Disclaimer: Don't own the X-Men movie franchise... yet.
4 A.M. Mansion Lobby
"What the hell do you think you're doing," Logan growled at the sight before him. It was the last thing he expected to see while doing his daily early morning rounds of the Mansion grounds.
Rogue was standing there, in the same long green trench coat she had been in when he found her. Pale white streaks framed her rosy cheeks. Her scarf was wrapped tightly around her neck, and her leather gloved hands clung to an overstuffed grey duffle bag.
"Oh, Logan. I-I-I didn't expect to see you out this late." She stuttered out, her eyes on the floor. I can't face him. This was the man that had graciously, albeit reluctantly given her a ride and food when she had nowhere else to go. He was the man who had almost given his life for hers; the man who had held on to her skin, knowing she was the only person in the world with the power to kill her. The man who resides in her mind now, fending off Magneto's overbearing mental presence .
"Are you running?" he nodded towards her bag, "Is this because of Bobby?" In Logan's opinion, Bobby Drake was the recipe for disaster. He was popular and fawned over by almost all the school's female population. There was no way he would settle for a girl he couldn't touch, especially when plenty of others were at his beck and call. Though anything with Rogue would be far from settling, Logan mused.
"No. Okay, yes, but that's only part of it. I'm going to… I'm going to get the cure. You don't know what it's like for me Logan. To be afraid of your powers. To be afraid to get close to anybody," Rogue instantly regretted her words. She knew first hand that Logan had been afraid for a long time to get close to anyone. The bloodthirsty animal inside of him had ruled his life for too many years. Even though he would never admit it, she knows he has pondered the idea of a normal life.
"Yeah, I do," he said simply. He could sense in Rogue's expression that she had intended no harm with her words. It was times like these that he wondered how much she actually knew about him.
"I wanna be able to touch people Logan. A hug, a handshake, a kiss," she finally lifted her eyes to look at his face. He was dressed in X-Men issued sweats and a wife beater, his mutton chops rough and black hair disheveled. His eyes wrinkled in concern.
"I hope you're not doing this for some boy," Logan began. Rogue was a looker and that was an indisputable fact in his opinion. He wasn't sure sure if it was her deathly skin or his fleeting moral compass that kept him from ravishing her. He liked to pretend it was the latter, even though he knew physical touch is only so important. Logan took a step towards her, "Look kid, if you wanna go, then go. Just be sure it's what you want,"
"Shouldn't you be telling me to stay. To unpack my bag and go to bed?" Marie glanced at Logan in confusion. In a way, she felt slightly hurt. There was a hole of loneliness inside of her and she desperately craved for someone to fill it, to care about her. She liked to believe that Logan cared about her, despite the Logan in her mind constantly reminding her that he was a lone wolf.
"You're a tough kid, Rogue. I'm not your father, I'm your friend. Just be safe out there," he placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. Then he brought her in for a hug. He had given everything he could to his pup, but now it was time for her to find herself. He, more than anyone, knew the value of identity.
Rogue couldn't help herself from tensing up, but she allowed herself to be held by Logan in that moment. It was rare to be embraced like this. Logan was the only one who dared to touch her since her powers manifested. She knew that no matter what happened, she would hold a spot for him in her heart. "It's Marie," she muttered meekly as she left his embrace. I'm gonna miss him.
"Marie," he repeated. "Goodbye Marie," Just when he thought he could let her go, she goes and tells him her birth name. For a fleeting moment, he wished he could tell her to stay, but he didn't. Instead he watched her leave through the door and lingered in the last of her comforting scent.
"Goodbye Logan," Rogue smiled and stepped out the Mansion's front door. She closed the door softly behind her and stood there on the Mansion's front steps for a long time, fingering Logan's dog tags that hung around her neck. She thinks for a split second, that maybe she was being impulsive, that she should turn around and go back to her room, but the voices in her head chide her. Finally, she takes a deep breath and descends down the mansion's steps. I guess this chapter is done.
7:30 A.M. Professor Xavier's Office
"You did what?" Scott shouted as Logan recounted what had transpired between him and Rogue just a few hours earlier. "You just let her leave the school! Just like that?" He wore navy blue slacks, a crisp white polo shirt, and his signature rose quartz shades.
