Disclaimer: I don't own the X-men, I just don't, I want to, but I don't. All I own is a computer that gives me the ability to write about the X-men, who I don't own.
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Chapter ten, finally, I am oh so horribly sorry to all you guys out there who read this, words cannot express how sorry I am about how long it's taken to get this chapter out. Life, unfortunately, doesn't seem to respect my deadlines.
I will do my utmost sincere best to make sure this never happens again! My word on that. So now, without any further ado, chapter ten (the third version, I kept having to rewrite it because it kept turning out horribly!)
Enjoy!
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Just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed. Irene Peter
It's never too late to be what you might have been. - George Eliot
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Rogue moved like a sleepwalker towards the library, it was close to one in the morning making her very late, she honestly hadn't meant to fall asleep, but having spent the whole day with Xavier going through mental exorcises and explaining herself over and over and over again while Hank and Xavier tried to create theories about the true nature of her abilities and her psyches was exhausting. She got into her bed at about ten, just laying on top of the covers, meaning only to relax for a couple hours. And now here she was, even more exhausted despite her impromptu nap, Gambit probably wasn't even there, he probably waited until quarter after and took himself to bed.
Rogue growled at her misfortune as she reached the oaken doors of the library and pushed them open taking a few steps inside.
"Mornin' chere, yer late."
Rogue jumped, startled at his voice. "What are ya doin' here Cajun?" she snapped.
Remy tilted his head, giving her an amused smirk, "We got a date 'member? Ta work on yer shields."
"Well, yeah, but Ah'm an hour late, why'd ya stick around?"
He shrugged, from where he was standing, then moved towards the table closest to them, bowed and pulled out a chair, "I knew you'd be tired after all dat work with Xavier, and I went by yer room at midnight, saw ya sleepin', decided ta let ya."
Rogue huffed, crossing her arms over her chest she deliberately moved to a different chair and sat herself down shooting him a venomous glare in the process. "Then why're ya in the library Swamp Rat?"
Remy shrugged, sitting down himself, "Can't sleep, an' since I've never been in here before, I thought dat maybe I come and have a look." He raised a hand to stop whatever smart alick response Rogue looked ready to throw at him about this being his first time in the Xavier library, "Why don't ya go back ta bed chere, s'been a long day, an' I know you're still tired."
Rogue looked away from him, "Ah'm fine, and Ah want my new shields ASAP, so if we could get started?"
"Alright den, let's get started, can ya get me back to yer mindscape chere, it'll be easier explainin' things to ya in dere."
She nodded, and closed her eyes. In the next instant the library dissolved around them and in it's place was a grassy ocean, stretching for as far as Remy could see into a stormy horizon. "It didn't look like dis de last time I was here," he commented.
Rogue shrugged, "Ah'm suppose ta practice makin' different places appear, the prof says it'll help my control and keep my mind more organized, Ah'm not very good at it, this is about the best Ah can manage, the prof made his mindscape ta look like a huge library, right down ta every grain o' dust."
"I like dis," Remy commented, looking up into the 'sky' "why the stormy lookin' weather though?"
She shrugged, "Some kinda subconscious metaphor for life Ah suppose, enough about that though, let's get this thing started. Teach me."
"Patience my young Padewan, first I gotta tell ya a bit more about empathy."
Rogue rolled her eyes but listened intently as Remy began telling her what he knew about his lesser secondary ability. Rogue appeared before him exactly as she would in the real world, where they were still sitting in their separate chairs about three feet apart, but he appeared as nothing more then a voice and a shadow of his physical self, almost like the psyches, because he lacked the telepathic abilities to appear as anything more substantial, the fact he had any kind of form at all was mostly because Rogue was maintaining it for him.
When Remy began to repeat himself Rogue held up a hand, "I get it, There really ain't no big differences between it and telepathy, jus' takes more effort and blah blah blah, can we start now?"
