Sacrifice
Chapter 1
Author's Notes:
Only the first chapter. Feedback very appreciated.
He knew exactly what
needed to be done. Just wasn't sure he could do it. It was down to
just the two of them now. Everyone else had gone off to safety. He
stared up at her, noticing the way her hair flew around her head like
flames. Her eyes were completely black and a look of sheer boredom
across her delicate features. He loved this woman. But was that going
to be enough to save her from herself? Even if it meant living the
rest of eternity in his own private hell? He didn't know, to be
truthful, but it had to be done. All this chaos swirling around them,
and she still had the audacity to appear bored. At least the other
wasn't here. He didn't have to worry about her doing something
heroic, trying to prove her worth to the team, to him, and to
herself. ~*~*~*~*~*~* He didn't know she was here,
standing behind him, down wind. With all the noise, the screams and
sounds of destruction floating around them, he hadn't heard the
crunch of her boots behind him. It was now or never. She couldn't
let him do this. He shouldn't have to live with this. And so, she
reached out and touched, a gentle touch, grabbing his neck before he
knew what was happening. ~*~*~*~*~*~* He felt it. That
familiar pull. But it was too late. He wanted to pull away, but his
body wouldn't listen. Couldn't, really. Her touch wasn't just
deadly, but paralyzing. The only one who could end it was her. And
just before the darkness engulfed him, he heard her, that southern
lit to her voice that dripped with honey. "I'm
sorry." ~*~*~*~*~*~* The woman who was once Jean Grey
now looked at her, watching as she moved closer, steadily, like a
hunter moving in on her prey. That look of boredom washed away from
her face, unsure and amused by this out come. This was an unexpected
twist of events, and she wondered if the others saw from the safety
of the sidelines. "What do you want, child? Here to stop the
Phoenix?" Rogue was shocked to hear her speak, that voice so
alike that of her teacher, and yet, so different. The superiority so
distinct. It was the only time she faltered, and it could have been
her downfall, if Phoenix hadn't been so sure of herself. "Going
to do it or not? Can't, can you?" The voice was amused, but her
eyes changed then. Going from amused to pleading and back so quickly,
Rogue might have missed it. But she hadn't, and that was all the
incentive she needed. She threw off the jacket she had worn when she
left the mansion a week before, not noticing as it disinigrated
before given the chance to his the floor. She had known it would come
down to this, and had planned on it. She was topless underneath,
knowing that just her hands weren't going to be enough to take this
woman down. It would take all of her skin. Slowly, she walked
forward, mentally preparing herself to take this woman's life. She
could feel the heat coming off this woman, burning her flesh as she
moved closer. The pain was only bearable do to the healing abilities
she had stolen from Logan. If it hadn't been so hot, she probably
would have been crying. As was, the tears were dissolving faster than
they could form. When she was about a foot and a half away,
she lunged, throwing herself at her mentor, making sure that every
inch of Phoenix's skin was forged to her own. There was no
fight at that point. Nothing that could be remembered as one or the
other doing what they could to survive. Nothing that could make
anyone dissuade the outcome. The older woman screamed in pain, and
everyone listening would swear that it was Jean later on. Rogue only
ground her teeth and held on tighter, knowing that the other woman
wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Rogue's grip
only tightened as she felt the woman flowing into her. She could hear
the voices around her, thoughts off all those who witnessed what she
had done, whispering in her head, wondering what was happening. And
just as the last of the woman's life entered her mind, she felt
herself enveloped into the darkness that had claimed the mighty
Wolverine only moments before.
End Notes:
(Feedback PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;))
Chapter 2
Author's Notes:
Twist!!!!! Came to me while I was writing.
The first thing she
noticed was the smell of antiseptic and sterilization. She new
exactly where she was before opening her eyes. It could be either one
of two places. Trapped in another of Logan's nightmares or the med
lab. But she didn't have that sick feeling in her stomach whenever
she had a nightmare. Meaning that it must be the med lab. She slowly
opened her eyes and saw the high ceiling, and new she was right. She
sat up cautiously, feeling the pull of the IV in her arm. She pulled
it out without looking, her star landing on the chair hidden in the
shadows of the corner of the room. It was completely empty. No
boyfriend. No best friend. Not even a doctor monitoring her health.
No one. She had saved all of their asses, and not one of them could
even check in on her. She could feel the tears well in her eyes as
she realized this. Slowly, she pulled herself out of bed, her
legs strong and powerful, just as before. It must have been a side
effect of Logan's healing gift. Her heart wrenched unexpectedly,
and she could feel her tears begin to spill over. She would not cry,
though. They weren't worth it. She would deal with that
later, though. Right now, she just wanted a shower. She was still
covered in dirt and grime. She felt the anger in side herself burn
brighter as she realized that they hadn't even taken the time to
clean her and cloth her. She was still in the same bra she had worn
when she took down Jean. The same pair of pants, only now crisp and
burned to almost nothing. She had a feeling that they would fall
apart the moment she tried to push them off. A few minutes
later, she found herself in the shower, letting the hot water spray
over her as she found herself on the floor, unable to control the
sobs that seemed to come out of no where. She had taken a life and no
one seemed to care. ~*~*~*~*~*~ He had watched her via
the security cameras. Had been for the week that she had been laid
out. There was nothing physically wrong with her. But mentally, well,
no one could be sure. He had wanted to be at her side when
she awoke, but it wasn't his place. At least that was what everyone
else said. He hadn't wanted to listen, but he knew deep down that
they were right. It was that ice brat's job. Her so called
boyfriend. Man, did he ever want to gut the little prick. He would
spend 20 to 30 minutes a day in there, reading or doing homework,
before rushing out to be fawned over by the over opinionated girl who
looked like she was twelve. What was her name? Idiot? Two timing his
coma induced girlfriend. The woman who had saved all their sorry
asses from a threat even greater than Magneto. His claws itched just
thinking about the punk. But he promised Storm that he
wouldn't touch him. Rogue would have to handle it in which ever way
she saw fit. And he had promised to steer clear of both the icepack
and Rogue's room until she awoke. But she was awake now, and
no one was down there for her. Not even to say thank you. Well, he
would be. He had to be. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She stepped out of
the shower, wrapping herself in one of the thick towels that hung on
the rack. She would have to find something a little more adequate to
cover her body before she ventured upstairs to her room. Of course,
she could just go stark naked and freak everyone out. She smiled a
little at that. Opening the door, she found herself knocked
back by a scent that was as familiar and welcoming as it was strange.
She had to be delusional. Tightening the towel, she ventured
out, her eyes automatically locking with his as she closed the door
behind her. For a moment or so, they could only stare at each other,
neither sure of who should make the first move. She did. With
out inhabitation or thought for safety, she dove into his arms, and,
for the second time, lost control. She finally spoke as she felt his
strong arms encasing her. "I am so sorry. I really am,
Scott." ~*~*~*~*~*~ He was too late.
End Notes:
Feedback please!!!! Will explain everything in next chapter!!!!!!!
Chapter 3
Author's Notes:
Just a lot of explaining going on. Not to much Logan interaction, but sets up for the rest of the story.
He
backed away slowly, not wanting to be seen. He wasn't sure if she
still carried any of his mutations, but he didn't really want to
find out. Maybe this was more fitting than what he could provide.
These two people were linked in a stronger bond, now. By a woman all
three had cared about in their own ways. He would find her later,
when it felt right. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "What happened to
you?" She asked softly, pulling away when the tears finally
stopped. She finally realized that she was next to naked, but he was
wearing gloves for protection. She wondered how he knew, but didn't
push it. "What happened to us?" Scott guided her to the
bed, making sure she was comfortable before taking the empty chair
and moving it closer. This was going to be delicate and unbelievable.
He would have to explain slowly and only hope that she could take it
in her state. "I didn't die." He knew where to start, he
just wasn't sure how. Blunt might be best. "I think part of her,
the part that was still Jean, didn't want to kill me. So, instead,
I was forced into a coma. A psychic induced coma and hidden away. At
lease, until about a week ago, when I awoke. Fortunately, I had an
extra pair of glasses. Even in the throng of mourning, I'm still
prepared. Always the boy scout." He smiled at that, knowing it was
a little disturbing, but that was who he was, or at least had been.
"I came back here, ready to take over. I still didn't know how
much time had passed, or what had happened, but I couldn't help
that. I only awoke when the Phoenix died." "You knew about
her, then?" "No, not until I arrived. But, by that time,
it was over and you were here, trapped in your own mind by yet
another psychic. And everything was settling down." He could have
sworn he saw her mind working over time behind her eyes, trying to
grasp all the information. "Her name is Emma Frost, and old
acquaintance of Xavier's. Not as ethical. She was there, by chance,
that night. Inside the building. A couple of her students decided to
take the cure and instead of dissuading them, she went along to make
sure it was legitimate." "Her own students?" Rogue
arched an eyebrow towards him, not quite understanding. "She
runs another school in California. One where they aren't so
structured. The students there are a little more wild, but it is a
good school. Nothing like what we have here. Her students usually
venture off on their own after they've finished their education,
without any qualms." She could tell that he was remembering
something, but didn't want to push. She had done enough to this
man. "What happened to me?" She asked softly, her own
questions beginning to take form. "After everything was done, why
didn't she take over? Why didn't I lose my mind?" Scott
sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to like this. Like himself,
she was a creature of control because she had to be, for the health
of others just as much as for her own sanity. "You almost did. But
Emma stepped in when you were at your weakest, before Phoenix had
taken over. For the past week, she has been trying to help you build
walls inside your mind. Not really that difficult when you take into
consideration the walls you already had. Phoenix still lives, within
you. We all know this. Emma isn't as strong as Xavier was, but she
was able to help. She wants to continue, when you feel up to
it." "Is that why I have none of her powers?" Rogue had
started wondering about that when she first awoke, but had pushed the
thought away, not ready to dwell on it. "I mean, Jean's. "Yes.
Right now, anyway." He grabbed her hand, holding on to it tightly,
as if she was the only thing that kept him alive. She had always
wondered how that would feel, but, somehow, she didn't believe that
his intentions were the same. "Those abilities will manifest, with
time. They won't come alive all at once, but they will come slowly.
You might not even notice it when it happens. By that time, Emma is
hoping that she can purge your mind of the Phoenix personality. Do
you understand what that would mean?" "Yes." And she
did. The Phoenix had a chance to come back at any time, and, this
time, not with just Jean's abilities, but with her own and that of
everyone she had ever touched. Death. Ice. Fire. Magnetism. Advanced
senses. Possibly immortality, if not just healing. She would be the
ultimate threat to humanity as a whole, not one kind or another.
Homo-sapiens and homo-superior alike. The destruction of
everything. ~*~*~*~*~*~ He found himself in the
security room again, watching them on the monitors. He could hear
what they were saying due to the small microphone built into the
cameras. He hadn't known the extent of what was happening before,
and he was suddenly glad Scott was the first to tell her. Phoenix
lived inside of her, and he would be there to help her as much as she
would allow him. He only hoped he would be there when the shit his
the fan.
Chapter 4
Author's Notes:
More explanations
Scott
let her soak up this information as he ran to her old room and
grabbed a few things for her to wear. She hadn't asked him, but he
figured she was getting a little uncomfortable with her lack of
clothing. But now he was back, and the silence was deadening. He
watched closely, waiting for anything that may give a hint as to what
was going on inside her head. They had no way to be sure if Phoenix
was locked up tightly or not. No way to be sure that Rogue was
completely in control. But he knew, just looking at her, he knew. For
the time being anyway, she was fine. She didn't know what
to say about this. Wasn't even sure if she wanted to dwell on it.
There were so many questions, so many concerns. Many answers she
wasn't sure she wanted to know. She needed them, though. She
decided to start with something simple, something that wouldn't
take too much thought. "Where is everyone? Why are you the
only one down here?" She looked at him quizzically, arching an
eyebrow at him in a fashion that reminded him of Logan. "I mean,
didn't they care?" Scott swallowed hard. He hadn't even
thought of how to answer this question. What was he supposed to say?
Everyone knew about Bobby and Kitty, had known since before the cure.
Logan… Well, Logan had basically been forced to stay away, in case
something like the last time happened again. It was bad enough that
he had been seduced by the woman he though was Jean. He had gotten
lucky. Phoenix would use Rogue's abilities to kill him. "They
really don't care, do they?" He had taken too long to answer, and
she felt her fears confirmed. Did they hate her? Did they blame
her? "Rogue, the others… they don't know what to think.
You have to understand something. You left them to go take the cure,
something none of them really believed in." "But I
di…" He raised his hand, cutting her off before she
overworked her emotions. "They know you didn't take it. We all
know. But that doesn't change the fact that you still went. There
are those who aren't upset about it at all. Those who understand
why." "Like who?" She asked slowly, her eyes growing
wide. If they really cared, why weren't they here? "Beast,
Jubilee, the students who cannot hide their mutations and a few that
can," he sighed, meeting her eyes through his visor. "Logan and
myself." "Then why are you the only one down here?" She
asked softly, holding back the tears that were building up
again. "There is something you should know, Rogue." Scott
stood from his chair and began to pace around the room. This was
going to be one of the trickier parts, but she deserved to know.
"Jean and I always had this link. We could feel each other, hear
each other from where ever we were. We always knew if one or the
other was hurt. At least, I always thought that it was Jean. That
link should have been cut when she died at Alkali. Instead, well, it
grew stronger every moment we were apart. That leads me to believe
that it was actually with Phoenix. It became painful. That was one of
the reasons why I couldn't let go. The link was pulling me, and I
believe that it was that link that sent me over the edge and drew me
back to that sport. And when she came to me, I was amazed. But when
she kissed me, well, that was when realization hit in and I was
scared. What was I supposed to do? I think when you touched her, you
absorbed that link. But it wasn't until today, when you awoke, that
I felt it again. It was you, coming back to us, that pulled me here." He was very careful about the words he used. He didn't want
to remind her of the death she could cause, afraid that it would do
more bad than good. This was all really just touch and go. "If it
means anything, the others might not have realized that you had
awakened." "No. He knows. I could sense him when I stepped
out of the bathroom. He was just outside the room, but I think what
I, well, what I can become scared him." She shook her head,
signaling that she didn't want to continue. "That link is the
first sign of what I am in for, isn't it?" She looked away for
the first time since getting dressed, her eyes landing on the bare
wall just behind his head. "Now that I know, I can feel it. But
what about everything else? Everything from before? Everyone that I
have touched? I can't hear them anymore. I can't even feel
them." "You would have to ask Emma about that. I really
couldn't say. Although, it would be my guess that it would have to
do with the blocks." He smiled at her, a genuine smile that
suggested he knew something she didn't. "I believe she is in
Xavier's office, waiting, if you would like to speak with
her." "That's a good idea." It was the first time he
saw something that resembled relief shadow her features. "Would you
come with me?" ~*~*~*~*~*~ He had heard everything
they had said, and then sat back and watched them leave the room. One
thing stood out more than any other part of their conversation, and,
in his opinion, it was the most important. It wasn't so much the
link or the missing voices, but the fact that she had known he was
there. And she still chose Scott. He was reminded of
something Jean had said not so long ago. About girls flirting with
the bad boy.
Chapter 5
Author's Notes:
Introducing Emma Frost and her plans to help Rogue.
"You're not
upset that I didn't come sooner, are you?" She asked as she sat
down on the comfortable leather couch. It was familiar, the same on
she used to sit on during her conversations with the professor after
she was forced to take on Erick's thoughts and personality. She
liked to believe that her connection with the older man was a little
more special than the others. Sure, Storm and Jean were like his
daughters, and Scott was his second in command, but Erick had been
his best friend for a long time, and she was able to fill that void
in his heart. This couch was the first thing that felt like home
since she awoke. "Don't even think of worrying about it,
Marie. Can I call you Marie?" She gestured with her hand, hoping
for an invitation. "No." She said it without thinking, her
jaw snapping shut. Her mother had taught her better than that, and,
judging by the look on Ms. Frost's and Scott's faces, they were
just as shocked as she was. "I'm sorry. It's just that no one
calls me Marie anymore. It's just Rogue now." But that was a lie,
and Scott knew it. HE still called her by her given name, but she
pushed those thoughts aside. "I understand, Rogue, no need
to apologize. And it's perfectly reasonable for you to feel the way
you do. You've been through a lot." Ms. Frost smiled, making her
seem a little like a child. Rogue couldn't help but wonder about
how young she was, anyway. With her white blond hair and clear blue
eyes, she didn't seem young enough to be the head of a school. A
student, maybe even a teacher, but not the big boss. "Thank
you for noticing. I'm actually only 26, two years young than
Scott." Her smile became a little wider, and Rogue couldn't
control the blush that colored her cheeks. "You were
listening?" rogue raised an eyebrow questioningly. She wasn't
sure about living under a roof with a telepath without
scruples. "Normally, I don't, but I must with you at this
time, just to be on the safe side. And please, call me Emma. I am way
too young so be thought of as a Ms." Of course she had to listen.
How else would she be able to know Phoenix wasn't around before it
was too late? "Oh, don't get me confused with those you are used
to, Rogue. If I don't listen, it has nothing to do with your
privacy. Anyone else, for that matter. You, of all people, can
understand the devastating results of hearing a group of peoples
voices in your head all day long. It just gets too confusing. And,
besides, I don't need to hear some peoples thoughts to know what
they really think of me. Actions speak louder than words." She
could agree with that. She was starting to realize just who gave a
damn and who didn't. Just take into consideration who really cared
about what she had done to save them. Not even so much as a stem,
much less a flower in her room. But she pushed that away. It was
something to think about later. Right now, she was surrounded by
people who seemed to care. "Now, to start with, I must offer
my gratitude to you for what you did. You saved us all. Who knows
what would have happened if you hadn't stopped Phoenix. We would
probably all be dead, and she would be moving on to start on her next
little project. Humanity and mutant kind owes you their lives, each
and everyone." Her voice was sincere, and, suddenly, Rogue felt a
little guilty and shy at the same time. "I didn't do it
for you or any of them. I must admit, it was more of a selfish act.
To save someone from himself before he did something that would
through him over the edge of insanity. But thank you, although I
don't really deserve it." She didn't want to think about it,
and she hoped that Emma would drop the subject. "Who did you
do it for, then, Rogue? I understand your hesitance, but, believe me,
it would be useful to know. Phoenix will use it against you, given
the chance." "I am sure about that, but I would like to
keep that to myself for now." She wouldn't elaborate and Emma
wouldn't push her. It was time to discuss what would be happening
over the next few months. "How are we going to go about making sure
that Phoenix won't make another appearance?" Emma took a
deep breath, sitting back in her chair again. "Well, first thing I
must do is help you develop stronger barriers. That shouldn't take
anymore than a few days if you work hard at it. But, with that, it
will block your mind from everyone else. Those voices in your head
and telepaths alike. It will be crucial, though. But you must come to
me the moment you feel Phoenix coming alive because even I will not
be able to get past those blocks." "I understand." "After that, if you allow me, we will have to find a way to
help you control your natural mutation, along with those you have
acquired along the way." "Why wouldn't I want
that?" "Because it would mean that we, you and me
together, will have to sift through your thoughts and memories, and
figure out what happened to you that would keep you from finding the
control." Emma sat forward, her eyebrows furrowed. Rogue could now
see how she could be in charge of a school. She had a feeling that
Emma Frost was a force to be reckoned with and one that might be a
little easy to provoke, given the chance. "I have met with many
mutants through out the years. There are many that I have met without
any control, but all of those were physical mutations or were unable
to due to a childhood trauma. Take Scott for example. The only reason
that he cannot control his optical laser is due to a plane crash he
was involved in only a year before his mutation manifested. He hit
his head. There was no sign of a physical trauma until he blew the
roof off of the school he was at while attending a dance. There
should be no reason why you cannot control yours." "And
the other mutations?" She could understand what Emma was saying
about her natural abilities, but what about everything else? "Yes.
You retain the memories, voices, personality of all those you have
come into contact with. Basically, you carry a piece of each person
inside of you. There is no reason why you should not be able to
access their abilities, also. You have to figure out how, though.
This control will help you become stronger and more stable. Stability
is what you need more than anything. Physical strength will not help
you deal with this." It dawned on her then. Something she
should have realized even before this conversation started. And it
hit her like a ton of bricks. "You won't purge her from me, will
you?" "No." Emma sighed, her face becoming saddened as
she broke eye contact with Rogue, shifting her sight to Scott. "She's
too strong, and I am afraid that if I try, it will awaken her before
you are ready. But, with time and a little luck, we might be able to
do it together. When you are strong enough. That will take some
time." She let a full minute go by as she let the disaster
sink in. This was going to take everything she had, and she might not
have her sanity when it was over. She looked from Emma to Scott,
thankful for his support, even if he hadn't said anything the
entire time. Just him physically being there was more than anyone
else had done. Taking his gloved hand into her bare one, she looked
back to Emma. "When do we get started?" ~*~*~*~*~*~ He
waited in her room, waiting for her. He had seen her and Scott go
into Xavier's old office to meet with the Frost woman. He didn't
really have any qualms about the woman. Actually, he was becoming
quiet happy with the fact that she was there, even if there were
others who weren't. He wasn't sure why, but he got the distinct
impression that both Storm and Beast weren't very thrilled that she
was there. But she was there to help Rogue, and that made her a good
friend to him. The others could kiss his ass and better make sure
Frost was comfortable while she was here. Nothing would keep Rogue
from getting the help she needed. The help the others couldn't
provide.
End Notes:
Next chapter: Logan and Rogue have it out!!!!!!!!!!!
Chapter 6
Author's Notes:
Wanted to get this out by X-Mas. I am trying to do at least one chapter a day, but I have had a couple of family emergencies. This is for D. God, please let him pull through.
Rogue made an
appointment for the evening the very next day. She had wanted to
start right away, but Emma had insisted that the process would take
all of her strength and that she should get some rest. It was then
that Rogue realized she didn't know what time it was and was
shocked to find that it was only a quarter past noon. On a Wednesday.
The students were in class, including her friends. They would be
notified that she was conscious and physically fine after the last
class. Emma had also guaranteed that she was not to be disturbed
until Friday morning, after her first meeting. She would also be
moved out of the wing reserved for the female students room and into
the teacher's wing, in the room next to Emma's. Scott would come
down later and help her pack before any of her former roommates came
in. His room was on the other side. She wasn't expecting to
find anyone waiting for her, now knowing why no one had come to her
yet. But when she got to her room, she caught the familiar scent and
a small part of her wanted to turn and run. The rest of her was
angry. She would have to deal with this now, before she let it build
up anymore, and so she turned the knob and went
in. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "Hey, Darlin. How you feeling?"
Logan asked softly, his gaze meeting hers as soon as the door opened.
He was laid out across her bed, his hands behind his head, stretching
the white shirt tight across his chest and stomach muscles. It was a
scene she had daydreamed about, once upon a time. Something she had
often fantasized would actually happen to her. But now, it only made
her angry. "You wanna take a seat?" "What I want is for
you to get the hell out of my room." She scowled at him, her voice
hurt and frustrated, thick with a southern accent that had began to
disappear when she left home so many years ago. "Just why are you
in here, anyway?" "Thought I would see how you were doing.
You've been through a lot lately, and I wasn't sure that you
still wanted to see me." He sat up slowly, his shirt relaxing, but
his jeans tightening. She was surprised to see that she really felt…
well… nothing. It really wasn't doing anything for her anymore.
"I guess I'll go now." He stood up then, getting to his
feet with those slow, languid movements that she wasn't sure he
knew he did. Must have been one of those things that came natural to
him. Like fighting and fucking. He walked past her just as she
inhaled and she caught his scent, still the same. A mixture of earth
and wild. The smell of a man who had seen just about everything there
was to see. The smell of a wanderer. But there was something else,
now. A sadness that hadn't been there before. "I know you
loved her, and I'm sorry, Logan. It had to be done." She said as
she heard the slight squeak of her bedroom door opening. It wasn't
something that she could change, something that she would take back.
But that didn't mean she didn't have to feel for the man, even if
she was angry at him. "Yeah, I loved her." He said slowly,
closing the door again. For a second, she wanted to believe that he
had left, but, when she turned around, he was staring at her, leaning
against the door. "But she wasn't everything. I thought I could
do it, what needed to be done. I thought that I could save her. But I
don't know what would have happened to me after that. I'm sorry
you didn't get your cure." "Yeah, well, Xavier always
said that we had these abilities for a reason. Maybe this was what my
abilities were for. You know. Maybe this was what I was meant to do."
She looked down at her hands, still bare, still exposed. With any
luck, she would find out what had happened that would hurt her like
this. "Why didn't you come to me?" He was taken aback by
her abruptness. He hadn't expected this confrontation so soon. She
hadn't been this forward before, but, maybe she had realized that
being coy was a waist of time. "You seemed to be taken care of. I
didn't think I was needed." "That's bullshit, Logan.
Why didn't you come to me? You were outside my door. I knew you
were there." Her brows furrowed and her body tensed, as if she was
preparing to pounce. "You've never let anyone in your way before.
Not when it came to something you knew you had to see to personally.
Why weren't you there when I woke? Too busy drowning yourself in a
bottle?" "I wasn't there because it didn't look like
you needed me." He snarled back. What was he supposed to tell her,
though? She was right. That was something he should have taken care
of. Instead, he let other people do it for him. "Fuck you,
Marie." "Don't call me that. You have no right to call
me that, anymore. She's gone, and it's all because of you. She
gave up her salvation to save you. She sacrificed every hope and
dream she ever had, for you. She's fucking dead now, and it's
your fault." Rogue could feel her blood pressure rising, could feel
the pain in her heart becoming sharper. Could feel her soul heating.
"You fucking killed her, Logan. You screwed up when you set Phoenix
free and killed the one person who was willing to sacrifice
everything for you. How the fuck does that fucking feel?" "Marie,
darling, you need to calm down. You need to breath." Rogue couldn't
see what was happening, but Logan could. Her hair was swirling behind
her, the white streaks appearing to be a halo. Her body was slowly
producing a red flame. Her eyes were darkening. She was losing
control. "You need to get a hold on yourself." He could
hear banging on the door behind him, and knew in his heart that it
had to be Scott and Emma, not to mention the other members of the X
Team who didn't quite know what was happening in their home. But he
found that he couldn't move to open the door. Couldn't control
himself. He watched the woman before him twitch her eyebrow, and he
was three inched off the floor, hovering. It was like he was being
magnetized. "You killed Jean. You killed Marie." Her
voice, intermingled with one he had heard before. Phoenix's voice.
He couldn't help but wonder who was in charge now. "Your actions
killed Xavier and so many different innocent people. You made me into
what I am because Marie loved you and didn't want you to have
another blood stain on your soul. You weren't even there to make
sure we were ok. We were alone. Do you know how cold alone
feels?" He found that he couldn't even move his jaw to
reply. She was controlling every bone in his body, using a power that
was forced upon her by the man he had saved her from. She smirked at
him, walking closer, and he could feel a pull that he hadn't felt
before. She was using the gifts of one of the most powerful mutants
of the world against him, and she was better at it. "No, you
wouldn't know. You spent all that time alone, wandering from town
to town, looking for a past long forgotten, a past better left alone.
Different fights, different brews, different women, and yet still
alone. That was cold. Colder than what most people have felt. Even
colder because of those nightmares. But nothing is colder than waking
up from a coma you were put into to save everyone who has ever meant
something to you, everyone that you have ever loved, who excepted you
when no one else would, and finding yourself utterly alone." He
felt it then, pain unlike any he had known before. Pain even worse
then what the nightmares of the labs forced upon him when he closed
his eyes. Pain that forced a scream from his throat as she went about
began to rip every ounce of metal from his bones and tare it through
his skin.
End Notes:
With any luck, and depending how busy work is, I might have another chapter up before tonights over. Cross your fingers!!!!!!!!!!!
Chapter 7
Author's Notes:
Not sure about this chapter, but it was needed.
He felt the blast
behind him, but could do nothing to dodge the debris. He was still
screaming as he felt his skin begin to tear. The pain was more than
he could stand and he fell into the sweetness of unconsciousness. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She held him tighter as he slipped away.
She wouldn't let him go. She was too angry, too hurt. She couldn't
control it. Something inside her snapped. She could feel the metal
inside of him, feel its hum, its song. Oh, it was a beautiful tune.
One full of promise and friendship. A song full of the love she had
wanted from her fiends, but was rejected. She pulled harder as the
song became sweeter. She wanted to surround herself with it, and she
accomplished this just as she felt Emma's mind touch her
own. ~*~*~*~*~*~ They stared with the awe only gained
by terror as Logan's body suddenly dropped from the air, open
wounds covering every inch of his body. Blood pooled around him, even
as he began to slowly heal before their eyes. His once white shirt
was completely soaked in blood, changing it to a crimson color. Scott
stepped forward, dragging his body out of harms way, shocked by how
noticeable light it was. Emma entered the room, slowly walking
toward where Rogue now sat, in the middle of a circle made of twisted
metal. She was on her knees, touching each piece with in reach,
seeming mesmerized by the cold steel before her. She didn't even
notice when Emma crouched before. "Rogue?" "What
did I do, Emma? What did I do to him? I…" Rogue gasped then, and
Emma realized that she was mesmerized by the metal, but
shocked. "Rogue, what were you feeling when this happened?
What were you doing?" Emma asked slowly, motioning towards the door
for everyone watching to leave. Storm and Jubilee quickly helped to
get the children away, some taking the hit better than those who had
to be gently pushed. But one person stood back, wanting to see what
happened. "What were you thinking?" "I was angry. Not
just at him. I was angry at everyone, but I began to take it all out
on him. Everything. I said things that… I don't know what I
said." She didn't feel angry anymore. All she felt now was numb,
but that would change, once the shock was over, she was sure about
it. "I don't know what happened. I remember him leaving and I
said something about Jean to him. After that… well, I don't know.
