Chapter Two
Rogue moaned when she felt a hand shaking her. She didn't want to wake up. She opened an eye to see Kitty beaming at her. "Come on, sleepyhead! It's almost noon! You slept seven hours!"
"Coffee..." she groaned in her pillow.
Kitty tugged at her. She was annoying, for a grown up twenty-something. "Come on, now, you know you can't have any!"
Rogue reluctantly sat up. "Says who?"
"Says your doctor! Coffee is not good for baby-Roguey."
She quickly changed out of her pjs and followed hyper Kitty to the dining hall. She heavily sat on a chair, not awake enough to acknowledge anyone. Kitty poured her some orange juice and put the glass in her hand. She mechanically drank. She eyed her dinner plate. She felt the nausea rise and, now wide awake, rushed to the closest bathroom. Her almost empty stomach heaved but nothing but liquid came out.
Kitty arrived in the bathroom. "Oh Rogue, I'm so sorry! I didn't know..."
"It's fine, Kit. Even I didn't think about morning sickness when you woke me up. I usually am sick just as I open my eyes. I'm fine now."
She rinsed her mouth and walked out of the bathroom, Kitty following her. She gave the X-Men a tiny smile. "Sorry about that..." she said as she took her seat.
{Professor?} she projected her thoughts toward Charles Xavier.
{Yes, Rogue?}
{How much does everyone knows?}
{Hank, Kitty, Logan and I are the only one knowing what happened... What keeps happening. Your companions are truly devoted to you. None uttered a word.}
{Good. Could you call a meeting this afternoon so we can discuss it with everyone? I mean, the X-Men and the new recruits.}
{Off course, Rogue. I can sense most of us are curious.}
{I know... Trust me I know.}
While having this telepathic conversation, she started to eat slowly. Her stomach didn't protest anymore. She kept quiet, waiting for the professor to announce the meeting.
He called everyone's attention at the end of the meal, when no one had the time to leave yet. "I need the X-Men and the new recruits to gather with me for a meeting in thirty minutes. It will take place... In the war room."
At the appointed time, all active X-Men and the new recruits were gathered. Rogue stood in front of them. "As you know, I returned last night. Sinister staged my almost death, three months ago, so he could abduct me without the X-Men coming for me. He was... Impressed by the control I displayed on abilities that weren't mine, even without contact. He decided... To experiment on me... And to make me the mother of his heir... I am pregnant."
She interrupted her tale when some of her teammate stifled surprised cries.
"My baby is not Sinister's... Not directly. He revealed details to me. Secrets. He told me that he survived centuries transferring his mind from clone to clone. However this process, somehow, depended on Apocalypse. He decided to create a child that would be half his and half... Summers. He used Christopher Summers' DNA and coupled it with his own. The child was stolen from him. He thought it lost forever but the child, reaching Level Five, couldn't control his powers. He went to Sinister himself to decrease his power level so he could manage it. Sinister took advantage of the helplessness and ignorance of his... Son... To steal from him fluids. He used my ova and his son's sperm to create a heir he could control. This is what Sinister told me. After his little speech, I had a dizzy spell. When I opened my eyes, Sinister was unconscious and I had part of his memories and abilities. I freed the mutants he held captive and together we tore the place to shreds. The only marauder present was Vertigo and she remained in the building with her master when it collapsed. It took us four days to reach the institute. During those four days, I learned to like all of my companions here. They were all wronged by Sinister, tortured, experienced on. They would like to stay with us, even a short while."
Cyclops, stunned, raised his eyes - or his visor - to hers. He finally found his words, having missed most of Rogue's speech after she spoke about Christopher Summers' DNA. "My dad's DNA..."
Rogue smiled at him. "Congratulations, Scott, you're about to become a uncle..."
Kurt came closer and hugged his sister. "Uncle Kurt! I'll be uncle Kurt!" He knelt and spoke to Rogue's stomach. "Hello, baby. I'm uncle Kurt. I will show you all kind of tricks. I'll be the silly uncle while the fearless leader over there will be the serious uncle.
"You didn't tell who Sinister's son is," said Cyclops, probably wondering who this half-brother could be.
"Because I have no idea who is my baby's father. He didn't tell and his psyche's memories are incomplete. Or blocked."
"Maybe I could help with that," proposed the professor.
