Chapter Two
Conflict of Choice
Curled up on the sofa, swaddled in the Indian patterned afghan, Rogue stared out of the window watching the rain cascade down the glass. Her eyes caught on to one particularly large drop and traced its trail down the window until she lost track of it. She shivered, pulling the blanket tighter around herself.
Logan quietly walked into the room, holding a steaming cup of hot chocolate in one hand and another blanket in the other. He handed her the mug and then tenderly covered her with the blanket, rubbing her arms. "What happened out there," he prodded gently.
Rogue took a gulp of the drink, her mouth catching on fire and blazing down her throat. "I went to the store," she began quietly. "I wanted to buy you a Christmas gift." Her face went ashen and her lips trembled. "In the parking lot were these three guys. They were messing around with a mutant. I…I intervened. The poor kid could've only been fourteen."
Logan settled himself on the floor beside the couch and draped an arm over her. He could tell where this was going and he hoped his presence made her memories easier to bear. "And then?"
Rogue looked at him, her eyes shining with tears. "They attacked me. Two of them held me down while the other tried to tear my coat off. I fought back, breaking one of their arms. I managed to escape and I ran for the woods. They followed me. One of them caught up with me and tackled me to the ground. He tried to rape me saying that I would enjoy it with a real man."
Logan clenched his teeth, enraged at the assault on his precious Marie. He envisioned the men standing there in the room with them and Logan imagined in vivid detail torturing them to death.
"I touched his skin. I held on until he passed out and then I scrambled away. I heard voices so I hid. And then someone grabbed me from behind. I fought with him and then ran again. I finally ended up here where I passed out on the sidewalk."
Logan caressed her cheek, his fingers dancing across her soft skin like feathers. "I'm so sorry, Marie. I wish I could take you away from all this hatred and horror."
Rogue shook her head. "I know, but this is where I need to be. I won't hide like a coward while the rest of the mutant world suffers. I will fight right alongside my brothers and sisters."
"Rogue, you're beginning to sound like the Brotherhood."
Rogue's eyes flashed angrily. "Maybe they're right. Maybe we should just eliminate the humans. We tried living peacefully with them, but it is them who refuse to live peacefully with us. Maybe we need to kill them before they kill us." She peered down into her lap. "This is like World War Two when the Nazis tried exterminating the Jews, except this time the Nazis are humans and the Jews are mutants." She pierced him with her penetrating stare. "We need to fight back, Logan."
Logan smoothed down her auburn hair, his fingers entangling themselves in her white streak. "You're just upset, Marie. Not all humans are bad just as not all mutants are good. You can't discriminate against someone simply because they do or don't have the mutated gene."
Rogue looked away, righteously conflicted. "I wish I could believe that. I did once, but now…we're on the brink of war. It'll be here any day now and I just…I'm scared, Logan. I'm scared of what might happen. We've already lost Jean. How many more of our family members will we sacrifice to the cost?"
Logan wrapped his arms around her, pressing her to him. As long as I don't lose you.
End Chapter Two
Snoob: Yep, this'll be another long story!
Cassandra: I wasn't planning on making it the sequel, but maybe it will be.
Blix Howlett: Can I abbreviate your name to just Blix? Anyway, thanks for the review!
