AN: So my manager got sidetracked by a naked Rogue and then realized what she missed and demanded more! So here we are. Just FYI, you guys won't like this ending either! But good news is there's only one more chapter after this. *grins* And what a whopper of a chapter this one is! You'll most likely want to shoot and or stab me… Cassie knows the address. So sit back, relax, and try not to kill me or you won't find out the surprise of next chapter! *runs*
Disclaimer: I only own Bianca and Dan.
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Bianca and Rogue walked the streets of New Orleans. At this time of night the streets were empty.
"What's wrong?" Rogue stiffened at the question.
"Nothing." Bianca gave him a dubious look.
"Right. And that house right there? That belongs to JK Rowling." Rogue rolled his eyes at Bianca. "Come on you know you can talk to me. Ever since I left the bedroom tonight you've been all distant. What happened to the teasing asshole I work for?" She paused as she looked at him. "It's not me is it?" Rogue remained quiet. What did he tell her? It was her. It was for her.
"I'm tired. I didn't sleep well." It was true. He'd been up every hour to make sure she was still safely beside him. He couldn't tell her that he was most likely going to his death at dawn though. She didn't need to know that. He was doing it to keep her safe and to keep Dan from her. He had a plan and he'd be damned if it wouldn't work.
"Are you sure? You act this way when you have something on your mind" Bianca pressed. Rogue ground his teeth in frustration.
"Will you just let it go? My gods no wonder you can't find a real boyfriend." Bianca stopped dead in her tracks as Rogue continued on.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she demanded. Rogue stopped, but didn't turn to face her. "Christopher!"
"You know what it means. The only boyfriend you've had beat the hell out of you now I may be wrong here, but it was probably because you pressed his buttons all the time." The raw pain of betrayal coursed through her like ice. "I mean it's been years and you haven't looked at another man since, which leads me to believe you like being beaten." Bianca grabbed her knife and threw it at his head. Rogue turned in time to catch it, holding it in his tight grasp as they stared at each other. He winced internally at the pain etched on Bianca's face.
"You are a fucking asshole. I hope you die!" she yelled, tears coursing down her cheeks. Rogue's heart broke. He needed her to hate him because he wasn't coming back and he didn't want her to grieve for him. He watched as Bianca turned on her heal and ran away from him. He slowly lowered his arm and slid the knife into his boot.
"I love you, Bianca" he whispered to himself. He could feel the tingle of his spine. The sun was rising. It was time to kill and be killed. He turned and headed towards the agreed upon meeting place.
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Rogue leaned against the building behind him, his arms across his chest and his knee bent. He could hear Dan and his lackey coming down the alley.
"I don't like to be kept waiting." Dan's cruel laugh echoed off the walls.
"Unlike you, I was at home. Where is the little whore?"
"I thought you were watching her." Rogue wouldn't let Bianca get hurt. He could send Dan to Otto's place. If Otto saw him again, Dan would die. Painfully.
"I seemed to have lost her. So where is she?" Rogue shrugged.
"I'm not with her am I?" Dan threw a knife at him, which Rogue caught easily. "Don't play that game, human. You wanted to meet with me. I know how this ends. I die, you die, we all die and Bianca stays safe." Rogue could feel the tingle warning him of the impending sunrise once more. And once again, he ignored it.
"I don't like your ending, freak." Rogue rolled his eyes.
"Really? You couldn't come up with a better insult than 'freak'?" Rogue pushed off the wall, his stance still relaxed. "What part of the plan would you like to change? Me dying?" Rogue pulled his sunglasses off and tucked them into his pocket. "I wouldn't mind that part changing."
"You will be the one to die, freak. I will not." Rogue laughed.
"See that's where you are wrong. I won't willingly let you kill me. I've been there, done that, got immortality for it. My life means nothing to me, but I won't sit here and let you kill Bianca. She belongs to me."
"But when you die, she won't be yours" the lackey added. Both men glared at him.
"Shut up" they snapped. The lackey held his hands up in surrender.
"She is mine, freak. She always has been." Rogue stepped closer to Dan. He could feel the sun start to burn his skin. He ground his teeth against the pain.