It was like my mind was pushed aside, and, suddenly, I had no
control. Was it…?" "Yeah," Emma replied softly,
nodding her head. She had been afraid of something like this.
"Phoenix. This was the reason I wanted you to be left alone
completely. I was afraid that something like this was going to
happen. He will live, though he will be out of commission for awhile.
We just have to be thankful that it wasn't someone with a healing
power." Rogue was again looking at the metal, and Emma slowly
shifter her gaze to the front door, shooting an angry glare at the
young man who was still standing there. If Bobby had come in here to
do what he had promised himself he would do, he probably wouldn't
be breathing right now. "Tell him to go away, please. Tell
him I know, and that right now might not be the best time to tell me
about Kitty." Rogue spoke softly, not breaking her stare. Emma
hadn't realized that Rogue knew he was standing there, even though
she still had their minds connected. "I don't think I could
control it again if he spoke to me now." "You heard her."
And he was gone, off to thank his lucky ass that he was still alive,
no longer angry that he hadn't been allowed to see her when she
awoke. -Can you hear my thoughts, Rogue?- -Of course,
can't you hear mine?- -Only those you allow me to hear. Do
you feel Phoenix inside of you?- -I feel everyone. Everyone I
ever touched is in here. Bobby… St. John… Erick… Logan. Jean. I
can feel Phoenix, too. She's not the same as Jean, a completely
different entity in her own right. They were both different people,
sharing a body. She's sleeping, now, though. Resting. I think it
took a lot out of her to use Magneto's abilities. It's been a
long time since Cody is the loudest, right now. He can't understand
what has happened. It's never been like this before. No one has
ever actually tried to take control, not with this much
strength.- -But they have before? Which ones?- -Bobby
never has. I think it was because when it happened, he knew it was a
possibility. So, that piece of him was resigned to just sitting
pretty. St, John… well, he tried for a second, but that was just
because of the anger he felt. Once we all calmed down, he just kind
of hung back with Bobby. Jean hasn't. I think she understands, at
least a little. Cody's always been too confused, and just decided
to go with the flow. Erick knew exactly what was going to happen, and
since he didn't actually want to take me over completely, he
watches mostly, wondering what will happen. I think it was apart of
him, at the end, that did this. Just because he misses the
feeling.- -And what about Logan? Has he ever done
anything?- "No." She spoke this time, pushing Emma
completely from her head. She didn't want to hear anymore inside.
"Not because he wanted control. We talked a lot, inside. When he
was gone and I was left behind because of my skin. There were things
that I wasn't allowed to do, like swimming. Anything that would
have some kind of contact. So, he was my companion when no one else
would be. He would push forward, though, if he felt that I wasn't
doing a good job of sticking up for myself. Used to be right there,
in my head, talking all the time. I got really good at ignoring most
of his comments about people. Anything to make me smile. Now, he's
just quiet. I can feel him. He's watching, closely. Same as the
others. I guess Phoenix destroyed your walls, didn't she?" "Yes,
and it seemed she helped you figure out how to build your own."
Emma knew that it was in poor taste, but she had to say something.
She had never been one known for tact. "Now we can go through and
see if we can't find the key you need to unlock you control. Once
you get control of your skin, we can start trying to control the
other abilities, and, with time, Phoenix." "May I go and
see how Logan is, first? I want to check on him, and then I have a
few things to think about." She was still glancing at the metal,
and Emma got the feeling that this could have gone better if she had
killed someone.
End Notes:
What happened to Marie, and is her relationship with Logan going to survive this?
Chapter 8
Author's Notes:
Alright. Can't believe I did it, but I got another chapter done tonight.
He looked so
peaceful, so serene. His vitals her fine, and the bleeding had
stopped, but he was still out, the shock of what had happened being
too much. She wanted to touch him, just for a second, but she was
even too scared to do that simple act. She had hurt him, torn his
weapons right from his skin. Would he be upset with her? She couldn't
see how he wouldn't be. She could have killed him. But there were
plenty of times she could have killed him and he hadn't turned his
back on her. Still, she couldn't see how it would be any different
now. "Rogue? I know I wanted to wait until tomorrow, but,
maybe we should start now? I mean, if Phoenix has already taken over
once, even if it was only partially her and Magneto, we…" Emma
stopped, not really sure she should continue. This wasn't something
that she had dealt with before, and she wasn't sure where to step.
"A friend of mine will be here with in the hour to help. A fellow
psychic. She's trust worthy…" "What ever help you
need." Rogue whispered, still staring at the man she had broken.
She couldn't keep doing this, and the sooner they began, the
better. "If you find Phoenix, do me a favor? If you can, kill
her." "Alright. If we can." ~*~*~*~*~*~ A
few hours later, as Logan began to stir and the sun began to set,
Rogue found herself in a bed on the other side of the med lab. She
didn't want to be close to him in case she came back, but she
didn't want to leave him down here by himself. She knew how that
felt. Storm had promised to stay with him. She had met the
Asian beauty, Psylocke, as soon as she arrived, and they had spent
some time talking, where every secret she had kept was spilt out. It
wasn't too hard, but, still, it was better than to have them find
it in her head and judge her later. She told both women about
how her family had sent her out into the world in the middle of the
night with a packed duffle bag, a few hundred dollars, a new cloak,
and a careful hug goodbye. Her momma had cried, her daddy had stood
tall and proud. They were both proud of her and told her that she
should return when things became more bearable. It was hard being the
parents of a mutant. Not to mention one so dangerous. She
told them of her time on the road. Of the men who tried to hurt her
until she told them about her skin. Of those who, after finding out,
tried to pay her to kill someone or another. About waitresses who
took pity and men with families who offered her a warm bed for the
night. A full year of no one but herself with living ghosts here and
there. She told them of the first time she had seen Logan, in
that cage fight. She had known it was dangerous, but she had figured
that it couldn't have been more dangerous than standing outside in
the snow, and freeze to death. To bad she didn't have St. John's
abilities then. She would have melted every flake she could
find. She told them why she hid in the back of Logan's
truck. That it wasn't because he seemed like the least dangerous,
which was the exact opposite. That it wasn't because he was a
mutant, like her, or that he seemed like a tortured soul. More
because, even watching him in the cage, and, again later, when that
stupid trucker and his buddies tried to get their money back, he
still felt safe to her. Like someone whispering in her ear that he
wouldn't hurt her. It wasn't like she hadn't met other
mutants, either. A year on the road, your bound to bump into a few.
Some had been kind, offering her a place to rest and a hot meal. A
few even went as far to give her any cash they could spare, and, yet,
it wasn't enough. Logan was her kindred soul, and she would always
love him. She told them about how it was when she came off
that statue. How she would stare at Jean's cleavage. Want to call
Scott all sorts of pretty things such as Pansy and Scooter. How she
shied away from Bobby because she was disgusted by any type of male
wanting to kiss her. It was the weirdest week she had ever gone
through. And, finally, when it was all out, she told them she
was ready and here they sat, her laying on the table, a psychic on
each side, ready to find the memories she had suppressed so long
ago. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "Now Rogue, we want you to take a
deep breath and concentrate. You've told us all that you can think
of, but there is much the mind doesn't think is relevant,"
Psylocke began as she placed her hands on either side of her head.
Rogue felt herself begin to relax. She had to do this. She couldn't
fight it. She closed her eyes …. ~*~*~*~*~*~ …and
opened them to find that she was no longer inside the med lab. She
was home again. But of course, she couldn't be. It wasn't
anything like she remembered. But no, there she was, at the tender
age of five, sitting in her rocking chair with her baby doll,
pretending to be mommy. "You were a beautiful child, Rogue.
Do you remember this?" She was startled to hear a voice behind her.
She turned to see Emma and Psylocke behind her, watching her closely.
"We've been through all of your memories, and this seems to be
one that may cause your lack of control. There are about three others
you will have to see, but, this was the oldest, and we thought we
should start here. I will tell you, they are not all pretty." "I
don't remember any of this. My room… My room was never pink, and
I don't remember that rocker. But that's…" "Marie,
baby, we got to talk." She didn't know who the voice belonged to,
but the sound of it sent fear through out her body. As she watched,
she saw the girl she was once stiffen and the rocker stop. She
watched her stand and walk to the little doll carriage on the
dresser, laying the doll down on the bed. "Now, remember
sugar, Daddy's coming, and we know what he said about people
finding out. I want you to be very quiet so he doesn't take you
away, too. You know, like my momma had to go away." Marie gasped,
unable to believe what she was hearing. The girl turned quickly then,
just as her father walked in through the door. "Marie,
Daddy's got an itch. One that needs to be scratched bad. You
remember what you need to do, right?" He smiled down at her. Marie closed her eyes, not wanting to see anymore as the
tears began to pour. She hadn't realized she could cry in her own
mind. But she had to look. It had to be done. And she opened her
eyes…. ~*~*~*~*~*~ And found her self sitting in a
field of wild flowers. The woman she had known as her mother was
sitting beside her, telling her that she wouldn't have to worry
anymore. That she and her husband were going to be her family now.
Marie watched herself throw her arms around the woman's neck,
yelling that it would be wonderful. "Alright, baby girl,
alright. Now, do you want me to take away that bad memory for you?"
The woman asked slowly, gently holding her as close as possible. "Do
you want to forget?" "Yes, Momma. I don't want to
remember that man at all. I got a better family now." And the woman
touched her forehead and little Marie forgot the first five years of
her life. At the same time, the man she would call Daddy was
repainting and redecorating her room, getting rid of every sign of
what the little girl had been through. The man who was her father was
gone for good, to a place the devil couldn't even bring him back
from. "The woman was your mother's sister. You know that
now, right?" Rogue turned to look at Psylocke, not sure what to
understand. Her mother was a mutant? Her real mother? "When they
found out what happened, they got rid of your father and moved in.
They took care of you." "This is why I can't remember?
She blocked it? Her ability?" "Yes. She wanted to erase
it, but, unfortunately, not everything can
forget." ~*~*~*~*~*~ They visited two more memories,
neither as bad as the first. There was one where she was beaten
severely by a few of the neighborhood children because she said
something a little too sassy for their taste when she was seven.
Another when a man tried to grab her outside a convenience store. She
was able to get away. Both memories were blocked the same way. By
people who didn't want her to hurt because they loved her. Well
meaning intentions that had bad results. ~*~*~*~*~*~ As
she visited her memories, Logan opened his eyes. He knew what had
happened, but there was no more pain. Actually, he felt lighter, as
if he was floating. He pulled everything out, listening to the beeps
go off in alarm. Storm was there with him, watching him closely. She
began to turn off the machines as he pulled the last IV out, slowly
sitting up. "Where is she?" He growled. He could smell
her, and would sniff her out if he had to. "I need to talk to
her." "On the other side of the med lab, with Emma and
Psylocke. They're trying to help her gain control." Storm stepped
away from him, putting the machines between them. "She didn…" "I
know that. I need to make sure she's alright, though." He walked
away then, on a search to find her. ~*~*~*~*~*~ When
she opened her eyes this time, it was to see that she was back in the
med bay, both psychics still with her, both looking exhausted and
relieved. She didn't want to cry. She wanted to show she
was stronger than that. But she caught his scent and burst into
tears. ~*~*~*~*~*~ He heard her. Smelled her. Felt her.
She was in pain and torment and he wouldn't keep himself from being
with her this time. He burst through the door, startling the
two psychics, to find that Marie had curled herself into a ball on
the table. He went to her, ignoring everything else in the room. He
wrapped his arms around her and whispered that it was alright. They
would get through this together. Only Emma and Psylocke
noticed it. Neither wanted to comment on it though. Neither wanted to
break the moment. Rogue still wore no gloves. Her hands were touching
his back. The back a blood soaked shirt had been cut from hours
before. She could touch him.
End Notes:
So, this is supposed to explain what happened to Rogue to make her mutation uncontrolable. Hope it wasn't too much. But now she can touch... Logan, anyway.
Chapter 9
Author's Notes:
The rest of the explanation...
She pulled back
quickly, realizing that there was nothing to protect him from her.
She didn't want to take anything more from him, didn't want to
hurt him again. But they had held onto each other for a full minute
at least, and nothing. Not even a drop. She could hear his thoughts,
realizing that he was projecting, and he was just as confused as her.
Could she have already gotten control already? So soon? Slowly,
Rogue reached out and touched his chest, gently at first, with just
the tips of her fingers, before laying her full palm on his skin.
Nothing. She concentrated somewhat, such as she would do when she was
trying to block out one personality or another. She felt it, very
slightly at first, but the more she concentrated, the more she could
feel it. She wanted to stop, and began to concentrate a little more.
It stopped with more ease than it took to start. "Rogue?"
Logan whispered slowly, not sure if it wasn't too much for her.
"Are you…" "I'm fine. I just, I never realized that
the one little memory could control everything. Why is that?" She
looked from Emma to Psylocke, who smiled at her in response. "The
only thing that we can fathom is that by unlocking that memory, we
were able to help you unlock your natural ability to control,"
Psylocke explained patiently. "I have a theory that, because of
what that man did to you when you were a child mixed in with the
memories that were erased later on and the fact that they were erased
kept you from learning control." "What my colleague is
trying to say is that because of the loss of those memories and that
they weren't self-suppressed," Emma said, taking over while
throwing a dirty look at Psylocke, "when your mutation manifested,
it may have manifested around the missing information." Logan
still looked a little confused, but Rogue's eyes lit up with
understand. She smiled before taking a deep breath. "So, it's
like I subconsciously knew something bad happened, but couldn't
remember what. So when I became a mutant, I couldn't learn control
because I didn't know what that was. Now that I know, I can use my
mutation to protect myself." "Exactly." "What
did I miss?" Logan asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his
right thumb and index finger. "What are you talking about?" None
of them realized that Logan hadn't been in the room when everything
came back to her. They weren't sure if it was best they knew. "Something that happened to a sad little girl many years
ago. A memory that someone hid for protection." Rogue whispered,
grabbing his hand again. "Something that probably wouldn't be
wise to think about right now, but that I will tell you about when
the time is right." "Rogue?" Emma whispered
softly, stealing back her attention. "It's not time to
celebrate, yet. We still need to get you ready for Phoenix."
End Notes:
I know, much shorter than the others, but I really want to get on with this story before it starts to get too long to enjoy. Up next: Bobby is an idiot!!!!!
Chapter 10
Author's Notes:
Just a little insight into what Rogue has been dealing with over a couple of weeks. Didn't really want to dwell on this part, but didn't want her to suddenly wake up and have completely control.
Over the next three
weeks, Rogue became accustomed to the thoughts and voices that would
randomly pop into her head. The abilities she had inherited from Jean
were slowly developing, giving both Emma and Psylocke the room to
help her quickly. Finally, though, Rogue was able to produce shields
within her mind strong enough to keep both telepaths out of her head
at the same time, and the world around her quieted. She had
learned quite a lot about those she lived with during that time,
though. Some more interesting than others. Things such as Bobby's
infidelity with Kitty and his naïve belief that she, much less
anyone, knew about what they did late at night when everyone else was
asleep. Kitty's guilt and fear of what she would do when she found
out. And then there was Jubilee. Sweet Jubilee. Someone she could
count on, angry at the other two for what they were doing, and, yet,
keeping her patience, waiting for everything to blow up in their
faces. Waiting for the day the shit would hit the fan. Rogue could
almost see her smirking with the thought. She caught other's
thoughts, too. Scott's yearning to just lose control and not care
anymore. Storm's anger at Emma's presence. And then Logan. His
thoughts confused her more than anyone's. At times, she
would get thoughts about his content at being their, watching over
everyone. Then, she would hear his thoughts as he would wish that he
was one the road, with nothing to tie him down. The one that stuck
out the most came to her one night, the night before she strengthen
her shields to be exact. A thought she had never realized he thought
about. He had to have been in his room at the time. Thanks to
the advanced hearing that she had borrowed from him that still had
yet to leave, she could hear the TV blaring in his room down the
hall. It was the first time she had done it without supervision, but
she couldn't seem to control it. She reached out with her mind,
wanting to know what he was watching. Except, he wasn't really
paying attention. He was thinking of the reasons why he was still
there, ignoring the hockey game on the TV. She listened as he
ticked off one reason after another, trying to dwindle it down. Jean?
No. Jean had been an infatuation. Duty? To who? Repayment? Nope. He
smiled cocky at that. He liked to believe that he didn't owe anyone
anything. He repaid his debt when Scooter had made that turn down
that dark path. He ticked off a few more such as comfort, free food,
the children, security. That last one made him chuckle. Finally,
he felt that he was grasping for straws. And then it hit him. The
reason he was still there. The only thing that had kept him coming
back and kept the wanderlust at bay. A young girl with no one at all.
One so deadly and powerful and sweet and scared all at the same time.
A girl who was now a woman, ready to stand up for and save those she
loves. A woman who had once asked him if it hurt when they came
out…. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "Every time." He whispered into
the empty room, looking down at his knuckles. He couldn't help but
smile a little, remembering how scared she was, but also the bravery
she showed just by jumping into the back of his trailer. She was what
kept him here, and he wondered if she even realized it. He hadn't
seen her since the day she took away the metal. Those two psychics
had been spiriting her from Xavier's office and back to her room,
sometimes even to the med lab downstairs, afraid to have another
scene like the last. No one had been allowed to see her. There
had been two more incidents where Phoenix had reared her ugly head
again. Or, at least tried to, anyway. Once, while they were trying to
help Rogue come to terms with the war inside her own head, Phoenix
had tried to backlash on Emma. With Psylocke's help, they had been
able to stop her. The second had been just earlier that day. But
Rogue had felt her and had been able to suppress her without help.
She was getting strong, yet he still had a feeling that this was far
from over. "Get out of my head, Kid." He said out loud,
glancing up at the wall in front of him. He had known she was there,
snooping around. With anyone else, he would have been angry, but
Rogue had already seen everything three times now. She knew him in
and out. There was no keeping anything from her. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She
smiled a little before laying down, ready to dream away the night.
Tomorrow was a big day for her. She would be allowed to see her
friend's again, even if only for supervision. And she was going to
start learning to manipulate all of the abilities she had gained in
the past. Starting with Bobby's. As Jubilee had known, the shit was
about to hit the fan.
End Notes:
Alright, I promise, Bobby will be in the next chapter and he will get what is comeing to him!
Chapter 11
"Rogue?"
Jubilee whispered as she entered the room. Her friends has all been
told to meet here by Storm, and, all believing they were in trouble
for one thing or another, they filed into Xavier's office, heads
bowed and ready for punishment. They were shocked and afraid when it
was Emma Frost they had all seen sitting behind the great oak desk.
Jubilee and Pitor had looked at each other with guilt believing that
she was going to remind them that trying to sneak into the adult wing
was too dangerous, even if it was only to try and find their friend.
They had both tried on several occasions, and had once even come
close before being caught by the telepath. But, when she walked into
the room, she was happy to see their eyes light up with disbelief. Of
course, she also caught the guilt that spread across Bobby's and
Kitty's faces as they shifted away from each other. Of
course, her attention was diverted when Jubilee launched herself,
wrapping her arms around her best friend's neck. "I
missed you too, Jubes." Rogue giggled as she felt the Asian girl
sob. "Does this mean you're better?" Pitor asked
quickly, standing from the couch, waiting his turn. "No,
Pitor." Emma spoke up before Rogue could. "Not better, but she is
stronger. If you will all take a seat, please, I will explain. Their
will be time for pleasantries in a few moments." Reluctantly,
they all did as asked, Jubilee peeling herself from her best friend,
a few tears in her eyes and a happy smile on her face. Rogue took the
chair closest to the desk, facing the other students. "As
you know," Emma began sternly, "Rogue has been learning to
control the personality of Phoenix for the past few weeks. She has
gone beyond our expectations in this, and has made remarkable strides
in a short time. I never wanted to keep her from you. Especially you,
Bobby." She paused here, and everyone could see his face grow even
redder. "But, for your safety, I had no choice. She is strong
enough and has now gained enough control to be able to return to her
social life. But, the fight is not over, so you will all be
supervised by myself and Psylocke during any visits. You must
remember to speak up if you notice anything out of the ordinary.
Anything that feels dangerous, though. We all remember what happened
with Logan, don't we?" Everyone was silent at this
statement, understanding what she meant. "Do you want to
continue?" Rogue shook her head, smiling as she began to
speak. "Well, there is some good news that has come out of this.
I've figured out how to control my skin. I can touch now." Jubilee
squealed with excitement. Pitor gasped. Bobby's eyes lit up for the
first time. Kitty smiled a smile that couldn't hide the
disappointment in her eyes. "And," Rogue continued,
ignoring the reactions for a moment, "Emma has told me that I
should be able to learn to control the powers that I gained through
touch. I'll need help with that, though. "I will still be
living in the adult dorm from now on. It's just easier for
everyone. Emma's right next door and Psylocke is just down the
hall. They'll both be able to hear if Phoenix decides to try
something while I sleep. But, you will be able to see me their during
the day. It's still too soon to be around too many people, so I
will still be eating in my room, but you can come up, too. I'm not
fragile or anything. Just not in completely control yet." "We've
missed you, you know. There is so much we need to talk about."
Jubilee whispered, not sure if she should jump at her again or not.
"I mean, there is so much you need to know about." "I
know, Jubilee. I need to make sure that I can control my emotions,
though. Do you want to come to my room for dinner tonight so that we
can talk? Scott and Storm have also scheduled time for me to be able
to use the rec room and the tv room so that I can have time there for
myself, also. It's going to take some time, but I'll soon be back
to my old self. Just with a few more abilities." She winked at her
then, and Jubilee's smile grew wider. "We can start planning what
you will wear to the prom in two months." "You will be
going, too, wont you?" "I don't know yet. Let's see
how far I am by then. I hope so. I never got to go to any dances back
home." "Ok. It's a date." "Now, you all do
need to get back to class. Except for you, Bobby." Emma wanted to
cut the meeting short, not wanting to over stimulate Rogue. "I need
you to come to the danger room with us. I understand that you have
had physical contact. Rogue needs to gain control of all of the
abilities she has if she is going to have complete
control." "Alright… But there isn't much to it." He
wasn't sure how he felt about being alone with her now. Did she
know? "Then it won't take too long." "Come on,
Bobby. It will be good to spend some time alone. I've missed you,"
Rogue said sweetly in her southern drawl. His eyes
brightened, and she knew she had him. ~*~*~*~*~*~ He
watched them from the observation window, Emma standing at his side.
They were both on edge, ready to spring up if there seemed to be any
sign of trouble. She was to help Rogue calm Phoenix down, and he was
to drag the boy out. "You sure about this? She can do some
pretty serious damage, you know." He cocked an eyebrow at her. "I
mean, this is kinda dangerous, right?" "Everything is
dangerous, Logan. Some things more than others. We're here if they
need us." She smiled, looking away from the glass and looking at
the feral man. She knew who he was worried about, and it wasn't the
boy he was given the job of protecting. "She's stronger than she
looks. And, besides, this will be a great test for her. You see,
Bobby is just like any other little prick. He's going to tell her
now, while he believes no one will hear and he's fully protected.
She's going to beat the crap out of him you know. He smiled
at her, a smile that would make the devil wet his pants. "That's
my girl." ~*~*~*~*~*~ She eyed him slowly as he
explained how to turn the moisture in the air into ice. The feelings
he got, the comfortable coldness and calm. The muscles he used. He
showed her how he could now become completely frozen will a little
more concentration. "Now you try." She did as he
said, finding the abilities locked away in his memory. She was
shocked when she felt the first blast of cold escape her hand. He was
right, this was easy. It was clear how he did it, absorbing the heat
of the area into his own body. Of course, she should have known he
was full of hot air. They practiced for a few minutes until
she became as quick as he was. She couldn't turn to ice like he
could, but she really didn't think she wanted to feel like a
snowman, either. "Can we talk about something, Rogue?" He
asked suddenly, watching her freeze a few of the robots he had asked
the simulator to make. "It's kind of important." "Does
it have to do with Kitty?" She asked, not diverting her attention
from freezing the robot in front of her. "You know?" "The question is, who doesn't?" "How
long?" She sighed, standing straight and looking at him.
"Since Xavier's funeral. The night you turn the fountain into
your own personal ice rink. You killed those water lilies, you know.
They were beautiful. But, then again, you've always had a habit of
just thinking about yourself, haven't you?" "Rogue, it
wasn't like it was planned." He wanted to explain that he had
only been trying to cheer Kitty up. That he was trying to help ease
some of the pain. "I didn't even know I felt something for her
until…" "Until you kissed, right?" She cut him off,
becoming growing more angry from his pitiful attempt to explain. "You
kissed her, Bobby. And you pursued her while I was on my way to take
the cure for you. And you laughed with her while I realized the
mistake I was making. You were fighting along side her while I was
making my way to the battle. You were worrying about her while I was
saving you all. And, to top it all off, you were sleeping with her
while I lay in a coma, fighting for my sanity. I sacrificed my life
for you and her and everyone else, and, as repayment, you two go and
start fucking like rabbits every chance you get." He didn't
know what to do. He wanted to run and hide, but he knew that would
only make it worse. "I'm sorry, Rogue. I mean, I still
love you. I still want to be with you." "All I heard was
yap yap yap yap yap, Bobby. The same bullshit you would through at
anyone else." "Well, it wasn't like you and I were going
to ever be able to do anything. But now that you got control, things
could be different." He didn't see it coming. She moved too fast
and he wasn't paying enough attention. Too bust trying to find
excuses. But he sure felt it. A punch that was as cold as it was
hard. He found himself laying on his back, watching an upside down
Rogue walk away, her hand turning back from ice to
normal. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "Worried there for a second?"
Emma asked, a satisfied smile spread across her lips. "Not
at all."
Chapter 12
Author's Notes:
Sorry this took so long. I was about half way done with it the first time when my computer froze and erased it all. This one is really long!
It happened when he
was in the danger room. He had started to push himself to train
harder the day after the incident in Rogue's room. Ever since, he
had felt unbalanced and not quite as strong. He was too light, too
agile, his swings not quite as fast as his feet. He was
fighting Sabertooth and Mystique now, pushing harder than he had
before, trying to meet new bars everyday. He needed to feel that he
contributed to something, anything, and with his adamantiam missing,
he felt second string. He needed to build himself back up, make
himself useful again, to feel like a man again. But there was too
much missing. He swung with a ferocious howl, hitting
Mystique square in the jaw. He watched as she stumbled a little, and
his heart hit his stomach. She didn't fall. She didn't have to
catch herself. She gave a smirk and kept coming. He growled
and threw another punch, this time hitting Sabertooth in the gut. He
pushed himself even further and was shocked by the familiar pain that
emanated from his knuckles. "Terminate simulation." He
hadn't heard himself say it, hadn't even thought to do it. He
stared down at his right hand as Sabertooth disappeared. He couldn't
remember a time when he felt so relieved to feel that pain. Opening
his fist, he looked up, knowing what he would have to do. She would
need to know about this. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She was sitting on
her bed, reading a magazine. Well, not actually reading it, more like
looking at it while her mind raced with all of the questions and
curiosity of what she and Jubilee would talk about later. She still
had an hour and a half to kill, and she knew that it was going to be
torture. She flipped another page, sighing, before she heard the
knock on her door. Sending out a mental probe, she smiled when she
saw who it was, jumping up and running to open it. ~*~*~*~*~*~ He
stood outside the door, wondering what he was going to say. Would she
understand this? Would she want anything to do with it? Either way,
she had to know, had to be prepared. She had to figure out how to
work through the pain this would bring, and it wasn't something she
should be surprised about. Hell, if it happens during a fight, she
could get killed. She paused for a second, though. Gathering
her composure. She didn't want to come off as a child. She was
stronger than that, and there was a reason why he hadn't been there
before. Maybe he hadn't forgiven her, yet. ~*~*~*~*~*~ But
that wasn't the only thing that worried him. He couldn't help but
think about that fateful day three weeks ago. The things she had
said. The psychics had both assured him that it wasn't her, that
Phoenix had been in control. That she had used all of her feelings to
warp and twist her feelings. But that was what stopped him. She had
to have those feelings in the first place, didn't she? Was she
really angry with him? It was possible. "Too late now,"
he thought as the door slowly opened. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "Hey."
She said as she opened the door. He stood there, looking back at her.
His hands were tucked into the pockets of his jeans. His shoulders
were hunched. His hair mused. He had obviously been working out. He
didn't say anything, just kind of looked past her. Her stomach hurt
just looking at him. "Did you need something?" "Yeah.
Can we talk?" His voice was a bit of a whisper. Rogue stepped aside
and Logan walked into the room, still a little slouched over. He
didn't smell any kind of hatred on her. "What's up?"
She asked as he took a seat on the bed. He was looking around at the
room, and she couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. "Like
what you've done with the place." She was a little shocked by the
comment, looking around at the bare walls, the plane table with
nothing more than a night lamp on it. "Yeah, great." She
said as she rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure if he was trying to
crack a joke or what, but it was a little annoying. "Look, Logan,
if there is something you want to talk about, spit it out. You've
never acted like this before." "Yeah, I know. It's just
that, I kind of figured that this was something you need to know
about. Something that you should see." He held up his hands for
her. She raised a curious eyebrow at him, wondering what he was
getting at. She jumped when three claws shot out into the air, faster
than his other claws had, harsher. Seemingly more dangerous if that
was possible. Thicker. "I found out about them a few minutes ago,
when I was downstairs. I guess, I guess I've always had them. But…
I don't remember." She didn't know what to say. She
walked to him, sitting next to him on the bed. Grabbing one of his
hands, she looked at them carefully. They were longer than the
others, at least by an inch. Thicker at the base. Made of bone. "Does
it still hurt?" "Not really, not like the others." He
was looking at them, too, also studying them. "They feel more…
natural. Almost as if this is what they are supposed to be." "That
makes sense. They seem… more deadly, more wild." She let go of
his hand as he let the claws slowly sink back in. "There is a
chance that you have these, too, now. I mean, you've never shown
any signs of a physical mutation before." "I've never
touched any one with a physical mutation before," she reminded him
with a giggle. "I don't know." "Look, I don't want
to ruin your evening with the Canary. Why don't we ask Emma to take
some x-rays tomorrow to find out." Logan knew what she was
thinking. It was the same fears he had. Would she be able to handle
this kind of pain? Would she have a choice? "Besides, I think she
will kill me if we canceled on her. How about I run out and get you
guys some burgers for dinner?" "Sounds good." She smiled
as he stood to leave. "Logan?" He was already at the door
when she called out to him. Turning, he looked at her quizzically.
