Episode 3.0: ROGUE
Installment 2 of 2
"We heard a scream, what happened?!" Kitty called running back onto the main alley with Kurt. They both stopped abruptly at the sight of Ororo at their feet, halfway consumed by a deep pool-sized puddle separating them from the rest of the others.
On the other side was also Rogue, surrounded by what seemed like electricity sparkling in the air, growing stronger. Jean was the closest to her, close enough that she saw the goth's eyes disappear behind what looked like fog. Something she saw plenty of times happen to Storm's eyes.
"Oh no…" she whispered.
She could hear Scott's voice as he ran towards them. "Hey, what's with the pyrotechnics?!"
But it became obvious to him when he reached the clearing and saw that it is the new mutant sparkling as wind currents picked up pace around her in matter of moments. "No… No!"
He stepped back, but the situation was already becoming out of control. The winds got so strong that that pebbles and dust that gathered on nearby gravestones circled around her and she was lifted off the ground like she was the eye of a cyclone. The night sky became even darker as it clouded over and lightings hit nearby trees, leaving them smoking and broken. Rain poured down like somebody run a giant faucet over their heads.
Kitty and Kurt quickly grabbed unconscious Ororo by either arm and pulled her away from the puddle that was very likely to be struck and electrocute her at spot. Meanwhile Jean, Forge and Scott who were closer to the out-of-control mutant struggled to even stand against the wind and Jean needed to use telekinesis to keep them on the ground.
"Maybe I'll be able to stop her…" Grey said.
"No way, she can't control herself the way Storm does" Scott responded.
At this point they were already up against a forming tornado with Rogue in its heart, two dozen feet in the air, a raging storm surrounding it with lightnings striking in every direction. They heard an extremely loud noise and saw one of the crypts getting struck and falling apart like a sand castle. Then the electricity line was down and sparkling tips fell down towards the puddle in which Ororo previously landed.
Only Jean's field kept her, Scott and Forge relatively safe at this point; across the puddle they could see Kitty and Kurt watch everything warily with Pryde appearing to keep them intangible in case they got struck. Logan and Professor Xavier now joined them on the main alley and the shocked looks on their faces said it all as they gaze up at the unveiling chaos.
"STAY BACK!" Forge called out towards them waving his hand appropriately in case they couldn't hear his words. The two of them - just like him - were the last people to come nearby a raging storm. Too much metal to take chances against a lighting, and Jean couldn't possibly save them the way she was saving him right now.
Kurt remembered seeing this on the show. He was unconscious at this point because Rogue absorbed his memories and powers, and it took a moment but he remembered that it was his ability to teleport that got her out of that growing cyclone. This time she stopped her from absorbing his power, was that his mistake? She couldn't get away if she wanted to.
He could hear her desperate, terrified scream up there. Faint against the raging wind and thunder, it still tore his heart.
He looked down at unconscious Storm and Kitty. Pryde responded to his eyes as if begging him to do something. "Keep phasing the two of you" he said proceeding to get up. He let go, feeling his body become tangible again. Therefore also vulnerable to the lightings.
"What are you going to do?" Kitty asked.
Wagner's eyes shifted to Rogue who seemed so small that far up in the air. "The right thing, I hope" he said to himself and teleported.
The half of the crew stuck on the other side of the puddle saw him reappear in the dead middle of the swirling cyclone, right beside Rogue.
"What is he doing?!" Scott shouted.
"He's stopping her" Jean responded squinting to see what's going on up there.
Kurt tightly grabbed Rogue's arms before the wind currents managed to pull him away, and without a second of hesitance he teleported them both away, to the first place that popped into his mind - the alley between gardens where they first found Rogue.
The moment they appeared he felt ground escape from under his feet - their acceleration from inside the cyclone sent them rolling on the ground; Luckily the impact caused Rogue to snap out of uncontrollably using Storm's powers. She ended up laying on her back, eyes closed and a moan of pain in her throat.
Kurt got up to his knees as quickly as he stopped rolling against one of the fences and he quickly made it to her side. "Rogue, are you alright?" he carefully turned her face to the other side to see if she has any head injuries from this rough landing.
The girls eyes opened slowly, but then widened abruptly and she crawled back.
Kurt lifted his hands in a peaceful manner. "Easy, it's me. We talked in the garden, remember?" he said gently.
The girl's attention quickly shifted away from him - she sat up shuddering, her eyes filled with tears that further smeared her already messed up makeup. "Why can't all of this finally end…?"
Wagner wanted to come closer but she pushed him away and turned her back to him.
"Leave me alone!" she shouted wanting to sound threatening, but it came out like a plea.
"Rogue, listen me out… I know that right now you're not ready to trust anyone, but we really don't want to hurt you… It was-..." should he tell her about Mystique? About what their own mother did? No… he couldn't. He shouldn't. "It was all a mind trick… We are the good guys…" there was a hint of resignation to his tone now.
Rogue looked back at him with mascara tinted tears streaming down her cheeks. She frowned but her lip quivered. "Just leave me finally alone. All of you. I hate you…"
"Rogue? Rogue, child, where are you?" a voice called at the end of the alley.
The girl looked towards it and slowly got up. "Here, Irene!"
Kurt still crouching reached to her forearm. "Wait-"
"No!" she jerked her arm away and sent him a hateful look. "I don't want to listen to this anymore! I just want to go back to my family!"
With those last words she turned around and run towards Irene. Kurt slowly exhaled, a breath that seemed to heave on his chest, and his hand dropped down again. "Rogue…" he whispered.
He needed a moment to gather his thoughts after this, but he knew he needs to go back to others. When he teleported back to the cemetery he merely had time to notice the mess left behind by the cyclone before he was jumped by a sudden hug.
"You're okay!" Kitty exclaimed.
He blinked with surprise and didn't get to respond as Pryde pulled back with sparkling eyes.
"I was so worried!"
Finally he smiled. "Thanks, Katzchen."
"What happened with the girl?" Summers asked approaching closer.
Wagner turned to him growing serious. "She left with her caretaker."
"Just like that? And you let her?" Scott frowned, disapproval giving his voice a higher pitch.
"No, Cyclops" Professor Xavier lifted his hand to silence him. "Nightcrawler did the right thing. The girl is safe with her caretaker."
"But why was she so afraid of us?" Jean wondered with sadness.
"Somebody must have helped her feel this way, it's quite certain" Professor frowned.
Wolverine, who carried unconscious Ororo in his arms bridal style, took a few shallow breaths. "Mystique" she stated. "She can change her shape, but not her smell."
Jean and Scott's faces tightened. Mystique was a shapeshifted that they were told about and encountered before the others joined the team. She was like the Joker to their Batman.
"We needs to follow her!" Pryde gestured with her fist.
