A/N: So….This is the fic I promised the reviewers of Old Curses and Mardi Gras. It isn't a sequel, so if you are new to this story, you don't have to read my other story. I just hope you enjoy this one, (it'll be a little longer and darker than my last one) and review!
Disclaimer: I don't own Xmen. As much as I would like to. Or maybe just Gambit…Mmm….Ahem, um…it belongs to Marvel.
The tears were silent. She could have wiped them away, but seeing as they had been falling for about ten minutes, she figured she might as well let them finish. She had to admit, she had been stupid. Foolish, really, to think that she could have peace at last. That maybe she had suffered enough. But no, she was cursed, and she would forever be doomed to this untouchable fate.
"Rogue?"
Rogue looked up, not bothering to straighten her rumpled appearance as Dr. Hank McCoy entered the infirmary where she had been sitting. She knew her eyes were bloodshot, her hair mussed, and her whole persona broken. But at this point, she didn't care. She'd had enough trying to look good for others. In the end, it never did any good.
"Yeah?" Her voice was emotionless, despite the crying. She actually found it kind of funny. At that moment, she didn't feel anything. However, the tears still slid down her pale cheeks. Damn, she thought, I could use a drink. Or a nap, not really sure which.
Dr. McCoy approached her, clipboard in hand. He pulled a chair up to Rogue's table, sitting across from her. He put his glasses back on and looked away from the exhausted teenager to his papers.
"First of all, let me just say that this wasn't your fault. You didn't know this could happen. No one knew. For all we knew, your powers were gone for good. And in a few days, he'll be fine. He's already awake." Dr. McCoy gave her a kind smile that she didn't have the energy to return. Instead, in that emotionless voice, she gave her opinion.
"That doesn't change the fact that Ah did it. Not knowing isn't an excuse, it's a copout. It was mah fault."
Dr. McCoy's eyebrows knitted together and his smile fell. "Rogue, you can't mean that. As I said, Bobby will be fine, we just ran some tests and-"
"Dr. McCoy, with all due respect, if that was all that you came here to say to me, Ah'm gonna go." Rogue said, cutting him off and jumping from the table she was sitting on.
"No, that wasn't all I was going to tell you. I was going to talk to you about your powers. Perhaps we can figure out the reason that they returned." Dr. McCoy said, getting up out of his chair and following Rogue across the room. Rogue paused, hand on the door and turned back to face him.
"Ah don't need science to tell me Ah'm cursed, Dr. McCoy. Ah guess I just wasn't meant to be normal." She whispered, and was gone. Dr. McCoy didn't even try to call after her.
"Cut the crap and give us some real answers, Furball." Logan said as he lit a cigar. The late Professor Charles Xavier's study was crowded with himself, Dr. McCoy, Kurt Wagner, and the Xavier Institute's new Headmistress, Ororo Munroe, or Storm.
"Logan." Storm warned, but her tone was lax. She turned to Dr. McCoy. "Hank, you said you wanted to talk to us about Rogue's powers. I hate to rush you, but I need to get the details quickly so I can contact the government. They need to know about her case."
Dr. McCoy gave her a said smile as he took off his reading glasses and leaned toward her from his place seated on the couch. "I don't think that the time I take to tell you about her powers would be long enough to take up much time, even if it mattered."
"What do you mean, if it mattered?" Storm's tone was no longer lax. In a split second it had take on the authorative nature with which she ran the institute.
"I mean..." Dr. McCoy sighed. There was no way around this. "I already called the President. He won't allow media coverage and he won't allow me to call in other scientists. At least, not yet."
For a moment, the whole room was silent. Logan bit down hard on his cigar, sending ash falling to the carpet. A low, predatory growl escaped him. Storm stared at Dr. McCoy, unable to believe her ears. She exchanged worried and confused looks with Kurt before Kurt broke the silence with his German accent.
"I don't understand. Vhy vould the government do nothing? This has the potential to a huge disaster. If Magneto or any of his followers were to regain their powers…" He trailed off, looking from one X-man to the next.
"Hey, you got no right talking about Magneto and his followers when you weren't even there, Bub." Logan growled, pointing his cigar at Kurt for emphasis. Kurt's eyes widened.
"You know I vas in Germany. Had anyvone contacted me, I vould have been here as soon as I could." Kurt said quietly.