"Alright den. First things first, what I want ya to do it dis . . ."
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Logan growled to himself as she parked his motorcycle in the garage connected to the mansion. He'd followed O'reily from the moment he was released into custody hoping that he'd slip up and say something about who had hired him or where to find his Captain with no luck. Either O'reily wasn't gonna go back to his group, or he wouldn't go back for at least a month, and from the way he was talking before they didn't have a month before whoever it was after Rogue would try for her again.
So now here he was, back home, empty handed, with nothing to do but wait and worry.
"Hello Logan."
Wolverine knew immediately who was standing just to his left hidden within the shdows, and both sets of adamantium claws were out in the same instant she spoke,their metallic ring echoing through the garage.
"Is that any way to greet a friend? Honestly, I'm disappointed, and here I was thinking these X-men of yours had managed to take some of those violent tendencies away."
"You're no friend of mine Mystique, what are you doing here?"
Mystique stepped further into the fluorescent lighting of the garage, yellow eyes flashing dangerously, red hair shining in a stunning contrast against her royal blue skin. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, or so the saying goes, and we do have a common enemy Wolverine. Whoever is after Rogue is a pro, they hide their tracks as well as I do and I've come to realize that I can't find them on my own,I can't fight them on my own either."
Logan turned to face her. "Maybe, but we sure don't need your help, and neither does Rogue. You've done enough to her already."
Mystique made a tsking sound and crossed her arms over her chest. "Of course you need my help, the kind of . . . investigation, this matter requires I doubt would sit well with that goody goody professor of yours, not mention his own personal boy wonder. So I suggest a truce, temporary of course, I'll find what I can, you find what you can and then we put our notes together and decide what to do about it."
"Chucks never gonna go for that and you know it. Now get out."
"Chuck doesn't have to know, besides, all those government agencies you lot are friends with could probably find a thing or two for you, but if they knew I was working with you they'd never agree, I'm on the most wanted list for more then a few countries. So the easy answer here is don't tell them, just find whatever you can, if anything, and I'll find what I can doing what I do best."
"What you do best?" he growled, he knew what that meant, blackmail, murder, and all sorts of other nasty things.
"Don't sound so Disgusted Logan," Mystique scoffed, "It wasn't that long ago when we worked together in the black ops and you were doing the exact same thing."
"I've put that life behind me."
Mystique laughed. "We can't escape what we are Logan, you haven't put anything behind you and we both know it, you're just playing a different roll now, as a teacher of all things, but the next time you see Creed, or when we find this new menace to society we know what you'll do, absolutely anything to take them down, permanently."
Logan was growling audiblynow, he didn't like hearing the truth put so damn bluntly. "How do I know you're being legit with this?"
Mystique pulled a manila folder from a bag on the ground and handed it to him. "Everything I managed to scrounge up," she said, "A few names of mercenary groups recently hired that may or may not be connected to your boy O'reily, as well as the profile of a scientist, one Doctor Percy Whimble by name, specializes in mutants, in designing ways to suppress them, control them, physical and biological which, even if he isn't connected to the people after Rogue, your professor should look into. He's going to be trouble for us very soon. I met him myself, got him suitably drunk and drugged, and pressed him for information, the experiments he's done sound like the ones O'reily described to me, he may be connected to our mystery attempted-kidnapper."
Logan just stared at the folder for a long moment. "How did you get all this?"
"I already told you, my methods, however controversial, get results, you're professor wouldn't approve. That's where my trail goes cold. Whimble has a silent partner, a man he's never met who funds his research, in my own opinion Whimble is nothing but a pawn, whoever's standing behind him is holding him for a different purpose, that's all I could get. Now I need you to get me something more to work off of."
"I don't like making deals with people like you."
"People like us," she corrected.
Logan ignored her, staring at the folder. He wanted to find the person threatening Rogue, if Mystique could help him do that then maybe . . .
"One condition."