"No" Professor said firmly. "Enough happened tonight. She will either chose to contact us or not" however he was worried about the consequences of the later. "For now we should focus on Ororo."
Everyone's eyes turned to the woman in Wolverine's arms.
"Will she be alright?" Forge asked.
"I believe so" Xavier responded. "But we should get her home. We're heading back to the blackbird, everyone… Our role here is done."
xXxXxXx
+EXTRA SCENES until I state otherwise+
Irene wrapped her arm around Rogue's shoulders feeling both relieved and worried. She got her back - but for how long? Now that her powers manifested returning to the daily routine seemed unlikely. Even if Rogue wanted to, and even though Irene herself would rather live the life as it was, Raven won't let it go.
Raven was lost in her ways, but unstoppable.
"What did it all happen like that?" Rogue asked in a lowered voice as they almost reached their home. "Why was Cody a part of me?"
"I'm sure everything will become clear soon, child. But for now you need to rest and get warm. You're soaked to the bone…"
"It's because of that rain… Irene, I- I was flying in the air and- this storm-"
"Shh" the woman massaged her back finding the keys in her pocket with the other. "It's all over now, child."
And she wished that were true, but even without her visions, just her experience and knowing Raven made her sure it's in fact just a preludium.
xXxXxXx
This time it was Scott who took place in the first pilot's seat. His gaze was focused forward and his eyebrows frowning in displeasure. They failed. The new girl didn't decide to join them, they destroyed public property and Storm got knocked out. For him it meant he failed as a leader.
Wolverine sat in the back and tried to appear as if he's not concerned.
Everyone else gathered around Ororo who started to regain her consciousness. "W… What happened?" she asked sleepily.
"That girl touched you and absorbed your power… you lost it" Grey explained softly.
"What?..." the woman grabbed her head and shut her eyes closed tight. "Is everyone okay?"
"Luckily yes" the Professor replied. "You and Cody will be fine as well."
"And the girl? What about her?" Monroe asked suddenly.
Charles shook his head. "Too much happened, she wasn't ready to trust us."
xXxXxXx
Meanwhile at the Caldecott County Regional Hospital Thai was sitting at Cody's bedside with a ball in his hand. "I don't know what happened to you, but you need to get better as quickly as you can. We have a game next week… we can't let any Stevens play in your stead" he smiled passing the ball to the hospitalized boy.
The blond haired boy caught it and smiled at the familiarity of the ball in his hands. He also didn't know what happened to him, the last moments before he lost conscious were fuzzy, but the idea of joining the game made it all unimportant.
All he cared about was that he felt fine and can go back to living his life.
xXxXxXx
It was past 1:30 am when Black-Bird finally glided back into the passageway leading to the underground hangar. Ororo assured she felt fine but the Professor insisted she needs a check up before she can go to sleep. Charles said goodnight to everyone else and expressed his hope that today's events won't keep them up, then everyone headed in their own directions.
Kurt teleported right to front of Fallen's room to avoid waking her with his 'bamfing' in case she was asleep. He quietly peeked into her room only to find she in fact is asleep. Or at least so he thought before she called out softly as he began to close the door again; "Mm.. Kurt?"
He stepped back into the room with an apologetic smile that he knew she won't see. "I didn't mean to wake you."
"You should have…" she murmured sitting up. "Come tell me how it went" she patted the bed beside her.
Wagner looked back at the corridor to make sure no one's there to see and have a problem with it before he slipped into the room and quietly closed the door. He sat down on the edge of her bed.
"How's Rogue?" the girl asked.
"Pretty much the same as the last time."
"So nothing changed?"
Kurt exhaled and grimaced. "Not much beside the fact that she didn't absorb my powers and memories this time."
"So you didn't get knocked out, that's a good thing."
"Yeeah..."
"Huh?"
"She kind of knocked me out with a trash can cover. But only for a moment!"
At first the girl snorted with amusement before her eyes studied his forehead. She brushed his hair back. "Are you okay though?"
A smile returned to the boys face as he grabbed the hand she examined his forehead with. "Ja, I am now" he responded. "I'll tell you everything in the morning. It's your first night back to your room, enjoy the comfort of not sleeping in a hospital bed."
She just smiled in response.
"I'm tired too" Wagner sighed. "See you in the morning?" he started to get up giving her a goodnight kiss.
"Kurt, hold on" she stopped him grabbing his wrist before he walked out of her reach. He looked back. She nodded her head back on the bed and he sat down. She then proceeded to open her bedside stand and pulled out a notebook with a green cover. Kurt's eyes twitched slightly it its sight. "Did you find this notebook when I was unconscious?" she asked solemnly. "I left it under my pillow. When I came here today it was on the drawer."
Wagner bit his lip at the memory of the heartbreaking farewell she scribed inside for him to find in case of her demise. It pierced his heart like a cold shard even now, after the demise turned out to be a false alarm. "Yeah" he replied low.
She sighed slowly and slightly squeezed his hand. "What about the silver envelope?"
"I…" he remembered finding it and hoping it would be something that would help her. Turned out it wasn't, but he still didn't know what it was. "I left it with Professor Xavier. As you asked on it."
"And you didn't read what was inside?"
His gaze lifted to her, concerned with the worry in her voice. It shone in her eyes as well. "No. Should I have?"
She looked relieved as she dropped her eyes. She shook her head. "No…"
"...Fall…" he shifted closer to her and urged her eyes back to his own.
She shook her head again and smiled faintly. "It was nothing for you to be concerned about."
He opened his mouth to argue otherwise, but she hushed him resting her forehead against his. "It's best if only the Professor knows what I put in there."
"I want to leave it at that but last time I stopped pushing you ended up in a coma."
"And I've learned my lesson" she said firmly.
He studied her eyes for another moment before sighing in defeat. "Alright. Goodnight then?"
"Goodnight. I love you."
"I love you too."
"And… Kurt" she stopped him already halfway to the door. "Thank you for trusting me again, even after I almost screwed myself over like that just two weeks ago without telling you. I had no right to leave you with a note just because it seemed easier to do than telling any of that to your face."
"You're okay now" he whispered. "That's all that matters to me."
The door clicked closed behind him quietly.
Fallen laid back down, but was unable to sleep for another hour, ridden by the guilt of not telling Kurt what was in the silvery envelope. But she couldn't yet decide if telling him wouldn't defeat the purpose of writing the message to the Professor in the first place. In fact she still didn't feel completely positive about whether the Professor should have gotten it to begin with. But that was already done. Should she confront him about it or leave it as it is, that she didn't know.
There's still time. Maybe someday she will be able to figure out the right thing to do here.
But not today.
Today she just wanted not to think about anything remotely as terrifying as what she wrote and sealed in that envelope.
xXxXxXx
+That night+
"Open up, the plane is coming" the woman leaned towards him with a spoon in her hand.