Logan sighed. In place of his baggy sweat suit he wore distressed jeans and a simple black t-shirt that stretched taut over his muscles. He was in no mood to argue, especially with the ever prudent Scott. All the man seemed to care about was following the rules. He didn't understand what Jean saw in him. Still, he forced his composure, "Listen One-eye, she's practically an adult. I couldn't force her to stay even if she wanted to,"
"She's just barely 17 Logan! She can't handle the world out there on her own. The world is dangerous for mutants," Ororo shouted, her usual calm demeanor lost. She knew from her own experience a decade ago that the streets were no place for a teenager barely on the cusp of womanhood.
"Well she's not going to be one anymore. And Ro', you need to relax. This is the same kid that survived 6 months hitchhiking all the way from Mississippi to Canada. She's a tough pup. She can hold her own," he had long grown irritated with the way his comrades babied the students at the institute. If it was up to him, every student in the building would have been enrolled in at least self defense training following Alkali Lake, but Professor Xavier refused to mandate it.
Ororo glared at Logan, her gaze as piercing as his claws, as she paced back and forth from Professor Xavier's desk, her chunky boot heels clicking on the mahogany from under her usual attire: bootcut black jeans and a white sleeveless blouse. He had been gravely silent throughout the whole ordeal. Perhaps Logan was right about Rogue's resilience, but she couldn't look past the cure, "I just can't believe she would betray her own kind like that. To get the cure! I'm sorry Charles but that is just shameful,"
"You don't know what it's like to be her!" Logan roared. "You're all here fucking high and mighty. You lot are lucky. Some of us don't get to have nice powers." He empathized with Rogue's struggle, and though he did not agree with her decision, he could still support it.
"You think it's easy having to protect everyone from deathly laser beams that come out of your eyes!" Scott shouted back. For most of his life he was relegated to seeing the world in shades of red, unless he wished to kill everyone in sight. He knew the struggle of being denied a basic sense; it wasn't until he learned to control the intensity of his laser beams that he was able to use glasses. Before, he lived in darkness.
"Enough!" Jean shouted, "You're all giving me a migraine. Professor can just find her with Cerebro." She was leaning against the back wall of the office, her arms crossed over her chest. She lacked her usual white lab coat and pristine attire, instead opting for combat boots, heavy duty jeans, and a deep red top. Rude demeanor aside, she had not been feeling her usual self lately.
"No," Professor Xavier finally broke his silence, "the child has made a decision," he looked pointedly towards Ororo, "and we must respect it, regardless of whether or not we agree with it." Though those were the first words he had spoken during the meeting, his mind was working overtime. Recent events deeply troubled him and Rogue was just another strike added to the list. Her powers, once unlocked, could have limitless potential, but she had always been impatient with her training. She was more than just a student. She was a valuable asset lost.
He rolled himself away from his desk and towards the door, speaking all the while, "I'm afraid that Rogue is not the only one who's chosen this path. Several students have already spoke to me about receiving the cure, and many parents have plans to withdraw their children from the institution." With the cure, Rogue's powers would be lost, and their threat gone. He needn't fear her strength falling into the wrong hands again.
"But Professor," Storm moaned, "we cannot let them." Her heart burned at the thought of standing by as the children she had raised gave away their gifts. Sometimes, she wished the Professor would be less diplomatic.
"It's not our choice," he sighed, "We'll continue discussing after lunch, I have a class," He opened the door for his waiting students, Rogue's absence palatable in the air.
8:30 A.M. The Cure Clinic
Rogue had arrived at the Cure Clinic a little bit past sunset. The long ride over left her ruminating over Logan's words, but she couldn't go back now. I'm already here. It's just a needle and I'm done. I'm get to be normal.
To her surprise, there was already a massive crowd present at her arrival. The line of mutants waiting to enter wrapped around the clinic, and dozens of protestors were gathered shouting outside. A chorus of 'Fuck Mutie Scum," and other cruel mutant monikers was all that could be heard. One sign read, "You can't fix God's Mistake, you can only Erase it!"