"I should announce it to Alex..." started Cyclops, still obviously shocked.
The professor asked him to wait so the new recruits could officially introduce themselves to the X-Men.
"I am Illyana Raspoutin. I also go by Magik. I have teleportation powers and I can use magic, spells. My magic allowed me to create a soulsword. You already know my big brother, Piotr, AKA Colossus. He turns into organic metal."
"I am the Scarlet Witch, or Wanda Maximoff. I have a twin, Pietro, still with the brotherhood. I manipulate probabilities and alter reality. Lorna Dane, codename Polaris, has the same abilities than our father. Only she's much sweeter. She is no fighter but... I would like her to graduate High School."
Lorna smiled at everyone. She sat back with her sister.
"Vanessa Carlysle, call me Copycat. I'm not interested in joining the X-Men, I just wanted to make sure that Rogue made it back here alright. I am a mercenary, my line of work isn't nice. I'm no do-gooder. I'll get going soon."
She went back to her seat, crossed her arms and smiled at Wolverine. Cypher stood and looked at the X-Men.
"My name is Doug Ramsey. They call me Cypher because I can decipher any language. Oral, writing, body language, computer language, codes... You name it, I understand it. Huh... That's all."
Kitty turned her eyes to Rogue with an arched eyebrow. Rogue called forth her telepathic abilities. {I do not trust him with this knowledge. He's a bit young and malleable. Who knows what such knowledge could do to him?}
Kitty nodded. She was flattered by her friend's trust. In the meantime Doug had taken a seat and another was standing.
"I am Theresa Cassidy, Sean's daughter. I like to use Siryn as an alias. I have inherited my dad's powerful sonic scream. I can fly, paralyze an opponent, and some other things." she shut up. She wouldn't tell them how she could seduce them to do her bidding when she modulated her voice. She wasn't using this ability anymore.
Rictor took her place. "Hi, I'm Rictor. My parents named me Julio Richter. I shake things. I can make anything vibrate and even create earthquakes."
"Rusty," said the boy closest to Rictor. "Russel Collins. I create fires. I cannot really control them."
"Sally Blevins," said the last girl. "I have a deflection field around me. Attacks just skid on it. That's why I chose the nickname Skids."
The last two boys were the Proudstar brothers. John stood up.
"My brother's name is James and I am John. Proudstar. We have strength, keen senses, durability... We are Warpath and Thunderbird."
"Thank you," said Charles. "The X-Men are Cyclops, Jean, Shadowcat, Wolverine, Iceman, Storm, Beast, Nightcrawler, Cannonball, Magma, Jubilee, Wolfsbane, Multiple, Sunspot, Berzerker, Angel, Forge and Rogue."
Each nodded or waved at the newcomers as their names were called.
"Now I believe rooms were prepared for those of you who intend to stay. You shall share with a roommate. Shadowcat and Jean will show the girls, and Nightcrawler and Iceman will show the boys. You have until school starts to decide whether you enroll."
Thankful murmurs echoed through the room and people started to leave until Charles, Vanessa and Rogue were the only ones remaining. "I'll miss you," said Rogue to her new friend. "Keep in touch, will ya?"
"I will. No worries, Roguey."
"Now, miss Carlysle, I need your assurance that this school's secret are safe. Would you mind if I... took a look in your mind?"
"Go ahead. I wouldn't do anything to endanger Roguey and the little shrimp."
Charles closed his eyes a minute. With a relieved sigh, he opened them a minute later. "Thank you, Vanessa. I will let you ladies say your goodbyes."
A few minutes later, Vanessa was off campus. Rogue walked towards the professor's study. "I need your help, professor. I cannot make Sinister's psyche talk to me. Maybe together we can unlock his memories pertaining to my baby's father."
"Maybe you could wait and see if Kitty succeeds."
She chuckled. She should have known that he was aware of the flash drive.
"I wouldn't trust anyone but Kitty with this knowledge. She has more ethics than anyone else here. She will find the information and destroy any harmful evidence."
"Thank you, Professor."
"Another thing, Rogue. You're off X-Men duty during your pregnancy. We can't risk both of your safety. Furthermore I think that your... condition might awaken greed and curiosity among the wrong people."
"But, professor... I'm still capable to fight! I'm not sick!"
"Hank and Logan advised me of your dizzy spell. You could have one during a battle and possibly drain your friends, endangering them."
