out early today. They are too excited with the Halloween Party tomorrow night to care about math."

"A crime against the world."

He poked her in the ribs. "Just because it took Scott all his free time to ensure you passed your final math exam to graduate last year doesn't mean you can make fun of the wonderful world of math."

"I remember how frustrated Scott was with me. He only looked that way any other time when Logan made moves at Jean…" Marie stopped. "Oh, Scott."

Suddenly the pain of grief came back fiercely. Scott was barely dead for a couple months. That was why Bobby had stepped into his job.

"At least he doesn't have to hurt about Jean anymore."

"Yeah."

Bobby looked up at the clock that was on top of the cabinets. "Oh, I am going to be late for Geometry. I will see you for dinner though, right?"

"No problem."

"I love you, Marie."

She smiled at him, "I love you too, Bobby."

For the first time in a while, Marie was able not to watch him walk away. She knew he was coming back.