Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me, that much you already know.
24-Stalker
Kitty cleared her throat nervously as Rogue glanced around the bedroom. The Professor had just informed them they would be roommates. "Um, Rogue? I know that I'm like the last person in the world you'd want to like share a room with, but…okay, I don't really know where I'm going with that. Lance…Lance let me get all your stuff from the boarding house. It's on your bed…I hope that was alright…" Kitty clamped her mouth shut as Rogue looked at her.
"Ah ain't gonna kill you," said Rogue coldly. "You ain't worth the trouble."
"Oh. Okay."
"But this doesn't mean we're friends either, got it? As long as Ah'm here don't talk ta meh."
Kitty nodded her head as she edged closer to her own bed. "I, uh, guess I'll be going. I'll be back at the end of the break, so, maybe you can decorate while I'm gone? Make the room yours too."
Rogue frowned. "Ah may be livin' here, but it doesn't mean Ah wanna fit in. Aren't you keepin' your folks waitin'?"
"Right." Kitty gave Rogue one last look before dashing out the door with a suitcase. Rogue walked over to the window and pushed it open so she could watch some of the X-Men leave for the holidays.
Down below she watched as Ororo and Evan drove away; Jean talking with her family and the Professor; Kitty coaxing her dad to pack all four of the suitcases she had packed; Bobby hugging his brother before getting into the car; Jubilee helping her mother back into the car; ten little Jamies running around his parents in excitement; and Kurt instructing the taxi driver to take him to the airport so he could catch his plane to Germany. The only ones staying behind for the holidays, besides the Professor and Logan would be Rogue and Scott.
Tears began to form in Rogue's eyes as her mind drifted back to her life a year ago. She should be home with Jack and Lena right now, decorating the Christmas tree and placing gifts beneath it. By now Lena was probably getting closer to her due date, the baby was supposed to be born in the early part of January. With a small sniff Rogue pulled the window shut and plopped down on her bed. Staring up at the ceiling she let a few stray tears fall, wishing that she could just wake up from this nightmare and be back home in Mississippi. Christmas was going to be tough this year.
The phone on the nightstand in between Rogue and Kitty's bed rang. Rogue sat up on her elbows and looked over at it in confusion. No one should be calling for Kitty—didn't they know she was heading out of town? The phone continued to ring and Rogue groaned. With her luck it would be Lance on the other end looking for his new girlfriend. Rogue hesitated before rolling over to the other side of the bed and sitting up. She grabbed the phone and turned it on, answering breathlessly.
"Hello?"
"Rogue? Oh, thank-god! I've been trying to reach you for over a week now!" Warren's voice on the other end seemed relieved, bringing a small smile to Rogue's face. Of all the people in the world to be on the other end, she hadn't expected it to be Warren.
"Sorry, Ah've kinda moved," murmured Rogue apologetically.
"Hey, don't be sorry. It's not your fault. I heard on the news that there were bright lights at Liberty Island—I figured you were somehow involved, especially after it was announced that Senator Kelly had been confirmed dead. Are you alright? I bumped into this crazy blind woman who kept going on about you and the end of the world."
Rogue made a face. "Destiny?" she asked. "Ah cahn't stand her. Ah'm alright, Ah guess. Ah'm just tryin' ta piece mah life back together, ya know?"
Warren chuckled dryly. "Yeah, I know the feeling. I've just been so worried about you. I'm glad you're okay. Maybe I should come see you. Would that be alright?"
"You wanna see meh?"
"Of course. Rogue, we're friends. I'd rather see for myself that you're okay. That and I'd like to check out this new place you're at. When I called the boarding house, your roommates there weren't too friendly. I'd feel better checking out your new place," replied Warren with a note of concern in his voice.
"Really? Ah'd love ta see ya, Warren. Ah could use a friend right about now." Rogue bit her lip hopefully. It would be nice to see a friendly face, one she knew she could trust. Plus, it didn't hurt that Warren was good looking. Maybe he could help her sort out her life now that everything she once knew had been destroyed.
"Great. Look, Rogue, if things aren't good there, you can stay with me. I've moved into my own place—I can help take care of you. You don't have to say anything now, but just think about it. I want you to be happy. And personally, I don't think Bayville is the best place for you."
"Ah'll think about it," said Rogue.
"Okay then, I'm on my—hey! What are you doing in my house?" Warren's voice drifted away from Rogue and towards someone on his end of the line. Rogue frowned as she strained to listen to the person with Warren.