Mystique nodded, already knowing what he was going to say. "Rogue and Kurt will never know that I'm helping you. I'm doing this for her Logan, don't doubt that, I know what you think of me and how I've treated them, but I will not allow anyone to hurt them. They are the future."
The way she said those last four words sent a chill down his spine and caused his lip to twist in an almost snarl. "Fine," he took the folder. "I'll go to Chuck and find what I can about these mercenary groups and that doctor, there's a pub called the Fallen Oak near-"
"I know where it is. We'll meet there in one week, six o'clock, don't be late."
Before Logan could say another word Raven turned into her namesake and flew away. Leaving him alone to wonder if what he was doing was really the right thing, or just his desperation to save Rogue.
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"Good chere, c'est tres bien!" Remy grinned, the mindscape they were currently working in was an open field, long grass flowing all around them in a nonexistent wind for as far as they could see, except for the wall of course, a large dome of translucent energy shimmering with golden waves, which was the prison in which Rogue housed everything that tried to haunt her.
Remy was endlessly impressed by the realism she could attain when inside her mind, if it wasn't for his own ghostly appearance he'd have trouble remembering that they were, in fact, in her mind, and not in a real grassy field somewhere.
"Ah think Ah'm ready for a break," Rogue panted, any kind of mental work like this was exhausting, especially since she was new to it.
"Dat's fine chere, we should call it a night soon anyway."
"How much is left ta do?"
"However much ya want, just keep practicing', whenever ya go in ta strengthen the wall just remember ta strengthin' this one to, soon it'll be second nature."
"Soon," Rogue muttered ruefully, "Ah've heard that before."
Remy frowned, he doubted he was suppose to hear her quiet words but he did nonetheless, and he didn't like the emotion hiding behind them. "Rogue, chere, I know ya don't wanna hear dis right now, but . . ."
"But?" The edge to her voice was unmistakable, and the look in her eyes seemed to say I-dare-you, but they didn't call him Gambit for nothing.
"Are ya sure yer okay?"
Rogue rolled her eyes and groaned, falling back against the grass. "How many times do Ah have ta go through this! How many times do Ah have ta prove myself to you people!"
"None chere, ya don' have ta prove yourself ta anyone, lord knows 'specially ta me, but somethin' tells me yer not as fine as yer lettin' on."
"An' how would you know Cajun?" She snapped, sitting up and shooting him another venomous glare, eyes burning with repressed anger. "Who th' hell do ya think ya are jus' marchin' in here presumin' ta know one God Damn thing about meh!"
"I'm no one chere," Remy said, holding out his hands in the universal sign for I'm-unarmed-don't-shoot, "I'm no one, but I've been through similar things, I've hidden more den my fair share of things too, I've pretended ta be fine when I really wasn't, an' I can't begin ta explain ta you de trouble I made fer myself because of it."
For a second he seemed to be looking inward, his eyes going distant and uneasy. Rogue was swarmed with a suddenseries of images, memories that weren't hers, and violently shoved them back. She didn't want to know about his inner demons, she had her own to deal with, but suddenly she wasn't angry with him anymore.
"Still tryin' ta be mah friend huh?" she asked sullenly, rather then comment on his words, in an attempt to change the subject.
Remy blinked, his customary smirk back in place, like nothing had happened. "With a belle femme like you? Who could resist?"
"Ah could."
Remy was unprepared for it when the grassy scenery around them dissolved and he suddenly found himself with the unpleasent sensation of being ripped away from one mindscape and thrown back into his own.
He blinked rapidly, back in the library, feeling dizzy and not a little nauseous. "Couldn't ya give a guy some warning chere!" he growled.
"No." she said curtly, then proceeded to walk away, and out the doors without a single glance back.
Remy, to his credit, tried to get up and follow her only for the world to pitch suddenly to the right leaving him studying the details of the threading in the carpet (which he decided was actually very nice, Xavier had good taste) the dizziness haveing yet to wear off. It only took another couple heartbeats before he stood and was able to leave the room, Rogue having already escaped his company, he headed in the direction of his own room.