"Yeah?" "Are you… Are you still mad at me?" She was
wringing her hands in her lap, but her eyes were locked on his.
"About what I did to you?" "I was never mad at you, kid.
It wasn't your fault." He said, letting go of the door handle and
turning around. "You couldn't help what you did. You were being
used, and with any luck, we'll beat this. And, maybe, you can have
that normal life you want so bad." She smiled, feeling a
tear crawl down her cheek as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
It was as if all the weight of the world had been lifted from her
shoulders. "Rogue?" She looked up, not expecting him to
still be there. "You still mad at me?" "No. Not anymore.
I'm not sure that I was ever really mad at you. I mean, I was, at
first, but I don't think that was me when… when I took everything
from you. I don't think I was that angry." His eyes bore into
hers, looking for any thing that might signal a lie, but he couldn't
find it. Nothing. She was honest, but, then again, she always had
been. With him, anyway. He turned to leave again, ready to hurry out
before the annoying girl came in. "Logan?" "Yeah
Rogue?" He stopped again, waiting for the other shoe to
drop. "It's Marie." He left smiling. They were going to
be
alright. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "OhmygodhowareyoufeelingI'vemissedyousomuchthereissomuchthatIhavetotellyou!"
Rogue couldn't help but laugh when she opened the door to Jubilee
later that evening. The girl threw herself into Rogue's arms again,
babbling everything in one breath. She had to peel the girl off of
her, holding her at arms distance as they smiled at each other. "Breath, Jubes. Breath. Remember? Sentences?" They
giggled at each other as Jubilee took a deep breath. "Ok,
first of all, how did you manage to give Bobby two black eyes with
one hit?" Jubilee asked, throwing herself on to Rogue's bed. "I
mean, I don't think I've ever seen that before!" "Don't
you pay attention? Logan taught us that in training. You just have to
pack enough of a punch and hit a certain spot on the bridge of the
nose." She took a seat across from her, leaning against her
pillows. "It was after he showed me what I needed to know about his
abilities, and I froze my hand before doing it. He was right, though.
There really isn't anything special about his abilities, just as
long as there is moisture in the air." "What about the
others?" "Well, Pitor and I are going to start tomorrow,
and I'm thinking about drawing that out just a little so that I can
talk to him. I have a feeling that he's not going to be allowed up
here." She smiled, thinking of her old team mate. They used to be a
strong force together, with her 'borrowing' his abilities. They
had formed a tight bond because of this, and she had been the first
he had ever told about his crush on Kitty. The irony was that she and
Bobby used to fight about how close she and Pitor were getting. And
now look. "He's got to be hurting over everything." "Yeah,
he took it pretty hard. I think that was one of the reasons he wanted
to see you bad enough to risk sneaking into here. He wanted to plan a
retaliation." Jubilee couldn't help but giggle, remembering the
look of determination on his face. "He even yelled at Emma
once." "What did she do?" After spending so much time
with the telepath, Rogue knew that she could have a short temper when
provoked. "She laughed." ~*~*~*~*~*~ They
spent the next hour and a half, gossiping about anything that came to
mind. Jubilee told her of the new classes and the work they were
doing. About how they were being pushed harder than before. She told
her about how everything had been since Xavier's death and Scott's
return, and how everything seemed to get tense when Emma and Storm
were in the same room, which wasn't often. They talked about the
prom and dresses as they gobbled down the burgers and fries that
Logan had dropped off before running away as quickly as possible.
And, finally, they talked about the dates they should bring and the
new boys. There were a few that Jubilee wanted Rogue to meet,
in particularly a Cajun that all the girls seemed to be melting over.
Rogue promised that she would let Jubilee introduce them, although
she didn't see how something like talking in third person could be
attractive. Actually, Rogue felt that it would probably get on her
last nerve. There was a knock on the door as they were
giggling over some antic a couple of the younger students had tried
to pull on the senior students. Rogue felt her muscles tighten just
as Emma walked in. For a second, she felt herself panic, wondering if
maybe Phoenix was trying something she hadn't felt yet. "Sorry
to have to cut it short, ladies, but Rogue should really rest for
tomorrow." Emma held the door open as Jubilee reluctantly pulled
herself from the bed. She hugged Rogue one last time." "I
have some time in the rec room tomorrow. While everyone is having
dinner. Meet me in there," Rogue said with a smile, trying to cheer
her friend up. "And bring Kitty with you."
Jubilee flashed an
evil grin before skipping her way out of the room. Emma closed
the door softly behind her before joining Rogue on the bed. The
younger woman had a feeling she knew what was coming next. "Rogue,
I am so proud of you. You've done so well, but…" Her voice
trialed off as she thoughts about how to go along with this. She had
never been good at lectures, instead, usually trying to empathize
with her students. She reached out and grabbed Rogue's hand in her
own, wanting the girls undivided attention. "Just be
careful." "This is about Bobby and Kitty, isn't it?"
Rogue asked, a sick feeling in her stomach. Emma shook her head
yes." "You have to let it go. I know how hard that sounds,
but, Phoenix will use it against you." Emma sighed, pulling her
hand away. "That's what she does. She festers on those bad things
you try to bury deep down. She feeds and grows off of it and twists
it to her own use." "You're talking like you've been
through this." Emma looked away from her, breaking eye contact
swiftly. "Which one were you?" "I was the one that got
left. And the other one." Emma sighed, not wanting to share this,
but knowing it had to be done. "It was a long time ago, after Scott
and I graduated. Jean was three years older than us and she had
already graduated and was in college. She was usually away at
school. "When she came back, well, there was an instance
attraction to Scott, and vise versa, but Scott and I were together
and talking about going away to school together. We were going to get
married." "But," Rogue asked, feeling a need to know the
story. She wasn't sure why, but this might be a clue as to what she
was dealing with. "But he decided to stay here. Go to school
and join the team. We got into a fight and broke up. A week after I
left, he and Jean went on their first date." "I'm sorry,
Emma," Rogue whispered, wishing that there was some way to comfort
her. "No, it was a long time ago, and I've moved on. It
hurts, but, you'll learn, your first love always does. "Anyway,
after a few years, we were both able to see each other again without
all the pain, but there was always that jealousy residing inside of
Jean. That need to be number one. About a year before you and Logan
showed up, I was here with one of my students. One that needed more
structure than I could give. I was getting her settled in and then I
was going to go home. I was only going to be here a week." She
paused here, remembering that long ago night. "Scott was helping me
get some and, one thing led to another, and we ended up in bed
together. It wasn't his fault anymore than it was mine. It was just
that attraction we had. "Well, Storm walked in on us, not
thinking to knock. She went straight to Jean, and that should have
been the first warning. Jean hit the roof. I don't know what
happened after that. I left that night, and haven't been back until
I came to help you." Rogue didn't know what to say. She
couldn't picture Scott involved in such a tangled web. But, then
again, what did she really know about her former teachers? She hadn't
looked through Jean's memories, instead opting to hide them away.
"Did you ever try to apologize?" "Once or twice. But
that's beside the point," Emma said as she stood. "It was that
and a few other things that might have happened through out her life.
Someone getting more praise, another being held in a higher esteem. A
young girl being held in a higher light by a feral mutant." She
paused, and Rogue had the sickening feeling that she was talking
about her and Logan. "Don't hold on to it. Get your revenge and
back off. It's that jealousy and anger that will let her come alive
again."
End Notes:
So now you know why Emma and Storm don't get along. And, more importantly, Logan has claws again!!!! Couldn't let him go without it too long.
Chapter 13
Rogue tossed and
turned through out the night, unable to clear her mind of all of the
information she had received. Logan's claws, Emma and Scott's
mistake, Storm's grudge. Jean's jealousy. How was she supposed to
handle all of this along with having Phoenix in her head? How was she
supposed to survive this? She finally fell into a fitful sleep just
as the first rays of pink kissed the morning sky. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Logan awoke with a start, not sure what
had awakened him. Looking around and at the clock, he realized that
it was dawn. He couldn't remember what is dream had been about,
only small glimpses seemed to flash in front of his eyes. A lost
little girl surrounded by a sea of people, trying to survive and
being overwhelmed with each push she gave. A little girl with
brown and white hair. Doe brown eyes. A child who wasn't a child,
really, he realized. She may have been a child at one point, but, by
the time he woke, she had been a grown woman. Her hair wild, her body
developed in ways other women could only wish for. Her eyes not so
innocent. Her hands red with blood. He felt himself stiffen at
the thought of her standing there in a tattered uniform, a smile of
victory on her lips, and eyes lidded with lust. He had never thought
about her that way, before, and he couldn't help but wonder why he
would now. What the hell was going on? ~*~*~*~*~*~ "Alright,
Rogue, just relax. We are going to get a full body X-Ray now, just to
see what is going on in there," Beast said softly as he smiled down
at her. She laid on the table, a little nervous as to what they would
see. Would she have his claws? Just on the other side of the
room, Emma and Logan sat, each holding their breaths, waiting for the
outcome. She had told Emma about her discussion with Logan the night
before, and Emma had seemed somewhat disturbed. She wouldn't say
why, but Rogue had a feeling that it had to do with the Government.
What if they found out about this? To Rogue, it was just one more
thing to add to the long list of reasons why she should lose her
mind. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths as she felt
the table move backwards. She didn't like the feeling of the
machine, didn't like how it felt to be trapped. She was only too
happy when she felt the table jerk again. She opened her eyes, proud
of herself for being able to control herself. But then she saw the
looks on everyone's faces. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "So, I've
got bone claws, like Logan?" Rogue wasn't surprised by this. She
could still remember the itch she felt between her knuckles after
every touch. How it felt as if something was missing. "I've got a
question. All these times that I've touched someone, that I have
taken on their mutations, why is it only now that I've touched
someone, that I have taken on their mutations, why is it only now
that I've been able to use them when, before, I've always lost
them after x amount of time?" "It's because of your own
mutation, Rogue," Psylocke spoke up first. "When you have
absorbed some one accidently, that personality comes forth. You gain
their control, or lack of, with it. Once you've stored their
personality, you have automatic control over them. You have to
mentally grab them. Such as when you do with your psychic
abilities." "In other words, for those who are born with
this, they have to learn control so that they don't have their
mutations running rapid all the time," Rogue said thoughtfully.
"But I have to learn control so that I can use it. It's all
backwards." Rogue slouched a little at this, feeling the
metal table under her hum. All this power had been at the tips of her
fingers all this time, and all she had to do was reach for it. It was
a little unnerving. "Exactly." Emma smiled at her
student, proud of her intellect and ability to grasp on to the idea.
It would help her to control those mutations she gained from people
who could not help her themselves. She failed to notice how the
girl's shoulders slumped, or the way she looked at her bare
hands. "But what about people with physical mutations who
cannot hide them? Like Angel with his wings or Kurt with his
appearance?" She was starting to understand fully what this
entailed, but she wanted to be certain. "To be honest, I
don't know," Emma admitted softly. "You have to remember, we
are going on theory. There has never before been anything like this.
With your mutation. The only thing we can base our idea on is what
you have already gained through trial and error." "But, in
theory, if I touch someone with wings or that's blue and fuzzy, I
might just gain that mutation." It wasn't a question, but a
statement Rogue made as she sat up on taller on the metal table.
"Will I be able to use more than one at a time? If I have children,
will they gain the mutations I stole? Maybe even my own?" Emma
looked into her eyes, for the first time realizing the depth Rogue
had thought about what this would mean for her future. She tore away
to look at Psylocke, then Logan, before meeting Rogue's eyes once
again. "It's quite possible. Only time will
tell." ~*~*~*~*~*~ She and Pitor spent the remainder
of the day learning about his mutation. She hadn't realized that he
didn't just become metal on the outside, but on the inside, also.
He explained how the metal protected him from just about anything,
including fire. When she jokingly asked if he rusted in water, he
looked at her and laughed, replying that he had never thought to try
it. They also talked about the pain they were both feeling
over the Bobby and Kitty situation, and both were able to feel some
of the weight lifted from their hearts. Each had to admit that it
felt good to talk to someone who understood. "Will you come
to the rec room at dinner time?" She asked as they took a break
from their exercises. "Will Kitty be there?" He got a sad
look on his face, and Rogue felt her heart go out to the sensitive
man of metal. "Jubilee promised to bring her." "Then
probably not. No, I don't think I can do it yet." He sighed,
looking down. She shook her head in agreement, understanding
what he meant. She was only able to look Bobby in the eyes because,
at one time at least, he had chosen her. For Pitor, this was like a
slap in the face. Kitty's way of saying he didn't have a chance.
Rogue was only sure of one thing. Kitty didn't deserve the gentle
giant.
End Notes:
Trying to point the plot in the right direction!
Chapter 14
Author's Notes:
Sorry it took so long. Been having problems with both home and work computers. Isn't it ridiculous how real life interferes with the important things?????
Usually there was
one group or another in here, utilizing the game tables or the
television. But when she walked in, it was completely empty. She
sighed to herself as she walked to the foosball able, gently running
her bare fingers across the wooden side. She could remember playing
here, when they were all happy. She and Bobby and John. God, did they
think they had it all back then. She couldn't help but
smile, thinking of the ghosts of memories. All three had discussed
joining the team, becoming super heroes. John had always pretended
that he wasn't into it. That was, until they talked about the
battles they would have. He would get this far away look in his eyes
as he planned everything out. Including who would live and who would
never come back. It was times like that when she wasn't sure if he
was really looking forward to being apart of the team like Bobby was,
or just the fight. She wasn't as shocked as some of the others when
he turned tables on them. Bobby, of course, wanted to be apart
of the team. Wanted to belong to that elite family of do-gooders who
would occasionally let a bad boy play for them, too. He couldn't
wait to get into that uniform and start training. He wanted to be the
leader. Boy, was he pissed when Logan came back that first time and
got to suit up. And then there was herself. She didn't
dream of battles and teams, of fighting the good fight or sacrificing
her life for the good of all. No, her dreams were of something she
never thought she could have. Something, that for most girls wouldn't
have been a problem, but that she would never let herself dare to
think of except late at night in her dreams. All she really wanted
was a family. A husband and a white house with a garden. Six kids and
a dog. Someone to hold her at night after a long day, who would love
her for the rest of her life. It was more a fantasy than a wish. She
never thought she could really have something like that. It was never
with in her deadly grasp. But now that she knew she could
touch, knew she could give her all to someone and that they could
finally return her love in the most basic, primal ways, the man she
had thought she would be with was with someone else. Someone he ran
to when she wasn't enough. He had wanted to her she couldn't
touch, but now that he found someone he didn't have to worry about…
Well, who would want her now? "Hey, kid, you want to help me
get some of this stuff set up? It's your party, not mine." She
smiled a little at that gruff voice. Turning, she watched as Logan
walked into the room, juggling three bowls of chips and a bottle of
soda. He flashed her a cocky smile when he realized she wasn't
going to move. "You going to help, or what?" She nodded
before walking to him and taking one of the bowls and a six pack from
him. They worked together in silence, enjoying each others company,
and savoring the quiet. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "You
alright, kid?" Logan asked as they finished setting up the snack
bowls full of chips and dips and the cans of soda. There were still a
few moments before the rest of the rug rats showed, and he had
thought she would be a little more excited about the little part they
were throwing for her. "You don't seem all that thrilled about
this." She smiled at him and he could have sworn he could
feel his heart pounding heavier. He was only just beginning to accept
the change of feelings he had for the woman in front of him. "I'm
good, Logan," she said softly as she began to rearrange the throw
pillows on the sofa. "Just thinking about some dreams we used to
have." Her smile faltered a little and he could see the sadness in
her eyes. He felt his heart clench, remembering the
nightmares she use to have after touching both him and Magneto so
close together. That had been a rough time for her. He hadn't known
about it until he had returned a year later. Was it happening
again? His worry must have shown on his face because she
suddenly giggled. "Not those kind of dreams, sugar. The dreams and
plans we used to have for the future. "We?" "Me,
Bobby, John. We used to talk about everything we wanted to do. The
people we wanted to be." She sighed again, getting that far away
look in her eyes once more. "And who did you want to be?"
He asked softly, taking a step toward her. She paused,
wandering if she should allow herself to believe if it was going to
be possible to let this go if she spoke the dream out loud. To hell
with it, she thought before speaking. "A mother. I wanted the white
picket fence and the dog. The husband and enough kids for a
basketball team. All of it. I don't think that it will happen now.
I'm probably more dangerous than I was when I had no control." He
wanted to move closer and take her into his arms. He wanted to tell
her that she could still have that, maybe not with the same type of
man, but with someone different. Maybe even someone better. He wanted
to do all of these things and so much more, but it was at that moment
when the doors opened and her friends began to pour in. Taking a step
back as she threw on a false smile and pretended to be really happy,
he vowed he would soon, when no one else was there to ruin the
moment. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She looked around at everyone,
noticing how all of her friends seemed to not quite be able to fully
relax. Even Syrin, who was usually so upbeat and laid back with a
smile looked as if she was ready to run out of the room screaming if
someone made a sudden move. She wasn't sure if it was because Logan
was chaperoning or the fact that she wasn't covered from head to
toe completely. Or, if it was because they were all fearful of the
monster lurking in her head. She did a quick mental scan
around the room, realizing that it wasn't any of those things, but
Kitty's presence that made most of these people uneasy. She felt
the muscles in her shoulders relax with relief. Kitty was the
one person in the room, though, who was nerve wreaked over having to
be there. Rogue felt her lips curl into a sinister smile as she made
her way over to where Jubilee was standing, trying to tell Kitty that
this was something that needed to be done. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "Hey,
Kitty," Rogue whispered as she walked to them. Kitty stopped what
she was saying mid sentence, turning to look at her. Out of the
corner of her eye, she saw Jubilee back off to go talk to a few of
the other kids there. "Hey, Rogue. How are you doing?" The
phony sweetness in her voice made Rogue's stomach churn. "Just
fine. I think we need to talk, though. There are a few things I need
to say. For your own benefit, it might be safer to talk in a room
full of people." Rogue shrugged before leaning against the wall.
"Or we could always just go out into the hall. Either way's fine
by me." "No. Here's fine." Kitty looked around;
wanting to make sure someone was paying attention to what they were
doing. When she noticed Logan's eyes on them, she let go of a
breath she hadn't been aware that she had been holding. "Listen,
Rogue, I'm so…" "No, Katherine. It's my turn to
talk." Rogue shot her a look that made her jaw snap shut, cutting
off her apology. "I know how you and Bobby feel about each other.
I've known for a long time. I just need to know why. I thought we
were friends. Teammates. I thought I could trust you. I should be
able to." Kitty took a step back, her body becoming flush
with the wall behind her. "Don't hurt me." "I should,
right? I should wrap my fingers around that little neck of yours and
just squeeze." Rogue's eyebrows knitted together and she could
almost feel herself doing it. "But I won't. I'm better than
that. I should beat your ass down where you stand, and spit on you,
but, I won't do that either. No, since you were once my friend,
I'll give you some much needed advice. Every time I needed him,
Bobby was out with you. Don't for a second think that he wouldn't
do the same thing to you." "He wouldn't. He
lov…" "What? Love's you? Yeah, I thought the same
things once, too. We both know how that turned out. Bobby doesn't
love anyone but Bobby, Kitty. Don't fool yourself for one second
and think that he won't turn his back on you when some fresh piece
of ass comes along." Rogue paused to take a breath, wanting to
collect her emotions. Her expression became softer and a little more
friendly. "We didn't pla…" "You might not
have, but he sure the hell did. You didn't think it was a little
strange that the night of the funeral, he came to your room instead
of to mine? That maybe his place should have been with his
girlfriend?" Rogue laughed. "Think about it. I know what you were
doing out there on that pond. I was in his room, looking for him when
I saw you two kiss. I left to take the cure for him, not for myself.
It wasn't until I was standing outside the doors of that facility
did I realize that I was a fool. I thought it would be better for us
both if I could touch, if I could give him what he couldn't have.
But I knew it wouldn't make any difference and so I backed
out." "But now you can touch. Emma said you have control."
Kitty wasn't sure why she was telling her all of this and Rogue
could see the confusion in her eyes. "I have to worry that you can
take him back with the crook of your finger." "I don't
want him back, Kitty. If he had loved me, he would have been by my
side when I needed him. He's yours. And yes, I do have control of
my mutation, but it was at the cost of my sanity. Even then, it's
still a better trade off then what I would have been left with if I
had stayed on that first path." "What are you trying to
get at?" "Keep an eye one him, have your fun, but don't
give him everything. Because he will take it and keep it and relish
in it as he goes off with his new girl, and you will be left with
nothing but bitterness that will fester and eat away at you. You
don't have the strength to be hurt like that. Don't let him have
everything." "Why are you telling me this?" Rogue
sighed, not to sure of the reason herself. She hadn't meant to say
all these things to her, hadn't meant to warn her, only scare her a
little before forgiveness could come. "Because, even with all the
things you have done, I have to forgive you before I can fully heal.
Otherwise…." "Otherwise?" "Otherwise it might
kill you and everyone else here." ~*~*~*~*~*~ His
eyes followed her as she left the girl in the corner to melt through
the wall. He watched her as she moved from group to group, greeting
everyone and laughing as they told her about the things that she
missed. And his gaze lingered on her neck as she tilted back a can of
some kind of drink, watching the muscles in her throat work. He
wondered about how he would go about talking to her, and if she was
actually ready for something like this. Then again, was he? Was this
something he was going to lose interest in after he got it? He
didn't think so, but you never knew. He was thinking of her
as more than the kid she had been in his eyes a few weeks ago. And,
that maybe, she could be what he was mission. Part of him was even
starting to enjoy the idea. But, there was another part, something
darker, that whispered to him when he was alone in the darkness of
the night in his room, when he was most vulnerable. And the things
this part said made the hair on the nape of his neck stand up on end,
and the coldness of fear grab his heart. "It's not Rogue you
want, you know. It's that part of Jean that's lodged in her head.
That piece of her that just will not die. It wasn't Jean you
wanted, either. You could feel that other thing inside of her, and
that's what you wanted. It's Phoenix that you want, you
know." He didn't want to believe it, but how could he
ignore it. He hadn't looked at Rogue like this before. It wasn't
until she had this thing in her that he had ever thought about her in
that light. If she got that thing out of her head, if she killed that
thing, would he still want her? For him, that was the scariest part
of this whole mess.
End Notes:
Wanted her to choke out Kitty, really did. But this is what came out.
Chapter 15
Author's Notes:
Sorry took so long. Been kinda busy.
She
relished in the silence as they worked together to clean the mess.
With Logan there, everyone had been on their best behavior so there
wasn't too much to do. Just as she was stuffing the last pizza box
into the over sized trash bag, she heard him clear his
throat. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "So, big dance coming up?" He
asked, catching her attention. She looked at him questioningly and he
wanted to kick himself. If it had been any one else, he would have
just jumped into flirting and laid it on thick. But this wasn't
just anyone. This little slip of a woman was the strongest person he
knew. Had ever really known as far as he could remember. Before, he
had always been proud of her strength and survival instincts. But
now, he just found her intimidating. "I guess so," she
said a little quietly, drawing his attention back to her. He was
starting to feel like an ass. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She wasn't
sure where he was going with this, but knew that it wasn't small
talk. He had never been one for something as trivial as that. "I
think most of the girls are pretty excited. Why?" ~*~*~*~*~*~ The
feeling to kick himself grew stronger as he wiped his now damp palms
on his jeans. "Are you excited?" "Not really," she
shrugged as she began to toss the cans into a box marked recycling.
"I probably won't be stable enough. And, even if I was, it's
not like I'll be asked. I'm not exactly a comfortable date, you
know." He was taken aback by her own self view. It wasn't
really something he had expected of her to think, not after all she'd
been through, all she'd done. "That's not true," he
said as he walked forward. He did something then that he had wanted
to do since the party started. He wrapped his arms around her and
pulled her close, wanting her to feel the safety he was offering just
as much as he needed to feel her softness. "Don't ever think of
yourself like that, Darlin. You're better than that and any of the
guys here. Better than all of them. No one else was willing to make
the sacrifice you were out there." "You were," she
whispered as she looked up into his hazel eyes. Eyes she had never
seen so soft and arm and sad all at the same time. A look she had
never expected to be on the receiving end of. "Yeah, but not
for the same reasons." he sighed as he tightened his hold. "I'm
a selfish man with selfish motivations. You should know that better
than anyone." "Maybe I had my own selfish reasons that
night," she whispered back as she hid her face in his shirt. He
grabbed her chin with his right hand, not loosening his left, and
made her look at him. "What ever your reason's were, you saved a
lot of people. There were a number of ways that what happened on that
island could have been done differently. They could have stayed, but
they ran. They took the easy way out and helped SOLDIERS
escape." "You let them," she reminded him, "you told
them to go." "Yeah, and that was my own selfish ass
getting in the way. If I hadn't, they probably would have stayed.
Instead, we all took the easy way out and did what we thought was
best for us. You were the only one who was thinking of someone else.
That makes you better than everyone here." He pulled her back in,
squeezing her tightly. "Look, I'll make a deal with you. You keep
getting stronger and you get a hold on this thing, and, if you feel
secure and the psychics give the ok, and if you want to, I would like
to take you to that dance thing. What do you say?" She
wasn't sure if he was asking because he wanted to go with her or
for her, but, right then, it didn't really matter. It was a chance
to feel normal again. "I'd like that, Logan."
Chapter 16
She
spent the next week or so working with Pitor, learning about his
mutation and how much strength it really took to concentrate and to
turn into metal. Before, when she had used his gift, it had always
been automatic. She would turn metal without even thinking about it,
but, now that she knew that she didn't have to touch him to do it,
it was almost exhausting. Because of this, she began to work out
harder, to tone herself so that she could still have a cache of
energy stored for when she became metal. She and Pitor also
grew closer. They would have dinner together in her room, talking
about things from before, the lives they once had, and where they saw
themselves in the future. She found it intriguing that he wasn't
planning on being a permanent part of the team for the next fifteen
years or so, but that he was thinking about becoming a professional
artist. It was his passion, and when he spoke about it, be became
more excited than she could ever remember seeing him. It was as if
his entire demeanor changed. He was suddenly a kid again, instead of
the man he had become, dreaming of the days when he could sit outside
of his home without any problems, painting a sunset or a tree. Really
anything that caught his eye. He showed her his sketches and
some of the pieces he had done that he hadn't sent back to his
family. Unlike many of the other's here, his family supported him
immensely, and were proud to tell their friends and neighbors about
how his mutant son was excelling in the states. They were happy that
he was a mutant and that he excepted himself. They were happy that he
was becoming a man. She told him of what had happened to her
when her powers manifested, something she had never told anyone since
that night on the train all those years ago. How she had left home to
protect her family and how she had ended up here. He told her of how
he had manifested just when he needed to most, when his sister was in
danger, and how his mutation had saved her life. And she told him how
she had nearly killed the first boy she had ever really loved. They
had cried together then, him holding her and her feeling secure as
she finally let all the pain from that day out. There was nothing
romantic between them, nothing that would put a damper on their
friendship as something as silly as lust would have. They loved each
other, yes, but it was more of a sibling love than anything, and
anyone who witnessed them together knew that. She had found a friend
in the man who was once her teammate. And it helped her to control
all of the insecurities she was beginning to
face. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "You're not doing it right!" He
bellowed at her as she stood up from her crouch. She didn't
understand why he was putting her through all of these exercises, why
it was so important for her to learn how to spring. "Try it again.
Remember to keep your damn knees tucked in this time, won't
you?" She let out a low growl, her face reddening when he
chuckled at her. He wasn't supposed to have heard that, but, then
again, he did have that damn super hearing, didn't he? She
didn't wait for him to give the signal this time. She leapt before
he fully turned around, and found herself impaled through both
shoulders on his bone claws. "You weren't ready," he
said as he pulled his claws back in, letting her drop to the floor
unceremoniously. "Now, remember what I told you. Concentrate on the
pain. Don't let it consume you." She did as he said,
putting all over her attention on the fire that burned in both
shoulders. She could feel the pain lessening slowly, the wounds
closing. The dampness from the blood was still there, as it should
be. She had lost enough of it. But her body was rapidly producing
more. "Fuck. Are you trying to kill me? Did you really have to use
both sets?" "Yup. This gets you ready for anything."
Logan replied gruffly as he helped her to her feet. Rogue looked up
at him, noting the fire in his eyes, realizing that he was enjoying
this. "You hate me, don't you? Deep down inside?" She
asked as she backed away from him, careful not to turn her back. "You
like to see me in pain, right?" "You should know better
than that already, Darlin. I'm just trying to get you ready for
this." "For what, Logan? For the claws? We've been
working together for two weeks now, and you still haven't let me
pop them out. I need to have your abilities completely under control
before prom, remember? Not just your senses. ALL OF THEM. You
promised that you would take me. You asked me. Is this your way of
backing out?" She knew she hit a sore spot when she saw him flinch.
Knew that he always kept his word, no matter what, and that he didn't
back out from anything. That was why he only gave it so rarely. "We
would move on if you would listen to what I say and keep your knees
tucked in under you. Now, try it again." She didn't wait
for him to turn around again. She attacked without notice, turning
into metal form and unleashing her claws at the same time. She felt
the pain, all of it, but, at the same time, she didn't. She
wouldn't let herself concentrate on the physical aspect of the pain
as he had instructed her in the beginning. She concentrated on the
pain she wanted to inflict, the dominance that she wanted to instill.