"But grandma, I'm big now, I do it alone!" the boy reached out for the item. The woman chuckled and handed it over to him carefully. The boy shoved it into his mouth getting food on his nose too in the process. The woman chuckled harder.
The boy grimaced and wiped his nose with his entire palm. His grandmother shook her head with amusement and proceeded to clean him with a tissue.
Suddenly her soft expression changed and she shifted back against the counter. One of her hands grabbed the front of her handmade sweater. "Grandma? What's going on?" the boy asked.
But the woman couldn't reply as invisible force of pain pushed her down to her knees and soon enough to the floor. The boy ran up to her and shook her a bit, but it wasn't helping.
Only two hours later when his parents came back home they found him sitting on the floor beside his cooling grandmother.
Everything went dark.
Amongst the darkness there was the awareness that his grandmother had a stroke and the feeling of guilt because he was too small and scared to think about calling an ambulance. Maybe they would have helped her.
She woke up.
Her eyes shot open and her heart was beating hard and she felt tears coming to mourn this memory that didn't belong to her. She knew it was just a dream of Cody Robins' past.
+END OF EXTRA SCENES+
xXx
+7:34AM, 7.10.1995, Saturday+
Irene already knew whom to expect when she heard the doorbell that morning, and she felt a hint of disappointment that the visitor didn't decide to change their ways. She gave Rogue's gloved hand a light squeeze and said she'd get the door.
Rogue didn't respond. Yesterday evening she was exhausted and scared, but after she rested she completely shut her out. Her answers were short and to the point as much as possible; Did you sleep well? no. Do you want tea? yes. Do you want to talk? no. Are you sure? yes.
Irene passed through the kitchen and corridor that she knew like the palm of her own hand, with no problem she grabbed the key hanging on the wall and used it to unlock the door. However she left the chain holding it just to be sure.
Before she even had the time to ask to confirm the visitor's identity, she heard the familiar voice; "It's me, Irene."
Adler closed the door again to remove the chain and opened it completely this time, stepping aside to make way. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked in a lowered voice. "She will be close to Xavier's people."
"But also close to me" the other woman responded coldly. "Now that her powers surfaced I need to keep an eye on her, Irene."
"And how am I supposed to explain to her why we want to move her to X-Men's town and school while we claim to try to protect her from them?"
"You'll think of something. We'll assure her that they won't hurt her on my watch. Xavier won't try to approach her again if she doesn't make the first move anyway. We just need to make sure she won't. And now - will you introduce me the way we planned?"
Adler exhaled with resignation and locked the door again before taking the lead back to the kitchen. Standing in the door she heard the other woman right behind her and gestured vaguely at her. "Rogue, this is Raven Darkholme, she's a good friend. She came from New York to see you."
The chair creaked slightly as Rogue shifted. "Me? Why?"
"I'm a Principal of Bayville High School" the woman stepped forward. "I hope to offer you a place at my school."
Rogue snorted rolling her eyes. "Changin' school is the last thing on mah mind right now."
Irene sat down across from her and found her hand to hold. "Dear, listen us out. I told you that we're going to live here only temporarily… and it's time we leave. We must move to Bayville, and Ms Darkholme is going to help us with it. That's why Ally sent her here."
Rogue twitched slightly at the mention of Alison. She was like a real mother to her, at least back in the day when she'd still show up. Now she pretty much disappeared from her life, leaving a sense of emptiness.
Raven's eyes also squinted at the name of her alter-ego created to provide a mother to Rogue. Back then using a fake name and wearing a fake face wasn't so hard, right now Raven was worried that visiting and wearing this fake identity too often will spark too much of Rogue's attention. Make her ask too many questions about what 'Ally' does when she's not there. And if she discovered that this person she perceived as a mother never really existed things could go downhill from there.
And 'Ally' was a face that Raven wanted to never wear anymore. A face that reminded her of the person she no longer was - naive, uncertain, one feeling too many emotions for her own good.
"Ally?" but for what it's worth, the fake persona clearly woke Rogue's interest.
Irene turned towards Raven. Even with blind eyes she had no issues giving her a look that was anything but expectant of the correct response. Darkholme felt resignation creeping in. "...Yes. She's quite busy so she sent me to fetch you instead."
Adler nodded her head ever so slightly in approval.
Raven couldn't believe the woman had such a way of affecting her decisions with so much ease. 'Alison' should have been never brought up. Not now, not ever again if she had any way to prevent it.
Irene turned back to Rogue, her voice soft; "So what do you say, child?"
Rogue was quiet for a moment, cautiously watching both women. If she decides to leave there will be new problems, new inconveniences. But if she stays the old problems will remain and new ones will only stack atop of them. Like looking into Cody's eyes after all of this.
She got up, slipping her palm away from Irene's hold. "Alright. Let's move" she stated putting her cup in a sink and then leaving the kitchen without waiting to hear anything more.
xXxXxXx
+Meanwhile, Xavier's Institute+
It didn't escape Charles' attention that all of the students, instructors and Hank who was due to leave today already gathered in the kitchen. He just finished his own breakfast and spoke up long enough for his voice to reach every single one of them; "Can I have everyone's attention for a moment?"
The conversations died down within seconds and everyone turned their heads towards him.
"First of all, good morning to everyone I didn't greet today yet. Secondly, I feel the need to say that the fact that that we weren't able to recruit the girl yesterday doesn't mean we failed. I was glad to see you work as a team… We still have a lot to learn, but I'm proud to see how well everyone performed for the first time in the field."
"We split and didn't work as one" Scott objected with disappointed tone.
"But when Ororo was knocked out you helped her and you tried to keep in touch with the rest of the group" Xavier smiled briefly. "Don't be so harsh on yourself, Scott. You all need more time."
Summers nodded half-heartedly.
Charles' eyes returned to sweeping over everyone. "It was a difficult night, so I want to ask if you're ready to resume training today already? Before you refuse I want to say that I'm hoping you will use that night as a motivation, rather than something to discourage you."
And he was right, everyone knew that more or less. A couple exchanged looks among the team and a couple nods later Jean voiced their common conclusion; "It's probably best not to let it distract us from our routine."
"Does everyone agree?" Xavier asked to make sure. No one protested even though nobody seemed exceptionally eager. "Good, I'm glad. In this case today's training will take place as scheduled."
xXx
When everyone went to Danger Room for the training Fallen joined Professor Xavier in the day room and sat down with frustration.
"I'm okay now, when do I get to go back to training with everyone?" she asked.
Professor Xavier smirked slightly folding back the morning newspaper he was browsing. "You barely left the infirmary yesterday, we still need to keep an eye on you since we don't know much about the issue you had. You can return to high school on Monday and if you don't show any signs of a drawback you will be able to resume your trainings about the end of the week as well."