"Well you wouldn't have been in Germany if you hadn't an away from here in the first place," Logan said tightly.
"I did not run avay! The life of an X-man did not appeal to me, thus I respectfully declined the Professor's offer to stay here. As it is, I am back because Storm called me and told me she needed my aid as a teacher. I did not know that I vas a black sheep!" Kurt had gotten down from his seat on the fireplace mantle.
"If you wanna start somethin', Blueboy…" Logan began to stride across the room to meet Kurt.
"Enough!" Storm stepped in between them, putting her hands on each of their chests. "Enough. This is not the time for us to be arguing amongst ourselves. We have to handle this. We've had a few months of relative peace, let's not let this issue ruin everything."
Logan and Kurt eyed each other, but Storm's presence settled the fight. Logan grunted and went back to his corner while Kurt apologized and leapt back up to his seat on the mantle. When Storm was sure they weren't about to tear each other's throats out again, (or, rather, Logan wasn't) she gestured for Dr. McCoy to continue.
He cleared his throat. "Well, to answer Mr. Wagner's question, the reason they will do nothing is because they believe this could be an isolated instance. They don't want to accept the face that their 'cure' didn't work. They are afraid to cause a disturbance in case Magneto, if he is unaware of his powers, hears of it. Also, even if Magneto has already learned of his powers, news like this could terrorize the public.
"Thus I understand their motives, however, their failure to realize this as a stage during which they should act, they decide to hide. Is our government really so full of so many cowards?"
His question wasn't directed to anyone in the room, rather it was just him thinking out loud, letting the other X-men in the room digest his information. Storm crossed her arms. "I can't help but think that if the Professor was here he would know what to do." She murmured, her voice wavering slightly.
Logan, watching her carefully, put a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently, though subtly. However, Kurt watched the simple motion with surprising attention.
Storm shook her head to clear it and Logan dropped his hand, stepping back and facing his body slightly away from her. "Well that takes care of that for now, I suppose. Hank, I want to talk to you after this and see if we can come up with a way to warn people about this. For the time being, however, I believe this whole meeting came about because you had something to tell us about Rogue." Storm said.
"Ah, yes." Dr. McCoy started, putting his glasses back down and looking at the clipboard he had clutched in his blue furry hand. "As you know, Rogue's powers were not permanently suppressed as the 'cure' was meant to do. It seems they were only temporarily suppressed. I did some blood tests, and you'll be surprised to hear what I found. While the 'cure' did not work in the ways it was recorded to, what it did was alter Rogue's X-gene. Rogue's powers are uncontrollable. She touches someone and she absorbs their powers, thoughts, memories. But now that her genes have been altered, it seems that her powers may need a trigger now to work. For example, my hypothesis is that her powers can be triggered by emotions, such as passion or anger." He stopped while the new information soaked in.
Logan had looked up sharply, his eyebrows slightly knitted but his eyes widened. "So what you're saying is…" He trailed off, focused totally on Dr. McCoy.
"With some training, Rogue may be able to control her powers." Dr. McCoy finished.
The silence that descended was unearthly. You could hear a pin drop. Everyone's eyes were wide in shock.
Eventually, once the initial shock had past, it was Storm who spoke up. "Have you told her this yet?"
Dr. McCoy sighed. "No. I tried, but she is very upset by this recent accident. I don't think she's in any mood to hear that her powers may be controllable. Not at this time, anyway. Besides that, I want to run some more tests to see if my hypothesis is correct. The last thing I want to do is tell her about this and be wrong. It would crush her."
Storm understood, as did Logan and Kurt, but Logan was torn. "Are you sure we shouldn't at least tell her? Tell her she could control it? Maybe then she'll go along with the testing easier." He said.
"Logan, this is a delicate matter for her. Think about the consequences if I'm wrong. Just let her be for now. We need to know if her powers are controllable before we tell her." Dr. McCoy replied.
"Yeah, but we've all seen what happens when we neglect to tell people about their powers around here." Logan said, her voice edgy.
"If you're referring to Jean, Logan, this isn't the same thing." Storm said sharply. Logan spared her a glance, and shut his mouth to whatever else he was going to say.
"I'm out of here." He growled, yanking the nearby door open.