The blood she wanted to spill. She felt her claws meet their
target, stunning her into realization. She wanted to tell lie to him
and herself as she drew her claws back, watching him heal before her
eyes. She hadn't punctured anything major, which was why he was
still standing, watching her watch him. The wounds in his arms closed
fast, and he was able to cross his arms. She wanted to tell herself
and him that it was the Phoenix, trying to grab for control that made
her go off like that, but, looking into his eyes, she knew that they
both knew the truth. "That's what I was trying to prepare
you for, kid. Phoenix ain't the only animal that you have locked
inside that pretty little head of yours. You got another one in
their, too." He knelt down in front of her, watching her carefully.
"This animal isn't one that you can cage up like you did Phoenix,
either. This is one you have to live with, tolerate, respect. This
one doesn't know anything about right or wrong. This one doesn't
think normally. All it knows is anger. And if you let that anger get
to you, you better hope that it's Phoenix that takes over before
this one does. At least you might have a slim chance of reasoning
with her. This one, well, their ain't no rhyme or reason in this
one's world. Only the kill." "This is the same one that
you got in your head, isn't it?" She asked softly as she pulled
her claws back in and drew back her metal form. "Naw. This
one is yours. She's like mine, though. A whole lot." He smiled as
he stood straight again. They sat on the mat, just like they did
after every session to meditate. "She comes from what ever happened
to you to make you who you are. What ever it was that kept you from
being ever to turn off your skin, well, that's what made this
thing, too." "My father," she said softly. She had
promised to tell him about it when she was ready. She hadn't
realized that being 'ready' would be so damn painful. "My
father made this. He used to rape me when I was really young. He was
sick, and it's hard for me to understand why anyone could do that
to a little girl. A child barely out of diapers. It had happened for
years, I guess. My mother disappeared when I was just a baby. I think
he did something to her. My foster parents tried to erase those
memories, but they only suppressed them really well." He had
known that she had been through something bad when she was a child,
but he hadn't even thought that it had come from her own father's
hand. How sick can a man really be to want to do that to any child,
much less his own? "You want to go track him down? We can do that,
you know. Hell, we'll make it into a lesson on how to harness your
anger long enough to make someone suffer." "Naw. I think
he's already dead and buried. I think my foster father took care of
that." She sighed, folding her knees up in front of her and
wrapping her arms around them, wanting to hold onto something. She
wasn't crying, and, oddly enough, didn't feel like it. Maybe she
was finally getting a handle on her emotions. "I guess when I got
those memories back, the memories of what he did to me, and I could
turn off my skin, my own little deadly animal awoke, ready to protect
me." "I think so, too. I could smell it on you that day in
the med bay. I didn't say nothing, but I should have. I think
that's why the psychics never found her. She was hibernating." "So
now what? How long is it going to take me to get this thing under
control?" "Never. You been listening? You will never be
able to control her, Marie." He used her name this time, her real
name. The only time he ever seemed to use it was when they were alone
and he wanted to get his point across. "She's not something to be
controlled. You try to control her and she will take over. Trust me
on this. This just means that you and I will be working closer, now.
A whole lot closer. I'll teach you what you need to know to survive
with her. I'll teach you how to let go of your anger and how to
keep a harness on it. You keep it bottled up and she's going to
explode." At the rate this was going, pretty soon she would
start to wonder if she was going to be able to allow herself to feel
any emotions.
Chapter 17
Author's Notes:
This one is really short, but I thought that it would be better if Logan was able to let his frustrations out. More believable than the way he had just brushed it off in the last chapter.
He could feel every muscle in his body cry for rest as he repeatedly punched the simulation in front of him. But he ignored it, letting all of his anger out as he went. He wasn't fighting any member or the brotherhood this time, nor were their any soldiers in his way. No. This was a simulation he designed himself as soon as he sent Rogue up to her room. He had been able to keep his anger restrained so as not to startle her. And then he came here, to the danger room, to unleash everything. And the simulation before him was one that he had never met before, and didn't know what he might have really looked like. A man just a few inches taller than himself. A burly man with a thick southern accent who had a thing for little girls. Her father. He growled as he let his claws out and buried them into the simulation in front of him, stopping only to watch it die before another appeared before him. He would spend the reminder of the night letting it all out before he would face her again, only wishing that it was the real thing and not just a simulation.
End Notes:
Pretty much just that he kept it inside so as not to scare Rogue. But he did feel something about it.
Chapter 18
Prom was only a week
away, and she needed to prepare for it. Emma and Psylocke had both
given her permission after making her promise to tell them if she
felt funny in any kind of weird way. "Who are you going to
go with?" Emma asked quietly, staying out of the younger woman's
mind. "You were asked, weren't you?" "Actually, Logan
asked me," Rogue smiled tightly, feeling the instincts of
disapproval from both psychics. "It's not like that between us.
We've been through a lot together, you know. I know him better than
anyone, and he's always been my own personal support system when I
needed one. He's just taking me so that I can feel normal for once.
I think it's really just his way of saying he's not upset with me
for what happened." Emma and Psylocke looked at each other,
both thinking the same thing. For a telepath, Rogue sure wasn't
very in tuned. "How about we set up a shopping trip. We'll
go on a day when the mall won't be too busy. How's Thursday
afternoon?" Emma asked, thoughtfully, not too sure what she had
planned. Rogue scrunched her nose tightly. Today was Sunday,
and the dance was on Saturday. That wouldn't give her a whole lot
of time for any alterations and planning on her makeup and hair style
if she waited until Thursday. Especially since she wasn't too sure
of what kind of dress she wanted. "What about tomorrow? It's
Monday. The beginning of the work week, and all of the best dresses
will be available tomorrow." "I have a meeting tomorrow,
and Psylocke has to go to England for a few days." Emma thought
thoughtfully, understanding Rogue's dilemma. She was 20 years old,
and this was probably going to be the first formal dance she was
going to be apart of. The fact that she could now touch was also
something special. "How about if we have someone go with you?
Someone who can watch out for you?" "Like
who?" ~*~*~*~*~*~ "How has training with Logan
been?" Scott asked lightly as they maneuvered their way through the
parking lot the next day. She had been surprised when he had
agreed to go with her. She hadn't thought that he would say yes,
seeing as how they hadn't spent a lot of time together over the
past month. And had been pleasantly surprised when he jumped on the
chance. "I think he is trying to either push me or kill me.
Still not sure which." She sulked into her seat, still not sure
where she stood with him. It was true that she had defended him and
their relationship, but, considering his mood swings toward her
lately, she still wasn't too sure of his feelings toward her. She
thought about scanning his mind once, but brushed that idea aside,
not sure if she was ready to take the pain if he really hated her.
"He's avoiding me unless we have a training class scheduled. And
then, he's usually pushing me way beyond what I should be doing.
It's like he's trying to make me mad." "He's just
trying to help, you know. He probably doesn't understand what you
are going through right now." Rogue snorted, not wanting to
comment that Logan was probably the only person who could understand.
"I know." ~*~*~*~*~*~ They walked from store to
store, looking for any kind of formal attire they could find. Since
it was the end of April and the official prom season was over, it was
hard to find anything they were looking for. Finally, Scott
found a store towards the back. It was a wedding store that sold
formal attire all year long. Their selection of formal prom gowns
wasn't very big but the dresses were beautiful. "Now, why
don't we let your boyfriend relax here and you and I will start
looking at dresses," the sales clerk suggested, showing Scott a
comfortable chair in front of three full length mirrors. "We're
not together," Rogue stammered out. "I mean, not like that. We're
just friends." "Oh, well… why isn't the boyfriend
here?" Rogue couldn't believe the audacity of the sales woman,
but let it go, realizing that in this type of store, most people
didn't bring a man they considered just a friend. "No,
actually, there isn't one." Rogue felt like swallowing her tongue
and hiding from the embarrassment this woman was putting her through
as they walked to the gown selections. The only thing that was saving
her was that they were too far for Scott to hear. "Best to
keep it that way. You are way too young to be tied down," the woman
smiled softly, making Rogue feel a little better. "Besides, he
looks a little too stuffy to be good for you. You look more like you
need someone a little more, I don't know, wild." Rogue
couldn't help but smile. She was beginning to like this woman a
little more every second. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She tried on
several dresses, all beautiful, but none feeling right. Scott saw
each one and agreed, none seemed to scream out to him,
either. Finally, she was down to the last three. One was a
deep forest green that, while she loved the color, the cut was just
too plain. She tried it on in the dressing room and took it right off
before anyone else could see. She felt like an old woman in it. The
next was white and sleeveless, falling completely to the floor with
enough material to drag a little behind her. There were little rose
patterns sewn right into the material. While it was absolutely
stunning, she couldn't help but agree with Scott as he laughed and
made a comment about adding a veil and it could be a wedding dress.
Maybe a little too forward considering whom she was going with. The
final dress was one she wasn't sure about. The cut was nice enough,
but she hadn't really thought about grey. She was actually thinking
of something lighter and less drab. It was floor length, the bottom
cut much like the white one before, except that there wouldn't be
any kind of trail if she wore two inch heals. It had spaghetti straps
and a built in bra, so she wouldn't have to worry about one. The
cleavage plunged very low, but not too low so that she wouldn't
have to worry about spilling out if she danced to hard. And there was
a strip of cloth that was only a little lighter that would accentuate
her waist and chest. She shrugged, wondering if maybe they
would have it in different colors as she slipped it over her head.
She didn't even bother looking into the mirror before walking out
of the dressing room this time. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Scott's
felt his chest constrict when she walked out. The color seemed to
accentuate her features and gave her naturally pale skin a little
color. While the dress was beautiful, it didn't pull away from her
own beauty, only seeming to compliment it. This was why women took so
long when they shopped. "Wow…" He whispered as she
stepped up in front of the mirrors to take a look herself. If this
was what happened when she wore grey, she would have to wear it more
often. She noticed then the way the dress seemed to shimmer as she
turned. "I see you've decided. Would you like to look at
shoes to go with it? Maybe even some earrings? You really don't
want to over due this one with a necklace. It would add too much
weight. Rogue quickly changed back into her jeans and t-shirt,
carefully hanging the dress back on the hanger so as not to ruin it
in anyway. When she emerged, she found Scott staring at her with an
unbelievable look on his face. It was obvious that he was seeing her
in a new light. They still shared the psychic link she had inherited
from Jean, and, suddenly, she felt anxiety coming off of him in
waves. She raised an eyebrow, making him clear his throat and
focusing his attention elsewhere. ~*~*~*~*~*~ They
spent a half hour looking through shoes and jewelry, Rogue deciding
on a pair of two inch grey heals that matched perfectly with the
strip of cloth on the dress. She chose a pair of silver and diamond
earrings that would hang low to her jaw line and had an antique look
to them. Then they quickly made their purchases, the sales
clerk who had helped them smiling happily as the credit card Scott
handed her went through without a problem. "Why don't we
go get some lunch? I need to talk to you about something," Scott
mentioned as he motioned her towards the food
court. ~*~*~*~*~*~ They chose a table far from the
small crowd that had formed over the last few hours. Rogue glanced at
her wrist watch, realizing that it was only two in the afternoon.
High school kids might start pouring in soon, but that would probably
be it. Once they grabbed some lunch and were settled, she was
ready to start talking. "What's wrong, Scott?" "Is
it that obvious?" He asked with a wicked smile. She wanted to smile
back, but the anxiety coming off of him seemed to escalate. "Link,
remember?" She reminded him as she tapped her left temple. "I
know what your feeling." "Yeah, well, I know what you've
been feeling, too, remember? I guess that with everything that's
been going on, I was kind of hoping that you wouldn't notice." He
looked down at his food, pushing his chow mien around with his fork.
"I mean, you've got enough going on without having to worry about
me, too." "Truth be told, I have been too busy to notice
much of anything. Not until today, anyway. You want to tell me what's
up?" She eyed him then, hoping that he wouldn't try to change the
subject." "I'm thinking about leaving," he said with a
shrug. "I've been thinking about it for awhile now, Rogue.
There's not much left here for me and I think it's time to move
on for awhile. My whole life's been about the X-men and what they
stand for, but, now…." "Now, you just don't know." "I
always wanted a family. A wife and kids. Jean wanted to wait until it
was safer. She didn't want to have to worry about her children
growing up without one of us if something happened when we went out
on missions." She noticed that it was almost as if he was looking
threw her then, remembering conversations and fights from the past.
Fears that they both shared. "Do you know where you are
going to go?" She asked, hoping to derail him, but she should have
known that he would already have a plan all set up. "How
long?" "Alaska. I'm from there, originally. Haven't
been back in a while, but I got a cabin on the outskirts of Anchorage
that needs some work done. I don't really know how long. Maybe a
year? Maybe longer? Can't say. Probably as long as it takes for me
to want to come back. It just doesn't feel like home, anymore."
He sighed, dropping his fork and pushing the plate away. Suddenly,
she didn't feel so hungry anymore, either. "I want to see what's
up there for me. If there's anything. Does that make
since?" "Perfectly. Sometimes, I wonder what it would be
like if I returned to Mississippi. What would happen? You know, I
haven't heard anything from my folks since I left. I never kept
contact, not wanting anything to happen to them because of me." She
felt her eyes misting, and knew that if they didn't change the
topic soon, she was going to cry. "I am going to give you
the address. If you need a place to go, my place is always
open." "When are you leaving?" "Saturday
morning, before the dance. I don't really want to be here for
goodbyes, so I'm going to sneak out early while everyone is getting
ready for the dance." He said as he reached into his pocket for
something. "I wanted you to have this, though." He handed
her a set of keys and she noticed that they weren't his car keys.
They were to the motorcycle he had bought last week. A beautiful
machine he had tweeked a little. "I'm taking the one Jean
got for me after Logan took off with the first, and I won't have
room for three." "And the other one? The one Logan gave
back?" "Figured he might like it. Gave him the keys this
morning." She looked at the set in her hands, wondering how
long it would be before she could try it out. "I don't know what
to say." She whispered as she looked up at him. "Thanks,
Scott." "Just take care of her," he replied with a
smile. "And make sure that you ride her down to Mississippi if you
get the chance."
End Notes:
Figured that it had been a while since I mentioned Scott and it would be good to write him out for now. Besides, Rogue needs her own set of wheels.
Chapter 19
She awoke early
Saturday morning as she felt a pull in the psychic link she shared
with Scott. Quickly getting up and throwing on her robe, she opened
the door to find him waiting on the other side, bag in one
hand. They greeted each other silently, neither knowing what
to say or that it was even worth it to speak. He turned away
from her, heading to the elevator that would take him to the garage.
And she followed with out a word. He had said his goodbyes to
everyone else the night before, promising that he would return one
day, but not giving any indication of when. "Only time will tell,"
he told them as reassuringly as he could. He then made them all
promise not to give him a huge farewell. That they shouldn't even
get up. It would be too much for him, he said. Of course, that
didn't apply to her. She was the closest thing to Jean he had now,
and it just wouldn't be fitting if she weren't there. She
followed him into the elevator, a tear gently crawling down her
cheek. She couldn't bring herself to look at him, just as she knew
he couldn't look at her. She followed him into the garage,
and then over to where the bikes were parked in a perfect line. In a
few moments, one would be gone, and it would never look right again.
At least not until the middle one was back where it belonged. He
secured the bag on to the back of the bike, making sure it was snug.
He turned to look at her then, finally acknowledging her
presence. "It isn't forever, Rogue. We both know that,"
he said as he threw his arms around her. "It could be. You
can't say that. You don't know what later is going to hold for
us," she whispered as she hugged him back, silently crying. "No
one does." "I know it. We'll see each other again.
You'll come for a visit, or I'll come home. Either way, no matter
how far apart we are, we'll always be able to feel each other, you
know." He pulled away and smiled at her, both knowing that it was
true. "You need me, you know how to reach me." "I know,"
she said with a giggle between tears. He was always only a thought
away. "Just be careful not to let this place do to you what
it did to me. You might go on to save the world and all, but that
doesn't mean that is all you need to do. You have to remember to
live for yourself, too. This isn't all you are." She could see
the pain and hurt on his face and knew that he was wondering what
would have happened to him and Jean if they hadn't made this life
their whole world. "Just remember to get a hold of me if you
get into any trouble and I will personally fly the jet out there
myself to pick your ass up." Her comment made him smile, which, in
turn, made her do the same. It lightened the mood for just a
second. And then he did something that neither of them was
prepared for him to do. He bent his head and kissed her. It was a
soft kiss, but it had passion in it that she had never known him to
possess. It lasted for only a second, and when he pulled away, they
both knew that it didn't mean anything for either. "I had
to try, you know. Just to see if there might be something I would
miss out on." He said softly, shrugging a little. "I just wanted
to know if there could have been something between us." "And
what did you feel?" She asked, eyeing him carefully. What he said
next could kill their friendship if it was the wrong thing to
say. "Honestly?" He smiled coyly, watching her carefully.
"I felt something. It was like what I would imagine kissing my
sister would be." They both laughed at that. She didn't have
to say it, but they both knew she felt the same way. And then
he jumped on his bike and rode away. She watched him for as long as
she could, until she couldn't see him anymore. For a moment, she
imagined that he was some gallant knight, off to look for adventure,
treasure, and, most importantly, his princess. She sent out a
prayer that he would find what he was looking for and that he would
return safe and happy. And then she turned to wander back to her room
where she would meet Jubilee for breakfast before they began to get
ready for the dance.
End Notes:
Alright,
I know. Icky Scott kissed Rogue. But I had to do it. Wanted to clear
up just what kind of relationship they had before someone got the
wrong idea! Up Next: Prom!!!! And, who knows, maybe a real
kiss by someone better?
Chapter 20
The dance had been
well underway for over an hour, and yet, he still hadn't felt the
little mind tickle she had promised to send when she was ready for
him. He wasn't upset, though. The longer she took, the shorter they
had to stay. Part of him was hoping that, just maybe, he wouldn't
have to even go to this thing. Maybe she would change her mind and
they could go out and get something to eat instead. Go for a ride on
the bike Scott had given him. But then there was that dress
that he was dying to see. He had asked Scott what she had gotten when
they had returned. But, of course, Scooter wouldn't say. He only
got all quiet and red, a goofy grin spreading across his face. It
took a lot for him not to skewer the other man. But he did take it as
a sign that the dress was worth seeing. And then he felt it,
just as he was allowing himself to hope. The little mind tickle he
had been waiting on. He stepped out of his room just as her door
opened. Holding his breath, he felt his heart stutter as he watched
her emerge in the scraps of grey that seemed to cling to her in all
the right places. "Sorry I took so long. You wouldn't
believe how many bobby pins I had to use to keep my hair up like
this." He tore his eyes away from her cleavage, only
catching every other word of her sentence. He took notice of her hair
then, seeing the way the brown locks were all piled on top of her
head in curls. He couldn't smell any hair spray, so he figured that
she must have used a lot of those pin things. The locks of white were
hanging down in lazy curls, framing her face, and hanging low enough
to skim over her breasts. He had the distinct urge to trace the line
where her dress ended and her breasts began, but fought it off. He
still wasn't too sure where they stood and didn't want to upset
her. "Considering that you've been gawking for a full
minute now, I take it that you approve?" "And then some,
Darlin," he said as he offered her his arm. "Are you ready to
head down?" He couldn't help the goofy smile as they began
to walk down to the dance. ~*~*~*~*~*~ The music was
loud enough to hurt his enhanced hearing, but he didn't mind much.
Marie was having the time of her life and that was all that
mattered. All eyes had locked onto them when they had entered,
unsure of whether of not it was because of him even being there or
how great Marie looked. He figured it was both, mixed in with the
fact that he was in a tux and the curiosity everyone had over the
fact that they were there together. The music was a mixture of
mostly love songs with some fast pop. He usually sat out for the fast
music, opting to watch Marie dance with her friends. He couldn't
help but chuckle as she turned down offers for slow dances, keeping
them open for himself. And when a slow song began, he was always
right at her side, ready to sweep her off of her
feet. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She had never had so much fun in her
life. Everything was absolutely beautiful and magnificent. There were
a few set backs, of course. Such as the fact that Jubilee and Syrin
had worn the same dress in different colors. Even better was that
Jubilee had settled for the blue verison because someone had bought
the last yellow an hour before. Come to find out that it had been
Syrin. But that had been cleared up before she had even arrived. And there was also the fact that, even though he had helped
to set up, Pitor was absent. She promised herself that she would
check on him later, after the dance. For now, she was being
held close by a tux clad Logan, slow dancing. She could feel his warm
breath on her neck and it was almost as if he was enjoying this as
much as she was. Just as the song was ending, she began to pull Just as the song started,
an old, slow one, by Usher, she felt herself flushed against him,
dancing as close as possible. His hands weren't just holding her,
but grasping on, as if she might be torn away from him at any moment.
She couldn't help but relish in the way he was holding her. They
were staring into each other's eyes, and she felt her heart beat
faster. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She was so soft and warm, he hadn't
wanted to let go. Every instinct in his body screamed to hold on
tighter, and so he did, knowing that this could either go very wrong
or very good. No in-between. There was no going back from this point,
and it looked as if she wanted it just as much as he was. He
couldn't tare his eyes away from hers, even if he wanted to. He
could see everything he needed to know in those large brown eyes. All
the fear she had, but the want and need, also. He wanted to make this
good for her, to let her know that he wasn't going anywhere with
out her. To let her know that he was hers for life, whether she
wanted him or not. But he couldn't think of the words to
say it, so, instead, he dipped his head, finally closing his eyes,
and devoured her mouth. He put all of his feelings into it, all of
the passion and want that had been building up in him. And it tasted
more wonderful than he knew it would. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She
had never felt so wonderful in her entire life. Logan was kissing her
and the world seemed to stand still. She was falling in love and she
knew that he felt the same way.
away, anticipating the fast song that she was sure was coming
next. But he wouldn't let go. Instead, he pulled her in closer,
inhaling light perfume she was wearing. She wasn't sure what was
going on, but she allowed herself to be caught up into it, not
wanting this to be her imagination.
End Notes:
I hope this was an adequate kiss! I wanted some passion behind it. Like they just couldn't hold back any more.
Chapter 21
They walked quietly,
hand in hand, through the garden. After the kiss, she had been
flushed, and, when he had quietly asked if she wanted some air, she
could only nod in agreement. The butterflies were still fluttering in
her stomach, but it was the most magical feeling in the world. "I
had a wonderful time, tonight," she whispered, breaking the
silence. Neither had wanted to say anything, not wanting to ruin the
moment with needless chatter. But she knew that it was time to push
forward. Hopefully, they would be pushing in the same direction, now.
"You look wonderful in a tux. You should try it a little more
often." They came to a stone bench, and he gently nudged her
to sit on it. For a second, she was afraid that he was going to tell
her it was a mistake, that he shouldn't have kissed her. "I
love you, Marie." Her muscles relaxed with relief even as her
heartbeat sped faster. He was sitting on the bench with her now,
caressing her hand softly, and keeping eye contact. "I want you in
my life. Do you know what that means?" "Forever," she
whispered back, holding her head up with dignity. She had known what
it would mean when she kissed him back, knew what a relationship with
him would cost her. And she had jumped in head first with no
restraints. "Are you willing to give that to me?" He
whispered as he kissed her slightly parted lips. He needed to be sure
that she knew exactly what he was asking of her, what she would be
giving up. "Will you give me everything you have, every moment of
your life?" "Yes," she whispered passionately as she
felt him nip at her bottom lip. She grabbed his jacket with one hand,
meeting his lips. This moment was everything as they explored each
other's souls under the stars. Nothing could have been more
perfect, more exciting and new and so right. Nothing could ruin the
moment they were sharing. Nothing…. "Rogue, why you kissin
Logan?" Nothing except a tin man who can't hold his liquor. For a
moment, she wanted to pretend that she didn't hear Pitor sloshing
around in the background as she kissed Logan back. And, but the way
his hand snaked through her hair, crushing their lips together, it
seemed that Logan felt the same way. "You wanna come up for
some air, Rogue?" The words were spoken right into her ear in the
thick Russian accent. She could feel Logan growling, controlling
himself for her sake. She pulled away, knowing that this
nightmare wasn't going to end any time soon. Logan sat up
indignantly and irritated, but quietly. Surprisingly, it seemed that
he was going to let her handle this. "Pitor, what's the
matter? How much have you had to drink?" "What drink?"
Pitor shrugged, feigning innocence. "I have nothing to dink.
Nothin. It's all gone." "That's because you drank it
all, Tincan." Rogue couldn't help but roll her eyes at Logan's
gruff response. She wasn't sure what to do in this situation. She
didn't want to leave Logan right now, but she couldn't turn her
back on a friend that that so obvious needed some help. "Listen,
Rogue. Why don't you take Pete into the kitchen and get him some
coffee or something. I think he needs a friend right now." Rogue
smiled, realizing that Logan was making the difficult decision for
her. She kissed him again, softly and full of gratitude this time.
Pulling away, she realized there were tears in her eyes as his face
suddenly became a little blurred. "Thank you,
Logan." ~*~*~*~*~*~ He stood to leave, realizing that
he needed a cold shower as much as Pitor needed some caffeine. He
hadn't heard what he had wanted to hear, but what she had said was
enough for now. She knew what getting involved with him meant, and,
in the end, he was a little happy that Pitor had come when he had.
Other wise, Logan wasn't sure he would have been able to stop, and
he didn't think that Marie was ready for that just yet. "Logan,"
she called out to him and he turned to see that she had hiked up her
skirt so that she could run to catch him. She stopped in front of
him, looking into his eyes. He wanted to touch her badly, but didn't
trust himself to leave it at that. "I just wanted to say…
I love you, too, Logan." She kissed him then. The first time that
she had initiated the kiss, and he felt himself melting into her
arms. And then she broke it, turning and running back to her
friend, who was currently emptying his stomach into a rose
bush. Logan only smiled as he went on his way.
End Notes:
This was only a little set up for the next chapter.
Chapter 22
She
watched and rubbed his back as he spilled everything from his
stomach, not saying a word as she ignored the retching noises he was
making. She let her mind wander back to before. To the kisses and the
touches and the words he had said. He loved her. As much as
she loved him and they were both willing to spend their long lives
together. He had been her friend first and they had been through a
lot already. It only seemed fitting that they would end up together.
It was only a question of why it took them so long to figure it out.
Maybe it was because they weren't ready to see it before. They had
been so content on just being friends. But now it was time to take
that next step. She knew they would have to go slow at first,
if only for her own piece of mind. There were still things she hadn't
allowed herself to come to terms with, things in her past. Maybe it
was time to do that. Maybe it was time to take a trip and figure out
some of the secrets of her own past, just like he had done before.
Would he understand? Would he support her in this? Would he want to
go? Her train of thought was lost as Pitor stood straight and
burped, letting the world know he was finished. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "Thank
you, Rogue. I didn't realize how bad I was." Three cups of black
coffee later, and it seemed that Pitor was finally able to make
coherent sentences again. "That's what friends are for,
Pete. How much did you drink?" She asked playfully as she handed
him another cup before taking a seat across from him at the small
kitchen table. He took it from her gladly, and she couldn't help
the smile that spread across her face as the strong Russian blew on
the dark brew to cool it. "Who was counting?" He replied
with his own goofy grin. "I just got a little sad. I thought it
would be a good idea to go have a drink and maybe paint a bit after I
helped with the decorationg. The next think I knew, I saw you and
Logan out on the bench, and I'm having an impossible time trying to
figure why he would have to give you mouth to mouth sitting
up." "That's now what he was doing, Pete." She rolled
her eyes as he gave out a loud bellow. She smiled at his eager laugh,
feeling a little useful at helping to cheer him up. "I know
that now, of course," Pitor said with a grin. She felt her cheeks
grow red under his scrutinizing gaze. "Just yesterday, you were
complaining about how hard he's been on you and wondering if he
secretly hated you. Would you care to tell me what I missed?" "Well,
you know that he invited me to the dance a few weeks ago, right?"
She asked, back tracking. "I thought it was because he felt bad and
didn't really think that I would be able to go. And then when we
started training together, he was pushing me harder then I had ever
seen him push anyone." "You now understand why he had to?"
Pitor asked, his eyebrows knitted together in concentration. She had
never told anyone of what had happened when she and Logan were
sparring, of her attacking him like she did, or of the second animal
that might be living inside of her. Her own personal animal. "Now
I do," she whispered softly. She didn't want to elaborate and he
must have deducted this from the look on her face. He sat back in his
chair, waiting patiently for her to continue as she straightened
everything out in her head. "Well, when he came to get me for the
prom, it was a little strange. He just kept staring at me like I had
grown a third boob or something." "That is quiet a lovely
dress, Rogue. It's no wonder that he wasn't able to control
himself when you thought you were alone. I must say that it does seem
to show off your… physical assets beautifully." He said, eyeing
her cleavage pointedly. "I am going to pretend that you
didn't just say that," she said angrily, glaring at him. But she
knew that he was only playing around. There was nothing between them
that could even be considered romantic. "Anyway, at the dance, some
of the guys kept asking for a slow dance, but I just couldn't do
it. It was the only time Logan would dance with me, and I wanted to
keep each one open just for him. And then they played this song and I
found him holding me tighter and the mood was just so right, I kept
hoping that he would just kiss me. And then he did." "And
what was that the drunk interrupted?" Pitor asked playfully. "That was a discussion that we were trying to have about
what it would mean if we became a couple. Of course, by the time you
came showed up, I think that we had both lost a little
control." "And you love him?" "For a long time
now," she whispered, her eyes snapping to the window just behind
Pitor's head. She thought she had heard something outside, but she
wasn't sure and Pitor hadn't seemed to notice, so she would just
keep an ear open. "I think I've loved him from the
beginning." "Yes, I see it. I saw it before in your eyes.