"I'd rather return to trainings than to school" she grimaced slumbing against the armrest. "At least trainings teach me something useful."
"Everything you learn will be somehow useful."
"I don't think you really believe that."
The man was rather amused than offended. "You never know what the future brings."
"Let's say I agree."
Charles' face became more solemn. He put the news paper away. "Fallen."
The brunette shifted her eyes to him, slightly alarmed.
"When you were unconscious Kurt delivered me a certain letter from you."
She tensed for a moment before appearing resigned. "I already thought you won't confront me about it. But-... I was going to ask. Will you…?"
"I'll do what I can" the man responded low.
She exhaled with slight, bitter relief. "Thank you."
Xavier shook his head. "It's my duty. However receiving that letter made me realize that perhaps my fear of changing the natural order of events… might be wrong."
Fallen's eyes sparked with interest.
Charles seemed to battle himself over his conclusions; "Perhaps you and the other two could pass on information about the future to me."
"So you do want to interfere after all?"
For a moment the man was quiet. "Every change will need to be carefully examined. But if we can stop situations such as what you described in the letter from happening, then maybe it is worth to try and interfere. Either way I decided to learn what future held for us according to the previous timeline. If you agree to share these information with me, of course."
Fallen rested back with absent look in her eyes. "...Like I said, I will trust in your judgement, Professor. I want you to know the future. And I know Kurt does too. Forge will probably agree as well."
Xavier nodded exhaling slowly. "In this case come by my office with the boys later today."
"...We will."
Without saying another word Charles left to check on Hank who was getting ready to leave after dinner. Fallen stayed there in the silence for a lingering moment. Sharing all the information acquired from the show and comics, and - in the boys' case - living through a possible future was a big decision. But they didn't really have any way to know if it will turn out for the better or worse. All she knew was that it will remove a piece of the burden of keeping it all a secret from their shoulders.
After a few minutes of making peace with Xavier's request, she finally decided to distract herself and switched on the TV. Ghostbusters was on, and she would have probably enjoyed it more if she wasn't also haunted by the thought that her absence during trainings puts her behind everyone else. And she already knew she'd struggle due to not having any powers to help her along.
Finally the training seemed to be over, she could and briefly see everyone pass by to the kitchen to grab some drink before they'd go for showers and change their uniforms.
Forge was the first so show up in the day room and slump against the nearest armchair. "Lucky you, sitting and watching movies when we sweat to death" he muttered in Fallen's general direction.
"Oh well. I actually regretted not being on the training but seeing the level of exhaustion you're at… I think I like it here, on the couch, actually" she grinned at him.
"Fallen…" Kurt groaned in agony sounding like a person who saw a puddle after days and days of roaming a desert.
"Speaking of exhaustion" the brunette looked over her shoulder at Wagner who stumbled his way towards her and dropped limp on the couch with his head in her laps and arms powerlessly sprawled.
"I'm not moving an inch until dinner" he muttered into her knee.
Kitty joined them in the room and shook her head at the sight of Kurt taking up so much space before she got to the other armchair, next to Forge. Fallen smiled with amusement and proceeded to fix his messed hair. "We need to come by Xavier's office later on, you two" she looked towards Forge and poked Kurt slightly.
"Mmm…?" Wagner moaned questioningly.
"I'll tell you guys later."
"Mhm…"
The girl rested back.
"Mmgh…!"
"Okay, okay" she resumed playing with his hair though she already smoothed it out alright. "Better?"
"Mhm…"
"How do you even communicate?" Forge raised his eyebrows at them.
Fallen shrugged with a smile. "It's just safe to assume that exhausted Kurt wants cuddles."
Wagner snickered. "Accurate."
xXxXxXx
+Caldecott County, Mississippi, 5:42 PM+
Irene stopped in Rogue's room's doorway. "How is packing going, child?" she asked softly.
"Ah'm almost done" the girl shifted away from one of her bags and glanced around the room that was her home for the last five years. Today it was just bare walls, empty furniture, a couple marked boxes and two bags sittin on the bed. Yesterday she didn't expect to be moving away so quickly.
But a lot happened since then. First Cody, then the X-Men, now moving to New York. So much that she actually stopped feeling like any of it has any impact on her anymore.
"We need to take off to the airport in an hour" Irene said. "The moving company will take all the boxes later tonight."
"Alright" Rogue responded faintly.
"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it, child?"
"Ah don't."
"I mean yesterday-"
"Ah know" Rogue stated more firmly. "An' Ah already said Ah don't want to talk about it."
Irene gave up reluctantly. "Alright. Don't hesitate letting me know if you change your mind, child."
Adler turned around and headed back down the corridor. Rogue's voice stopped her; "One more thing, Irene."
The woman turned to face her.
"Ah'm not a child anymore. Stop callin' me that" the girl's voice was solemn and quiet.
Irene held back her sadness at this request and quietly went to the living room. She started packing books sitting on the dedicated shelf - classical literature as well as popular novels, some printed in ink, some in braille. She stacked them neatly in a carton box.
She couldn't get Rogue's words out of her head; I'm not a child anymore, stop calling me that. Maybe she wasn't a small child, but she was still a child - her child, even if not by blood. It was never her age that caused Irene to call her that, but the bond, and her words hurt her.
"Why did you mention Alison?"
The sudden voice made Irene jump and drop the books she held in her hands.
"Raven…!" she gasped. "When did you…"
"Back in the day you wouldn't have let anyone sneak up on you like that" Mystique got up from the armchair and picked up the books from the floor. She placed them in the box. "Your vigilance lessened since I left you with Rogue."
"Or you got better at breaking into places."
"The door was unlocked" Raven responded making her point all the more valid. This time Irene didn't respond, she just started packing the rest of the books. Darkholme spoke up again; "You shouldn't have mentioned her."
"You'll be nearby most of the time. You can as well visit your daughter once in a while. Rogue deserves that much."
"Did you think about what if she starts suspecting something?" Raven responded coldly, her voice losing any softness it had before.
Irene frowned. "Why would Rogue get pry about Alison? She's not some enemy agent, she's just a teen who needs her mother around, why can't you see that?" she asked with suppressed anger.
"That's why she has you."
Adler suddenly stopped packing and firmly turned to face the other woman. "I thought you are her mother too. So did she. But maybe we were both wrong."
Silence responded her. It lingered.
"Raven?"
"Irene, who are you talking to?" Rogue's steps sounded at the corridor.
Adler took two breaths to calm down and slowly returned to packing. "Nobody."
"Are you sure? I thought I heard somebody."
"You must have imagined it, chi-" don't call me that, "Rogue."
After another moment of thick silence she heard the girl's footsteps return to her room. She was also ready to bet Raven left the house as well.