"Logan, just promise you won't tell Rogue about this." Dr. McCoy got to his feet.
Logan kept moving. "Logan promise me you won't tell her." Storm tried. Logan paused for the briefest moment, then he was gone.
"Hey there." Bobby's voice was slow and quiet, very breathy as Rogue entered the section of the infirmary he was being kept at. Looking at the IV in his arm, knowing it was only there because of her, twisted her heart.
She wanted to say she was sorry. She wanted to cry her eyes out. She wanted to throw herself on him and never let go. But seeing him like that, looking so fragile, she couldn't. Instead, she managed a feeble, "How ya feelin?"
He smiled. Or, rather, he tried to. All he managed was a small twitch at the corners of his mouth. "I kinda feel like I got hit with the Blackbird." Even hurt he was trying to joke.
"It was only a kiss." Rogue said quietly, averting her eyes as she sat down on the corner of his bed.
She heard him take a deep breath, and his fingers close around her newly gloved hand. "I know. It wasn't your fault."
"Don't say that." Rogue murmured, barely audible.
"When…I get out of here, we…can still find a way around it." Bobby breathed. His eyes were closed and for a while she just listened to him breathing, wishing more than ever that she could feel his hair in her bare fingers once again. His hold on her fingers was weakening, and she squeezed his hand back. She had come here for a specific reason, and if he fell asleep now, she didn't think she'd have the courage to do so later.
"Bobby Ah think…Ah think we should just forget about this. Us. Obviously it isn't going to work. Ah mean, Ah nearly kill you when Ah so much as kiss you. And Ah've seen the way you look at Kitty. You don't have to say anything, Ah understand. It would just be best for both of us, maybe more for me, if we just call this off. We can still be friends, its just.." Rogue couldn't think of anything to say. It had started as a flow of words she had rehearsed earlier that day, but now she had run out of words.
"Rogue…" Bobby was nearly inaudible. "I don't think this is better but…If that's the way you see it…"
Her eyes stung with tears as she smiled and squeezed his fingers. "Thank you Bobby. I'm sorry." But her words fell on deaf ears. He was already asleep. A single tear slipped down her cheek, and she put her hand on Bobby's head, kissing the back of her hand.
"So…what? You just broke up with him?" Rogue was back in her room, Kitty and Jubilee having followed her in for a 'chat' about her recent problems.
"Yeah, we did. Ah just couldn't stand not being able to… you know…satisfy him. It was really frustratin'." Rogue replied.
Jubilee put a hand on her knee. "I'm sorry. If its any consolation, my last boyfriend broke up with me when he found out I was a mutant. At least Bobby tried to work around your mutation."
Rogue gave her a small smile. "Yeah" Kitty said. "And I hope you're telling us the truth, 'cause if he broke up with you because of your powers, we'd have a serious talk with him." She made a gesture of slamming a fist into her palm, and Rogue laughed despite herself.
"He likes you, you know." Rogue offered to Kitty. Kitty's eyes widened and Jubilee stiffened. "He does?" Kitty asked.
Jubilee's palm hit her face. "Are you kidding me? Are you blind?"
Kitty just still looked blank, and Rogue laughed again. "She's just too busy watching Piotr carry TV's across the mansion." She said.
It was Jubilee's turn to laugh, and Kitty's face lit up with a fierce blush. "That was one time!" She shrieked, play-slapping Jubilee's thigh.
Rogue watched them play-fight as they bantered and she could already feel her depression evaporating. They were always really good at making her feel better.
"You know what we should do?" Jubilee asked suddenly. She was met with two blank expressions. "We should go hit the club."
"Its nine-thirty. We'll never get out of here and back without getting in loads of trouble." Kitty said. Rogue smiled at her. "You can walk through walls, Kitty." And that pretty much settled the matter.
Half an hour later three girls found themselves in one of the downtown clubs they had snuck out to before. When you know a computer genius who can walk through walls, fake I.D's were an easy business. In fact, the fake I.D.'s were only for the sake of drinking if they wanted to. They were only eighteen, sure, and normal eighteen-year-olds would need fake I.D's to get into a club, but again, with a friend who can walk through walls…
"See? This is just what you need." Jubilee yelled over the music to Rogue. Rogue wasn't too sure. It had sounded okay in her room, but when Jubilee and Kitty had shoved her into the outfit they had concocted that was made of tight black leggings and a tight, long sleeved green mesh dress, she wasn't so sure. Especially when the black knee length high heeled boots had gone on. Call her old fashioned, but it wasn't them most satisfying feeling when you knew your black bra was clearly visible through your mesh.