They were always softer when you spoke about him. Softer than when
you spoke about Bobby, even." He said softly, sipping the last of
his coffee. "And he has loved you for a while now, too." She
wanted to ask him how he could possibly know that, but their minds
filled with the sound of Emma's thoughts. She was summoning
everyone to the briefing room. Something had happened. Something big
if Emma was even calling to her.
Chapter 23
"We
have received word that Magneto has come back into his abilities,"
Emma stated once the team was securely inside the briefing room. "It
seems the cure is only temporary and he has been recruiting members
for a new Brotherhood. He is at this time in Nevada, attacking the
Area 51 sight, claiming that there are mutants that are being held
their. It seems that the area was reconstructed to act as a prison
for criminal mutants. From what we can gather, Magneto is upset about
the segregation." "It's understandable why he is upset,"
Psylocke stepped in. "But, at the same time, it is also
understandable why this was a necessity. Some of these mutants are
very dangerous and must be kept in a prison equip for their different
abilities. While other's who aren't as dangerous are there
because their physical mutations would force them to endure the
dangers of being incarcerated in a more traditional prison." "But
isn't it possible that the more powerful mutants would show the
same animosity toward those less powerful?" Kitty asked. Rogue
wanted to snort. That issue was besides the point and everyone knew
it. They weren't their to discuss and debate the prison's
facilities and the way the government ran it. She felt an arm
snake around her waist, and she looked up to see Logan standing
beside her. She let her mental block down just enough to read his
thoughts, and wanted to laugh when it was clear he was thinking the
same thing. Kitty was an overachieving idiot. "It's
actually run extremely well, with the more dangerous population kept
on the one side, while the rest or on the other," Emma interjected,
eyeing Kitty reproachfully. "It's actually better than many of
the more conventional prisons. Cleaner, better food. The government
there is making sure that these people are being treated decently,
mainly because it's where they keep all of their criminal mutants
and that they understand that most of the offences were out of
desperation, such as petty theft, breaking an entry, and repeated
trespassing." "To get us all back on track," Psylocke
said quickly, reigning in everyone's attention again. "We have
reason to believe that this is just a cover for his real motives. It
seems that an ally of his is incarcerated here. Someone all of you
might remember well." The large computer screen blinked to
life behind her and everyone was staring into the face on Pyro. "We
weren't sure he had even survived the assault on Alcatraz until a
week ago, when he was picked up at a casino in Las Vegas. He was
taken into custody and sent directly to the facility, pending trial
next month. We believe that Magneto intends to free him in the early
morning when the prison does their shift change at 6am." It
was now a quarter to three. There would be no time to waist to
prepare for the fight that was to come. "Wolverine and
Storm," Emma said sharply. "You will both be needed on this one.
Magneto doesn't have very many followers yet, due to the blunder he
orchestrated on Alcatraz, but those who are with him are very
powerful. Iceman, Colossus, Shadowcat, and Beast will accompany you,
as will Psylocke. You are going to need all the help you can get and
there are a few prisoners who are willing to help you. They are all
incarcerated for one reason or another, but you biggest ally will be
a Northern American by the name of James Proudstar, also known as
Warpath. His abilities are superhuman strength and super speed." The
image flickered again, and an image of a rather dark, imposing man
with long black hair came on the screen. "What was he
incarcerated for?" Bobby asked, eyeing the picture angrily. "Well,
to be perfectly honest, he is being charged with rape." Emma looked
from one person to the next, waiting for someone to make a noise. "We
believe that he is innocent. First of all, the girl only claimed rape
after it was discovered that he was a mutant. They had been sleeping
together for over a month. Secondly, when apprehended, Warpath did
not try to fight his way out and did not try to escape. He went
quietly, stating only that he was innocent. His trial should have
started a month ago, but the state of Nevada has been having a hard
time finding a jury. His brother, John Proudstar, has agreed to meet
you there to devise a plan. John shares the same abilities as his
brother, only on a smaller level." "How did you get this
information?" Storm asked quickly, taking the conversation on
another path before tempers could rise. "Warpath is an old
acquaintance of mine. When Pyro came in, they were roomed together.
Pyro wasn't being very bright and tried to recruit the him for the
cause, letting him in on the entire plan. He was able to get word to
his brother earlier today, and I had just gotten off the phone with
John before I called you all here." "Do we have a plan?"
Logan asked gruffly, his hold on her becoming tighter as everyone
turns their attention to them. She couldn't help but note
that the only one's in the room who were not surprised were the
psychics and Pitor. While most were just shocked, she noticed a
twitch of anger in Bobby's expression. "Actually, I was
hoping that you and Storm could come up with that. That is your area
of expertise," Emma said with a smile. "Rogue, I called you here
also because I am going to need your help tonight. While the rest of
the team is out, I am asking you and Jubilee here to help with
surveillance. I believe you are up to the task. Unless you have
another opinion?" Rogue was just overjoyed to be allowed to
do something, she could only shake her head in agreement. "Then
it's settled. Everyone suit up and get ready. You will have to
leave within the next 20 minutes if you are going to devise a plan
with the Proudstar's." ~*~*~*~*~*~ He didn't want
to go. He didn't want to leave her behind incase something happened
here, but he knew he had to be there. The team needed him. Quickly,
he suited up, running to meet her in the landing dock before it was
time. He had seen the worry in her eyes and he had to reassure her
that he would be fine. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She heard him walk
into the giant room and ran into his arms. She was still wearing her
dress, but had taken off her shoes sometime ago, and now she could
feel the cold floor beneath her bare feet. Her lips met his in a hard
kiss, and they spent the next moment in each other's embrace, tears
streaming down her face as they devoured each other. She
pulled away reluctantly, hiding her face in the leather of his
uniform. "It's going to be alright, Darlin. I've always
come back before," he whispered into her hair. "There's only
one thing that we know of that can kill me. And that's you." "Stop
trying to make jokes, Logan. Just promise me that you will be
careful, please. I can't lose you now." "I'll be
careful. I promise. Now tell me you love me." "I love you,
Logan." "I love you, too, Marie." They kissed
again, and that's what they were doing when the rest of the team
entered the dock. Marie was reluctant to pull away, a
sensation that something big was on the horizon.
Chapter 24
She watched the
plane take off with tears in her eyes. She knew he would be fine,
that he would return to her soon. She felt a little
disoriented, though. Everything was happening so quickly, she could
feel herself strain. A hand landed on her shoulder and she
nearly jumped out of her skin. "He'll be alright. He is
the big, bad Wolverine, you know?" Jubilee whispered behind her.
"He'll be back in no time. Why don't you go get into something
more comfortable while I make us some coffee? We'll meet up in the
surveillance room. Rogue nodded her agreement, turning to
leave. She walked out in a daze. ~*~*~*~*~*~ It was
around five in morning by the time they had their plan ready.
Everyone had agreed that while Storm and the others would protect the
facility against the strong hold, Wolverine and Thunderbird would go
after Magneto. Warpath and a few of the other inmates would
have to handle those on the inside. It was going to be a hell of a
fight. "Alright, everyone needs to get into position. We
don't have that much longer, now," Storm said as she led the way
off the jet. "Wait!" Psylocke exclaimed just before they
opened the hatch. She had been silently scanning the area as they
concocted the plan. "The brotherhood is here, already. They've
been given orders to attack." "We've figured that,"
Bobby said as he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but Magneto's not
with them. I can't feel his mind." "So, he's wearing
his helmet." Storm interjected, wanting to get on with it. "No.
The petite is right," Gambit interjected. He had only been on the
team for a few days, but he had proved himself as an able thief and
fighter. They had needed all the help they could get, and so the
Cajun was asked to suit up, also. It was only by sheer coincidence
that he could fit into one of Cyclops's old uniforms. "I'm an
empathy, remember? Don't matter what he's covering his head with.
I would still feel his emotions. He's not here." "Neither
is Pyro," Psylock said softly. "The man in there is a shape
shifter." "Mystique?" Storm asked, her attention finally
grasping on. "No, a man named Morph. Something else is
happening. Something even bigger." "Where?" Logan asked
quietly, fear grabbing his heart. "At the
mansion." ~*~*~*~*~*~ By the time the other's
realized their mistake, it was too late. Rogue, Emma, and Jubilee
were already defending the school and students against the onslaught
of the more powerful mutants of the Brotherhood. Jubilee, who
had started her training a week before, was only barely holding her
own against Quicksilver, a man whose mutation was super speed, while
Emma was in the fight of her life against a mutant with hex ability,
Scarlet Witch. Rogue was busy trying to mentally and
physically trying to dodge the metal objects being thrown at her from
Magneto himself. Her claws were out and she was using the ice
abilities, but it wasn't enough. She hadn't figured out how to
call on her magnetism abilities yet, and, even though she had an idea
of how to use fire, there was no flame around. She knew that there
was no way to transform into her metal form, and she was too worried
about unleashing her psychic abilities without more practice. It was
just too dangerous, and she would rather giver her own life than to
unleash Phoenix again. That really only left her with one
choice. She had to get closer, though. She had to be closer to fight
the mad man one on one. Close enough to touch him. She already had a
peace of him inside her head. If she could just grab him long enough
to put him out, then she could helped the others without fear of
turning metal. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "How do you know they are
there?" Logan asked as the plane rumbled to life under his feet. As
soon as it was apparent that they were leaving, Psylocke picked up
thoughts of retreat from the members of the Brotherhood that were
camping out just outside of the prison. This entire thing had been a
diversion to get them away from the mansion. "Morph's
mind. He was having a hard time not to jump for glee when he realized
his plan was working. But his mind was running hard on the
information. No one took into consideration the fact that you would
have another telepath with you." Psylocke shrugged as she fastened
her safety equipment. "He really isn't the most stable
mind." "How soon can we be back?" Logan asked Storm,
watching her take the controls expertly. "Forty-five
minutes, at the most. Just depends on the weather." "Then,
for the sake of your health, you better make damn sure the weather is
good, Witch." ~*~*~*~*~*~ She was almost there, now.
Just a few more inches, and she would be able to scratch him with her
claws. She inched forward slowly, her deadly skin on and buzzing,
thirsty for life after all this time of nothing. She could almost
feel his energy at her finger tips, his life force. She could
see it in his eyes. He knew what was coming, and knew that he was now
backed into a wall. There was no escape from her, nothing. She was
almost to him, now, only a breath away, and she could see the fear in
his eyes. Fear she had never felt would be so good to see. And
then the air was pushed out of her lungs as something strong and
heavy collided with her, something she hadn't expected and hadn't
even looked for. She could smell a woman on her, but she couldn't
see. Her thinking was clouding as the personality of a woman she
didn't even know existed swamped her mind. Desperately, she
tried to shut off her natural mutation, but, by the time she was able
to gain control again, Rogue had another person in her head, and more
blood on her hands.
End Notes:
I like it better when she has super strength and can fly....
Chapter 25
When
Magneto had seen her stand up from her fight and the promise of death
in her eyes, he had known the she knew everything and had quickly
called back his people to retreat. The woman she had killed had been
his back up support, and with her gone, he was left open for
anything. She watched him go, Emma and Jubilee joining her.
The first floor of the mansion was a disaster. Although it seemed
that the only room that would have to be completely rebuilt was the
kitchen area Magneto had come through, the rest of the area would
have to completely renovated. The furniture was destroyed and the
electronics were useless. "They won't come back. Let's
check on the children," Emma whispered, not taking her gaze off the
area Magneto had retreated through. The area that was once the
kitchen. "What about her?" Jubilee asked, nudging the dead
woman on the floor with the toe of her boot. "Leave her for
now. She's not going anywhere," Emma replied as she turned to
lead them to an elevator to the lower levels. They had spirited the
children to the Danger Room for protection, leaving a few of the
older teenagers in charge of the younger with explicit orders to sit
tight. ~*~*~*~*~*~ They were with the children
explaining the events that had happened when the others returned.
Logan took her into his arms, holding her as tight as possible,
burying his head in her hair. He let his hands roam over her body,
looking for any sign of injury. "She's fine, Logan,"
Emma snorted, looking at him wearily. "If not for her, we might not
have survived the attack." "Want to tell me what happened,
Frost?" Logan growled angrily, needing something to take his
frustration and fear out on. "Sure, as soon as we get these
children organized and settled. We will all meet in the Briefing
Room." ~*~*~*~*~*~ They had all worked together,
reassuring the children that everyone was safe. After speaking
quietly to Emma, Beast went to remove the body before any of the
children saw it. "Alright, everyone. It seems that Magneto
set up the prison break as a diversion to attack here. Rogue, were
you able to gain any information?" Emma asked, looking at her
pointedly. "That and more," she replied quietly. "If you
don't know already, I was in a position where I could touch Magneto
and put him down. It seemed the only possible solution at the time. I
had no intention of hurting him, only knocking him out long enough to
take care of the other two mutants with him. What we did not know was
that he had a fourth person. She knew of my abilities and blindsided
me before I could do anything. As a result, she touched my bare skin.
For unknown reasons, I could not gain control until after it was too
late to spare her. "Her name was Carol Danvers. She was a
very gifted mutant. The ability to fly, super strength,
invulnerability, and a psychic ability that, while not strong enough
to ready someone's thoughts, she was able to strengthen to use to
block her own mind, explaining why we were unable to detect
her." "And the other two?" Kitty asked softly. "The
man was named Pietro Maximoff. Also known as Quick Silver. He has the
ability to run very fast it seems. The woman, Wanda Maximoff, is his
twin sister. She is more of a witch mutant. She can do powerful hex's
and spells. Alter perspectives. Very powerful. If they had been used
more efficiently, they may have been able to pull off what they were
doing. Fortunately, Magneto is a cocky man. "An interesting
information is that Pietro and Wanda are Magneto's illegitimate
children. One's he only discovered recently. Their one objective
was to keep anyone else busy while Magneto came for what he
wanted." "And what was that?" Emma asked, listening
intently. She hadn't been able to gleam anything off of Wanda, and
had been a little to preoccupied to even try Pietro. It was grating
on her nerves that it took Rogue to use deadly force to get the much
needed information. Guilt was eating at her nerves. "Me,"
Rogue said with a sigh. "It seems that Magneto has an acquaintance
who is a cognitive. She can see the future, or what could be the
future. It seems that she had a vision concerning myself and Magneto.
Something that scared him to his core. Unfortunately, Carol did not
know what the vision was. It seems the only person he told was
Mystique. Meaning, Mystique has also regained her abilities. All that
I know is that it's big." "Alright. Now we know what he
is up to. Rogue, I would like to run…" "No." Rogue
cut off Emma completely, already knowing what she wanted to say. "I
am not going to go threw that again. I had Carol under control the
second I had my skin under control. I've been dealing with this a
lot longer than you've even known I existed. I am not going to be
poked and prodded because of what is happening in my mind. I have
control, and I can control her abilities with ease. I just have to
watch my own strength." "Then what next?" Emma asked,
feeling a little fearful. She could feel Rogue's energy and anger
in the atmosphere. It worried her that Rogue might be wrong, but she
wasn't going to push the subject. "Rogue, we must know
what is happening in you mind," Storm said, coming to Emma's
defense. "We have other people here that we must take care of,
children who need to know they are safe. If there is something in
this woman's mind that you do not see…" "I see it all,
Storm. Every single bit. There is nothing more that would be useful
to keeping your school safe." Rogue rubbed the bridge of her nose
with her thumb and fore finger. She knew what came next, but she
wasn't sure how the others would deal with it. "I understand your
concern, and, I assure you, you don't have to worry about the
students. I'm leaving. I need to get away for awhile, anyway.
Magneto is after me, not you. He won't come here again. And I need
to clear my head, too. I have some thinking that I need to do, and
some people I need to talk to." "Where will you go?"
Psylocke asked slowly. She and Rogue had become close over the last
few weeks and couldn't help but worry about her mental
stability. "Home. To talk to my parents. Find out what they
know about my real parents. To find out if my real father is alive.
And then to find Magneto and to see what he wants with me. I know
where his base is and I want to know why I scare him so badly." "You
can't go alone, Rogue. It's not reasonable. What if you lose
control?" Storm asked cautiously. "I'm not going alone.
Logan's coming with me. He made up his mind the second I said I was
leaving. Just ask him." Logan only shook his head in
agreement, knowing that it was true. He would follow her to the ends
of the Earth if she asked. He would do it even if she didn't. "We'll
leave in a week. I want to make sure everything is in order first,
and that my parents know I am coming. I would hate to go all that way
and they not even live there any longer."
Chapter 25
When
Magneto had seen her stand up from her fight and the promise of death
in her eyes, he had known the she knew everything and had quickly
called back his people to retreat. The woman she had killed had been
his back up support, and with her gone, he was left open for
anything. She watched him go, Emma and Jubilee joining her.
The first floor of the mansion was a disaster. Although it seemed
that the only room that would have to be completely rebuilt was the
kitchen area Magneto had come through, the rest of the area would
have to completely renovated. The furniture was destroyed and the
electronics were useless. "They won't come back. Let's
check on the children," Emma whispered, not taking her gaze off the
area Magneto had retreated through. The area that was once the
kitchen. "What about her?" Jubilee asked, nudging the dead
woman on the floor with the toe of her boot. "Leave her for
now. She's not going anywhere," Emma replied as she turned to
lead them to an elevator to the lower levels. They had spirited the
children to the Danger Room for protection, leaving a few of the
older teenagers in charge of the younger with explicit orders to sit
tight. ~*~*~*~*~*~ They were with the children
explaining the events that had happened when the others returned.
Logan took her into his arms, holding her as tight as possible,
burying his head in her hair. He let his hands roam over her body,
looking for any sign of injury. "She's fine, Logan,"
Emma snorted, looking at him wearily. "If not for her, we might not
have survived the attack." "Want to tell me what happened,
Frost?" Logan growled angrily, needing something to take his
frustration and fear out on. "Sure, as soon as we get these
children organized and settled. We will all meet in the Briefing
Room." ~*~*~*~*~*~ They had all worked together,
reassuring the children that everyone was safe. After speaking
quietly to Emma, Beast went to remove the body before any of the
children saw it. "Alright, everyone. It seems that Magneto
set up the prison break as a diversion to attack here. Rogue, were
you able to gain any information?" Emma asked, looking at her
pointedly. "That and more," she replied quietly. "If you
don't know already, I was in a position where I could touch Magneto
and put him down. It seemed the only possible solution at the time. I
had no intention of hurting him, only knocking him out long enough to
take care of the other two mutants with him. What we did not know was
that he had a fourth person. She knew of my abilities and blindsided
me before I could do anything. As a result, she touched my bare skin.
For unknown reasons, I could not gain control until after it was too
late to spare her. "Her name was Carol Danvers. She was a
very gifted mutant. The ability to fly, super strength,
invulnerability, and a psychic ability that, while not strong enough
to ready someone's thoughts, she was able to strengthen to use to
block her own mind, explaining why we were unable to detect
her." "And the other two?" Kitty asked softly. "The
man was named Pietro Maximoff. Also known as Quick Silver. He has the
ability to run very fast it seems. The woman, Wanda Maximoff, is his
twin sister. She is more of a witch mutant. She can do powerful hex's
and spells. Alter perspectives. Very powerful. If they had been used
more efficiently, they may have been able to pull off what they were
doing. Fortunately, Magneto is a cocky man. "An interesting
information is that Pietro and Wanda are Magneto's illegitimate
children. One's he only discovered recently. Their one objective
was to keep anyone else busy while Magneto came for what he
wanted." "And what was that?" Emma asked, listening
intently. She hadn't been able to gleam anything off of Wanda, and
had been a little to preoccupied to even try Pietro. It was grating
on her nerves that it took Rogue to use deadly force to get the much
needed information. Guilt was eating at her nerves. "Me,"
Rogue said with a sigh. "It seems that Magneto has an acquaintance
who is a cognitive. She can see the future, or what could be the
future. It seems that she had a vision concerning myself and Magneto.
Something that scared him to his core. Unfortunately, Carol did not
know what the vision was. It seems the only person he told was
Mystique. Meaning, Mystique has also regained her abilities. All that
I know is that it's big." "Alright. Now we know what he
is up to. Rogue, I would like to run…" "No." Rogue
cut off Emma completely, already knowing what she wanted to say. "I
am not going to go threw that again. I had Carol under control the
second I had my skin under control. I've been dealing with this a
lot longer than you've even known I existed. I am not going to be
poked and prodded because of what is happening in my mind. I have
control, and I can control her abilities with ease. I just have to
watch my own strength." "Then what next?" Emma asked,
feeling a little fearful. She could feel Rogue's energy and anger
in the atmosphere. It worried her that Rogue might be wrong, but she
wasn't going to push the subject. "Rogue, we must know
what is happening in you mind," Storm said, coming to Emma's
defense. "We have other people here that we must take care of,
children who need to know they are safe. If there is something in
this woman's mind that you do not see…" "I see it all,
Storm. Every single bit. There is nothing more that would be useful
to keeping your school safe." Rogue rubbed the bridge of her nose
with her thumb and fore finger. She knew what came next, but she
wasn't sure how the others would deal with it. "I understand your
concern, and, I assure you, you don't have to worry about the
students. I'm leaving. I need to get away for awhile, anyway.
Magneto is after me, not you. He won't come here again. And I need
to clear my head, too. I have some thinking that I need to do, and
some people I need to talk to." "Where will you go?"
Psylocke asked slowly. She and Rogue had become close over the last
few weeks and couldn't help but worry about her mental
stability. "Home. To talk to my parents. Find out what they
know about my real parents. To find out if my real father is alive.
And then to find Magneto and to see what he wants with me. I know
where his base is and I want to know why I scare him so badly." "You
can't go alone, Rogue. It's not reasonable. What if you lose
control?" Storm asked cautiously. "I'm not going alone.
Logan's coming with me. He made up his mind the second I said I was
leaving. Just ask him." Logan only shook his head in
agreement, knowing that it was true. He would follow her to the ends
of the Earth if she asked. He would do it even if she didn't. "We'll
leave in a week. I want to make sure everything is in order first,
and that my parents know I am coming. I would hate to go all that way
and they not even live there any longer."
Chapter 27
Author's Notes:
Sorry it took so long. I am had some problems at home and work. Plus, I was trying to go a completely different way with this chapter that just wasn't working.
"Why are you
leaving, Rogue?" Pitor asked as he watched her fold another pair of
jeans from the door way of her room. "Really? This is your home. We
are your family." "I know that, Pitor," Rogue whispered
softly, trying to hide the emotion in her voice. How did you explain
something like this? This feeling on discontent she felt with
everyone and everything around her. "It's something I have to do.
There are things that I need to know and loose ends I have to tie
up." "And Magneto? You can't go head to head with him,
you know," Pitor quickly reminded her. "He's too powerful. And
he'll know you and Logan are alone. He'll be looking for
you." "I know, Pitor. I know," she took a deep breath,
turning to look at him. He stepped in through the door, understanding
that what she said was private. "Carol didn't know what he was
told by the blind woman. He kept that information to himself, and she
was his newest right hand man. Mystique got her abilities back, but
he doesn't trust her anymore. Not after she handed all that
information. But he still didn't trust Carol enough to give her
everything." "What did she know?" "Something
big enough to scare him. And we both know that man doesn't scare
easily. Something that would make him throw caution to the wind and
come here, even though he already knew what I was capable of. Carol
thinks it's his death, but I've got the man in my head and death
isn't something he's afraid of. He's seen to much and been to
close to it. He knows he's not immortal and he accepts this." She
turned to look her friend in the eye, wanting his full attention.
"He's afraid of a few things, Pitor, but there are only three
things that stand out more than anything. He's afraid of being
captured and enslaved again, like he was when he was a little boy and
ripped from his parents' arms during the holocaust. He's afraid
of being turned human again, and loosing his gifts. But, above
everything else, he is afraid of being wrong. That this whole war
idea isn't going to benefit anyone in the long run. That humans and
mutants can coexist peacefully without prejudice." "And
you're going to prove this to him?" Pitor asked
skeptically. "Nope. If he is wrong, then nothing he does or
says is going to change it. Nothing I do or say will either. I'm
not an important political figure, Pitor. No one will listen to me,
and, with all the people in my head, no one should," she sighed,
grabbing the bag she packed earlier and the one she just finished
with, ready to take them both down and store them in the double cab
truck she and Logan would be taking with them along with the bikes.
"I'm just going to show him that, no matter what it is he thinks
he knows, I will not go down with out a fight and that I am not going
to wait around for him to come to me. If he wants a fight that bad, I
am not going to stay here and let him use you and the rest of the
school against me. I'll go to him and take him on under my own
terms. There is no way in hell I will let the rest of you put
yourselves in danger over some vision a blind woman had. I wouldn't
even let Logan go if I could stop him. But I think it would be more
dangerous if I left him here. Who knows what he might put those kids
through. I'd come back and find a bunch of Mini Logan's running
the school like it was boot camp." "And if I follow you?"
He smiled, knowing that she would say no. "Try it if you
want, but, just remember," she replied as she flashed him her own
smile and put her free hand on her hip, "with our healing factors,
we can probably go for a week without much sleep. And you don't
have enhanced senses, which mean that you don't have the nose for
tracking." "Yeah, but I did learn how to hunt in the snow,
remember? I bet I could do it." "You're needed here,
Pitor. Me and Logan are out of here, which means you are going to be
the best fighter they have. There is always a chance that Magneto
will send his people back, and, if that happens, they're going to
need you." She smiled at him softly. "Besides, I'm a big girl
now. And I need to do this by my self. I'm already going to have a
hard time explaining Logan to the folks. And, we kind of need this
time to ourselves, to know that we can both do this, without everyone
giving their two cents about our relationship." "I
understand. I'm just going to miss you, Rogue." "I'll
miss you, too. But this is something I have to do. Now, if you will
excuse me, Logan and I are leaving very early, and I want to get my
things into the truck tonight so that I don't have to worry about
it." She moved to walk past him, stopping at his side for a moment.
"We will be back, Pitor. I promise." ~*~*~*~*~*~ She
felt him before his sent hit her. It wasn't a sent easy to mask,
although he seemed to have bathed in cologne before coming to find
her. He smelled of coldness, of an icy morning. She knew his sent
hadn't been this strong before, that it must have developed along
with his abilities. "You all ready to go, then?" She could
feel the garage temperature drop a little, as if his presence brought
along a cold front. She couldn't help but exhale deeply, wondering
if she would see her breath with it. She closed the double cab,
noticing that Logan had already gone ahead and strapped their bikes
to the truck's bed. "Did you need something?" "Got
everything you need?" He asked back, avoiding her question. He came
to peer into the window over her shoulder. "You better stock up on
junk food before you go. It's going to be a long drive." "What
do you want, Bo…" "I just…" Bobby cut her off,
turning to look at her. Her eyes connected to his, and she could see
the wanting he once had for her again. But it didn't do the same
things to her that it used to. "I just wanted to apologize, Rogue.
For hurting you." "You're forgiven, now, if you will
excuse me…" She turned to walk away, only stopping when she felt
his icy hand grab her arm. "Bobby, I have things that I need to do
before we head out." He pulled her to her, regardless of her
protest. She could see the pleading in his eyes, and knew that this
was something he felt was important. "I'm sorry, Rogue. I
shouldn't have done what I did. I shouldn't… I should have been
better to you." He released her then, but she didn't move, her
curiosity piqued. She realized that she wanted to hear what he had to
say, that nothing he could say would make everything better, but that
it might be important for her to have this for closure. Maybe, one
day, they would be able to start over and rebuild the friendship they
once lost, without the romantic pull they had felt while they were
children. "I loved you, you know. I mean, as much as a seventeen
year old boy could." "I know, Bobby. But… I think our
relationship was doomed from the start. I loved you, too, but just, I
don't think it was the same kind of love. Not what we both needed."
She leaned against the truck, knowing that this was a conversation
long in the making that needed to end before it festered. "Honestly,
Bobby, I understand why you did what you did. I don't condone it,
though. You should have ended things before you moved on. But, I
don't think you are completely to blame. I was pushing you away a
lot." "Yeah. I think it was starting to get to me, and,
that a part of me might have known you were right. I mean, I should
have ended things between us before it happened. Before Alcatraz and
the cure. Before… before the others." He looked away from her,
and she knew whom he was talking about. All those that had died. "But
I think that I thought I loved you too much, and that we could get
past everything. But, I should have realized that, after that one
kiss, you just weren't ready. Why didn't you break it off?" "To
be honest. I was scared, Bobby. You were one of the few people who
weren't afraid of my skin, you know," she smiled at him, for the
first time, feeling more at ease in his company than she ever had
before, including the duration of their romantic relationship.
"Anyone else who didn't flinch when I made a sudden move… Well,
most of them were teachers or Xavier. The only other person was
Logan, but… But he didn't see me in that light, and, really, I
was afraid that I wouldn't be able to find anyone who could see
past my specific mutation and not care about the whole no touching
policy. I was afraid that my only other option was to either be with
you, or alone, and no one wants to be alone forever." "But
what about Logan? He's always looked at you like a child. Why is
now so different?" He leaned against the truck beside her. "I
think that, with Logan, I had to do something drastic. Something that
wasn't for him as much as for everyone. Something that I wasn't
doing for him to see me as a woman, but that forced him to see me in
a new light. It wasn't like he declared his love for me the day I
turned eighteen and became legal. I honestly think he saw me in the
same way, and probably still would if I hadn't done what I felt was
necessary. I think it was the fact that I took matters in my own
hands and didn't abandon him that opened his eyes." "We
shouldn't have left him. We should have been there." Although
they were no longer actually looking at each other, she could almost
feel him sulk against the truck. "No." She shook her head
in protest, not allowing him to feel sorry for himself. "You
followed orders. You did what was expected of you and you followed
your team. You did what you were trained to do." "But you
were apart of that team, too," Bobby replied defensively. "You
were one of us." "I gave up my membership when I accepted
my true nature and left to take care of myself." She turned her
head so that she was looking at his profile now. At twenty, he still
hadn't lost the baby face, his features still not as pronounced as
that of an adult. Given time, he would be a handsome man, but, for
now, he was still only a boy. She could only hope that he would
remember the way he treated her at the end of their relationship and
not make a habit of it. He would hurt the wrong person someday. "To
be honest with you, I really don't think I was ever a part of the
team. I mean, in the end, I chose myself over everyone else. I was no
good for the team. I never shared the same loyalty you and Kitty do.