And she was left - as always - stuck between a rock and a hard place.
xXxXxXx
+EXTRA SCENE+
The bar was filled with smell of nicotine smoke and deep-fried pork, a low tune was one the radio but it was mostly lost to the humm of conversations. Logan ignored it all, but all the while remained wary. However something else occupied his thoughts.
He remembered the girl running away from them, he remembered the smell of her fear. She was afraid of him, then of Ororo, and as soon as he smelled Mystique he knew why. What he didn't know was what Mystique wants with this girl? Maybe she just wants to use her for something, maybe it's bigger than that. You never know with this woman.
The girl apparently can absorb thoughts and powers. It's scary to think of what it can be used for in the wrong hands. Chuck shouldn't have left her like that. She can become a target to many wrong hands.
He could tell that she didn't only run to save herself, but also to save others from herself. He resonated with that, even though he wished he didn't.
He lifted his eyes to waitress who approached his table. She was wearing a short uniform and an apron, her hair tied in two ponytails. She was the type who likes to earned her tips with a little bit of extra chest being exposed. "Do you want the recite, sir?' she asked.
Without a word Logan moved the empty mug towards her.
"Hu-huh… that would be your third. Didn't you come here riding a bike, cowboy?" she asked critically putting her hand on her hip.
The man looked up at her from under his hat. "Don't worry about my sobriety, I know my way home."
The blonde waved at him to do whatever he wants and took the empty mug to refill it. Logan watched her curved body until she was concealed by the counter, then shifted his eyes to the motorcycle outside the window. One more round and he should head back. Whenever he leaves for a few hours or more something bad goes down at Chuck's little superhero academy.
And they were only starting to form the group. If trouble is supposed to grow along the amount of students he takes in, Logan will need a bar with good beer a little closer than this.
+END OF EXTRA SCENE+
xXxXxXx
+Xavier's Institute+
"DINNER!" Scott shouted carrying a large pot into the dining room. Kurt followed close by with a big bowl of potatoes and a huge plate of meatballs. with a bowl of salad sitting in the middle. It was their turn to cook and although neither really knew what they were doing, they managed to cook this much and took pride in how it came out.
Kitty didn't look very eager though. "Anything without meat though?"
Wagner smiled at her as he placed down the items. "Don't worry, there's soy version just for you, Katzchen. I'll bring it in a moment."
Pryde smiled widely as the boy left to fetch her special order.
"See?" Jean smiled at her proceeding to put food on her plate. "I told you Kurt's a great guy."
"Yeah, like" Kitty smiled at her. "He really is."
When everyone had their food ready to eat Professor Xavier took a moment to officially thank Hank for being their guest to which the man responded thanking for hosting him and everyone started eating and chatting as usual. The mood was so light it was almost easy to forget the difficult night. Could be that everyone really took Professor Xavier's words to hearts and treated it as a motivation to work harder at becoming a good team.
After the dinner everyone said their goodbyes to doc McCoy, brief or otherwise; Fallen waited to be the last.
"Hey, it's our turn to wash the dishes" Forge tapped her on the shoulder.
"Yeah, I know" she said. "Just give me a minute."
Silvercloud nodded and started to stack empty plates from the table. Harris approached McCoy and Xavier who dropped their conversation to smile at her. "Pity you're already leaving, Doctor" she said.
"Perhaps I will be back sooner than later" the man replied. "I consider moving. Bayville is a nice and calm city."
She nodded. He probably also figured his mutant genes will kick in. After all Xavier told him about origin of her and the other two. "I just wanted to thank you, you've done a lot for me and I don't know if I'll be able to repay" she said sincerely.
McCoy tipped his head. "Your company was nice, and I'm glad I could have helped. But your Professor did more for you than I have."
"This modesty is unnecessary, Hank" Xavier smiled at the man.
"But I am grateful to you as well" the girl agreed. "Thank you both."
The men smiled softly at her.
"Fallen" Forge called.
"Yeah, coming" she gave them one last smile and joined Silvercloud to help carry all the plates and dirty dishes to the kitchen. They dropped it by the sink and agreed to Fallen washing them while Forge would dry them and replace in cupboards.
"So why are we supposed to go to Xavier's office?" the boy asked taking another dripping plate to dry.
"I think he changed his mind about keeping the future a secret" she responded low enough for guys who were watching a movie in the living room not to hear.
Forge looked at her with surprise and disbelief but didn't say anything because Scott entered the room looking for some snacks to have during the movie. They worked in silence until he left.
"Does Kurt know?" Forge asked again.
She responded with a single nod.
"And he wants to go through with it?"
"He wanted it from the start, I guess."
Silvercloud grimaced in agreement.
"Do you think we shouldn't?" the brunette asked handing him the last plate.
"No, I-" he grimaced thinking about it. "I don't know. It could turn out for the best. We could help save lives and all."
"Question is whether we should" she responded solemnly.
Forge responded with silence. There was no telling how any changes will affect future events, it was all just a big gamble anyway. It was his approach - not worry about things he can't predict.
"Done" he said closing the last cupboard. "Let's fetch Kurt and do it."
xXx
"Alright" Professor Xavier said looking at the three of his students sitting in front of him. "Forge, how about you go first?"
Silvercloud looked at the other two before focusing on the man. "Okay… What do I do?"
"Just sit here and relax" Xavier gestured to an armchair beside him. Silvercloud sat there and allowed the Professor to place his hands on his temple.
Closing his eyes Xavier let his awareness sink into Forge's memory. It took him briefly back to childhood, to a boy crippled in an accident who refused to have mindset of a victim; to days spent over books and video games and simple handmade mechanics that eventually allowed him to restore his lost mobility. Then into his late teens and early 20s when he grew fascinated with dimensions. Then there was a blurry image of nearly three decades of endless existence within a pocket universe of his own making. Fascinating. Then he saw brief images of Kurt helping him out of the self-made trap, soon preceded by long, long time of trying to repay the debt by brining Kurt back from Fallen's dimension.
Even the brief glimpses at the thought processes that went on in this bright brain were overwhelming and amazing and intimidating even to an educated mind such as Xavier's. Forge was definitely the best in his field of physics, quantum mechanics, as well as excelled in biomechanics and various subjects that came along in his research.
However his focus was so much within the fields of science that there was little to learn from him about the future. Not much beside the things he already learned from Fallen when he dove into her mind back in Germany, before even agreeing for her to come along. Some kind of mutant-human conflict, plenty of fights and danger, all of it was marked in Forge's memory as vague awareness of the events rather than immerse knowledge or participation in them. He was mostly a bystander helping with technical issues, and not out there fighting the battles.
Xavier withdrew from the young man's mind. Without saying anything, he just nodded at him and gestured for Fallen to come instead.
The brunette switched places with Forge and the man replaced his hands on her temples instead. "Just keep in mind that the things I know can come from many sources. Different cartoons, comics, movies… even fan-made stories. It might be difficult to tell the difference, I don't know."