"…business proposition…no choice…chance…too bad…come…you…"
"Warren?" Rogue's question lingered in the air as the line was cut off. Rogue pulled the phone away from her face and stared at the receiver in horror. She turned it off and back on before dialing Warren's number from memory. No one answered. Turning off the phone one last time, Rogue tossed it on the bed and strode out of her bedroom. With quick steps Rogue made her way to the giant staircase and took the stairs two at a time. She came to an abrupt halt at the bottom of the staircase. The Professor, Logan, and Scott turned to stare at her in surprise.
"Is something wrong?" demanded Logan gruffly, instantly noticing the panicked look in her green eyes.
"Mah friend—Warren—he's in trouble."
"What kind of trouble?"
"Who's Warren?" asked Scott with a frown.
"Ah met him at the rally a while back. Ah go ta him when Ah need help—his dad is a businessman, supported Kelly. He just called meh, ahn the phone got cut off. Ah tried callin' back, but no one answered," replied Rogue in a rush.
The Professor closed his eyes as his listened to Rogue. "I'll check Cerebro to see if I can find his whereabouts."
"You wanna go save some kid just 'cause he didn't answer the phone?" Logan snorted, earning a glare from Rogue.
"He's mah friend!"
"Then how come we've never seen him around?" Scott was wary. Rogue had been friends with the Brotherhood as well as this Warren guy. What made her so sure he wasn't an enemy too?
"Warren Worthington," interrupted the Professor, "is someone who can be trusted. I met him before. He is a mutant. I taught him how to control his powers when he was just a boy. His father does not know of Warren's gift. I believe that something is amiss. Do not fear, Rogue, I will find him and then you, Logan, and Scott can go after him."
Rogue simply nodded as her mind absorbed the truth. So that was why Warren supported mutants. Instead of being hurt that he had not confided this in her, Rogue felt a deep respect for Warren. He was trying to please his father, and stay true to himself at the same time. And that was something Rogue understood all too well.
New York City:
Logan sniffed the air with disdain as he, Rogue, and Scott descended the steps leading down into New York City's subway system. The place stunk.
"Chuck was one hundred percent sure this Warren kid was brought here?" he asked gruffly.
Rogue eyed the older mutant coldly. "'Course he's sure. Ya think he'd actually send us ohn a wild goose chase?" she challenged.
"You never know kid; maybe he wants us out of the house."
Scott grimaced. "Sure, Logan, that's the kind of person the Professor is. Maybe he's in league with the men who took Warren as well."
"Hey, I'm just askin' a simple question," protested Logan as he barely dodged a person jogging up the steps.
"Yeah, well, they're dumb questions," said Rogue. She stuck her tongue out at Logan and hurried her pace down the steps. All that mattered was finding Warren safe and sound. She didn't have time for grumpy old men.
"Did you see that?" demanded Logan pointing at Rogue's back. Scott chuckled and nodded as he and Logan moved aside for another cluster of people to pass them.
"Admit it, Logan," started Scott with a wide grin. "She's growing on you."
"Like the damn plague. Just wait till I get her scrawny little ass in the danger room, then we'll see how cocky she is after that."
Scott wisely kept his mouth shut and looked around for Rogue. She was nowhere to be seen around the crowded platform. "Speaking of which, where'd she go?"
Meanwhile, Rogue was dodging people left and right as she made her way through the crowd. She paused and thoughtfully grabbed both ends of the scarf around her neck. She studied each and every person carefully, looking for someone out of the ordinary. And then she saw him. Warren.
His face was strained, and Rogue immediately saw why. Standing right behind him was a tall man wearing a dark suit and sunglasses. Judging by his stance, Rogue was almost positive he held a gun to Warren's back. She glanced back for Logan and Scott, but she couldn't find them. With a deep breath, Rogue cautiously began to make her way towards Warren and his captor, keeping well out of their eyesight. It wouldn't do to be seen beforehand.
When Rogue was about ten feet away she deftly removed a single glove, keeping her hand hidden within her sleeve. Just as she was about to slip her bare hand onto the man's neck, a hard cylinder-like object was shoved into her back forcing her to stop in her tracks.
"I wouldn't even think about it if I were you," hissed a voice menacingly. The person pushed her forward to stand beside Warren, who quickly pulled her into his arms.