When I thought of the future, being an X-Men was never a vision.
That's why I'm the rogue, you know. I'm the wild card. It's
great to have me on your side, but I'm not something to be relied
on. I make my own choices. Not for the benefit of the whole team and
their needs, but regardless. I don't play by the rules. Never
really have, actually." "Do you think that, without Logan
and Kitty, that if you could have controlled your abilities without
doing what you did, that, just maybe we would have stood a chance?"
He looked back at her and she could see the honest hope in his eyes,
along with his feelings and his soul. He was laying it all out for
her to see. She knew that it wouldn't be easy for him to
take, but she had to tell him the truth. She had to clear the table
before she left. She couldn't leave him without a doubt in his mind
to fester and twist. "No, Bobby. I don't think we would have
gotten as far as we did, to be truthful. I'm too much like Logan
and, in some ways, like John. Too reckless. Too uncontrollable and
selfish. My skin kept me from being who I really was. There was too
much that I had to control, and it would make me sick. That's why I
jumped on the first opportunity that came along. I didn't want that
control anymore. I didn't want that situation." "But
what about the sacrifice you made when you killed Jean? You gave up
your escape. Why would you do it?" "Because I had to.
Because I am a selfish person and I have selfish needs. Because I
couldn't stand the thought of Logan making that sacrifice and not
surviving from it. It would have eaten him alive and I couldn't
stand by and let him do that to himself." She looked away from him
then. It was the first time she had admitted to anyone why she did
what she had. The first time she had said it out loud. "Would
you have done it for me?" She couldn't help but smile. He
was fishing for something now, some kind of sign that she still loved
him. "The last time I saw you before I left to take the cure, you
were kissing Kitty on a frozen lake. You hadn't even come to check
and see how I was doing. Honestly, I think I would have handed you to
Phoenix on a silver platter and told her to go for it." He
chuckled at that and she was happy to see that he hadn't taken it
the wrong way. She could have said it differently, a little more
eloquently, but that would have gone against everything she had just
told him. "You love him, don't you?" "Yeah." "And
he loves you?" "Yes." She let the word hiss out, almost
as if to admit it set her soul on fire. He turned his gaze away from
her, and she had a feeling that this was about to be the most
important part of the conversation. This was what he had come to talk
to her about. "I love you, too, Rogue. I still do." "I
know." "But you don't feel the same way anymore." "No.
I don't think I ever felt the same way." "Alright." He
pushed softly as she pushed herself away from the truck, wanting to
get out of the garage before she hurt him any further. She had
forgiven him for what happened, and didn't want to reopen any more
fresh scars. "Rogue?" She was half way to the door when he
called to her. She didn't turn around, not wanting to see the pain
in his eyes anymore. "Do you think we can go back to before? To
being friends?" She paused in her answer, knowing that she
was going to hurt him deeper than he had hurt her. But she had to
tell him the truth, she wasn't going to bottle her emotions up
anymore just to save someone some hart ache, regardless of how they
hurt her. "No, Bobby. I can't do that. There is too much
between us. I trusted you once. I can't do it again." And she
walked out of the garage, ready to find the man that loved her, the
man she was willing to die for. The man that she was ready to spend
eternity with.
End Notes:
So I originally intended this chapter to be more playful between Rogue and Logan after she spoke with Pitor, but that wasn't working. So I decided to try something new and to clear things up with Bobby. And, I'm sorry, I still don't like him.... I think he's an idiot and pretty cheesy.
Chapter 28
He was just finishing with his packing when he heard a knock on his door. He knew
who
it was without a doubt. Even though he hadn't caught the scent yet,
he knew her knock. He quickly opened the door to find her
standing on the other side, looking tiered and weary. He stepped
aside, letting her in as her scent filled his room. It was a
natural aroma of magnolias and southern spring days. Along with it
came the scent of the garage and ice. This last one worried him a
little as he closed the door. He turned around to find her
launching herself into his arms, wrapping her own around his
neck. "I love you, Logan. So much," she whispered, as she
let her lips play against his neck. "What did he say to
you, Darlin?" He asked, burying his nose into the sweet fragrance
of her hair. "What did he tell you that has you wound so
tight?" "He apologized," she whispered back, pulling
away from him gently. He knew she probably didn't want to tell him,
but he needed to know. He needed to be sure of what was happening to
her. He watched her walk across the room, taking a seat on
his bed. He felt his lust for her rise a little as she stretched out
across the large bed. He wondered if she knew what that did to him as
she settled herself. "He wanted to apologize for what
happened between him and Kitty," she said quietly, her fingers
making circular patterns across his bedspread. "And what
did you say?" He asked as he sat next to her. He grabbed her hand
in his, holding it tightly, preparing himself for anything. She
sighed, her eyes locking with his. He could see the love she had in
them, but there was more. There was a sadness he knew she would have
to let go of herself, but there was something else, too. A look of
peace and ease that hadn't been there before. One that he was
almost sure she never had. "I apologized back. For pushing
him away in the first place. And for using him so that I wouldn't
be alone." Her voice was soft and upset, but he knew what she
meant. He had suspected it when he had returned from Alkali Lake and
witnessed Bobby practically dragging her along and she reluctantly
following. "I take it he didn't take that so
well?" "Actually, he took it pretty well. We both admitted
out faults and our own actions that killed our relationship. We were
able to talk about everything, let everything out in the
open." "Then why are you so upset?" He felt her tense.
Felt her shift as she gently turned to lie on her back. He was
positive now that she had no idea what she did to him. It was
practically torturous. She sighed, staring at the ceiling.
She paused for a moment, and he knew she wasn't sure if she should
tell him. He hoped that she would. Regardless of what it was, he
wanted no secrets between them. "He asked if there was a
chance if things had been different. If we could have worked it all
out." Logan felt his muscles tense. He had thought that very
same thing once or twice. What if things had been different? Would he
have her right now? Would he have even looked at her the same way if
she hadn't done what she had? "And?" "I told
him that I would have never gone out with him. That I would have been
looking for something else. I told him that we wouldn't have been
any thing more than friends. I guess that when we were dating, I was
looking for some thing stable to hide behind. Something safe. I told
him that I was never the person he thought I was. That I was more
like you." He felt her hand grab his, and he wondered if she needed
his support. He looked at her and saw all the love and affection she
had for him in her eyes. "Does that make me a bad person, Logan?
Does letting my mutation control my personality make me a bad human
being?" "No, Marie," he whispered as he laid next to
her, taking her into his arms. "Not at all. You… you were just
protecting yourself as much as any other. It was your instincts. That
makes you honorable." "He asked if we could go back to
just being friends," she said as she buried herself in his embrace.
"I told him no. There is just too much between us now, and I don't
trust him. I can't." "It's reasonable. And if he don't
see that, well, fuck 'em. He don't deserve you." They
spent the rest of the night like that, holding each other and
talking. They talked about what ever came to their minds until he
felt her body relax and her breathing grow heavy. He fell asleep in
her arms and slept more soundly than he ever had before.
Chapter 29
They left before the
sun came up, before anyone could awaken and wish them good bye. They
didn't want anyone to see them off, to throw them a big party with
tears and hugs. With well wishes and demands that they keep in touch.
They wanted to leave with no one hanging over their shoulders, asking
if they were sure they were leaving. Rogue couldn't help but
smiled as the morning rays hit her face. She was sitting next to the
man she loved, the man she would be spending her life with. They
weren't tied to any causes and the world was open to them. "What?" He asked quickly. She was staring, watching him
control the wheel as he drove onto the on ramp. "Do I got something
on my face?" She couldn't help but giggle as he rubbed his
right hand against his cheek, driving with his left. "No, silly. I
just like to watch you. It's kind of hard to believe that we're
here." "What the hell are you talking about?" He stopped
rubbing only to wave his hand before him, gesturing towards the road.
"This trip was your idea." "Not the trip. You and me. I
never thought that we would be together." She looked away, focusing
her eyes on the road. "Yeah, well, get used to it. I ain't
letting go. It's you and me until one of us dies and I got a
feeling that it wont happen any time soon." "You're such
a romantic," she sighed sarcastically as she leaned across the seat
to rest her head on his shoulders. "You should have been a
poet." "And you are a pain in the ass." He laughed with
her, relishing in the playful banter. "Ain't you supposed to be
following the map, Darlin? It ain't going to help if we get
lost." "So? Let's get lost, Logan. Just you and me. No
body else. We'll have an adventure!" She felt like bouncing in
her seat, but refrained to keep Logan from driving them off a cliff.
"We'll just keep going until we run out of gas." "I
thought we were having an adventure, Marie," he whispered softly,
bringing her back down to Earth. "What happened to the plans that
we already had?" She didn't answer. Only grew quiet and
stared out of the window. A few minutes passed and he got a feeling
he had said something wrong. "I think I'm just a little
scared, Logan. I haven't seen them for so long. And this whole
thing with Magneto… I feel like I'm missing a piece to the
puzzle." "If you want to turn around, just say the word,
Marie." He grabbed her shirt, pulling her closer until her head was
resting firmly against his shoulder. "No matter where we're at,
just say lets go and we're gone." ~*~*~*~*~*~ They
drove like this the entire way. There were only two more occasions
when he thought she would have enough and want to head back. But she
never did. As afraid as she was to see her family again, she was even
more afraid of regretting it. Logan understood that only too
well. And so they took turns. Sometimes she would drive. Sometimes,
he would. They would talk the entire way, telling stories they had
told a million times that the other would never get bored of. They
would laugh, not letting the tension or the seriousness of the
situation drag them in. And about every other night, they would rent
a cheep room and spend the night wrapped in each other's arms, just
feeling each other breath. ~*~*~*~*~*~ It was on a
night like this, as they lay together, that she looked at him and
surprised the hell out of him. "Just think, Logan. Tomorrow
morning, you're going to meet my parents." She smiled at him,
genuine happiness in her eyes. He didn't know what to say. He had
known the entire time that he would have to meet them, but it was
only dawning on him now that they might not think he was as wonderful
as Marie thought so. First of all, how was he supposed to explain the
age difference? Would they even accept it? Marie was only 20 years
old. No even old enough to drink yet. What if they thought he was
using her? And what if they thought he was nothing more than an
animal? The big bad wolf after their little Marie? Normally,
he didn't really care what people thought of him, but this was
different. This was Marie's parents. He had to make a good
impression. If she wasn't worth it, than no one was. For the
first time on the trip, Logan found he was having trouble
sleeping. ~*~*~*~*~*~ They awoke bright and early.
Rogue was excited over knowing that she would be seeing her family
again. Logan was only happy that he would finally be able to ride his
bike. They had agreed to leave the truck parked at the motel
and ride the hour it would take to get to the little house she had
grown up in. Neither of them could wait to be in the open. The only
draw back was that she would be on her own bike, and not riding with
him. He watched her skip around the room, preparing for the
ride. He found that being back in the south seemed do something to
Rogue. She seemed more at ease, more like the woman she should have
become if not for the mutation fate had dealt her. He found her more
alive, more in tune with herself. No matter what else happened on
this trip, he knew that this had been good for her. She was finally
able to be her own person, instead of what everyone perceived her
as. He couldn't help but laugh as she jumped onto her bike,
ready to ride off, as he zipped up his jacket. Even though she was
wearing a helmet, he could still feel the look she gave him. The look
that would make him laugh even more. ~*~*~*~*~*~ They
rode for an hour, Rogue in the lead with Logan just behind her,
looking for any sign of trouble. Not once did she falter or pause.
She knew where she was heading and Logan knew that here, in this
backwater little town not even big enough for a motel for stragglers,
she was finally Marie again. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She stopped in
front of a two story house on the nicest street in the town. There
was a large yard with a willow tree and a tire swing. The house was
white with a little blue along the trimmings for color. She smiled a
little, the scent of magnolias from the back yard teasing her senses.
She was home again, a place she hadn't allowed herself to even
dream of in the past years. She had sped up for the last
mile, leaving Logan just far enough behind so that he would be able
to see her turns. She was pulling off her helmet just as he parked
his bike next to hers in front of the house. She hadn't reached her
parents when she had called, but the answering machine had come on
with their voices, sounds she would never forget, stating that they
were unavailable and to leave a message. She smiled at Logan
even as scowled, climbing off his own bike. Of course, he didn't
wear a helmet. Just too cool for one. One day he would hit something
and then have to explain to a bunch of paramedics why the split in
his head had healed before they arrived. Until then, though, he
wouldn't learn. ~*~*~*~*~*~ They walked up the path
together, Logan's arm over her shoulder, Marie's arm around his
waist. They weren't going to hide their feelings for her parents.
They would just have to accept it. They hadn't reached the
porch when the door swung open and a woman who looked to be in her
early 40's bolted out, grabbing Marie in a tight hug. She was
quickly followed by a man who only seemed to be a year or more older,
impatiently awaiting his own chance to see their daughter
again. "Marie, my baby," her mother stammered as she
pulled away to get a quick glance. "I've worried about you for so
long now, not knowing if you were alright or alive. I've had
nightmares, Sugar." "Oh, Marie, you gave us quite a scare,
you know. Your momma's been lighting a candle every night, praying
for you," her father said as he pulled her into a bear hug. There
were tears in everyone's eyes, including Logan's. He had never
known what Marie had been missing all this time. He had never known a
family like this, never known what it would be like. "And
who is this?" Her mother asked as she turned her gaze onto Logan.
All the nerves he had felt the night before were returning as Marie's
parent's turned their gaze on him. "Momma, Daddy, this is
Logan," Marie replied as she laced her arm around one of Logan's.
"He's the reason why I am still alive. He's… Well, he's my
man."
End Notes:
Enter the parents... Dun Dun DUUUUUUUN
Chapter 30
Logan
couldn't help the smile that played on his lips when she claimed
him. Her chest filled with pride at hearing it. It was the first time
that she had said it allowed, at least in front of him. What
he found more amusing was that she hadn't called him her boyfriend.
True they were together and dating, but both knew it was more than
that. Boyfriend wasn't a title for him. There was nothing definite
about it. A boyfriend was someone you could grow tired of and leave
without a second thought. A boyfriend wasn't really as serious as
some thought. The fact that she had called him her man. That was
different. She had let the world know that he was hers forever. No
matter what happened, he would always be hers and vise versa. Logan
noticed the woman looking at him a bit strange, as if she was trying
to figure him out. He extended his hand, hoping that they wouldn't
notice the small quiver. "Nice to meet you." Marie's
father only looked at him for a second, sizing him up. Logan knew
that he would be tough. Reluctantly, the man took his hand, grasping
it firmly. When Logan tightened his own hold, the man couldn't help
but smile. "That's a good handshake you got, Logan," the
man said quickly as he drew back his own hand. "I always told Marie
that you could see a man's character in his handshake. 'Don't
choose a man with a limp handshake, Marie. He won't be no good to
you.' That's what I always said. Glad to see that she listened.
Name's Ray. This is my wife Leah. Good to have you in my home. It's
been a long time since we last saw our baby girl and we've worried,
but it looks like you've been taken care of her." "Yes
sir. She's something else." Logan smiled down at Marie as she
smiled back. He extended his hand to Leah, but she didn't take it.
Instead, she threw herself into his arms and hugged him just as tight
as she had Marie. Logan didn't know what to say as he hugged her
back. Leah pulled away with tears in her eyes. "My daughter
says you're her man. Well, that makes you family to me. She
wouldn't say that about you if it weren't serious. My daughter
always did fall hard. I'm just glad to see that she's found
someone to love her just as hard." "Why don't we all go
in before the neighbors come out?" Marie said quickly. Logan
noticed how tense she was as she looked around. "I have a feeling
that not too many people would be all that happy to see me back." "I
think you're right, Sugar," Leah replied as she ushered the group
through the front door. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Logan found himself
sitting besides Marie at a small, round kitchen table, her parents
both looking at him a little skeptically. Now that the initial
introductions were over, he had a feeling that the questions would
start. At least it seemed that he had made a good first
impression. "Now, Logan, you must remember that our daughter
disappeared from our home three years ago without a good bye," Leah
began, eyeing Marie closely. "We only found out what happened when
that Cody boy's parents beat down our door. You must understand
that we've been a little worried about her. We'd like to know
what she's been up to." "Yes, Ma'am. I understand."
He cleared his throat, the nerves in his stomach bunching up
again. "Don't start with the Ma'am shit. I ain't that
old." Leah smiled at him, helping him to feel a little more at
ease. "Now, first of all, how old are you?" "He doesn't
know, Momma," Marie replied before Logan could. "He can't
remember anything from before about 18 years ago." "Why is
that?" Ray asked, interjecting. "Were you in an accident or
something?" "No, sir," Logan replied. He wasn't sure
how they would take it, but he knew he had to be honest. If something
happened, something unexplainable, he would be forced to look like a
liar. "I was apart of a mutant experiment for the military. They
did some procedures on me and I've blocked it all out." "The
military, huh? Yeah, I believe it. They aren't too good on human
mutant relations. If you don't mind, what is your mutation,
exactly?" Leah asked, a disgusted look on her face. Logan couldn't
help but wonder if she had once had her own run in with the
military. "Well, I heal fast. Really fast. Also, I have
enhanced senses. Kind of like a wolves." He paused for a moment,
clearing his throat. This next one would be a little tough and might
even scare them. "And I have claws." "Claws?" Leah was
a little taken aback. Ray had a dark look cross his features for a
moment. "In my hands. I'm what's known as a feral
mutant." Logan waited for a reaction, maybe a recoil from Marie's
parents, but they only looked at him a little more closely before
continuing their questions. "What do you do for a living?"
Ray asked. "I teach self defense at a school for mutants.
Along with a little substituting here and there when needed." "He's
actually really great at history," Marie interjected. "He helped
to make it more interesting than the books." "So you were
a student of his?" Ray asked, again looking at Marie pointedly. "Is
that how you met?" Marie smiled a little, and Logan knew she
was remembering that day. "Actually, we met before either of us
found out about the school. We were in Canada, and I hid in the back
of his trailer. I had been on the road for about eight months by
then, and he seemed like the safest bet, but I was a little scared to
ask, so I just stowed away until he realized I was there. That was
the first time he saved my life." "And we've pretty much
been together since then," Logan added on. He noticed how her
parents were looking at him and knew they had taken the statement
wrongly. "I don't mean romantically." "Logan was my
friend first. He took care of me and made sure I was safe and with
good people when he couldn't be there. He helped me realize that
there were people out there who could look past my mutation and trust
me enough not to hurt them," Marie said softly as she looked at
him. He hadn't realized that she had felt that way. "I didn't
learn to control my mutation until just recently. I want to talk to
you about that, though." "Later, baby. We've still got a
few more questions," Ray said, smiling at her and patting her hand
lightly before turning to Logan again. "Just what are your
intentions with my daughter, anyway?" "I love her, and I
want her to be happy. She's just as much as mine as I am hers. I
won't hurt her, if that's what you want to know. Not
intentionally anyway." He took Marie's hand in his own, feeling
the warmth it gave off. "I got a feeling that we will be together
for a long time." "That's easy to say now, but what
about when she's in her sixties? Or even in her fifties? What's
it going to be like when she starts looking older? When she can't
keep up with you? What then?" Logan understood Ray's fears for
his daughter. It was why he had never really settled down before. He
didn't want to hurt anyone. "I'll still love her then,
no matter what." Logan said sternly. It wasn't something he was
going to go back on. It was for life. "Besides, Daddy, I
won't age like that anymore, so I won't have to think about it,"
Marie replied with a sheepish smile. "When I got control of my
mutation, I found out that I could use the mutations of those that I
had touched before. Well, there have been a couple of instances when
I've had to use Logan's. Now it's permanent and I don't
really have to worry about getting older." "What the hell
do you mean, 'a couple of instances'?" Ray's eyes grew
darker. It was apparent to him what she meant, but he had to hear it
out loud. "Right after we got to the school, there was an
accident, and I was hurt pretty bad," Marie began. Logan was only
grateful that she didn't describe the accident she was talking
about. How would they like him after finding out he had stabbed her,
accident or not. "I would have died if I hadn't touched Logan and
borrowed some of his healing." "And the second time?"
Leah asked softly. She was clutching Ray's hand now, and Logan
couldn't help but notice the way her knuckles seemed to
whiten. "Well, there was a man who wanted to use my
mutations to do something bad," Marie began softly. "After the
first accident, one of his people was able to trick me into leaving
the school." Logan sat back and listened for the next twenty
minutes as Marie told her parents about what had happened at the
Statue of Liberty. He saw the reactions on her parents faces, and
added his own point of view when it was needed. Marie made him look
like a savior in their eyes, but his side of the story made them see
that he was nothing but a man saving a person he cared
about. ~*~*~*~*~*~ When the story was told, Marie's
parents seemed to be a little overwhelmed. Leah looked from one to
the other, tears in her eyes. "I wish you hadn't left the
way you had, Marie. We would have taken care of you. This wouldn't
have happened." "If I hadn't, then Magneto would have
succeeded. He wouldn't have had to send anyone to track me, and
there wouldn't have been anyone to save me. Logan and I would have
never met and he would have never been dragged into being an X-Man.
He wouldn't have been there to save me." Marie looked at her
parents pointedly, and, for the first time since they arrived, he saw
the rogue in her again. "Whether Scott would have shot the damn
contraption or Magneto succeeded, I would have died. And you might
have been killed, too. I don't regret the things that happened.
When I left, I thought that I was protecting you. You know what this
town is like. Maybe if you had been honest with me from the
beginning, I would have come to you instead of leaving." "What
are you talking about, Marie?" Ray asked quickly. But Logan and
Marie both saw the way his eyes widened. Both could hear the
uncertainty in his voice. He knew exactly what she was saying. Marie
took a deep breath, preparing herself for the inevitable. "Why
didn't you ever tell me you were a mutant, Leah? Or that neither of
you were my real parents?"
Chapter 31
Judging by the looks
on their faces, it was plain to her that they weren't prepared for
her questions. But she needed to know the truth. Her father cleared
his throat, looking into her eyes while her mother could only hang
her head. "What do you know already?" Her father asked
solemnly. This was hurting him, but Rogue knew all too well how pain
can heal. "I know what my father, my real father, did to
me. I know that Momma used her mutation to clear it and that you made
him disappear. I know that Momma used her mutation on me a couple of
times after that, and that you only did it to protect me. What I
don't know is what happened to my father and my mother. Why didn't
you tell me anything when I got older?" "Because you were
happy, Marie. And we didn't want to take that away from you," Ray
replied sadly. "And, by the time you were old enough, we weren't
sure how to tell you. The next thing we knew, you were gone." "Can
you tell me about them, at least?" Marie asked quietly. "You
mother was my sister," Leah began, tears slowly crawling down her
cheeks. "She was my best friend. That is, until she met Owen, your
father. No one liked him from the beginning. When your grandfather
met him, he said he saw the devil in him. The first time Priscilla
brought him home, he made the man leave. Prissy was forbidden from
seeing him, but she was sixteen and rebellious. She started sneaking
behind out father's back. "She became withdrawn and
secretive. She wouldn't even tell me what was going on. I thought
she might have started using drugs, but she swore it wasn't that.
The next thing we all knew, she was a month away from turning
seventeen and pregnant. Daddy hit the roof when she told him who the
father was. He and Momma told her they would help her with the baby
and that she wouldn't have to worry about anything as long as she
left Owen alone. She refused and left. A week later, they were gone.
No one knew where they went and I never saw my sister again." Leah
paused looking to her husband. "I was only nineteen when she left.
Ray and I had been childhood sweethearts, and it wasn't a shock to
anyone when we decided to get married. I wanted Prissy to be there,
but we couldn't find her. It took us six years to track her down.
Only, she had vanished and left her daughter behind with a man who
should have never been allowed to be around children." "Did
you ever find out what happened to her? Did you ever look at his
memories and figure anything out?" Marie whispered; her back rigid,
her neck tense. "My mutation doesn't work that way,
Baby." Leah took a deep breath, knowing that she would have to
explain. "I don't actually see the memories. The person who wants
the memory to disappear has to just think about it while I touch
them." "Leah and I continued to search even after we
started to take care of you, but it was like she just vanished,"
Ray said solemnly. "And Owen? What happened to him? Don't
tell me he just disappeared, too." Marie was beginning to get
angry. There was just too much that she didn't know, too much that
they could keep from her. "Is he dead?" Leah and Ray
looked at each other, communicating with only their eyes. "I
need to know the truth. I have a right to know. Did you kill him?"
She felt Logan's hand squeeze hers, trying to calm her down. "He's
alive." Ray looked away as Leah spoke. "He's in The Mississippi
State Insane Asylum down in Whitfield." "I wanted to kill
him," Ray interjected. "Prissy was a good friend of mine, too.
And when you told us about what he did to you, well, I don't know
how I controlled myself. But Leah stopped me. She made me promise
that I wouldn't do anything. Said she would take care of it and
make him wish that he were dead." "How did you take care
of it, Momma? What did you do to him?" Marie asked sadly. "I
took his memories. All of them," Leah replied icily. She held her
head up high, and Marie knew she was proud of what she had done. "It
wasn't what I had planned to do, but it worked. I thought that if I
concentrated hard enough, I could see his memories and find out what
happened to my sister. Instead, I erased everything. And it made him
go crazy. He was sent to Whitfield after pushing a boy and breaking
his arm. As far as I've heard, he hasn't regained anything."
End Notes:
So.... This was a hard chapter to write only because I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. But it's done. Yeah!!!!!!!!!
Chapter 32
Marie
found herself sitting alone in the living room with her parents. She
and Logan had talked and agreed that they would spend the night in
her old bed. He reluctantly left her to go collect their things from
the motel. And now she looked from one person to the other,
angry that they had lied to her all her life, although she understood
why they would. If she had known the truth, then things wouldn't
have turned out the way they had. "Tell me about my mother.
What was she like?" Marie asked quietly. She had so many questions
going threw her mind, but wasn't sure where to start. "What was
her ability?" "She was a healer. Not like your man,
though. She couldn't heal herself," Leah explained quietly. "It
wasn't very strong. When she touched someone else, she would heal
small things. A cut or a bruise. It just depended on the size of who
ever she was trying to heal, really. The smallest thing was a bird
that had broken his wing. She had picked it up and, the next thing we
knew, the bird was flying straight again, like it was nothing." Leah
looked out the giant bay window into the afternoon sky, remembering
something. "We found out when she was fifteen and I was seventeen.
Tommy, our little brother, was walking home from school. He was only
about nine at the time. Our school let out earlier than his, so we
would walk and meet him half way. There was this house that we would
have to walk by. They had this dog. Meanest mutt I had ever seen.
Well, someone must have left the gate open or something, because when
Tommy walked by, the dog got out and attacked him. We were just a
stone throw's away, so we ran to help him. I pulled the dog off and
he ran into the yard. I closed the gate so he wouldn't get out and
Prissy was throwing Tommy over her shoulder. There was so much blood,
but, by the time we got him home, the bite had healed so well, you
couldn't even tell. Besides the blood that is. It was only a few
days after that we found the bird, so we knew that it wasn't
Tommy." Leah looked back at her, and Marie could almost feel
the pain coming off of her. "I found out about my powers later that
night. Tommy had woken up from a nightmare, and since mine and
Prissy's room was next to his, and my bed shared a wall with his, I
was the first to hear him. We didn't tell Momma and Daddy anything,
so I had to calm him down before they heard him. He had been dreaming
about the dog and didn't want to be left alone. So I held him. And
I just kept wishing that he would just forget the whole thing and we
could go back to normal. Suddenly, I felt something strange,
something kind of like a magnet. And then Tommy just passed out. When
he woke up the next morning, he had no memory of what happened with
the dog." "What happened to the dog?" Marie asked
pointedly. She was a little nervous that the dog might have been able
to do the same thing to another child. "Prissy and I went to
the house the next day, but the dog was gone and we never saw him
again. Like he just disappeared. As far as I know, his owners saw
what happened and got rid of him before he could bite again." Leah
shrugged her shoulders. "And what about my momma? Who was
she?" Marie got back on the subject even though it was obvious it
was hurting Leah. But it was important. She needed to understand
who's blood was running through her veins. "Your momma
was a handful. You look a lot like she did. Except your hair. Hers
was lighter. You got that from Owen." Leah's fingers twitched and
Marie couldn't help but wonder if she wanted to reach out to her.
"She was a wild one, your momma. She didn't like to take orders
from anyone. I don't even know how she was able to get through
school the way she did. Straight A's in every thing. She just
couldn't follow direction, and forget trying to tell her to be
still. That girl couldn't stand still if her life depended on it.
When she was twelve, Momma started to let her stay home from church
with Daddy just because she was tired of trying to get the girl to
calm down. Of course, me and Tommy weren't too upset. Daddy would
make her scrub the floors. But she didn't really mind, either. Said
she would rather be doing that than sitting on those hard pews,
anyway." "How did she meet my daddy?" Marie asked
genuinely. "I think I am going to go upstairs and make sure
Marie's room is suitable for her and her guest," Ray interjected
quickly, hurrying to make his way out of the room. Marie got the
feeling that there were things that he didn't want to hear about,
and this was one of them. "Actually, she met him because of
me. When I was eighteen, I broke things off with Ray. You have to
remember, we'd been together for a long time already. I knew I
loved him, had known for years, but I felt like I needed to know what
I was going to miss out on. I wanted to know what it was like to go
out on a real first date with someone who didn't know who you were,
who hadn't seen you at your worst already." Leah paused,
listening for any sign of Ray. "He said he understood, but I knew
he was heart broken. He was nineteen and wanted to get married
already. Well, your momma and I went out on a double date with a guy
from the football team and his older cousin, Owen. I had to beg
Prissy to go. She knew the football player and didn't want anything
to do with him, but he wouldn't introduce me to his cousin unless
he had a chance to talk to Prissy. "Well, needless to say,
Prissy and the football player didn't hit it off too well, and it
didn't look like Owen even knew I was there. After that, everything
started to go down hill." "What happened to Tommy? Was he
a mutant, too?" Marie asked quickly. She had never known that she
had an uncle. Leah and Ray had always led her to believe that her
grand parents were dead. "He went into the military straight
out of high school. He spent four years with the Marines before being
hit by friendly fire while on tour in Iraq. Do you remember when I
told you that I had to go on a trip to see an old friend when you
were around eleven? And I left you home with Ray?" Leah asked
softly. "Yeah. You were gone for about a week. Daddy and I
ate pizza every night and stayed up late." "Well, that was
when Tommy died. I had to go back for the funeral. Momma and Daddy
begged me to bring you along, too, but I couldn't risk it. There
were people there who knew about Prissy who might have said the wrong
thing. Looking back now, maybe it would have been good for you to go.