"Beating her doesn't make her yours. In fact she was never yours. You stupid asshole. I'm going to enjoy ripping your heart out of your chest." Dan pulled his fist back and sent it flying into Rogue, knocking him into more sunlight. Rogue hissed as the rays hit his face. He stepped back up to Dan and grabbed his throat, slamming him against the wall. "I don't fear you. You can push me around all you want, but all it will do is piss me off."
"I will kill her." Rogue slammed him against the wall again.
"You won't touch her. This is it. A battle to the death." Dan pushed Rogue back and smirked.
"It won't be long until I win, then I will take her as mine. So tell me, where is she?" Rogue ground his teeth as he felt his hand burning. No, it wouldn't be long. But by killing a Hunter, Dan declared war with Acheron and the Atlanean would kill Dan. His plan would work. And with him out of the way, the Council will rescind Bianca's death sentence and she could go to Jackson.
"She's staying with her brother." Dan smirked. He could see Rogue's skin starting to smolder.
"I hope you told her how you felt before you came to your death." Dan knocked Rogue's hands away and pushed him into the sunlight. Rogue bit his tongue to keep from screaming out in pain. It hurt even worse than Artemis taking his soul. It hurt more than the first time he died.
"Rogue!" Rogue could faintly hear Ash's voice over the blood pounding in his ears. "Stay with me, Kit." Rogue turned his head to stare at the Atlantean. He couldn't feel his hand anymore.
Ash ground his teeth as Rogue's hand started melting. He wanted to kill Dan, but his Hunter meant more to him than a stupid human. He grabbed Rogue's arm and transported them both back to his house. "You stupid asshole. I'm going to kill you for pulling BOTH stunts." Rogue looked at him. "You know what you said to Bianca and so do I."
"I wanted her to hate me so when I died…" Rogue groaned in agony as he shifted for Acheron to get a look at all his injuries.
"So when you died Bianca wouldn't grieve. Stupid. Noble, but very very stupid." Rogue shrugged. "I can heal most of you, but your hand is too far gone."
"As long as I don't die." Rogue laid on the bed and waited as Ash held his hands over his chest. "GAH! You bastard!" Rogue snarled as Ash healed him. Ash rolled his eyes, used to people hating him for the pain of that power.
"Now, go fix things with Bianca." Rogue stood and looked down at his hand. He was missing two fingers and his whole hand was covered in burn scars. "I'm sorry."
"I'm alive that's all that matters. A little help here?" Rogue grimaced as Ash sent him back to the house he shared with Bianca. His heart broke at the sobs coming from the bedroom. He made his way to the room and pushed the door open. "Bianca." She looked up at him.
"Get out asshole!" she snarled. "Wouldn't want you to beat me too. Oh, but wait. I like being beaten right? I deserve it?" Rogue winced.
"I'm sorry." He turned to leave when Bianca saw his hand.
"What the hell happened?" Rogue looked at the disgusting sight. I almost died for you. It was the truth, yet he wouldn't tell her that.
"Nothing."
"Fine, be an asshole. Not like you care anyway." Rogue turned with a growl.
"If you believe the shit I said then maybe we aren't as in love as we thought we were. In what world would I ever say that and mean it? After what I went through you think I'd condone or tell anyone, let alone you, that they deserved or liked to be beaten? And I thought you knew me, Bianca." Rogue shut the door behind him and started down the hall.
"Where the hell have you been?" Rogue stopped and turned to look at her standing in the doorway. "It's dawn and not even you are stupid enough to be out that long."
"Out. I was out." He turned back around and started down the stairs.
"I saw who called you tonight. What did Dan have to say to you?" Rogue paused on the stairs. He didn't turn, but he didn't continue on. Bianca knew she had gotten to the truth. "You went to meet with Dan, didn't you?" Rogue nodded. "Why?" He finally turned around to face her.
"I went to die for you."
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AN: *clears throat* Sooo… who wants to kill me? *sees angry mob* *nods* So I thought… so I won't keep you all. *jerks thumb over shoulder* I'll be away while you guys read. Thanks for reading though! Please review! *runs*