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Rogue walked quietly into the room she shared with Kitty, careful not to wake the younger girl as she moved towards her bed and collapsed. A peal of thunder outside startled her, pulling her from her bed and towards the balcony, she didn't know it had started raining while she was in the library. She pulled back the curtains and stared out into the darkness, she could hear the rain now, why she didn't when she first walked in she had no idea, it was a loud heavy rain, a flash of lightning filled the room for a moment, and she caught of glimpse of the trees on the mansions grounds swaying wildly in the wind. Then another round of thunder deafened everything.
Rogue had always liked storms, watching them, listening to them, even as a little kid she'd never been afraid of thunder and lightning, she looked forward to them. She glanced over her shoulder towards Kitty's bed, only just managing to make out the girls form through the darkness, and slid open the large window doors that led out into the fresh air. If that last round of thunder hadn't woken her up Rogue doubted if anything would.
The rain soaked her through within seconds, it was freezing, but she found it refreshing. The wind was stronger then she'd expected sending her hair wildly in every direction.
Rogue closed her eyes and sighed, the sound lost amidst the storm raging around her, equal even to the storm within. Her plan to avoid Gambit had failed miserably, and the worst part was, she didn't even care anymore. She actually enjoyed his company, when he wasn't being a flirtatious ass anyway. Maybe it was just because they had so many similar experiences, and upbringings. Two orphans, adopted into less then legitimate families, and then nurtured for their powers and expected to play a part in some tragic prophecy of their parents delusions. As much as she hated admitting it, even if only to herself, he did understand her, or at least he came closer then any of the others here.
It was frustrating in a way.
Growling at herself Rogue tore her mind away from that train of thought, it was bad enough she couldn't avoid him anymore, it didn't mean she had to keep thinking about him.
The next thing on her mind was the person after her, everyone around her was walking on glass and getting themselves all worked up about it, but Rogue herself was surprisingly taking it all with a pretty apathetic attitude. She just wasn't all that bothered, because she knew who it was, even if she didn't know the name or the reason, she knew who it was after her.
Just another fanatic, another person obsessed with their own vision for the future of mankind. Which made whoever this person was the fifth fanatic she'd have to deal with personally.
The first fanatic she'd had to deal with was Mystique, to this day Rogue still had no clue what her adopted mother wanted from her that was so important, what future it was Destiny had seen that Mystique wanted so badly. Even now, when she knew Rogue would never help her, the shape changer still played her games with her children.
It was frustrating, in a way, Magneto and Xavier were two of the other fanatics Rogue knew, it was frustrating. Magneto was the bad guy, that's what they all were told and knew, but it wasn't as easy as all that, it wasn't something that could be labeled. Each of them had a dream for a 'better future' but the dreams were opposite of each other, and try as she might Rogue couldn't hate Magneto, the same way she couldn't hate Mystique, no matter how close she was to it. It was hard to hate someone that you were, if only for a little while. But Rogue was them, she understood, if only for a little while, Magneto's dream and how he truly believed it was the right thing to do, she understood Mystique too, though she still didn't know what her mother particular dream was she knew it involved her. It was the same way she understood Xavier's dream, the reason she followed Xavier at all was simply because of all of them she liked Xavier's dream better, in his dream no one got hurt.
The fourth fanatic she'd known was named En saber nur, but the world knew him better as Apocalypse, she had been the third and final key to his release into the world, a fact that still made her feel guilty, but she'd also been the key to his prison and expulsion from the world.
And now there was this new faceless threat.
It was a little sad, and not a little intimidating to know that of the five fanatics she knew, she was a key, in one way or another, to three of them. Those weren't odds she was at all comfortable with. She wondered if any of the others had ever thought about that, if they ever realized in unguarded moments her potential for destruction.
