Haunting: Part 1– (A year after the battle with Apocalypse. May)
"2:37in the mornin' ah' cant believe this is happening again. Ugh." She rolled over on her left side and tried to fall back asleep, she thought to herself. 'This idin't fair. Why is it that ah' cant get t' sleep without one of them damn nightmares an' everyone else is sleepin' like a baby.
In her frustration she sat up and looked across the room at her roommate Kitty, with her stuffed dragon Lockheed clutched tightly in her arms. She grabbed the hunter green comforter and tossed it off of her legs to reveal orange pajama pants and a matching long sleeve shirt. She got out of her bed, slipped her feet into her fuzzy black slippers and started for the door.
Kitty turns over and groans in her sleep. Rogue grabs the doorknob, twists it open and enters the long hallway that connects this corridor to the next. The shiny hardwood floors with a maroon carpet runner squeaked every few steps. The soft swishing of her slippers adding to the quiet noise in the hall as she journeyed on down the hallway to the grand staircase.
At the top of the staircase she could hear a melody that she knew somehow; wafting its way up the stairs. She could hear slight pings of piano keys. She made her way to the doorway of the music room; that was set up a few months before she had got there; which was nearly five years ago. She slightly poked her head in the room to see it was pitch black except for a small lamp that was pointed at the pianos' keys. She squinted and strained her eyes trying to see who this mystery person was; who was playing a familiar tune on the piano in the middle of the night.
She quietly entered the room; periodically getting closer and closer; becoming more and more familiarized with the repetitive tune being played by this person. She was so close that she looked at the hands of this person and seen the masculine features. She got closer to the mystery man and she began to smell his musk; a musk she knew, one that was familiar but she couldn't figure out who he was. She took in a deep breath and smelt along with the musk a slight scent of cigarette smoke; she knew who he was automatically.
Her mind raced as the melody sped up slightly. 'Ah can't believe it why's e' back? It's only been a few months. why's e' back!' The floor where she was standing squeaked loudly; loud enough he could have heard it; he stopped playing. His hands reached for something at his feet; in the darkness she couldn't see what he reached for. A moment later he reached to the small lamp, turned it off and began to walk towards the door.
She started to relax when she felt a breeze past her face and something hit her then pinned her against the back wall of the music room. The lights flicked on to show the Professor standing at the doorway looking surprised to see Rogue pinned to the wall by Gambit and his staff. Not even knowing who he pinned to the wall out of his own paranoia, he turned to see an agitated Rogue held to the wall in place of someone he thought was going to attack him.
Shock crossed Gambits' face for a moment; than the charming smile she could sometimes get sick of appeared on his face along with a gleam of happiness in his eyes, where the anger and surprise once was. He took most of the pressure off of her, until she also had the staff in her hands. She pushed away from her body and walked away from him and the wall. Still in shock and awe; the Professor sat at the doorway with a wicked smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
She walked passed the Professors chair as he looked up at her curiously and smiled. She headed to the kitchen with the two men steps behind her. She opens the refrigerator and pulls out a jug of apple juice, then heads to the cupboard above the double sink and takes out a coffee mug. She's sitting at the table as the two men enter the kitchen, Gambit goes to the same cupboard and pulls out another mug; he gestures at the Professor, he nod's so Gambit grabs another.
Handing the mug's over to Rogue, he sits down. She fills the mugs and passes them; one to the right of her to the Professor and the other to the left to Gambit. The Professor takes a sip and says "I am actually surprised that you're up."
She looks at him but doesn't respond, he chimes in again "I figured that you of all people would be so exhausted that you would sleep through to Sunday." She gives him an effortless smile, so he asks "How has your sleep pattern been? I remember our conversation earlier this week; you were telling me that you couldn't get back to sleep after you wake in the middle of the night. Is it why you are up now?"