At least you would have known you had family out there. Maybe you
would have gone to them when you left." "What was it like
for you? After I left?" Marie asked. She had always worried about
that. This was a small town, and she had always wondered if they had
turned on her family. "I know it must have been hard. Did anyone
find out about your mutation?" "No one found out about me,
but it was hard. People tried to sympathize with us. But not because
you ran away. For awhile, Ray and I were referred to as that poor
couple with the mutant daughter. Cody's parents were angry, of
course, but they came to terms with what happened after he came out
of the coma." Leah smiled sadly. "Of course, I let everyone know
that we were heart broken over the fact that you ran away. That we
still loved you and wished that you would come home. After the first
year, things settled down. Of course, everyone was careful to not
even mention you. They acted as if you didn't exist, and I think
that hurt more than anything." "But what about other
mutants? Hasn't there been at least one around here in the last
three years?" "Yes, but the people of this town have
perfected the art of hiding their heads in the sand when something
would happen. Of course, none were dangerous to anyone." Marie felt
a stab of pain in her heart and Leah looked at her with sympathy in
her eyes. "I know, Marie. It hurts. But it's the truth. And you
got control now. When did that happen? Did you just figure it out on
your own?" "Actually, it had to do with the memories that
you took from me. You see, your mutation doesn't actually erase the
memories, but only suppresses them. I had an accident and had to gain
complete control. Well, I wouldn't call it an accident
really." "What happened to you?" Marie could see the
concern in Leah's eyes. She took a deep breath, knowing
that she was about to scare the woman. "Did you hear about the
mutants who attacked that facility at Alcatraz?" "Yes.
Don't tell me you were involved in that." Leah's concern turned
to fear for her child, and Marie knew that she should explain
quickly. "I was, but not until the end. You see, I hadn't
learned to control my skin by then, and I was beginning to think that
I never would. Well, when they announced the cure, I decided to go
ahead and take it." Marie paused, letting the information sink in.
She wasn't sure how Leah would react, but when the older woman
showed no sign of interrupting, she continued. "I decided against
it and went to help my friends instead. Only, when I got there,
someone very close to me had lost control and she became someone else
completely. I ended up using my mutation to kill her." "Oh,
Marie. I'm so sorry." Leah stood as if to move to her, but Marie
only shook her head, forcing the woman to sit back down. "No.
I'm not. Not anymore. I'll have to live with what I did, but I
also saved billions of lives that night, and I will not let myself
regret that. If I hadn't done what I did… Well, Logan would have
tried to take her out. I was left with the choice of saving the man I
love and sparing billions of lives or killing the woman who was my
friend and teacher. I chose the lesser of two evils." Marie grew
silent again, trying to get her emotions under control. "But when I
did take her life, I absorbed the person she had become. The person
who was out of control. In order for me to be strong enough to
control her, I had to learn to control my own mutation, along with
those of other mutants I had touched. I have control now, but that
was only after a couple of telepaths helped me unlock those memories
you suppressed. My mutation was only acting as a defense mechanism
because there was something missing." "I'm sorry I did
that to you, Marie," Leah apologized. "I wish it had been
different, but I thought that I was doing the right thing at the
time." "I know. And I'm not angry. Not anymore." Marie
reassured her subtly. Both women knew that things would get better
between them, it was only a matter of when. "Look, why don't I
tell you about some of the better things that have happened over the
years? There is so much more, so much good that you don't even know
about. And maybe you can tell me about my mother when she was growing
up?" "I'd like that," Leah said with a smile, although
Marie could still see the tears in her eyes. "And your man should
be back anytime. Why don't we talk why we get dinner started? He'll
be hungry when he gets here. Didn't I always tell you? You want to
keep your man, keep him fed." Marie couldn't help but
laugh as she followed Leah into the kitchen. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Later
that night, as she laid in bed listen to Logan lightly snore beside
her, there were still so many questions she had for her family, but
those would wait. She wanted to spend the rest of their visit getting
to know each other again. It had been too long. Tomorrow was another
day.
Chapter 33
They were sitting
around the kitchen table, laughing and enjoying breakfast the next
morning when the door bell rang. "Alright, I'll get it,
but don't quit eating on my account," Ray said as he looked at
Logan pointedly. Logan was in the middle of shoveling a fork full of
waffles into his mouth. Ray couldn't help but chuckle as he threw
his napkin on the table and left to answer the door. Logan
couldn't believe how at peace they were here. He had never seen
Marie so happy, and he couldn't remember the last time he felt so
at ease with his surroundings. He had never really understood her
need to be apart of something bigger, to be apart of a family, but,
after meeting her family and seeing how she was raised and the
atmosphere she had grown in, he had to admit that he had a better
understanding. And then it had hit him. A scent he had never
known before. It was obviously male and young. Nothing dominating
about it. He was nowhere near being an alpha. Nothing threatening. He
was ready to brush it off when he realized that next to him, Marie's
body seemed to stiffen and she suddenly became very quiet. "What's
wrong, Marie?" He whispered slowly, looking at her carefully. Leah
seemed to have notice something was wrong, also. She stood abruptly,
going to check who was at her home. "Marie? Who is it?" He
listened carefully, trying to figure out who could make her this
upset. He could hear her parents talking with the young man whose
scent he had just caught. It sounded like Leah was trying to politely
talk the man into leaving, but he was being persistent with his
demand. He wanted to see Marie. She owed it to him. "You
know, we can just go out the back door. Come back later, after we
know he's gone. Is that what you want to do?" Logan asked
sincerely, waiting patiently for an answer. Marie took a deep
breath, closing her eyes. She felt like the walls were closing in
around her. But this was something that she knew was a possibility if
she had come here. It was unavoidable, and he was right. She did owe
him. "No, Logan. I have to do this," she said as she
stood. He followed her out of the kitchen, ready to defend her
against what ever was waiting for her. She stopped suddenly,
grabbing Logan's hand for support. She could feel her heart
constrict as she took in his appearance. His hair was still blond,
only a little darker than she remembered. He had grown a little in
the last three years, and his features seemed to have matured, but
she could still see the boy she had fallen for all those years ago.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her fears. "Hey, Cody." Logan
felt his blood run cold at her words. She had told him about the boy
she had almost killed, the boy she had cared so deeply for. She had
told him stories of their childhood together, how they had been
almost inseparable. He couldn't help the low growl that emanated
from his throat. Although Marie seemed a little startled by
it, it was apparent that no one else in the room had noticed. Still,
she squeezed his hand lightly, letting him know that he had nothing
to worry about. "Hey, Marie," Cody said in a thick
southern accent. "We've missed you. You look good, girl." "You
too, Cody. Now, I don't mean to be rude, but what are you doing
here?" Marie asked quickly, her eyebrows knitting together. Logan
had been wondering the same thing. As far as he knew, Ray and Leah
didn't tell anyone they were here, and, judging by their scents,
they were just as surprised as he and Marie. "Mrs. Johnson
from across the street called my momma and told her the she saw a man
and a woman ride up on motorcycles and that the woman could be you.
Well, Momma told me and I figured that I would come down and see for
myself." Cody looked around at the faces that were staring at him.
No one had even suspected that the local gossip had already started,
but it wasn't too much of a stretch. Cody smiled brightly, taking a
seat on the couch. Everyone looked at each other, not too sure of the
situation. Marie had to admit that it was a little surreal. Leah
suddenly realized how tense the situation was becoming. Quickly, she
walked across the living room and grabbed Logan's free arm, gently
urging him to the kitchen. "Logan, why don't you come with me to
the kitchen and help me clear that table." Logan knew what
she was doing and followed, but he couldn't help but growl again,
this time a little louder so that everyone could hear. He felt
Marie's fingers reluctantly release his hands, and understood. She
had to see this through. Marie watched Logan follow her
mother to the kitchen. When she looked back, she was relieved and
grateful to see that her father was sitting in his recliner and not
heading out of the room, also. Cody was still beaming at her as if he
was oblivious to the mess he had made by just showing up. "How've
you been?" Cody asked sweetly as Marie took a seat on the chair
opposite her father. "Life treating you right?" "Life is
good. I'm living in northern New York now, at a school for mutants.
I've got a lot of people who care for me and accept me for who I
am," she said, relaxing a little. She was afraid that he would be
upset with her, that he would blame her and hate her. "And
that man with you, is he one of your teachers?" Cody asked,
gesturing towards the kitchen. "Not anymore. But that's a
long story," she paused, briefly remembering all that she and Logan
had been through over the last few years, remembering everything that
led to this moment. "Actually, Logan and I are together. He's my
man." "Oh." Cody tried, but he couldn't hide his
astonishment. He hadn't been expecting that, but then she didn't
think he had noticed any intimacy between them. "Don't get me
wrong, but, isn't he a little old for you?" Marie couldn't
help but laugh. It seemed Cody hadn't changed much over the years.
He was still as straight forward as he had been when they were in
school together. "He's older, yes, but we love each other. We
trust each other." "How long have you been
together?" Marie smiled at the obvious grilling. It seemed
that her ex flame had become somewhat protective of her over the
years. "Since about eight months after I left here. He picked me up
outside of a bar in Canada." "What!" She couldn't help
but giggle when his face fell. Judging by the look on Ray's face,
he wasn't as happy, but he wasn't going to force the issue. Cody
would do that. "You were only 17!" "Well, technically,
he didn't pick me up. I stole away in his camper. But when he found
me, he didn't leave me on the side of the rode like he really
wanted to." She knew that she was angering him, and knew that it
should end. "We've been close ever since, but we didn't have
anything romantic between us until a couple of weeks ago." They
spent the rest of the hour talking about this and that. She told him
about the school and the things she had learned. He told her about
his daughter, a little girl born the spring before. They enjoyed each
other's company and Marie forgot everything she had been worried
about until Cody let everyone know that he was going to step outside
for a smoke. One look from her father let her know that, from his
position, Ray had just seen Logan walk out the back way to do the
same thing. With any luck, they wouldn't run into each other, but
Marie knew all too well that wasn't how luck worked for
her. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Logan caught his scent the moment he
opened the front door. He couldn't help the smile that spread over
his lips. He wanted to talk to the boy, and to make sure he wasn't
a threat. Not to what was happening between him and Marie, but to
Marie herself. He crouched around the side of the house,
surprising the boy straight when he didn't make a noise until he
was just behind him. "Where the hell did you come from?"
Cody asked quickly, jumping a little. "Back yard. Just
thought I'd join you." Logan said quickly, lighting his cigar
even as the boy lit his cigarette. "What are you doing here?" "I
came to see Marie. I've been thinking about her lately, wondering
how she's been doing. It's good to see her." Cody took a drag,
looking at the bigger man next to him. "I've always wanted to
know what happened to her after she left here. Glad she's found
someone to take care of her. She deserves it." Logan
couldn't help but smile. This wasn't something he wasn't
expecting. "Yeah, well, she's a strong woman. She doesn't need
any one to take care of her. I'm just happy she lets me." "You'll
take care of her, right? You wont hurt her?" Cody looked at him
with scrutinizing eyes, and Logan wanted to chuckle. He definitely
didn't expect this. "I don't think I can." Logan
shrugged, leaning against the porch railing. "I love her too
much." "Yeah I can tell." Cody took another drag on his
cigarette, laughing a little. His chuckle was cut short as he watched
a small, red car stop just off the property. "What the
hell?" "What's the matter, kid? You know her?" Logan
asked, keeping his eyes on the car. "Yeah. That's my
momma. Don't know what she's doing here though," Cody replied
as the woman opened the door and got out of the car. Just as
she stood, the winds changed, and Logan was slapped with the woman's
scent. Without warned, he grabbed Cody by the collar, dragging him
back into his house. "Sorry to break it to you, kid, but that ain't
your momma. ROGUE!" "What's the matter, Logan? Who is
it?" Marie asked as she ran from the kitchen. He hadn't called
her Rogue once since they left the mansion, and it felt a little
strange to hear it again. It could only mean that something was about
to happen. Something bad. Logan looked at her, and she knew
that he was a different person now. He was Wolverine now. What ever
was outside wasn't just bad, but dangerous. "It's Mystique."
End Notes:
I really want to get this story finished, so I thought I'd bring the fight to Rogue and Wolverine instead of them fishing it out. Still a long way from being done.
Chapter 34
Logan wasn't sure
if she had seen them, but he wasn't about to take that chance. It
was good that she had, though. "What are we going to do,
Logan?" Rogue asked quickly, standing protectively in front of her
family. "She'll kill them." "My momma's a bitch,
I'll give you that, Marie," Cody said, stepping out from behind
her, "but I really don't think she'd kill anyone." "That
ain't your momma, kid," Logan growled as he forced Cody to sit
down on the couch. "Rogue, you sure that Mystique isn't working
for Magneto? Anything in Danvers' memories that would say other
wise?" "I don't know. Do you think I got a minute to
look through, again?" Rogue asked as she pulled a small hair tie
from her pocket and tied her hair back in a bun. She could feel the
eyes of her parents and Cody on her; all wanting to know what was
really going on. "What's she doing, anyway? You think she knows
we're here?" "Yeah, she knows," Logan muttered. He
slowly peeked out of the window, carful not to be seen. From what he
could see, she was just standing there, observing the house. She was
no longer shaped as Cody's mother, though. She was back in her own
skin, so to speak. "It looks like she's waiting for back up. I
think I could go out there and handle this myself." "Oh no
you don't," Rogue said quickly, walking across the room to where
Logan stood by the bay window. "You're going to help me get my
family out of here before something happens to one of them, you hear
me. Now, just give me a second." Logan watched as her eyes
glazed over. Her parents were crouched on the floor, watching her
closely, and Cody was just sitting on her couch, staring in the
direction of the bay window. It was only a few seconds before Rogue
gasped and returned to them from where ever she went to inside her
head. "I didn't see Mystique, but I think there is reason so
believe that Danvers wasn't as high up in ranks with Magneto as she
thought she was. It seems that, after he got his abilities back, he
would disappear for days at a time. The only person that he would
take him was Pyro. Danvers only thought she was a big deal because
Magneto would leave her in charge." "But he wouldn't
bother telling her where he was going. Meaning, the only person who
knew what he was up to was Pyro, and he could damn well be working
with Mystique again," Logan said quickly. Rogue could practically
see the wheels in his head turning while he was thinking, trying to
come up with a plan. "Do you think you can do a quick scan of the
area to see if anyone is around?" "I can try, but keep an
eye on me. I don't trust Phoenix and I think this would be the
perfect opportunity for her to do something stupid and get everyone
killed." Rogue concentrated again, her head tilted to the side as
her eyes glazed over. She felt a slight tug from someone in her head
as she tapped into her telepathic abilities, but quickly pushed it
aside. She wasn't sure who it was, but she knew that it wasn't
Phoenix. It would have been a whole different battle otherwise. She
could feel everyone in the room instantaneously. Her parents were
full of fear and anguish, while Cody was not only scared, but also a
little confused. She just didn't have the heart to tell him that
because Mystique was impersonating her, chances were his mother was
already dead. She pushed a little further and was overwhelmed with an
onslaught of thoughts, most of which were focused on one thing. "You
want the bad news first?" Rogue asked with a little giggle. Logan
threw her a look which said to stop playing around. "We're
surrounded. I didn't hear anything from Mags, but he's here. I
heard some of their orders. It seems that they don't know that you
aren't the big metal man anymore, so they think that Magneto will
take care of you. For once, the sound of your name doesn't strike
fear in their hearts when it should." "Get on with it,
Darlin," Logan growled, peeking out the window again. He knew there
was more, could almost feel her trying not to say it. "And?" "And,
all they want is me," Rogue whispered. She wouldn't meet his
gaze, already knowing what was going on in his head. It didn't take
a psychic to read what he was thinking. "Alive, Logan. If I go
peacefully, they retreat. Mystique is waiting for orders to ask me to
talk to her civilly. She's going to offer me a deal. If I go with
them, peacefully, then they won't hurt anyone. They know what I am
capable of." "Rogue!" They heard someone yell from the
yard in a sing song voice. "Come on out. I just want to
talk." "What's the good news, Darlin?" Logan asked
gruffly, hoping that she had some kind of plan to get everyone out of
here safely. He looked at her, hoping to see something that would
make him happy. Instead, he saw tears in her eyes, a quivering smile
on her lips. "That was the good news. The only way to make
sure my family survives this is if I make another sacrifice."
End Notes:
Went back to using Rogue instead of Marie in this one. Wanted to use a different name for the different circumstance. Sorry if I confused anyone!!!! :)
Chapter 35
"It ain't going
to happen, Rogue. Don't even think it," Logan growled loudly,
scaring everyone in the house. He looked away from her before she
could protest, forcing his attention on her parents. "You got a
basement?" "Yeah," Leah replied. There was a squeak in
her voice that made Rogue flinch. It was a bad idea to come here. If
she hadn't, they wouldn't all be in danger right now. "Through
the kitchen." "Get to it. Grab anything you might need to
eat and drink on your way. Stay as far away from anything metal as
you can." Logan let his claws slide out slowly as he spoke, letting
them know that he was serious. "Stay down there for the next few
hours. I don't know how long this is going to take." Leah
nodded, grabbing Cody by the arm and dragging him behind her. Only
Ray hesitated. He looked from Logan to Rogue, all of his pride
showing in his eyes. "Sorry, but I'm not going to leave my
baby to the slaughter," he said stubbornly, holding his
ground. "I'm a big girl, Daddy. I can take care of
myself." Rogue walked to him, gently pushing him towards the
kitchen. "No, Marie. You're my daughter and I'll fight
with you. Just let me go get my shotgun." He tried to walk past
her, but Rogue grabbed his arm, refusing to let him. "Marie…" "Don't
'Marie' me this time, Daddy. It's Rogue now." She recognized
his stubbornness. It was the same stubbornness she had in herself. It
didn't matter whose blood ran through her veins, she was very much
his daughter. "Listen, there is a man out there who wants me bad.
Your gun won't do anything but make him laugh. This is what I do,
what I've been trained for. Please, just go down to Momma. She
needs you more than I do, right now. I'll be fine." He saw
it in her eyes. The fight that was coming. He knew what she was
saying and understood that their roles had just reversed. She was
trying to protect them now. "Please, Daddy." "No matter
what, Marie, I'm proud of you." He looked from her to Logan. "I
don't know you that well, Logan, but I'm pretty sure you're a
good man. Take care of my little girl. Don't let her do anything
stupid." "I don't intend to," Logan replied. They
watched as Ray headed into the kitchen and began to help his wife
grab a few things to take. It was going to be a long
fight. ~*~*~*~*~*~ They walked out of the house
together, Wolverine in front of Rogue. Mystique was waiting patiently
just off the yard, watching for any signs of a trick. "We
can do this peacefully, Rogue. Just come with us," Mystique called
out. Judging by the gun in her hand, Rogue had a feeling that the
word 'peaceful' wasn't in the woman's vocabulary. Rogue
knew what she had to do. It was the only way. She let her claws
unleash, only wincing a little as she did so. She had to let the
animal out to protect her family. ~*~*~*~*~*~ They
fought side by side, both relishing in the warm stench of blood. As
soon as they attacked Mystique, the rest of Magneto's followers
came out, ready for a fight. They had all known that she wouldn't
go easily, and had been prepared. What they weren't prepared for
was the way Rogue had quickly learned to utilize more than one
ability at a time. As Wolverine found himself cutting into
person after person, Rogue was busy freezing this one and lighting
that one on fire as she poked and stabbed with her own set of claws.
She growled just as furiously as he did. And none of the cuts and
bruises she acquired seemed to last that long. He helped her
work her way to the middle of the fight, keeping everyone focused on
them. As long as no one did anything stupid like go into the house,
they might leave a few alive. Rogue found herself suddenly
face to face with Mystique. She couldn't stop the blood thirsty
smile from forming on her lips. She wanted this badly. The other
woman had to have been staking out the house for awhile now,
preparing for the inevitable. Without warning, Mystique turned
herself into a likeliness of Leah, trying to dissuade Rogue from
doing any harm. Unfortunately, she soon realized that it wasn't
going to work as Rogue plunged her claws into her neck, blood
squirting everywhere as Mystique tried to gasp for air. Suddenly,
both Rogue and Wolverine could detect a different scent in the air.
One full of metal and arrogance. Rogue looked up to see Magneto
hovering above them, watching Mystique die around her claws. "You
killed her," Magneto said with a gasp, as if he really thought it
was believable. "You killed your own kind." Rogue could
see the fear in his eyes, and, suddenly, she knew that he had
realized he might be wrong. She jumped up quickly, forcing
herself to fly into the air and face him. He knew what was coming,
what was going to happen. "What do you want from me, you
arrogant bastard? What the hell do you need me for?" "Why,
my dear, I need your power. You're going to prove to everyone that
Homo-superior is, in fact, the dominant species. You're going to
start the war." He smiled at her and she saw just how evil he truly
was. "If you join me now, you can have so much power at your beck
and call. You will be royalty, my dear. The most powerful mutant in
the world. All you have to do is fight by my side." Rogue
could feel something stirring inside her mind. Phoenix had heard his
words and was responding to them. She wanted to fight, to stop what
she knew was coming, but she couldn't. She screamed as she felt the
flames of Phoenix wrap around her mind. ~*~*~*~*~*~ The
fight stopped abruptly as Rogue screamed. Logan felt chills running
down his spine at the sound. He looked up, watching as everyone else
did, as Rogue seemed to change before him. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "Ah,
Phoenix. Welcome back, my dear," Magneto said, his smile widening.
She could see the happiness and warmth in his eyes. She knew that he
thought he had won, but it wasn't so. "Not Phoenix," she
said, shaking her head slowly. She watched as the color drained from
his face. "I'm nothing you've ever seen before, and everyone
that is in this girls mind. I won't fight with you, Magneto. Not
now. You lost chance when you came to this house." He didn't
say anything, only whimpered as she thrust her claws into his stomach
and twisted her wrist. He felt every second of pain as he died, his
blood covering her hand. "I'm not your
pawn." ~*~*~*~*~*~ Magneto's body fell first.
Lifeless and withered. When no one caught it, they knew the fight was
over. Those who could still walk turned to help those who couldn't.
With Magneto dead, there was no more reason, nothing to drive them.
If they continued, there would only be a fight. Rogue's body
fell next, and Logan scrambled to catch her. She had passed out
completely after she had changed back into herself. She had used
everything she had to kill the man who had tried to take her from
those she cared for the most. It was time to go home. He
cradled her in his arms as he walked to the house. He sat on the
couch, her body still in his arms. He happened to glance at the clock
on the mantel to see that the fight that had seemed to last only a
few minutes had gone on for three hours. But it was over. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Leah and Ray emerged from the basement
first, telling Cody to stay down until they called for him. Ray had
urged Leah to stay, also, but she wouldn't listen. Marie was her
daughter to. The found them in the living room, wrapped up in
each other, sleeping. The yard was a disaster, and the tree was gone.
But the house was still standing. Leah went to get Cody out of the
basement and send him on his way as Ray gently laid a blanket over
the young couple as the slept.
End Notes:
It's almost over....
Chapter 36
Logan was the first
to awaken later that night. It was around ten when he opened his eyes
and found Ray sitting in his recliner, watching them closely. Gently,
so as not to disturb her, he peeled himself away from Rogue and
stood, stretching out his muscles. She whimpered only a little until
Logan threw the blanket back over her, gently tucking it in around
her. Through this whole thing, Ray stayed quiet and observed.
He had questions about what had just happened, but he felt it best
until Logan was ready to answer them. He had gone to the liberty of
making a few sandwiches an hour earlier when Logan began to stir. He
suspected that the bread was becoming a little stale from sitting
out, but Logan didn't seem to mind as he grabbed two before sitting
in the chair across from him. Ray watched as Logan finished
the sandwich in four bites. He popped open a beer for the man and
watched as he swallowed at least most of the contents quickly. Ray
cleared his throat as Logan started in on his second sandwich,
actually taking time to chew this one. "Sorry about the mess
out there. I can replace the tree and help you get the yard cleaned
up if you need it. I know a kid who can help plants grow and a woman
who's really great with gardens that might be able to donate some
flowers and stuff." He was trying to lighten the mood, but, judging
by the look on Ray's face, Logan knew the attempt was futile. "What
do you want to know?" "I want to know what it is my
daughter is involved in and why my wife and I watched as a bunch of
bodies were carried away. Who the hell was that and why did he want
Marie?" He spoke quietly, but there was no mistaking the anger in
his voice. "Well," Logan began slowly, not sure where to
start. "Where do you want me to begin?' "The beginning
seems like a good place to start, don't you think?" Logan wasn't
sure what Rogue wanted to hold back, but, after what they had gone
through, he knew he owed it to the man before him to explain
everything. "Rogue and I met at a bar…." "Before
you go any further, why don't you start by explaining why she's
calling herself that now?" Ray inquired, cutting Logan off before
he could really get into the story. "Honestly, you would
have to ask her. I think she chose that name because of her skin, and
the fact that she couldn't let anyone get close without hurting
them," Logan replied, shrugging his shoulders. "It was the first
name she gave me. She only told me her real name after I picked her
up. I've noticed a lot of mutants start using a different name
after they've manifested." Ray thought about this for a
moment before speaking. "But you were able to get close to
her?" "Yeah, well," Logan paused, raking his hand
through his hair. "Rogue and I are one in the same, pretty much. We
were both given bad hands in life and have worked through them." "So
what happened when you met?" "Well, she thought she saved
my life from a guy with a knife. The only problem was that my knives
were bigger and meaner. But you already know what happened after
that," Logan said with another shrug. He looked at Rogue, who was
still sound asleep before continuing. "While we were on the road,
we were attacked. I tried to fight the guy off, but he hit me with a
tree. When I came to, I found out that we were rescued by a group of
people who called themselves The X-men." Logan spent the
next hour or so telling Ray about the event that had transpired over
the last few years. The told him of everything he had witnessed, and
the things that he had found out about second hand. He explained how
she had almost taken the cure, only to show up at the last minute and
save everyone. He then went on to tell him about everything
that happened afterward, including the attack on the mansion, and her
decision to leave for awhile. Ray listened to everything
without interrupting again. He seemed to be soaking it all in and
analyzing every detail. It was one of the first times Logan couldn't
be sure of someone's real reactions, and, he silently admitted to
himself that it was a little disturbing. "This wasn't the
life I had envisioned for her, you know," Ray said slowly when
Logan was finished. "I had always thought she would do something
noble and worthwhile, but I thought it would be safe, too." "Nothing
noble is safe," Logan replied softly. "You always make a few
enemies, no matter what. But, what Rogue does, well, she's good at
it. She's smart. She can handle it. After everything that's
happened, I don't think there is anything left that life can throw
at her that she can't handle." "How many people are in
her head now?" "I don't know, really. A few. She's
strong, though. She can control them." "She's not my
little girl anymore," Ray commented as his shoulders slumped. The
man looked exhausted, and Logan didn't blame him. He had taken in a
lot in one day. Logan, himself and Rogue were both used to it. It was
easier for them to bounce back from. Ray, though, had led a pretty
sheltered life up till now, even if his wife was a mutant. "I don't
even know who she really is." "To be honest, I think she
stopped being a little girl the moment her mutation flared," Logan
sighed before taking a swig of beer. "But, to be fare, she has
tried hard to hold on to a piece of that girl she was. Just being
here proves it." "How is that?" "Well, if she
really was someone else, she wouldn't have returned. She would have
washed her hands of this entire place and said to hell with it. She
wouldn't have given a damn if you had fought beside her today or
not. She might have even joined Magneto. You have to remember, the
majority of the personalities in her head were from people who were
once on Magneto's side," Logan paused, eyeing Ray closely.
"Phoenix, Pyro, Danvers, Magneto himself. It would have been really
easy to persuade. If it wasn't for the person you taught her to be,
she wouldn't have survived." "She's amazing," Ray
whispered, looking down at his sleeping daughter. "You have
no idea." ~*~*~*~*~*~ They stayed for the next few
days to make sure everything had calmed down. Though the neighbors
were upset, Leah and Ray were able to smooth it all over, claiming
that they had been attacked by a group of mutants. The police filed
the report, but did little to investigate, claiming that they just
didn't have the man power and resources needed to handle something
of this magnitude. Rogue told her parents everything,
supporting Logan's story. Leah cried over what her daughter had
gone through, but reassured her that she was proud. "Where
do you go from here?" Ray asked on their last night as they sat
down to dinner. "Home," Logan replied quickly. He was
tired, Rogue was tired. There was no more threat. It was time to head
back to the school. "Our ride will be here in the
afternoon." "No," Rogue said softly, shaking her head
lightly. "I have something else I need to do first, before I can go
home. And I think I need to do this by myself." "I'm not
leaving you behind, Marie." She knew he was serious by the way he
used her given name. He had gone back to calling her Rogue after they
were attacked. Even her parents had picked up on it. "Who knows
what else can happen?" "I'll be fine. I'm going to
leave here right after you do. I need to do this, Logan. I need some
answers."