Rogue kept her eyes to the ground, and tried to ignore the protestors. She had waited for over an hour now, and was only halfway to the front of the line. In line with her, she saw many mutants marked physically by their mutation. Some had scales growing from their limbs, bright colored hair, green skin, and even feathers.
She was one of the more normal looking people in line. She fingered her own white streaks and wondered if they would be removed with her cure. Maybe things aren't all that bad for me. As doubts crept into her mind, she remembered what had happened the previous night.
Bobby hastily tried the handle of his room, it was locked. Kitty giggled before she grabbed his arm and phased them in. To their shock, Rogue sat on his bed, facing them. She was clad in a simple nightgown and satin robe, her gloves nowhere in sight.
"I thought you went to bed," Bobby said sheepishly, tugging at the sleeve of his worn out hoodie, "It's not what it looks like babe,"
Kitty, in her polka dotted pajama shorts and oversized pink sweater, kept her eyes on the ground, ashamed to look her friend in the eye. She never really considered Rogue's feelings until the moment she actually had to face her.
"Don't lie to me Bobby. I've known about this for a while. I just don't understand why you didn't tell me. Why you didn't end things!" Rogue whispered angrily, rising from the bed. The first time Rogue spotted Bobby and Kitty together, in the common room cuddling in the wee hours of the night, she convinced herself it was nothing to fret over; Bobby and Kitty we're simple good friends and had been since before her arrival. As time went on, Rogue's suspicions grew, but were still technically unsubstantiated. That was, until the day caught the duo making out while ice skating.
"I..uh. I think I should leave. I'm sorry Rogue," Kitty stuttered and phased right through the floor before Rogue could respond. There was no point in trying to talk to Rogue now. Kitty would face her once her rage subsided.
"I didn't want to hurt you," he whispered angrily, throwing his arms up, "I care about you Rogue! It just sucks that we can't touch you know. I just…" As much as Bobby liked Rogue, he was having doubts about their relationship. These doubts led him to explore other options in a hope to convince himself that what he had with Rogue was irreplaceable. This backfired, obviously.
"Couldn't keep it in your damn pants!" Rogue yelled, still whispering. Her voice was cracking now, "I can't believe you'd do this to me Bobby, after all we've been through," She felt so foolish for thinking that shared trauma and interests would be enough to sustain a relationship. She wanted so badly to slap him.
Rogue started walking towards him, her fists clenched at her sides, and Bobby stepped back. A look of fear flashed across his face, but he quickly recomposed himself.
It didn't matter though, because she had seen it. "You're scared of me… God you're scared of me," she let out a sob and ran out the door. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks as she struggled to choke back her crying.
A little while later Bobby came to her room. He sat at the foot of her bed where she was curled up fetal style and began to ramble in a pathetic attempt to justify his actions. Rogue paid no mind to his words as she stared at her gloved hands.
Rogue could not even bear to look at Bobby. The image of him recoiling from her touch was forever ingrained into her mind. This boy who had on multiple occasions told her he loved her, was completely and utterly terrified of her. This boy who had loved her cheated on her with her best friend.
Finally, after apologizing and breaking up with her, Bobby left her room.
"Good night Marie,"
She could feel her eyes watering as she remembered the look on his face. Bobby was terrified of her. Of her skin. Her poisonous skin. God, I hate this curse.
Professor Xavier had reasoned that her power was a defense mechanism, meant to protect her from harm. Instead, she felt isolated and alone. It protected her from danger, but also prevented her from being normal.
It was then that she spotted a familiar face in the front of the crowd. John had just pushed his way past one of the protestors and was in clear sight of the building. She blinked. It can't be. I haven't seen him since Akali.
Rogue felt her stomach turn upside down and panic began to erupt from within her. If John was here, then the rest of the brotherhood couldn't be far behind.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," she cried angrily as she saw John raise his hand. She knew what he was going to do.
Until next time! What is the Brotherhood up to? Will Rogue change her mind? How will the mansion react to her disappearance? Tune in next time to find out the answers to all these questions and more.
Seriously though if you got this far, thank you for reading! I would really, really, really appreciate a review. I really would like to improve my writing to the best it can be. I have just recently got back into writing, and I think this time I will finally actually finish a story! I also hope to repair and continue my past stories. The next Chapter will be up within a week!
xoxo crimsonguillotine