She nods heavily, like it was hard to keep her head off of the table; she then uses her left arm to help prop her head up. She angles her head slightly, so she could see the incredibly handsome Cajun. He sat quietly, shifting his vision from her to the Professor and back, just watching them and not involving himself in something that didn't involve him; for once.
She sat there with the two men in a silence that seemed to go on forever, she wondered 'What's e' doin here? why's e' sittin jus' staring at me? Ah' can't believe it, now they're both jus' staring at me! Ah' cant believe it now they're both doin' it.' She sits up, stares evilly at both of them and gets up and leaves.
Back in her room; walking to her bed she plops down in frustration, closes her eyes and begins to count.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7......." An hour passes; she yawns "1009, 1010, 1011" YAWN "1003, 1004, 1005" YAWN....... She stops for a moment trying to remember if she had messed up;
at this point her eyes and brain were to tired to go on, so she drifted off to sleep..........
Part 2
DREAM : She stood in a dark room trying to figure out where she was; it looked familiar but, she couldn't tell in this light. Slowly the room got brighter and brighter, until she could see that she definitely knew this room. This house was the house she grew up in with Irene; the woman who raised her and the one she affectionately called 'mom'. She sees a little girl with long dark brown pigtails in her hair; in a green jumper playing with a whisk by an open door.
The little girl pretends that it's flying, then it crashes; after she dropped it to the floor it rolled into the dark room across from her and it sounded like it fell. She looked at the little girl and wondered how she once was her. A woman (her mother) shorter than the apparently invisible 18 year old version of herself in the other room appears from the kitchen.
She walks close to her mother, the one person who had never been obligated to care and even love her; it was just natural. She; her mother was wearing a pastel yellow button down shirt with gray pleated pants. Her hair was short as Rogue had remembered it for most of her childhood; with reading glasses on and a cookbook in hand.
She looked down at her 7 year old daughter and said her name. For some reason the older version of her couldn't hear the name her mother had given her but, she knew she was saying it. She could see her mother getting angry that her daughter was ignoring her, so she raised her voice and said the name again with 'Where's the whisk?'
The little version of herself pointed down the stairs of the dark room; which was the basement. Her mother looked, flicked on the basement light and said "Well yd better go and get it. Ah' told you not to play with mamas' utensils. She looked at her daughter and pointed down the stairs, showing her she had to go and get it.
With a look of fear on her little face, she looked down the stairs to see some light an the
bottom. She looked up at her mom to see her standing arms folded over her chest and her foot tapping waiting for her daughter to start down the stairs. The older version of herself looked worried. She got closer to her 7 year old self and looked down as she put her tiny hand on the banister and began to slowly walk down; step by step.
The older version of Rogues' vision shifted and she became the 7 year old walking down the stairs to the scary basement. Standing on the last step at the foot of the stairs she could see the whisk directly in the middle of the large room right under the light. To the little girl it looked like a spotlight was on the whisk and the rest of the room was dark, so dark you couldn't see what was right in front of you.
She stepped down off the step and walked towards her goal, so she could hurry and run back up stairs where it felt safe. She got to the whisk, picked it up and looked at her surroundings. It seemed darker now that she was in the bright circle of light and she was now more afraid to leave it's comfort.
The light of her protector began to dim as she grew anxious. She thought if she stayed the light would go out, if she left she would be submerged in the darkness that frightened her so. She began to call out 'Mom' she paused 'MOM'... The light grew more dim to where it was barely on, then she screamed 'MOMMY!' Her screams weren't answered by her mother, then the light went out. She began to cry loudly, loud enough someone would hear her but, who?
Pitch black, standing still; crying loudly in what still seemed to be the basement of her childhood home. A noise from something that moved in the darkness that had now engulfed the small child. She could hear the sounds coming from who ever or whatever was there closing in on her.