The man nodded. "I'll ask if I'm not certain."
Then he closed his eyes, she did too and tried to open up her mind. But she didn't have that sensation that she felt when Xavier dove into her mind back in Germany. There was nothing. After a moment the man's fingers disappeared from her temples and she opened her eyes to see confusion on his face.
"That's… impossible."
"What is it?" Kurt leaned in with concern.
Fallen stared at the man with shock. "You couldn't get in, could you?"
Charles looked at her seriously. "Indeed, I could not. That's peculiar, I never…" he trailed off lifting his hand to her forehead again. He looked like he tried to focus. Then he withdrew it again. "As if I'm hitting my head against a wall, I can't even sense any presence of a mind..."
"But why?" Fallen frowned nervously.
"I can only speculate it was some type of defensive response to my invasion during your coma" the man seemed as surprised as the girl herself.
"Does it mean she can fall into a coma again?" Kurt was on his feet instantly.
"No, I don't think so" Xavier shook his head slightly. "Besides, it's more physical than mental. I suppose since she was already at defense there, when she was recovering her body instinctively created some kind of outer barrier to keep telepaths such as me out."
"Sorry" the girl muttered.
"No need to be sorry, Fallen" Xavier assured moving to the bookshelves. He pulled a thick, green book out and held it up for them to see the title: E=mc2 - The Greatest Discoveries in History: from Fire to Galaxies and Beyond. "Do you know what this equation means?"
"Energy equals mass times speed of light squared" Forge replied without hesitation. "Relativity equation."
Charles smirked and put down the book in his laps. "I don't mean the explication, but the meaning that everything is made of energy, including living creatures. And do you know how much of brain power people use?"
"People in general, or teenagers in ten years or so?" Fallen asked with amusement.
Charles smirked. "It's often said that humans use about 10% of their brain, which is false. We use all of it, except some of it subconsciously. Subconsciousness also controls things about our body that we seem unable to control. Many mutants can use their abilities because they have conscious control of a bigger part of their brain activity, and a true brain power potential is nearly omnipotent. Since every atom in the universe is responsive to the others, mutants who are able to control their atoms in one way or another are able to draw them from surroundings or reshape them in their body. It's an endless subject… But what I'm trying to say is that when you were unconscious, your subconsciousness manipulated atoms to create a form of a field that doesn't all telepaths to read your brain's synapses."
"So it basically means no telepath can read my mind?"
"I'm rather positive that's the case."
The girl blinked a few times. "Wow. What about telepathically talking?"
*Since it's not invasive it should work as long as you're open to it* she heard in her mind.
She nodded. "So I can shut it off if I want to."
"Try."
"Okay."
They stared at each other for a moment.
"Nothing" the girl responded.
Xavier seemed impressed. After a moment he shook it off. "Alright, as much as this is baffling, I will still need you to write down or tell me everything that could appear useful."
"I will write it down then" she agreed.
"Good, thank you. Now, Kurt?"
Wagner didn't look too eager and his fingers nervously clenched at the edge of the couch, but he built up the confidence to sit down in front of Xavier and let him dive into his mind instead.
At first all Xavier felt were emotions - anxiety and uncertainty. Then there were mixed images, sounds and sensations. Kurt's mind was a very anxious one, but he dealt with mainds a lot more anxious than that and he was soon able to push away the chaos in favor of clearer images from his past.
He needed to focus on a specific moment because too much was trying to capture his attention at once. And he focused on the moment that Kurt first met him - the him from the alternate timeline…
The raging mob took a lot of energy to calm at once. Nothing is as difficult to stop in the tracks as senseless rage fueled by fear. But he managed, and the furious mob stood still, almost like a bunch of statues frozen in time, most holding onto knives, pitchforks and stones.
Amongst all of it was a very injured, blue boy, terrified and backed against a wall. Charles' wheelchair braved across the stone road as he closed in to the boy. The child couldn't run, one of his legs giving in when he tried to get up.
Charles sent a telepathic, soothing impulse; *My name is Charles Xavier. I'm here to help you.*
It helped, the fear-ridden mind eased.
But it took hours before Charles actually said what his offer is: a place at his school. The boy - Kurt - was already home with his mother, and he was sure of his answer: "I don't want to."
In the present Charles tired not to dwell too much on how strong the memory was and how it wanted to pull him in and bare the cruel reality of blood-freezing memories Kurt buried alongside that one. He knew he needs to keep a clear mind or else both of them could get hurt from this dive into Wagner's past.
He moved on, gliding along events as to not be pulled in. He needed to only find the important facts from the Kurt's past that were also relevant to their current future. Still, witnessing such bigotry and cruelty quickened his heartbeat.
And there seemed to be no end to either.
He glided along catching bits of information and emotions; Kurt joined the Institute some time later, an intense experience, a couple people were recruited… quick glimpses of events made richer by what Kurt learned from the TV show… the odd feeling of seeing it in the first place… and mutants coming out. More bigotry, school… and all of this because of Sentinels… what are Sentinels?... Amanda… she was Kurt's girlfriend… others turned their backs… Principal Kelly becomes a senator… the New York Angel… Apocalypse… no, not the end of the world… a mutant. Ancient. Strong… project Mastermold… a last name briefly flashed in front of his eyes: Trask… Magneto on their side... so Erik will change his mind. Amanda, they're done… Professor Xavier dies… he?... Jean in flames… no, not the Phoenix…
Charles gasped as the rush bounced him out of Kurt's memory. And it wasn't even the end, there was so much about what happened after Kurt already found himself in Fallen's dimension, so much regarding his own agendas and family, but what he learned was already a lot to take in. He let go of the boy's temples and found himself whispering;
"We're living in the calmest times this world might ever see…"
xXxXxXx
+EXTRA SCENES+
+9.10.1995, Monday+
Kurt woke up remembering that he had some dream, but not exactly what it was about. He remembered in included Rogue, and Fallen, and the Professor, and someone impersonating them - Mystique? But the overall meaning of the dream was gone, just left him feeling uneasy.
So that's why when he woke up he felt kind of tired. In general everything was fine, life was okay, but as the dream suggested - he had a hard time accepting the fact that Rogue is somewhere out there, in hands of people with questionable agendas. Perhaps it was his brother's instinct kicking in.
But Fallen was right - it's only a matter of time before Rogue joins them. He should focus on here and now.
He finally gave up dwelling and decided to grab the day, as they say. He got ready as quickly as he could and teleported to Fallen's room, expecting her to be at least 'mostly ready' to go for a breakfast. But she was fast asleep with just a tip of her messy hair peeking out from the sheets.