"You shouldn't have come," murmured Warren into her hair.
"Sorry." Rogue pulled away and slipped her glove back onto her bare hand. She turned to face the gunmen with a frown. "Who are ya people?"
"No one you should be concerned about," soothed one of the gunmen.
Warren grimaced. "They work for someone named Stryker. They're trying to round up mutants dangerous enough to convince the President that the Mutant Registration Act is the only way to save humanity."
"Too bad you won't be one of them, girl," chuckled the second gunman.
"What are ya talkin' about?" asked Rogue shrinking back to stand behind Warren's back.
"You're goin' somewhere else, girlie. Somewhere nice and warm."
"Sorry, boys, Ah've already been ta hell, it ain't that great," replied Rogue.
"Too bad, so sad." The gunmen eyed each other before turning back to the pair of teens before them. "Next train is ours. Better be ready."
Rogue narrowed her eyes at the men, barely glancing behind them at Scott and Logan who were not-so-casually making their way over to the group. Instead, she tugged on Warren's sleeve so that he bent his head down towards her lips. "Ohn three," she whispered, her eyes never straying off their captors, "get outta mah way."
Warren frowned but nodded his head in agreement. A second passed before Rogue gave the order. "Three!"
Warren moved aside just as Rogue launched a powerful roundhouse kick at one of the gunmen knocking him to the ground so that he dropped his gun onto the tracks. The other man moved to shoot Rogue, but three metal claws were stuck through the palm of his hand. The man screamed in horror at the sight, and screamed even louder when the claws were retracted. People nearby saw the scene and began to panic. More screams filled the air, and soon it was a stampede out of the subway. The gunman on the ground scrambled to his feet, launching himself at Rogue, but Scott quickly shot him onto the tracks below with a laser beam.
"Don't look now, but we've got company!" hollered Logan extending both pairs of claws out of his knuckles. The teens glanced at the stairwell in time to see more men with guns pushing and shoving their way down the steps.
"I think it's time we brought this party up a level," grumbled Warren. He arched his back, and a pair of white feathered wings ripped through his shirt.
"Wow," breathed Rogue. "Now that's somethin' ya don't see every day."
"No kidding," grinned Warren. He flapped his wings, bringing himself off the ground, and headed straight towards the men with guns. Behind him were Scott and Logan running as fast as they could. Rogue shook her head and was about to join them when she noticed someone on the stairwell.
"It cahn't be," she murmured to herself. But it was. Standing with one hand on the metal balustrade was Raven Darkholme. The dark haired woman caught Rogue's eye and turned to walk up the stairs. Rogue was frozen for half a second before she broke into a run. She pushed past the gunmen, sending a few to the ground with black eyes and broken noses, but Rogue refused to stay and fight. As she ran up the steps, she ignored the calls of her friends. She had business to take care of.
Topside, the streets and sidewalks were bare. Save for Mystique. The blue shape shifter stood beside a light post, waiting patiently.
"What the hell are ya doin' here?" screeched Rogue coming to stand within a few feet of Mystique.
"I see you are doing better. I knew it would take more than some machine of Magneto's to bring you down," answered Mystique evasively.
"Ah should kill you."
Mystique raised an eyebrow. "You are just like your father. Always thinking of yourself."
Rogue jumped back in surprise. "Who is he? Mah father? Who is he?" she hissed, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "You owe meh that much!"
"Do I?"
"Fuck you!"
"Rogue, I didn't come here to listen to your temper tantrums. I screwed up, yes, what else do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? Well, I am. But you need to get forget that, because I'm only here to warn you that you are in danger."
"You try ta kill meh, ahn now ya want to save meh? You are insane!" Rogue stared at Mystique and shook her head in disappointment. "Look, if ya came ohn behalf of Destiny, then forget it! Ah already heard her mumbo jumbo. Gawd, you two are like two peas in a pod."
"Those men down there, they don't work for Stryker. They work for a mutant called Sinister. He's after both you and Warren. Rogue, your fate changed. You weren't meant to die on Liberty Island."
Rogue gave a dark laugh. "Does that help ya sleep at night? Thinkin' that you cahn't be held responsible for mah death? You're a sick woman, Mystique."
"Dammit, girl! Why won't you listen to me?" Mystique moved to grab Rogue by the arms and shake her, but Rogue's fist connected with the other woman's mouth. Mystique stumbled backwards into the light post, clutching her bleeding mouth.
