Chapter One: The Kiss of Death

Welcome to a story I actually decided to publish! Like other stories I planned on writing or have even begun writing, I was unsure about actually posting this. But thanks to encouragement by the best YouTube channel, Froyo Gamers, I'm posting it!

If you've read my profile or checked out the stories I Favorited, I'm sure you know that I ship Cyclops and Rogue. Personally, I don't really see that much chemistry between Scott and Jean, in the movies or Evolution (I've never read the comics, and likely never will). And from what I've seen of the original cartoon, I either found their relationship boring or clichéd (plus, Jean in that version was annoyingly and impossibly weak and useless; she seemed to fall over or moan in pain every few episodes, XD. That doesn't mean I hate her, though). Scott and Rogue just seemed like the better pairing; even the supervising director of X-Men: Evolution, Frank Paur, wanted them together! I'm serious: in an interview, he talked about the episode On Angel's Wings, saying they were playing the relationship card with them. Basically, he was saying how they really understood each other, both having powers they can't control and having crappy childhoods, among other things. He even said that Rogue landing next to Cyclops in that flashforward in the series finale was completely intentional. Guys, Rogue and Scott would've gotten together if Evolution continued for a fifth season! Oh, and the Phoenix saga, lol. But worry not, Romy shippers! This doesn't mean I hate the Rogue and Gambit relationship. I've read some Romy stories, and I like them, but my heart just can't forget Scogue!

I love Rogue, but most can agree that she had a pretty poor story arc in the movies. I like Anna Paquin, and she was fantastic as Rogue (she even got me interested in True Blood), but the way her character was written paled in comparison to the 90's version, and even the Evolution version. She was never really given the chance to stand up for herself or actually fight. And I just don't like her with Iceman. I'm not really sure why, I just don't. And the whole love triangle with him, Rogue, and Kitty Pryde just seemed unnecessary. So, not only am I pairing Rogue with Scott in this version, I'm gonna try to change her character to how I imagine she should have been in the later movies. I say later movies because her being continuously scared in the first movie did make sense, since she's just a young teenager who nearly killed her first boyfriend by kissing him. But she'll definitely begin toughening up in the sequel.

Like my Charmed AU series that I'll probably never publish, I thought I'd see what my ideal version of the X-Men movie trilogy would turn out if it had Scogue. I won't do Days of Future Past, seeing as I'd just do The Rogue Cut with, like, one or two changes.

I'd also like to address some age issues. In some X-Men movie stories I read, the writers often either change or forget how old Rogue was in this movie. Storm says later that she's 17 (technically about 17, but I say she's 17 going on 18). Yeah, she's almost 18, but don't worry, she and Scott will wait until she turns 18 to start their relationship. And I'm ignoring anything that happened in the later movies, like X-Men: Apocalypse, because everyone's ages seemed off. There's a meme about how in the original trilogy, Jean was seen as a child 80's, but in Apocalypse, she's a teenager in the 80's. What I'm saying is, I don't believe Scott (or Jean, or Ororo) is THAT old, lol.

I'm not gonna cover every scene of the movies, just the ones I deem important enough, and the ones I'm altering. Basically, any and all scenes involving Rogue and/or Cyclops, and occasionally Wolverine and/or Jean. If you've already seen them, then just imagine them with my scenes. I did all this by carefully watching my dad's old X-Men DVDs on my computer alongside OpenOffice Writer. I also turned on the subtitles, just to be absolutely sure I didn't miss or misspell anything (although they spelled Magneto's name as 'Eric' instead of 'Erik' for some reason...). I guess you can consider this my unofficial novelization of the X-Men trilogy, but with several scenes left out for story purposes. I'll also try to include deleted scenes, but only the ones I feel can move these stories along well.

Also, I'm not gonna bother writing out each character's accent. You all know what accents they have, so just imagine them in your head.

And finally, R.I.P. Stan Lee (December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018). In light of his passing, I can't think of a better time to publish my first story than now. If souls have access to the internet Up There, I hope Mr. Lee reads this and likes it, because I put my heart and dedication into this. (Also, 18 years ago today, X-Men: Evolution Season 1 Episode 3 Rogue Recruit aired!)

Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men. If I did, Rogue would get ALL the happy endings she deserves.

Enjoy!

"Mutation – it is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow and normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward."

- Professor Charles Xavier

In a small house in Meridian, Mississippi, a woman was playing a soft tune on the piano. Upstairs, her seventeen-year-old daughter, Marie D'Ancanto, was kneeling on her bed, pointing at the pictures on the wall.

"Niagara Falls," she was saying to her boyfriend, David, who was reclining on the bed, "Up the Canadian Rockies, and then it's only a few hundred miles to Anchorage." She wiggled her hips in a slight teasing manner.

"Well, won't it be kinda cold?" he asked her curiously.

"Well, that's the point, stupid," his girlfriend laughed as she lied down beside him. "Otherwise, it wouldn't be an adventure."

David smiled, turning on his side to face her. "And when are you gonna do this?"

Marie shrugged. "I don't know. After high school. Before college."

For a while, there was silence, except for her mother's piano playing downstairs. Soon, David inched closer and slowly leaned in, causing Marie to blush. She leaned in, and their lips met in a gentle kiss.

All of a sudden, David's eyes snapped open. Veins appeared all over his face, and he felt himself weakening, like his life force was being sucked out. Sensing something was wrong, Marie pulled back, watching as he fell back onto the bed, deathly pale and gasping for air.

She screamed.

Downstairs, her parents heard the scream, and immediately dashed to their daughter's bedroom. She screamed again as they entered. She backed into a corner, sobbing.

"Marie?" Mr. D'Ancanto asked. He turned to the gasping boy on the bed. "David?"

"I don't what happened to him!" Marie cried. "I just touched him! I didn't mean to..."

As Mrs. D'Ancanto tried to console her, her husband said urgently, "Call an ambulance!"

But Marie didn't listen. "Don't touch..." As Mrs. D'Ancanto stepped forward, she suddenly shrieked, "JUST GET AWAY FROM ME! DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"Will you call an ambulance?!" Mr. D'Ancanto demanded. Marie just continued to sob as her mother ran out of her room.

"Don't touch me..."

And there's Chapter One! I'm doing these chapters by the scenes from the DVD, so they'll each be a different length, either long or short. Sometimes I'll combine scenes, too.

I have the whole trilogy written, and I'll post chapters every Sunday. I'd really appreciate it if you guys leave nice reviews, and occasional constructive criticism, because I don't consider myself to be a great writer. I might give shout outs each chapter!

Also, does anyone know how to pronounce D'Ancanto? And why was her boyfriend's name David, when in almost every other version it was Cody?