Soon she felt a hand on her shoulder. The hand belonged to someone in the darkness; someone she couldn't see but, she trusted its touch as it guided her to a place of light. She knelt on her knees because the light was closest to the floor and it seemed that if she
crawled to it she would be able to reach it. A gentle voice cried out to her 'You must hurry, I can't protect you anymore.'
She crawled as fast as she could and eventually began to crawl through bushes and plants until she re-emerged as tall and as befuddled as she was in her old home. She found herself in the yard of her current home by the gazebo, looking around she wondered how she got there.
She walked through the French doors that led into one of the houses' dens'. She shut the door, turned around and she was now in one of the houses' lower levels. Behind her the elevator door, in front of her the hallway that leads to cerebro. Hearing the soft pitter patter of foot steps ahead of her, she begins to travel down the long and unwelcoming hallway. She sees someone enter cerebro so she followed. At the doorway she stood for a moment then went in.
In the real world outside of her head; there was a knock at the bedroom door. No one answered so the man on the other side knocked louder; Kitty's eyes shot open. She walked to the door and yelled 'Who?' The man on the other end said 'Half pint, you gotta call downstairs.' She unlocked the door and looked up at her 'Don't call me teacher' teacher.
She slowly walked down the hall to the stairs, phased through them and picked up the phone. Wolverine passed her into the kitchen where Storm was behind the stove cooking a Saturday morning feast. She watches him as he goes to the fridge grabs a beer and sits down at the table. She begins to laugh at him; he looks at her for a moment then turns back to the long neck beer he's been wanting all morning.
Scott and Kurt walk in and Scott asks 'Don't you usually wait 'till noon to start at it Logan?' Kurt looks at the annoyed look on Wolverines' face and begins to laugh uncontrollably. The professor enters the room saying 'The guests should be here some time this afternoon.' He looks over his shoulder at Gambit and continues 'They are some very unique characters; these five young men. So, when you introduce yourself...' he turns to look up at him in his eyes 'Do not act like, hum; let me put it in terms to which ...' he turns to everyone and finishes 'All of you will completely understand. Act like civilized, good, gracious people you rarely are, unlike the animals you usually are.'
Kitty was standing in the doorway 'What's the big deal about these guys?' The professor responds 'Good question, Kitty. They are good people I'm hoping we all can make friends with.' He smiles and exits the kitchen; seconds later he re-emerged in the doorway asking ' Where is Rogue? She should be hearing this too.' Kitty replies 'Last I seen she was still asleep. Why, do you want me to get her?' He says 'No Kitty. Let her sleep; you can reiterate it for her when she wakes up. He leaves once again. The buzz from them talking is heard by Jean way down the hall.
Jean looks in the kitchen to see five faces of the people she lives with gossiping about something. She walks in and a hush falls over the five of them who just noticed someone walk into the kitchen. Scott, Kurt and Gambit turned to see Jean when she asks 'What's up, you guys.'
Rogue walks into cerebro and sees no one, she wonders to herself 'Am ah' going crazy?' The room changes; she's now somewhere old, very old. Dim torches lead her down a short hall, where the walls were covered in pictures and writing she could not understand. The short hall lead to a large cold room; like the hall she just emerged from it was covered from ceiling to floor in the pictures and writings.
She walks over to a large column, the writing and pictures were carved into it like the other seven that were in the room. Her clothes were different. Her hair was pulled out of her face and put into waves with ribbons of it falling into her eyes. She moves the hair from her eyes and sees the soft pale gray dress she was wearing; it draped on her with many similarities to a Grecian styled dress. Heavy gold bracelets adorned her wrists and an even heavier necklace lay flat on her neck.
Bricks of rich yellow kept the walls up and the sweltering heat out. As she followed the large columns, the low glow of the torches reflected off the thin gold strings in her hair. In a room that she followed the columns to, was a tall man wearing a dark cloak. Inches away from him; she puts her hand on his arm. Covered by the cloak he puts his hand over hers.