"Don't ya dare lay a single finger ohn meh, Mystique."
Mystique wiped away some of the blood from her mouth and stood up straight and tall. She studied her daughter carefully. "You want to kill me? Then do it. Kill me. But know this, Rogue, I came here today to try and rectify my wrongs. I won't see you die by anyone's hands—not if there's something that I can do about it."
Rogue swallowed the lump in her throat, and dropped her fists to her sides. The two mutants eyed each other carefully, just as Warren swooped up the steps and to Rogue's side. He extended his wings as a shield, and looked directly into Mystique's yellow eyes.
"Hurt a single hair on her head," he threatened, "and I'll make you wish you had never been born."
"Rogue!" Logan stopped short with Scott right behind him when he caught sight of Mystique and Warren facing each other. "What the hell are you doing here, you fucking bitch?"
"None of your business, wolf man." Mystique turned her attention back to Warren who was still shielding Rogue from her. "I'll be watching you, boy. Think about what I've told you, Rogue. I'll be around." With those words Mystique shifted into a raven and disappeared into the sky.
Warren dropped his wings and turned around to face Rogue. The southern girl was staring blankly ahead of her. With a small sigh Warren pulled Rogue into a hug without a word. He had a deep suspicion as to who that woman had been, but he knew now wasn't the time to talk about it.
Scott let out a loud breath of air as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I think you should come back with us, Warren. At least for a few days until we can figure out what's going on."
"That's fine by me," agreed Warren.
Logan nodded before speaking. "Fine, but first things first, we're gonna lay down some ground rules."
"Okay," said Warren cautiously.
"Rule number one: keep your hands to yourself." For an added effect, Logan's claws flashed in the winter sunlight. Warren opened his mouth in a soundless oh, and dropped his hands to his side. Logan nodded in satisfaction and went to put an arm around Rogue's shoulders. The gruff man led Rogue away with both Scott and Warren trailing behind him.
"Is he always like that?" Warren asked Scott in a whisper as they trudged down the slushy sidewalks.
"Oh yeah, you get used to it after a while. Of course, he's never been this protective over one of us teens before. I think he has a soft spot for Rogue," replied Scott.
"Oh. So, would I have to go through him to ask her out on a date?"
"I can still hear you yapping!" called out Logan. Both teens shut up instantly, but Warren smiled as Rogue glanced back to wink at him. Things would be okay.
Later That Night:
Rogue stared at her alarm clock and watched as the digits registered the fact that it was midnight. It was officially Christmas morning. With a heavy sigh Rogue went over to the doorway leading outside. She pushed the doors open and breathed in the crisp air as she stepped over to the edge of the balcony and leaned on the railing. She stared out into the clear and starry night restlessly.
It was her first Christmas without her foster parents. Heck, it was really her first Christmas alone. Sure she had Logan, Warren, Scott, and the Professor. But it wasn't the same. Rogue didn't have a family. Or at least one that wanted her. Her mother was a terrorist of sorts, her father—he was still a nameless, faceless person.
Tears streamed down Rogue's cheeks as a cold breeze stirred. Rogue pulled her arms around her body and turned to retreat back into the bedroom. She shut the doors and leaned her forehead against one of the small window panes. In her mind she could still see Mystique standing in front of her, with blood trickling down her chin. Rogue had wanted to hit her again and again—she had wanted to let loose her anger and hurt. But in the end, Rogue couldn't lift a finger. And all it came down to was one little fact.
Mystique, despite her many flaws, was trying to protect Rogue from her future. And for Rogue, that one act was more than enough to give her some hope that maybe, one day, Mystique might come to terms with her daughter.
"Ah really need ta get some sleep," mumbled Rogue to herself. "Ah'm over analyzin' things now. Man, this is why Ah hate Christmas."
Within minutes the soft glow of the bedside lamp was turned off, leaving the room in darkness. Outside, an owl hooted from its perch on a nearby tree. It blinked its golden yellow eyes before flying away from the mansion.
A/N—God, this took me ages! I'm sorry! I had this huge bout of writer's block, but I made myself write this out because I got a review begging me to hurry up a little. So, Nettlez, this one's for you. Also, I went back and edited all the other chapters, fixing little mistakes here and there. Anyway, I hope the next chapter doesn't take too long. I'll try and get it out before Thanksgiving, seeing as how I'm going home for that. Enjoy!