She couldn't complain about the fact that almost all of her skin was covered as soon as she had slipped on her black leather gloves. It was horrible knowing she still had to rely on those, but that was just what she had to deal with, she supposed.
She, Jubilee, and Kitty found a spot on the dance floor and began to dance. Rogue had always liked dancing, and as she felt the rhythm move through her, she thought, who cares if I can't be touched? Doesn't that just make dancing like this all the more fun? To show all those disgusting men just what they couldn't have? She laughed at the thought, and continued moving her body.
She was getting used to the jostling of bodies against her in the cramped space, but suddenly she felt a larger, firm hand close around her left butt cheek, and that she wasn't used to. She let out a surprised shriek and turned around just in time to see a gloved hand slip back into the throng of dancers. Her cheeks blazed and she was furious. Screw dancing, she wanted to find that guy and deck him!
"Something wrong?" Kitty called, her voice barely noticeable above the music. Rogue gestured for the bar, and Kitty nodded in understanding, turning back to her dancing.
Rogue slumped down into a barstool. She knew she'd never find the culprit of her groping, but she thought maybe if she had a drink in her she'd feel better. She didn't drink often, so she drank only if she was with friends in case she drank more than she could handle which, she admitted, wasn't much.
"Bartender, A long Island Iced Tea." She called. The bartender looked up at her, looked her over, then nodded.
She turned her back to the bar and looked back at the dance floor. She could barely make out Jubilee's shining 'X' earrings in the flashing lights. But that was alright with her. They always met up by the bar around midnight. She wasn't worried about losing them.
She heard a clunk and turned to see the bartender had set her drink down. She reached into her pocket for her money, noticing with satisfaction that the man hadn't even asked her for her I.D.
She was about to deposit her money into the bartender's meaty hand when another hand got to it first. She looked up to see a man, head mostly in shadow, rattle a complicated drink order off to the bartender before plopping down into the seat next to her.
She looked over at him. And nearly blushed. He was about a head taller than her, but he slouched. She didn't mind the slouching, however, as it gave her a better view of his face. And what a view it was. He had an angular face, but in a perfect way. His mouth was curled into a seductive smile, his lips very sensual and kissable. He had slight stubble on his chin that would have looked sloppy on anyone else. His hair was auburn, long, and shaggy. She just wished she could see his eyes, but they were hidden under black sunglasses.
"Usually when a man pays fo' a lady's drink, sat lady den proceeded ta' dank the homme."
She didn't even register that he was talking to her, she was so busy admiring him. It was a bit of a shame, actually, that she was cut off just as she was getting a good look at his broad chest. He was muscular, but lanky.
"'Dough, Remy admit he' flattered dat a fine Southern Belle like yo'self want's ta' check him out. So he'll take dat instead of a dank you." He continued.
Rogue finally snapped out of her blissful undressing of this man with her eyes and back to reality. She knew her face was as bright as a fire truck, and this man Remy must have known too, because he was chuckling as he looked at her.
She barely had time to think of something smooth to say back. She spit out the first thing that came to mind. "Who asked you to pay for mah drink, you cocky swamp rat?" She asked. Then she mentally slapped herself. Oh yeah, that was smooth.
However, instead of being insulted, he just smiled wider. "So you know where Remy from. Dat a good ting fo' him. And you have an attitude. Dat just makes everting more fun."
She was slightly irritated. By his third person and his cocky attitude, she already knew he was one of those men who thought they were God's gift to women. However, she was also intrigued.
She turned away for a moment, then looked back at him and smirked at him over the rim of her glass. "'Course Ah know where you're from. What kind of Southern girl would Ah be if Ah didn't know a Cajun accent when I heard one?"
"Glad ta' hear it, Chere. Remy tinks he made a good choice in who he bought a drink fo'." He looked her over, his eyes roaming over her body just as hers had his, so she knew just what he was thinking.
"Undress me with you eyes again, Cajun, and I'll throw this glass at your head." She said, smiling at him and sipping her drink.