Wagner purposely sat down on the side of her bed so abruptly that the mattress actually bounded him back a bit. The girl just moaned and curled up more muttering something about wanting to sleep. The boy leaned over her, resting on her other side to catch a glimpse of her face; "Fallen, wake up while I'm still asking nicely."
Her eyes opened just for a moment to look at him but then she closed them again.
"Okay, you were asking for it" Kurt stated watching her skeptically as he slipped his tail under the sheets and proceeded to tickle her under the knee. She nearly jumped out of her skin, and in process of trying to get away fell off the bed in a cocoon of sheets. Kurt was going to say something but the sight made him laugh too hard.
The girl's disheveled head came into his view, rising from the floor. "KURT!" she called shedding her 'cocoon' of sheets and crawling onto the bed. "How dare you! You know I hate being tickled!" she exclaimed sounding like it was the worst betrayal. "I will destroy you!"
Before the boy managed to control his laughter he was already on the floor, closely followed by the bedsheets. Soon as he pulled them off his head he was struck by a flying pillow. And still, he laughed uncontrollably. Pretty much giving up on getting up he laid on the floor in the mess of sheets, with one arm covering his eyes as he tried to stop the laugher.
Finally catching his breath he looked up and saw Fallen sitting on the empty bed, looking like an offended toddler. "How dare you?" she asked again with theatrical sadness and upside down horseshoe grimace on her lips.
"I didn't mean for you to fall off the bed" he chuckled getting up. "But it was brilliant."
She still watched him with theatrical resentment as he replaced her sheets on the bed, messy as he did.
He patted her head. "There, there. What do you say for pancakes as a gesture of reconciliation?"
The brunette arched her eyebrow. "I hate tickling. Do you think my forgiveness is this cheap?"
"I cook."
"Oh" her face expressed interest. "Go on."
"Pancakes with chocolate sauce. Ok, wait, no, let's go big, it's your first day back to school - chocolate sauce AND coconut shrims."
"And you cook?" she squinted her eyes critically.
Wagner shrugged. "I mean, why not?"
Harris smiled and gave him a peck. "Did I mention how much I love you?"
"So you don't want to 'destroy me' anymore?" he asked smirking mischievously.
"Me?" Fallen pretended to be shocked at the idea. "Nooo… Never!"
Kurt laughed shortly. "Okay, if you want those pancakes you have two minutes to get ready."
Harris' eyes went wide before she bolted off the bed to find all the necessary items, get dressed, find the other sock and some hair elastic.
Kurt rested back on her bed waiting until she leaned above him with an innocent smile; "Captain, I report readiness for pancakes."
xXx
And hour later she looked a lot less eager as she glanced around the semi-familiar halls of Bayville High. "Here come the fun again."
"At least you're alive" Summers looked down at her with a corner of his eye. She sent him an unamused glance.
Everyone headed to their own classes, her going with Kitty who had her new schedule, and unlike Kurt - chose to take history. "So, do you have a deskmate at that class?" Pryde asked.
"Actually, I do. Didn't you get yourself a deskmate by now?" Fallen asked.
"Yeah, but she's really, like, annoying."
Harris smirked with amusement and they entered the classroom. Fallen saw Max's eyes follow her as she headed to their shared desk. "Hi."
"Hi?"
"Something's wrong with 'hi'?" she lifted her eyebrows.
He grimaced slightly. "You were absent for almost three weeks."
"Sorry. Did someone take my seat in the meantime? I can sit with Kitty if-"
"That's not it" he shook his head and sighed. "I heard you were sick. Are you okay now?"
"...Yeah, thanks for asking."
He gave her a nod and started browsing his notebook. "Good. But I wish someone would have let me know earlier since we were supposed to be working on that project."
"Right!" she put her palm on her forehead. "I'm sorry! I was- really bad for a moment and couldn't even tell anyone to let you know I won't be-"
She fell silent as Max pushed a clipped sheet of papers to her side of the desk. Looking down at it she saw it was more or less the dialogues they were supposed to perform. A red mark 'B+' was in the right upper corner of the first page, and on the left were both of their names.
"You put my name on it?" she asked surprised.
"Yeah" he smirked briefly. "I figured if you're sick at least you won't need to worry about this project. I told the teacher we made this script together but since you're sick I'm turning it in for both of us."
She stared at him. "Heck. How can I return the favor for helping me out?"
He waved her off. "I'm sure you'll have more than enough opportunities to do so."
+END OF EXTRA SCENES+
xXxXxXx
+LGA, NY, 10.10.1995, Tuesday, 5:04AM+
LaGuardia Airport was 29 miles away from Bayville, and it wasn't easy to get a permit to land a private aircraft there, however there's nothing that can't be done with proper contacts, money and shapeshifter abilities.
The Moving Company took off from Mississippi yesterday evening with boxes full of Irene's and Rogue's belongings. The two of them used a private jet for a quicker travel, one offered by Mystique's boss, or - as Rogue was told - Ally's associate. They were about to arrive any moment now.
It was still so early that gray light and thick fog embraced the view, but the airport was awake. Every once in a while planes would take off or touch down, their shapes shimmering against the brightening sky; the humm of engines shuddered in the cold wind coming from the bay.
Mystique waited for a dozen of minutes already, she parked the old Rambler close to the fence and away from main runways. Now she was resting against its mask, arms crossed on her chest and eyes peeking at the reflection looking back at her from the front window. Blond hair, blue eyes, cool-mom outfit. Why did Irene insist on bringing 'Alison' into this? Now she needed to wear this fake face that she hoped to ditch in the past.
Finally a jet touched down at the end of the nearest runway and a minute later came to a stop twenty feet away from her. One of the airport workers brought a set of mobile stairs.
Raven - Alison, whatever - approached closer. First Rogue appeared on top of the sitars, Irene fell a step behind her, more careful as she moved down the stairs.
The teenager's face brightened when she saw her waiting. "Ally!" she run up to her and was about to hug her, but then she seemed to have second thoughts and dropped her arms.
Seeing it 'Alison' took the initiative, wrapping her arms carefully around the girl in a brief welcoming embrace. "How was the flight?" she smiled. Even Mystique herself couldn't tell if it was a sincere smile or a role she played.
"Not quite terrible for a couple hours spent in a tight cabin" Rogue replied, she sounded happy for herself and after the recent events. "Ah didn't see you in a long time…"
"I'm sorry, I had a lot going on. We'll talk on the way home, huh? Hop in" she gestured to the Rambler.
Rogue nodded and headed to the car. She knew when to withdraw and give Ally and Irene some space. Something she learned early as a child.
'Alison' walked her to the car with her eyes before her fake smile died away. Irene stopped at her side. "She's a brand new girl when you're around. She would be happy if you were with us."
"Not me" the woman replied. "The lie that Alison is."