She wondered, what they'd do if they did figure it out, if whenever this new threat attacked again, if they'd realize how truly dangerous she was.
That day on the cliff, she hadn't been in her right mind, literally, she'd been spread throughout about a dozen others, when she'd fallen she did it on purpose, she said to herself that she was dangerous, that she'd hurt them.
Only now she knew how right she was.
Would Xavier continue to protect her when he figured it out? When his half brother, Juggernaut, became to powerful, to dangerous, they'd had him put into a tube and locked in a chemical coma to protect the world from his power.
Rogue had beaten him, she was the only one capable of taking him down quickly. She'd been him once too.
Would they put her into a tube? Hide her away to protect her, to protect themselves from her. It was just a matter of time, every time she lost control, she was afraid that's what they'd do, and the psyches fed on it.
Rogue shivered, once again driving the thought from her mind, it wouldn't help anything to torture herself over what if's, the X-men were her family, they wouldn't do that to her. But doubt still nagged at the back of her mind.
She shivered again, letting the rain pound her body, she didn't really feel it, she just stared up into the sky, counting the seconds between the thunder and the lightning.
Something warm dropped onto her shoulders, protecting her from the rain. Caught off guard Rogue turned to see who was there, she hadn't heard anyone walking up. Remy grinned at her, rain dripping down his face and soaking his tee shirt and jeans, his trademark brown leather duster now hanging off her.
"Tryin' ta make yourself sick chere?"
"What are ya doin' here Cajun?" Rogue asked, not really in a company mood.
"Couldn't sleep."
"So ya came here? What if Ah was asleep? What then ya stalker?"
Remy chuckled not at all put off by her open hostility and bitten words. "Come on chere let's go inside, s'cold out here."
"Get out of mah room Cajun, before Ah scream and Wolverine puts ya in traction."
"Strong words chere, gonna back dem up?"
Rogue was about to really tear into him, no longer caring if she woke Kitty up, when Remy wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. Words died in her throat, and to her own horror she felt the blood rush to her cheeks and her tongue seemed to swell to twice its size, making further speech impossible.
"Dis is what ya want, ain't it Rogue." Remy whispered right next to her ear, sending a little chill through her body.
Rogue, for her part, was still frozen in panic and growing sense of fear.
Remy moved his lips closer to hers, his red on black eyes staringintently into her own emerald. "Afraid chere?" he asked, his whisky and molasses voice seeming unreal somehow.
At those words Rogue reclaimed herself, ripping one glove off and slapping him as hard as she could across the face with her exposed hand, because she was afraid, she was terrified, more then she'd ever been.
And for a second time she found herself frozen in his arms, unable to move. Nothing had happened, her hand was flat against his face and nothing was happening. That was all the time she had to think on it though because in the next heartbeat his lips were against her, her eyes widened further at the contact, then drifted closed as a wave of warmth filled her body and she kissed back, their bodies pressed up against each other. The rain, the storm, everything was forgotten, she couldn't hear or feel anything but his lips on hers, and her own heart racing.
For a second it felt like she was falling through the air, at first she thought it was her imagination, but then she hit something, hard, with an undignified yelp, the spell of the kiss dissolved, Remy was gone.
For a long second Rogue stared around her, still feeling lightheaded, then it dawned on her and she felt herself blushing again. "A dream . . ." she muttered.
Which explained why her powers didn't work and why Remy had kissed her, and why she kissed him back, at least she hoped.
"Finally we meet in person, my dear sweet Rogue."
The voice was deep, cold, and unfamiliar. It sent a unpleasant chill down her spine that seemed to fall into her stomach like a rock, doubled her unease. She stood up, acting as though she didn't care, and dusted herself off for now she found herself in a desert though it was still very dark, she couldn't see more then a foot or so in front of her. She couldn't see anyone around her.
"Personally," she drawled, "Ah would have gone with a less threatening environment for a first meetin'."