Slowly he turns to reveal himself as Apocalypse. Her eyes widen in horror as she thinks to herself 'This can't be happenin'. Ah' got rid of ya myself. He can't be here, it's impossible.' She pulls her hand away but, he won't let her loose. Looking down on the young girl calmly, he squeezes her hand until he hears a loud POP. He looked back at her face, to see her wincing in pain and he smiled.
The doorbell rang and Storm went to answer it; she looks at her watch it's 4:29pm. She opens the door with a smile and said 'You must be the five young men we've been waiting for. Please come in.' The men walk in and look around. One of them, the smallest whistles and says 'Wow.' Storm directs them to the den and excuses herself to go get the professor. They sat in the den on the left side of the staircase and talked amongst them selves.
Jubilee and Bobby Drake enter the house arguing loudly. On his way to meet the group of men he invited to his house he could hear the two fighting. Overhearing the fight the guys smile at the two young kids fighting on the stairs. The professor got there and quickly resolved the problem between Jubilee and Bobby. As he entered the room he excused his students then himself for taking so long. The young men introduced themselves as Oliver, Victor, Bart, A.C. And Clark.
Upstairs in their room, Kitty ties her shoelace and looks at her roommates clock and sees it's 4:41pm. She walks over to Rogues' bedside and says 'I know you're gonna be like really mad at me when I wake you up but, I have to.' She shakes Rogues arm vigorously thinking that if she did Rogue would wake right up.
She waits a few moments then repeats her annoying act. She says 'Rogue. Sorry but, you totally need to get up.' No response from her roommate so she begins to speak louder. 'You said we could hang out today and I could seriously go for shopping and a movie, so get up!' Wolverine passing the doorway sees Kitty rocking Rogue from side to side and smiles.
Standing there he watches as the young and slightly annoying Kitty Pride try to get her roommate out of bed. He chimes in saying 'If you want some advise on getting that kid outta bed, I'll give ya a few pointers, half pint.' She nods and he walks up to the other side of the bed and winks. He says nearly yelling 'You're gonna be late for training kid and if you're late the penalty is an hour long session in the danger room with me at the controls.
He stares down at Rogue waiting for a response but, he got nothing. Lying still in the bed on her back, he thought to himself 'I never seen her sleep like this. Usually any type of light or sound woulda woke her up'. Looking a little worried he grabbed the shirt she put out for the next day, put his hand in it so he could check her pulse. Feeling her strong heartbeat, some of the worry left him but, he still couldn't stop the nagging feeling something was wrong.
Part 3
Still crushing her hand; she screams and his pale gray features turned angry and somewhat monstrous in the dim light. He grabbed her throat with his left hand and lifted her from the ground. Unable to breathe her eyes began to close as he chokes the life from her; his jailer. Her nails sliced his skin open but, he bleeds no blood so it didn't even phase him.
Logan sat at her bedside still trying to wake her as he sees her chest rise and fall much faster than before. She begins to gasp for air, a freaked out Logan yells to Kitty to go find Hank. Kitty runs through the halls, down the stairs and in the foyer yelling from the top of her lungs 'Hank! Hank! HANK!'
The six men in the den shift in their seats to see a scared Kitty screaming 'WHERE'S HANK!' The professor Calmly asks 'Kitty, what seems to be the problem?' She says 'Something is wrong. She totally like started gasping for air and Wolverine told me to find Hank. HANK!' The professor replied 'What are you talking about, sweetheart?' She says 'Rogue. She wont wake up and, and...' She looks to the kitchen doorway, sees him and yells 'Hank!'
Holding a coffee cup in hand startled he says 'Hello to you too Kitty.' She quickly says as she leads him away 'No time to explain but, we need your help in my room.' The professor Turns back to his companions and apologizes. Suddenly he looks off in the distance as a look of fear crossed his face, then he excused himself.