She was conscious that Charles was guilting her into agreeing. She softly sighed and nodded. "Fine," she said. "But I'm still in charge of my classes and I'm still on Danger Room sessions."
"Unless Hank medically advises differently, yes. Rogue..." he hesitated. "I am a psychologist. If you ever feel the need to talk about what happened... You can always come to me. Or I could recommend you feminine colleagues..."
She smiled at him. "I'm..."
He shook his head. "You can drop the facade, Anna. You have nothing to prove to me. You don't need to reassure me. I know how unwell you are. Please, for your sake, get some help. I have a close friend of mine, open-minded about mutants, who specialized into women who found themselves pregnant after a rape. This is not unlike your situation."
"Ah... I'll think about it. Thanks."
Struggling to keep her face impassive, she ran to her room. To hear someone voice what she had thought... the thoughts she had fought so hard to keep at bay... It was too much for her. She laid face first in her bed, bawling.
She jumped when she felt a hand on her back. She turned her head and found Kitty sitting by her side. She sobbed and hugged her friend. Kitty, surprised that Rogue initiated contact, hugged her back. Once her sobs subsided, she let go of Kitty.
"Sorry," she started.
"It's okay. You went through a lot. May I ask... What triggered this?"
"Professor wants me to see a shrink. He says... He says it's like I'd been raped and found myself pregnant... But... I don't want my baby to be a 'rape-child'."
"I think you should see that shrink. Maybe it could help. Five days ago, you found out you are pregnant. Five days ago, you escaped and possibly killed the mad scientist who did this to you. You cannot be fine, smiling and skipping in a flower field yet. You will need time to heal. You will need to talk about your experience. I am your friend, I will always be there to listen to you. You can lean on my shoulder and cry all you need. But I'm not a professional. I have no previous experience. I wouldn't help as much as a shrink would."
Rogue nodded. Kitty was talking good sense into her. "I'll see that shrink. Thank you, Kit!"
"What are best friends for?"
They had had a hard time getting along when they first were forced to be roommates. The pink, hyper valley girl and the dark, moody Goth Southern Belle. Once they saw past their differences, they were inseparable. Their time as Bayville Sirens was the start of their friendship. Four years later, it only strengthened.
Rogue freshened herself in the bathroom and walked back to the Professor's office. "I'll do it," she announced. "I'll see your friend. And talk to her. I need it. You were right."
Charles simply nodded and she went to the rec room. During school year it would be rather empty but as it was Summer Break students and staff alike were mingling, playing pool or any of the many games in the room. She walked toward the television. All couches were full. She lowered herself and sat cross-legged on the rug to watch TV. Hellion, one of the senior students, started to raise from his seat. "Rogue! Have my seat!"
She shot him a look. "Why would I take your seat?"
"huh..." he stammered. "Because I'm a gentleman?"
She smiled at him. "If you are a gentleman, you need to be sure about it. Not question it."
He felt the blush creep on his face. He liked his girlfriend. A lot. But Rogue was older, smart, skilled in mechanics, smoking hot and a Southern Belle. Most guys were more or less infatuated with her. She was like a dream to them. A dream with a temper.
"Keep your seat, Hellion. I don't need it."
He slowly sat back. It was the news. "... We have no information about what happened in this empty warehouse. Police said no body was found inside. The reason why the building collapsed is still unknown..."
She turned her head when she heard a hearty laugh and found Rictor standing behind the couch. "I shook it till it collapsed like a castle made of play cards!"
She shook her head at Rictor's antics when he started to do a happy dance in front of everyone gathered in the rec room. She was worried that the news anchor claimed they didn't find at least one body. It could mean two things, SHIELD and their operatives had concealed any evidence from the local police and news crews or her archenemy was out there plotting.
She preferred the former.
AN: Phew. Still no clue on the daddy. Yeah. On a side note, most of Rogue's experience with her pregnancy comes from my own. I have a daughter, you know. So, nausea, mood swings and everything else comes from my own experience. For those who never had kids, pregnancy can be quite hectic.
I just noticed that my auto-correct option changed news crews to new screws. Facepalm.
Oh well, next chapter next week! See ya!
Thanks goes to all reviewers, favoriters, alerters, readers. I feel so loved. Cookies to everyone.