End Notes:
Just a little more.....
Chapter 37
Author's Notes:
'Means telepathic conversation'
"Are you sure you
don't want my help?" Logan asked after they finished loading the
truck and bikes into the storage bay of the jet. An hour and a half
earlier, Storm had called to let them know that she had found a
clearing in a set of woods not to far from the house, telling them to
meet her there. There were tearful goodbyes and promises of
frequent visits before Rogue said goodbye to her parents. The ride to
the clearing had been quiet, neither wanting to say anything, least
it provoke a fight. "I'll be fine, Logan. I'm not
afraid of him. I'll be safe." She wrapped her arms around his
neck, pressing her body to his. "I'll be home tomorrow. Just have
a warm bath ready for me." "I think I can handle that,"
he replied as his own arms snaked around her waist. "Just
hurry." He kissed her, and this kiss was filled with hunger
and passion she knew she would never again be able to live without.
Never again would she be able to live without the kind of love he was
offering, and, as much as that scared her, she knew there was nothing
left but to accept it. It would be too painful to fight. He
pulled away slowly, his eyes opening while his head felt a little
dizzy. It would never be any better than that. "You need to
go," she whispered as she lowered her eyes. She didn't want to
leave his arms, but knew that she must. "You go first. I
won't follow. I promise. I want to see you fly." Logan growled at
her lightly and she felt her body grow warm. "Be careful,
Sugar," she called to him as she began to levitate. "Promise.
You be good, Darlin." He smiled at her, wishing that he could go
with her. "I always am." ~*~*~*~*~*~ She
felt his watching her until well after she knew she was out of range.
She could feel her eyes begin to tear, only for the fluid to dry
before falling due to the wind hitting her face. She missed
Logan, but, she had to admit, there was nothing like flying. She had
never flown like this before, by herself, with no one to watch over
her. She pushed herself up, through the clouds, going as high as she
could before the air began to thin and she felt herself grow could.
She had never felt so free before. Nothing seemed to matter up
here. There was no one to be angry with, no reason to be extra
careful. She realized that some part of her wished that she had been
born with this ability instead of her skin. And part of her wanted to
weep for the woman she had taken it from. But, as she forced herself
to push past those emotions as she pushed through the clouds, she
knew that it was no point in dwelling on these things. Life was good
now. And she had only one more thing she had to do before she could
go home. ~*~*~*~*~*~ It was easy enough to find the
mental hospital. She had pretty much noticed it as she was flying
over. She landed softly just outside, hoping that no one
noticed her. She couldn't help but wonder what the doctors would
say if one of the patients had seen her. From what her parents told
her, the people who were kept here weren't just psychotic, but
deranged. Most of these people lived in their own little worlds of
butterflies and make-believe. She couldn't help but wonder how
close she had come to living in a place like this herself. Shaking
her head clear of those kinds of thoughts, she walked into the
building, mentally preparing herself for a glimpse of the
past. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "Can I help you?" The nurse
sitting at the greeting station asked as Rogue approached the desk.
Although she was smiling, Rogue couldn't help but notice the bags
under her tired eyes and the tightness in her voice. "I'm
here to see Mr. Own Ellett." Rogue wasn't sure where the last
name came from. She wasn't sure if it was the correct one, but it
seemed to jump out with her father's given name. It was familiar,
though, and it felt right. She couldn't deny that. Chances were, it
wasn't even corre… "Yes, he's here. I think you're
the first visitor he's had since he was brought in here. What's
your name?" The nurse asked, stopping Marie's train of thought. "Marie D'Ancanto," Rogue whispered. She still could not
believe that it was the right name. She wondered if she really ever
forgot. "And relation?" Rogue took in a deep
breath, preparing to say the words that would haunt her. "His
daughter." The nurse stopped typing for a moment, looking
Rogue over quickly. "You're Prissy's daughter, then?" Rogue's
heart seemed to catch in her throat. She wasn't sure what to say.
Had Owen began to remember his past life? Had he started talking
about all the things that had happened? She could only shake her head
yes. "I went to school with your momma," the nurse sighed.
Rogue glanced at her name tag for the first time, noticing that her
name was Anna. "She was a good friend of mine. We were all pretty
torn up when we heard she had disappeared. I was just starting here
by then. And then, Owen came to live with us not to much later. I had
heard that your auntie had taken you in. Her and her husband. You
look good. A whole lot like your momma. I was wondering if you would
ever even show up around here. The way I heard it, your auntie and
uncle were raising you as their own and they were trying to protect
you from who your parents were. I never agreed with it, but I wasn't
one to judge. When did you find out?" "Just recently. My
parents told me that he wasn't really in good shape, but I had to
come and see for myself." Rogue couldn't help but notice that her
accent had began to thicken over the time she had been in the south,
and now that she was nervous, it was almost as thick as it had been
before. "Well, let's get you to him, then." Anna tore
her eyes off of her, and Rogue felt her body begin to relax. She
typed something into the computer before looking back at Rogue.
"Someone will be here in a second. Last I heard, you turned
mutant?" Rogue felt her heart skip. She hadn't even
thought that anyone here would know. What was she supposed to do
now? "Relax, Marie," Anna whispered low. "I ain't
trying to start no trouble for you. I'd shame my son if I even
thought about it. He's a good boy, but he's having some trouble
in school. He's seventeen now." "I know of a good school
that he can go too. They helped me a whole lot when I needed it. The
schools been going through a few things, but I think it might work.
What's his mutation, anyway?" Rogue smiled as she reached into
her back pocket and pulled out her wallet. Opening it quickly, she
pulled out a card and handed it to Anna. "Well, believe it
or not, he talks… to machines. It's been like this since he was
about fourteen, but, for the last few years, we've been able to
keep it from anyone," Anna sighed. Rogue motioned for her to
continue, knowing that it was hard. "But one of the kids caught him
'talking' to a computer at school while he was trying to find
something. I just don't know what to do. Doug's a good boy. He
wasn't doing anything wrong." "Talk to him, and, if you
want, call the number on the back and we can arrange a tour. He'll
fit right in here." Rogue smiled as the door just to the right of
the greeting station opened. A large male nurse walked out,
whistling. "Ah, Marie, this is Nurse Brenton. He over looks
your father. He'll show you to him." Rogue was surprised by how
easily Anna was able to pull herself together. But, then again, she
had to be fast. She was probably used to it. "If you'll
just follow me," Nurse Brenton said in a low voice. Rogue rolled
her eyes as she felt his gaze on her breasts. Now she was really
happy she hadn't brought Logan along. He would have probably gutted
the guy. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Her father was put into an
isolated room with only two chairs and a table for their meeting. He
hadn't known she was coming and, when he saw her, she could almost
see the recognition in his eyes. It was like he was trying to place
where he knew her from. But, although she could see his struggle, her
heart felt no pity. She waited until the door closed swiftly
behind her. Owen wasn't considered to be a threat anymore, and his
visits didn't need any supervisation. "Do you remember me
at all?" Rogue asked, tilting her head to the side. "Not
really, but you are a pretty girl, aren't you?" Owen asked with a
sick smile. She felt bile rise in her throat. She wanted to hurt this
man with everything she had, but she couldn't do anything now. Not
when there could be cameras. "I'm your daughter," Rogue
said sternly, trying to get some kind of recognition out of him.
Judging by the look on his face, it still hadn't registered. "Hell, come over here and give your daddy a hug, girl. Let
me see how you've grown." His smile was wide, and his eyes were
full of lust. She let her mind wander for a second, catching his
thoughts. She saw an image of herself bent over his knee as he
paddled her. Her stomach lurched at the thought, and she knew she had
to finish this before she lost it and killed him. 'I can
help you.' She let her voice whisper into his mind. 'Do you want
to remember?' His eyes became hard, calculating as he
realized she was talking to him without any words. She saw the moment
understanding dawned on him, and couldn't help the small smile that
played on her lips. "You…" She hushed him,
knowing that if there were microphones, it could be disastrous.
'Don't say it. I'm a mutant, but, is that really such a
surprise? I mean you're wife was one. I'm sorry. I forgot. You
don't remember her.' She let it sink in. As he thought,
she couldn't help but wonder why he was still here. He was
competent, as far as she could tell. Maybe he didn't want to be let
out. Maybe he liked it here, were he could be the big man. Either
way, she wasn't about to tell his secret. Who knows what kind of
pain he would inflict on people outside. Didn't matter, though. By
the time she was done with him, well, he would be exactly where he
belonged. 'How can you help me?' His thoughts were to
himself, but she heard every word. He wanted to know what he lost.
'What's in it for you?' "It's good to see you,
Daddy. I wish you remembered me, though," Rogue said sweetly, just
in case anyone was listening. Owen gave her a strange look, as if he
didn't understand what was going on. 'I got to make sure
this looks real. Everything is in it for me. You know something that
I need. I'll come to you tonight. Which window is yours?' She
caught a picture image of a window around the back of the facility.
She could remember it, and she would come back later. "Well,
Daddy. I got to go. I'll come back tomorrow before I head out,"
Rogue said as she stood up, walking away from him. He still had a
blank look on his face, but she could hear the thoughts in his head,
and knew that he was excited. Who knew her father was such a great
actor.
End Notes:
almost there......
Chapter 38
She returned well
after midnight, when things were quiet and everyone was off guard.
She found the window easily enough. It was only three windows down
from the right end of the building. She flew up to it and observed
the bars closely. They would come off easily enough. Using her
magnetic abilities, she called the bars to her, feeling the alloy
sing. It was almost like a rush to fell the bars breaking from their
hinges, creaking slowly to meet her. She wondered what Owen was
thinking right now, wondered if he was as hypnotized by the blissful
cold that metal allotted as she was, or completely shocked with fear.
She hadn't told him of any of her abilities, really. He only knew
that she could hear his thoughts and that she was going to help
him. She held the bars in her hand for a moment, reveling in
their weight and the way the metal seemed to warm to her. She let it
float to the ground, using her powers to make it as quiet as
possible, before she flew into the room. Owen was sitting on
his bed, wide eyed and afraid. "Knock it off," she
whispered as she felt her feet touch the ground. "I can do a whole
lot more than that." "You'll have to show me sometime,"
Owen replied lewdly. She shivered slightly; disgusted by the way he
was speaking to her. This was exactly where he needed to be. Either
here or prison, anyway. "How are we going to do this?" "You
are going to lay down and shut up. It will be over in a second."
She watched as he did what she told him. She touched him lightly on
the forehead, cringing at the feel of his skin. She wished she didn't
have to touch him, but this was the first time she had ever done
anything like this, and she hoped that it would work. Maybe, if she
got this right, it would get rid of all of her major
problems. Concentrating, she shifted through his memories,
observing everything closely. She understood why he was here,
understood how it could be. He had watched closely the first year he
was here, learning about the other patents and mimicking them. He
pretended to be like them, picked up their habits, lied in his
therapy sessions about another world he had made up. He did all this
so that he could stay, and torment those around him, secretly hurting
the men and abusing the women anyway he wanted. He would make the men
believe that they were hurting themselves. He would hit them and make
them, kick them, leaving bruises in places that could easily be
misconstrued as self inflicted. He would make the women believe that
this was how they were supposed to be treated as he rapped them and
forced them to do things no woman should be forced to do. It was all
sick, twisted, and unforgivable. It was a wonder he hadn't been
caught already. Shifting even further, she found the blocks
that Leah had placed so many years ago. They were beginning to weaken
and distort, but she was sure they would last for many more years if
she was to leave them alone. She pushed on all of these
barriers, bending them until they broke, and she was flooded with a
magnitude of memories, all twisted, all painful, all sick. She
ignored what she could, only trying to find one thing, one memory
that would tell her what she needed to know. When she founded,
it took all of her strength not to kill the man's mind. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Her parents were apart of a cult. A group
of people who believed in other plains of existence that were better
then this one. They believed that there was a way to travel to these
worlds, sort of like a path. Her mother was believed to be
that path. She was the only mutant among them, and the other's
believed that she would be the one to lead them, with Owen at her
side. Rogue witnessed fights between the two, how her mother
insisted that she didn't know how, and her father claiming that she
had to try, at least. He led her to believe that she wasn't giving
their daughter everything she could unless she could take them to
this other world; The Far Banks. After years of pressure and
abuse, Prissy broke. She claimed that they would need a shaman to
open the path before she could lead them, never, for once, thinking
that anyone would be found. She didn't think any true shamans
existed in this day and age, but, sure enough, she was proven
wrong. An old Native American, claiming to be a spiritual
healer, was brought into the picture. He came cheep, too. A thousand
dollars and a gallon of moonshine was his fee. He would perform the
necessary rituals and open the path. Priscilla continued to
believe that it wouldn't work, that the man was a con, all the way
through the ceremony. But then the path opened, and everyone
rejoiced. Prissy tried to go back on her word, claiming that
she was wrong, that she couldn't do this. That it wasn't possible
and they would have to find someone else. She wanted to stay, and
care for her daughter. She pleaded with everyone, asking them to find
someone else. Owen had been humiliated. He claimed that there
was no one else as he picked Priscilla up and threw her through the
portal. Everyone could hear her cries of agony. Her pleads with god
to make it end. No one else went though, not wanting to know what
Priscilla had found. Owen washed his hands of his wife, telling
everyone to deny ever knowing her. He claimed that no one would
listened, anyway, and no one should give a second thought. That was
the last time anyone had seen Rogue's mother. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She
felt the tears crawling down her cheeks as she removed her hand from
his forehead. He had passed out from the experience, and she thanked
who ever was watching over her. He was going to pay for what he had
done, and she needed him to stay quiet. She had work to
do. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She placed her hand back against his
forehead, letting all the anger she felt build up. She went back into
his mind, placing blocks along all of the happy memories he had. She
built barriers against recent memories, also. Things that he had no
business remembering. She then went to the things that he had
done to her, to her mother, and to all over the women that had been
forced to endure him for the last few years. She twisted these
memories, warping them so that when he awoke, he would remember these
things happening, only, in his mind, they happened to him. And
then she did something she wasn't sure would work. She pushed
harder, forcing everything inside of him. He would hear it, feel it.
He would always be reminded of the pain he had caused, and relive it
everyday. She pushed memories of Erik's torture, of Logan's
nightmares. She would always remember them, also. But they would
haunt him, also. And then she gave him something else, something
darker and more dangerous to him than anything she had given before.
She pushed again, and she felt her mind release. He now had the
personality of Phoenix lodged inside his mind. She was caged tight
enough to never be released, even by himself, but she would always be
there, whispering her hatred and loathing. Only, he would never have
any of the powers she once possessed. No, Rogue would keep those
within herself. This man would live the rest of his long life in the
shadows of insanity. She left him then, still sleeping. He
was probably already starting to remember, through his dreams. She
could only wonder about the monsters that were beginning to plague
his sweetest fantasies. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She returned the
next morning, just as visiting hours were starting. She was happy to
see that Anna wasn't sitting behind the greeting desk this time,
and that another woman, a bit younger, was there. "Can I
help you?" The woman asked, a bit perky. She smiled brightly, but
Rogue could see the ghosts behind her eyes. "I'm here to
see my father, Owen Ellett?" "Oh yes, you must be
Marie. Anna said you might be stopping by today." The woman's
smile grew brighter. Rogue glanced at her badge quickly. She didn't
want to seem rude. "Yes, Gwen. Is he up for visitor's
today? I'm heading home after I leave here. I just want to see him
before I go. I don't know when I will find the time to come back."
Rogue sweet talked the young woman easily, relying on Erik's charm
and Jean's sense of propriety. Although she still had on the same
jeans from the day before, she had been fortune enough to find an
outlet store that was open at eight in the morning on a Sunday. She
had found a shirt that seemed to fit nicely, and had ditched the
other. It now stunk of her father, and she had a feeling that no
matter how many times she washed it, that wretched odor would rear
it's head every time she saw it. "Alright," Gwen said
quickly, "let me just get in contact with Nurse Brenton. He would
know what's going on." She typed something into the
computer, and Rogue assumed that it was the same system that Anna had
used the day before. It was probably going to a radio or phone as a
text message. Gwen made small talk as they waited to hear
back from Brenton. Rogue couldn't help the ball of led that seemed
to be developing in her stomach. Did she screw it up? Was her father
remembering everything? Were her little gifts a success? The
phone rang seconds later. Rogue could hear a frantic voice on the
other end. She knew everything before Gwen placed the receiver back
on the hook. "It seems that your father isn't having a
good day right now," Gwen replied quickly. "His doctor is on his
way out to see you right now, to explain further. He asked that you
wait here, and he will be with you as soon as possible." Rogue
wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but she had to act
the part of the caring daughter, so she took a seat on one of couches
along the wall. ~*~*~*~*~*~ A half hour later, a man in
his early thirties walked down toward her. She stood quickly when it
became apparent that he was there to see her. "Ms. Ellett?"
He asked quickly as he extended his hand. "D'Ancanto,
actually," Rogue smiled. "I was adopted just before my father was
brought here. How is he?" "I'm Dr. Thornton. Why don't
we go into my office and discuss your father's case?" The good
doctor smiled brightly at her, and Rogue had a feeling that she
already knew what he had to tell her. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "It
seems, Ms D'Ancanto…" "Marie, please. No one call's
me miss." Rogue smiled at him sweetly. "Marie. Your father
seems to have experienced a psychological break down," he stated as
soon as he was comfortably in his chair. "He's hearing voices.
He's claiming to be able to remember things, but its things that he
has no physical way of knowing. To be perfectly honest with you,
until this morning, I had made plans of releasing him. Part of me
wants to believe that he is doing this on purpose." "I
really wouldn't know about that, Doctor." "Call me
James," he replied with a smile. "You see, James, I only
just recently found out that I am adoptive. I really didn't
remember anything about before hand. The only reason I'm here is
because I thought it was my responsibility. As far as I know, I'm
the only family he has," Rogue said quickly, establishing her place
in the situation. "Do you believe that he is too unstable to leave
this place after what happened today?" "No. I'll have to
reevaluate him and see where we stand. On a medical stand point, I
believe that he has been lying about his state of mind for so long,
he's began to believe his own illness. I wish I had started here
sooner. I might have caught on to it. Unfortunately, I have only been
here for a few weeks," James explained with a shrug. "I am sorry
to say that we may have lost your father." "Thank you,
James. Here's my number. Call me in case something happens,
please." She handed him her card before turning to leave. "I
have a plane to catch. Let me know if there is any change." There was nothing more for her to do. It was finally time to
head home.
End Notes:
Very soon now.....
Chapter 39
Author's Notes:
Let's get it on.....
It was after one in
the morning when she arrived at the mansion. Most of the windows were
dark, but she couldn't help but notice that not only was Logan's
light still on, but so was hers. Checking the window, she found that
it was unlocked. She snuck in slowly, relishing in the feeling of
being home. Stripping off her clothes quickly, she went straight for
her shower, wanting to clean all the grime from the last two days
off. ~*~*~*~*~*~ He had the television turned on, but
he wasn't paying any attention. He was too worried about her. She
had promised that she would be back by now, and it wasn't like her
to be so late. Not when it was this important. Part of him was afraid
that something had happened to her, and wanted to go back and find
her. That she wasn't coming home and he was wasting time by
waiting. That it was already too late. The other part, the
part of him that was an animal, made him sit back and wait, reminding
him that she could take care of herself. That she had just killed
both Magneto and Mystique with ease. That nothing could touch her. He
would wait until morning. If she wasn't back by then, he would go
after her. Glancing at the clock, he realized that it was already two
am. Just four more hours and he would head out. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She
had stayed in the shower for an hour, just standing under the spray
of hot water. She cried silently, for her mother. She would never
know what had truly happened. Never know if her mother had survived
the ordeal. The only release she felt was knowing that it was over.
No one would try to hurt her again. She stepped out of the
shower, drying herself with a large, plush green towel. She took her
time, moisturizing her body with softest sent of lotion she had. She
used the matching body spray, forgetting the perfume in the medicine
cabinet. She also didn't bother with the blow dryer, instead opting
to towel dry her hair until it was only slightly damp. She
quickly dressed, throwing her robe on swiftly before leaving her
room. ~*~*~*~*~*~ His mind was still reeling when he
heard the knock. He growled slightly, not wanting to be disturbed.
Who ever it was had better have something important to say. He was in
no mood for company right now. Throwing open the door, he was
taken aback by the sight of her, standing there in her bathrobe. The
one he had gotten for her last Christmas. It was her favorite. "Hey, Sugar," she said with a sweet smile. "You going
to invite me in, or do you want to do this right here?" "Come
on in, Darlin. You know you don't have to knock, don't you?" He
asked as he stepped aside. The banter was familiar, loving, and
completely Marie. She was home, and he wasn't going to let her go
wandering off alone again. At least not for a long time. Just her
presence seemed to release the tension that had been building up in
the back of his neck. She walked to his bed, plopping herself
down unceremoniously. Her bathrobe opened to reveal the long, creamy
flesh of her inner thigh. And was that a flash of black? Logan looked
away, not wanting to do something that might scare her. He wasn't
sure if she was ready yet. "When did you get back?" He
asked, leaning against the door. She let her eyes wander down his
body, and he suddenly felt a rush of lust in his groin. If she kept
this up, he wasn't going to be able to control himself. "Before
two. I just wanted to take a shower first." "And what did
you find?" She delicately tore her gaze away from his chest,
batting her lashes. She thought for a second, before shaking her
head. "I don't want to talk about that right now, Sugar. Why
don't you come sit next to me?" He hesitated for only a
second before moving from his post. She was already straining his
control beyond his expectations, but he couldn't lose it. Not yet.
Not until she was ready. No pressure. He sat slowly, his
demeanor stiff. Before he had the chance to feel comfortable, she
threw herself into his lap, straddling his thighs so that her legs
crossed behind his back. He felt her hands on his chest, massaging
the muscles, exploring his abs. Her mouth met his with the same
fierce hunger that was eating away at him. He lost
control. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She felt his lips respond to hers,
his hands grab her tightly, plastering her body against his. It all
felt so right, so perfect. She moaned into his mouth as he released a
growl. She wrapped her legs tighter around him as he stood, picking
her up with him. He didn't go far, though, only turned their bodies
so that he could gently lay her on the bed. She felt his lips
again, his tongue urging her lips open. He explored her mouth
completely before moving to her neck, leaving small, wet kisses as he
went. She felt his hands on her, kneading her breast and
caressing her stomach. She moaned as he opened her bathrobe, knowing
what was underneath, knowing what it would do to
him. ~*~*~*~*~*~ He sat up as he pulled the robe open,
wanting to know if he had just imagined the flash of black. He
hadn't. She wore only the barest lace underneath the robe. Really,
only scraps of fabric pieced together to resemble a bar and panties
set. It all looked so delicate, he wasn't even sure how she was
able to get it on without tearing something. Oh well. She took
the opportunity to undo his pants as he stripped his shirt. By the
time he was stripped, his blood was pounding in his ears. He
wanted to kiss her, to take her in his arms, but he also wanted to
explore her body, to know every curve, every inch of her skin. He
gently cupped her breasts, feeling them in his hands, their softness,
and their fullness. Slowly, he lifted the flimsy fabric, freeing her
from the cloth. Her breasts spilled out and he gave in to temptation.
He bent his head, tasting her skin before moving to her nipple. He
devoured her, feeling her body squirm and hearing her voice moan. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She hadn't realized how good it would
be. And, it seemed, he was only getting started. As his mouth paid
homage to her breast, she felt his hand wander
lower. ~*~*~*~*~*~ He didn't bother with the fabric
as he let his hand slide down her stomach, searching for her most
secret spot. He glided past her pubic hairs, wanting to give her only
a little taste of the bliss he was going to give her before she left
his room. He felt her body shudder harshly as he began to play
with her, toying with her. Reluctantly, he left her breast, wanting
to taste all of her. He couldn't help but notice the way she seemed
to taste like peaches, the alcohol from her body spray only making it
seem like fine wine. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She gasped when she
felt his lips kiss her mound. She felt his tongue explore her and she
felt herself quiver, her muscles tightening in anticipation. She had
an idea of what this was, she had brought herself to this point quiet
a few times over the years. But, it was different now, stronger. She
only wished that he would let her fall over the edge. Just
when she thought she couldn't bare it any longer, she felt his
teeth lightly on her clit. He growled at the same time, and she fell.
Hard. Harder then she ever thought possible. ~*~*~*~*~*~ He
backed off only a little bit as he felt the shudders run through her
body. He continued to touch her, but only enough to emphasize the
pleasure, not wanting to give her too much. And finally, as she came
back to earth, he pulled himself up so that he was looking into her
eyes when they opened. "Hey, Marie." "Is it like
that for everyone?" She asked slowly, her voice barely more than a
whisper. "Nope. Just for you," he flashed a primitive
smile, and her heart swelled. "And that's not even half of
it." "I know," she whispered back, pushing against him
and forcing him on his back. It was her turn to pleasure him, but she
wasn't going to take as much time as he did. She was in a greedy
mood and she wanted to feel him soon, after she tasted him. ~*~*~*~*~*~ Her lips were like velvet against his
skin, and when she wrapped them around his member, he knew he had
never felt anything so wonderful before. She took as much in her
mouth as she could, but it wasn't all of it, and he felt his
pleasure rise as she wrapped her small delicate hand around the base.
Moving her head, she tasted him, devoured him. He thought it was
almost unbearable until she began to twist her tongue around the
head. At the same time, she used her free hand, the one that wasn't
full already, to massage his testicles. He growled, knowing
that he couldn't take anymore. He grabbed her, flipping her around
so that she was back on the bed, staring up at him, her eyes full of
surprise. He kissed her before she had the chance to speak. He kissed
her passionately, pushing his hard member against her. He squeaked in
surprise, and he smiled, not yet breaking the kiss as he slowly
entered her. She was tight, small, and ready. ~*~*~*~*~*~ She
had never felt as complete as she did with him inside of her. She had
never realized that it could be this wonderful, this magical, as he
entered her, moving back and fourth, making her his. She came over
and over, thrashing against him at the same time. She felt wild,
animalist, carnal. And, when his time was close, she knew it,
felt it, and the anticipation grew within her. And when he fell over
the edge, she came with him, also. They spent the rest of the
night and well into the next day exploring each other. And it was
perfect.
End Notes:
Ok,
so I had to add this. I don't usually write this kind of stuff, just
because I bluch easy, but I felt that the readers deserved it since I
didn't elaborate too much on what happened during the fight with Mags
and Mystique. Kind of like a small redemption. Just a little
more to go now...
Chapter 40
Roughly Nine Months
Later: "Logan," Rogue whispered into his ear. "It's
time to wake up." He ignored her, enjoying the way her hand
gently rubbed across his stomach muscles. He loved it when she was
like this. Soft and fresh. He could feel her lips on his cheek as she
spoke, kissing him between each word. He smiled slightly, wondering
how unmanly it would be if he purred. He wasn't even sure if he
could. "Logan, baby, we got to go. It's time." For a
second, her words didn't register. But when they did, he felt his
heart leap into his throat as he jumped out of bed. He noticed Rogue
giggling as he ran around, throwing on what ever jeans he had laying
around. "Slow down, Logan. This baby isn't in any kind of hurry.
But we should get down there while I can still walk." He
realized that she was already dressed. Scooping her up in his arms,
he quickly carried her out of the room, forgetting that he wasn't
wearing anything more than the jeans. "Who said anything about you
walking, Marie? Let's go." ~*~*~*~*~*~ Four hours
later, Logan was sure someone had traded places with Rogue. She
wasn't just crying, she was screaming and saying things he was
hoping she didn't mean. "Get the fuck away from me!" She
screamed into his ear as he tried to calm her down. "Why didn't
you wear a condom. "It'll be over soon, baby, I promise,"
Logan pleaded, hoping that he was right. "It's crowing.
Logan, do you want to see your son be born?" Hank asked from his
position between Rogue's knees. Logan was only happy to
have a reason to leave his place beside Rogue. He quickly went to the
other side of sheet, ready to see his child for the first time. And
fainted. ~*~*~*~*~*~ "I can't believe you passed
out," Rogue said with a giggle as Logan handed her their son. "I
can't believe you had two kicking around in there," Logan replied
as he picked up their daughter. "I'm still not sure how she was
able to stay hidden during nine months of ultra sounds." "Well,
I think your son wanted to all the attention," Rogue replied with a
smirk. "Do you know what you want to name him?" After
being surprised with two children instead of one, Logan and Rogue had
agreed that he would be allowed to name their son and she could name
their daughter. "Thor?" Logan asked quickly, wanting to
see her reaction. "No." "Um… Tank?" "Don't
think so." "How about Hiro?" He crooked an eyebrow at
her. "We're not even Japanese. Be serious," Rogue
replied, looking down at their small boy. "Then how about
Xavier Michael?" Logan smiled, knowing what she would think. Rogue
though for a moment, wrapping her brain around the name. She liked
the way it sounded, how it sat in her mind. "Yes. He looks like a
Michael. I think it will be a lot for him to live up to." "He's
our son. It won't be too much for him," Logan replied with a
smile. He looked at the little girl in his arms, wondering for a
moment. "And what about her? Do you know what you want to call her?
I've got a feeling she's going to be a handful, you know." "I
knew exactly what her name is the second I saw her," Rogue replied,
gazing fondly at the sleeping baby. "Priscilla Jean." "Great…"
Logan said, rolling his eyes. "I can call her Prissy Jean. That's
going to be fun." "Knock it of," Rogue said sternly. But
Logan saw the playful glint in her eyes. Looking from his wife
to their children, Logan realized that, for the first time in his
life, there was nothing that he felt he was missing. "Can
we call him 'Thor' for short?" "No." "How
about 'Hiro'?" "Logan…."
End Notes:
There. It's finished. Kind of corny at the end, I know, but I'm a corny kind of gal. Thank you for reading and thank you for the feed back!!!!!!!!!!