Remy took a swig of his own. "Pardon, fille. Remy hopes you'll forgive him. He jus' can't help himself sometimes."
"Well, if you're lookin' for me to apologize for threatening you, you're talkin' to the wrong girl." Rogue replied. She was really falling into a nice chat with this guy, in her opinion. She was surprised she could hold her own so well with him being so gorgeous, but she could. And she was liking it.
"'Course not. He like it better when his femmes are feisty." He leaned a little closer to her, brushing her arm with his gloved fingers. It was a simple gesture in a very average place, but it still sent shivers up and down her spine. Which was a bad thing. She was a loner now, a Rogue, and she couldn't have this guy ruining that mindset for her. She had to get away from him, fast.
She downed the last of her drink and hopped off of the bar stool. "Thanks for the drink, Cajun." She turned to go, and braced herself for her last move. "Oh, yeah, and Ah'm not your 'femme'" She threw over her shoulder. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing.
Suddenly she felt a presence at her side. She looked up to see him following her to the dance floor. "Fo' dat drink, Remy tinks you owe him a dance, Chere." He said, flashing her another one of those award winning smiles.
"Whatever." She didn't even look at him as she turned her back to him and started moving. The music started in her hips, then moved up to her chest, and finally to her head, where she lost it. She felt his hands on her hips and she smiled to herself and moved with them, pushing her backside into him. His hands moved up her sides to her ribs, where his thumbs brushed up and down, making her gasp before one moved back to her hip, the other taking her wrist and pulling her around to face him.
Well
I'm not paralyzed
But, I seem to be struck by you
I want to
make you move
Because you're standing still
If your body
matches
What your eyes can do
You'll probably move right
through
Me on my way to you
She barely heard the music as she ground her body against his. Normally, she thought fuzzily, she would never get this into a dance with some guy she just met. It must be the alcohol.
His hands roamed her back as she tangled her fingers in his hair before moving her fingers to his chest, feeling the hardness of his abdomen before looping her hands around his neck.
He bent in close to her and breathed across her neck, his lips dangerously close to her bare skin. She gasped again as he pulled her tightly to him, her eyes half closed. Her mouth stayed parted from her gasp as she stared up at him. She wanted to kiss him. Hell, screw kissing, she wanted to go home with this guy. Alarm bells were going off in her head. She can't touch him! She had better put those dangerous lips away right now! But another part of her asked why. Why can't I touch him? Why can't I feel his gorgeous body under her bare skin, those large hands of his on her….
Something was definitely wrong, but she paid no attention. She was pulling his face down for a kiss, her mind fuzzy and her movements feeling sluggish, when suddenly her legs were gone. At least, that's what she though had happened when she suddenly started to fall. Were it not for Remy, (Was that his name?) she would have fallen. But she felt herself being picked up and carried, and then there was cold air on her face.
She looked up and noticed she was outside. Remy put her down and she had to cling to him to stand. "You know, I never get this drunk on those that easily." She told him, as if it was important. And somehow, it was important. Something was terribly wrong.
"Dat's okay. Jus' relax fo' a minute. You'll be okay. Jus' hold onta' Remy." He told her. She nodded and did just that. What was wrong? Why did she have that anxious feeling? Something was very very wrong.
"Dere you are, homme. Remy been waitin' on you." She heard him say.
"Hmm? Out of her blurry world she looked up to see another man approaching. But who was it? She started struggling to see.
"You sure you got her, Gambit?" The new man asked.
"When Remy tell you he got sometin', he got it." Remy almost sounded irritated.
"Let me go now, you prick!" Rogue was in trouble. She fought hard, but she wasn't able to do much. That bastard must have slipped something into her drink. She couldn't get good footing. "Somebody help!" She shouted.
"Now chere, just calm down a minute. Remy takin' good care o' you." He said soothingly.
"The hell you are!" She yanked her glove off of one hand with her teeth, and reached up to touch him. He caught her hand, and just as he did she felt something hard hit her in the side of the head. The pain was intense, and it spread across her body. She cried out and slumped against Remy. Her last conscious thought was how funny it was that Remy had the same gloves as the guy who had earlier grabbed her butt.
A/N: So there you have it, the first chapter. Hope you review! Til next time!