"Perhaps you would have Rogue, but this is your dream after all, I am but a spectator of sorts."
"Who are ya?" she growled, trying to will herself awake.
"Given what I already know of you, I never would have thought that a young woman such as yourself would ever fall so low as to believe Mr. Gambits overtures of friendship and open flirtations as being genuine. Did you enjoy the kiss? Was it everything you wanted it to be?"
Whatever rational thought Rogue had been using fled in the face in her blind and seething rage. "Who are ya, what do ay want with meh, an' mind yer own GOD DAMN BUSINESS!" She screamed.
"Come now Rogue, no need to resort to childishness, I'll admit that I was perhaps over the line in that comment, and I apologize." The voice said impassively, though it still came across as being wholly amused. "As to that first question, I am known to some as Mr. Sinister."
"Mr. Sinister?" Rogue scoffed, "Ah mean, Ah know Superman was taken but you sound like an intelligent kinda guy, ya couldn't come up with something better?"
The voice, Mr. Sinister, chuckled. "Such spirit, I truly hope you don't disappoint me Rogue, I have such plans for you."
The way he said that made her skin crawl. "You're some kinda telepath ain't ya?" it was more of a statement then a question.
"Quick, I'm impressed, yes I am, though I required some assistance to be able to contact you in this way, through your dreams."
"An' yer the guy that's gunnin' fer me."
"Once again, correct."
"Well bring it on then sugah, Ah've dealt with scum like you before, all my life actually, me and the X-men are gonna take you down jus' like we do every other bastard on a ego-trip thinkin' he can jus' waltz in and take over."
"I am not every other bastard, as you so delicately put it, Rogue my dear, and that is why I have come to you like this, I'm going to offer you a proposition, one I'm certain you won't be able to resist."
"Ah don't make deals with devils," Rogue snarled, "Ah don't play the fiddle nearly well enough for that."
"If you would just hear me out perhaps I could change your mind."
"This is mah dream right? Mah mind?"
"Yes." The voice was resigned, irritated, like it knew what she was about to do.
"Let meh introduce ya to a few of mah friends then," the grin Rogue wore was to vicious to be mistaken for a smile, and she could feel the presence of Mr. Sinister leaving even as she pulled down her walls and watched a wave of angry ghosts swarm the darkness around her, enraged by Sinister's trespassing. She put them up again quickly, when she was sure Sinister was well and truly gone and when a couple of the psyches started heading for her.
Then she was once again aware of the unpleasant sensation of falling, the desert falling with her in a flurry of sad, and woke up on the floor next to her bed, panting and shaken right to the soul, afraid to close her eyes again let alone climb back into her bed and sleep.
How had he gotten into her mind like that? Into her dreams?
She touched a hand to her lips distractedly.
Remy, Sinister, it had all seemed so real, but maybe it was just a dream, maybe Sinister was just a figment of her imagination, her anxiety about everything going on given a voice in her dreams. Maybe it was nothing to worry about, but it was so real.
Too real.
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Shift here with the long awaited chapter ten, like I mentioned at the top this is actually the third chapter ten I wrote, the first two and half versions being so horrible the mere thought of letting another soul read them was enough to make me cringe.
I'm still not quite happy with this version, once again I don't think there's enough actual ROMY but shrug I'm trying and that's what's important.
Anyway so there we have it, Rogue admits her feelings if only in her dreams, Sinister has a window into her soul, and what's this proposition he has for her? It's not the last you'll hear of it.
Next chapter is danger room central, for Wolverines little battle royal mentioned a chapter or two ago, I'll do my best to get it out as quick as possible, but life is still frustratingly unsympathetic to my pleas, so once again it might be a bit of a wait.
But rest assured, I have not lost interest in this story, it is not going to be abandoned until its finished. I repeat this story Is Not Dead and will not die as long as I live.
Once again, sorry for the delay, and you know the drill.
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Review.