Irene's face turned to her and her voice remained soft; "And I think there's a part about Alison that is real. You pretend that 'Alison' is a weak fabrication, but I think she's just a part of you that knows what it feels like to love."
'Alison''s fists clenched. "Don't preach me, Irene. I know who I am" she growled under her breath and headed to the car.
"I often doubt that" Adler whispered to herself and followed the sound of her footsteps.
xXx
Rogue could tell there's tension in the car as they drove to their new house. It couldn't be any more obvious if neon arrows pointed at the two women reading a flashing word 'angry' in all caps. As much as she tried not to be affected by it it made her tense as well.
"You've got to be really careful from now on" Aly said just moments after they've passed a 'Welcome to Bayville' sign on side of the road.
Rogue looked up to make sure the words are directed at her. Aly's eyes watched her in the mirror. They were cold, and the girl didn't like the intimidating look.
"Be sure to conceal your skin well and at all times, now every touch is a risk" the blonde told her.
Rogue tensed even more. She was a bundle of nerves already after she sucked the living daylight out of Cody to begin with. But even after his awareness mostly faded from her mind she remained unsettled. It was because of this bitter thought that she can't get close to people now.
Usually she wanted to be alone by choice. She preferred company of books to people by far. That's how she was brought up and that's how she identified - as a loner. But it was different when not being close to people wasn't so much a choice, as the only way to keep herself - and the others - safe.
"So… you know what happened."
"Of course I do."
"I already told Ally everything" Irene said in a caring voice. "Don't worry, child, we'll keep you safe. Just do as Ally says."
It didn't surprise her that Irene told her everything. Rogue didn't even have the energy to mind. She just nodded, agreeing to stay cautious and let them make the decisions.
"You've got to be careful not to touch anyone, but also be careful when choosing your friends" the blonde continued, her eyes still on her in the mirror as she only looked on the road as much as she needed to drive. "Bayville is full of people who will want you on their side for the wrong reasons."
Irene knew she means Xavier and his people, but she couldn't help thinking that Raven is also playing the game dirty. She didn't say anything though.
Soon they arrived in a decent neighborhood and Ally parked the car in front of a garage of one of the houses.
"Are we there?" Irene asked.
"We are" Alison said immediately exiting the vehicle. Her blonde hair swung on the wind as she made her way to the front door. Rogue followed her guiding Irene along the stone paved path. They entered the building after Alison.
The first woman went into the living room and dropped keys on the table to take off her coat before grabbing the keys again proceeding to split the bundle. "Your room will be upstairs, Rogue."
"Sure…" the girl looked around stopping in the doorstep with Irene as she glanced over the living room. "Why does this place look like nobody's livin' here?"
Ally slowly looked at her, her eyes steady. "It's a new house. I moved in this week. But I won't be around much because of my work, so you can take all the cabinets in the bathroom and living room as well."
The blonde walked over to them and took Irene's hand to place three chained keys in it. "The front door plus back door. Single round one is for the back. I have to go now. Your stuff will arrive in the morning, but I may not be back until afternoon, so have the company bring everything in and feel free to order them around until every box is in the proper room. That's what they're paid for."
'Won't be back until afternoon?' Rogue thought with a frown looking at the woman who was already on her way to the door. "Ally?" she stopped her.
The blonde looked back at her.
"Where do ya work…?"
There was a subtle frown on the woman's face. "I'm in charge of a group."
"What group?" Rogue still watched her with a frown until she felt Irene tug on her sleeve.
"Ally's in hurry, and I'd like you to help me find the bathroom" she said. "I have no idea about this house's layout" Irene forced a smile at Rogue.
The teen sent one last examining look towards Alison. "Alright… see ya tomorrow, mom?"
Aly nodded. "Tomorrow, dear" she slowly closed the door behind herself.
With a deep sigh the blonde returned to the car and started the engine. She pulled the car onto the street and headed for the Brotherhood house.
"Who am I now?
Don't let me touch you 'cause I might just take you down
Who am I now?
A tough decision that keeps on comin' 'round"
xXxXxXx
+Six days later, 16.10.1995, Monday+
"Welcome to Bayville High. I'm sure you will feel good here. Good, and safe" Ms Darkholme assured resting against her desk. The morning light surrounded her with such a w soft glow, yet it wasn't quite enough to soften the harsh edge to her voice and face, despite her smile.
Rogue was in a chair in front of her, and she wasn't quite sure if she's ready to believe her words. Word 'safety' became an abstraction since she knew merely touching another person is dangerous for her and people around her.
"Sure" she still replied softly. "Thanks" she got up and headed for the door. Leaving the Principal's office was at least a slight relief.
Safety… Sure. She still felt threatened after a bunch of superpowered people tried to capture her. Mutant hunters, Irene said. But why would they act to nice one moment and attack the next, and then reverse to being so… genuine?
It's been a week and a half since then and she still couldn't help wondering about it. She leaned down and pulled an item from her booth. The communicator one of them gave her. She carried in on herself, so it was difficult to deny a part of her believed that maybe they weren't bad people after all.
She just couldn't figure out that Friday night. The was something awfully off about it.
She wrapped her fingers tightly around the device.
xXx
When the door closed behind Rogue, Principal Darkholme immediately felt the air become more crips. A moment later paper clips from her organized floated into the air and proceeded to move around in a horizontal '8', like some magic power forced them to create the symbol of eternity.
The woman wasn't even relatively surprised, but she tensed.
"The girl has a great potential" the voice echoed in her office. Darkholme turned slowly to face the individual coming through the door to a private room connected to this one. She only only see his outline, drawn dark against the morning light.
Sometimes she wondered if she looks equally ominous to her students when she stand behind her desk allowing shadows to consume her own face.
"She's really powerful" the man said. "We're lucky to have her on our side."
At this point Raven shed her public face of Principal darkholme, and allowed her natural blue skin and red hair replace it, her white dress taking place of the gray formal suit.
"Yes, fortunately we got to her first" she said. Only the tone of her voice didn't change - it was still as cold, ominous and tinted with her derisive smile. The only new thing about it was a nervous quiver.
"Fortunately" he agreed. "Are you sure she excluded the memories of the real X-Men?"
"Yes, I am" Mystique assured. "I talked to her. Isn't it that we always remember who hurt us instead of promises they made?"
"Good. Don't tell her what we need her for."
"I wasn't going to."
Next time on X-Men: Revolution:
Both Professor Xavier and Mystique set their eyes on the same strongman known under the stage name of Blob. However when he arrives in Bayville it turns out the boy has a real temper and is ready to go sickening ways to win the heart of Jean Grey. Meanwhile Rogue begins her education at BHS - still hostile towards the people from last Friday night who turned out to be students at her new school, however developing a softer side for one of them. Slowly she uncovers the many lies she was fed throughout her life.
Look forward to episode 4: Mutant Crush