Hank examined Rogue but, couldn't figure out what was wrong, why she couldn't breathe. Quickly he decided to himself 'We should get her downstairs so I could properly examine her.' Agreeing Logan threw the comforter off of her and lifted her near lifeless body. Running through the halls with a quickly depleting Rogue in his arms, Logan, Kitty and Hank arrived at the elevator.
Kitty presses the button over and over again but, the elevator was busy so they had to rethink their plan. The three run through the halls, down the stairs and the foyer. Seeing three people running downstairs with a fourth in one of their arms one of them stood up. The attention of the others locked onto their friend and what he was looking at. The three of them looked at the five men in the den and said 'Where's Xavier, half pint?'
Kitty searched the room frantically and shrugged her shoulders as Clark said 'He left a couple of minutes ago. What happened?' Wolverine says 'Screw it. We gotta get this kid downstairs' he looks at Hank and Kitty, then says 'Lets go!' The three run out of sight and moments later the professor returns. Clark says A girl and two men were looking for you. They had another girl in one of the guys arms.'
A worried look crossed his gently wrinkled face. He gestured for them to follow him as he lead them to the hidden elevator on the ground floor. He says 'I know you are all trustworthy young men and you all have your secrets. All I wish is that you keep mine; something is going on so I don't have a moment to explain. I know you all will understand.' The door opened and a few eyes widened. As the elevator reached the right floor the door opened again.
As they walked down the metal covered hall doors on a pressure gage opened and shut. They approached a door near the end of the hall and it opened to reveal Rogue on an examination table with wires stuck to her. Tubes ran from around her head and up her nose to help her breathe. Shock was easily read off the six faces that entered the room but, the professor was shocked yet horrified.
He closed the distance from him to the table, then asked 'What happened?' Hank responded 'I truly have no idea. The answer completely eludes me.' The professor grabs her hand; Kitty looked on bracing for what was going to happen. His hand felt her soft cold hand in his. Surprised with the outcome he said to her 'What could have happened to you in the few short hours we haven't seen each other?'
A scared surprised look crossed Hanks' face as he asked 'What are you talking about professor?' The professor explained how he seen her late last night because she couldn't sleep. Hank pondered what could have possibly happened to her while she was asleep that could cause this to happen. An idea popped into his head and he said 'Why don't you ask her yourself, professor? From the inside.'
Xavier raised an eyebrow to Hank's suggestion but, decided to do it. Sitting before her head, he placed his hands at the sides of her head and concentrated. Images of people, places and things fly by like a picture slide show but, faster. He finds himself in the short hall that was covered in hieroglyphics. Looking at them they seemed so familiar but, doesn't connect them to where.
He stands from his sitting position, turns and walks down the hall. Like before it emptied into a large, cold, hieroglyph covered room. He followed the columns like she did before him. He approached the arch way of the room before him seeing Rogue hanging two feet from the ground by a large dark figure cloaked in a brown hood.
The figure feels the presence of someone else and turns to see Xavier and Xavier sees the dark figure is Apocalypse. Feeling threatened by Xavier's presence, Apocalypse throws Rogue to a wall on the other side of the room. Quickly Xavier runs over to the seemingly lifeless body on the floor. A flair in the monitors takes everyone by surprise as they wailed loudly for a few moments.
On his knees Trying to see if she was okay, he proceeds to cradle her head in his lap. She begins to move slightly, then opens her eyes and he says 'It's time for you to wake up now sweetheart. I saw him leave, everything is fine now; we should join the real world now.' She tries to smile but, is to weak and nods softly. Looking down on her, he was back and she still didn't wake but, he knew she was alright; she just needed rest.
Word of what happened spread through the house like wildfire. An hour passed and the house was buzzing about what had happened and theories of why it happened. Xavier, Hank and Wolverine sat in the room for hours until she woke up at 4:53 in the morning. The professor glanced at her showing her that they needed to talk when she got better. As she left the room he worried that there was more than just a dream he needed to worry about; Especially since her power never came back.