Disclaimer: As if you people would actually think that I own Marvel's characters. Why I even bother to put this is beyond me.
conscience talking"talking" 'Thoughts' other mutant thoughts in these brackets are what is happening in Rogue's mind (reading silently)
'when a telepath sends a message to a large group of people'
This chapter will at first take place inside Rogue's mind as she battles the psyches from within that push to be released at the expense of her sanity and possibly something more that she never realized. Will she find a way to suppress the beast inside of her?
Chapter 44 Onlah human
She shivered from the cold, alone in the dark room the beast had put her in, her body at the disposal to the machinations of her other self behind the locked door. By now this room was familiar to Rogue, she had spent many times in this room whenever the beast took over her body. Forced to sit behind her eyes and watch what happened when a complete mad woman had phenomenal powers.
This time was going to be different. This time she wasn't going to wait till the beast was weakened or sated she was going to break out and tame it. A sudden presence startled her out of her plans. The psyche of Mama Kakra came into the room, passing right through the thick walls of Rogue's prison. This time the crows feet wrinkles were gone from around her eyes, replaced by smooth, flawless, creamy skin. Long black lashes outlined dark midnight blue eyes that twinkled as if they held stars within their depths. Mama Kakra's simple long white dress swirled about her feet as she walked/floated to Rogue.
"Take my hand, Lady Marie." she reached out an old withered hand for Rogue to grab hold of. "We'll get out of here together."
Rogue felt a flare of anger at the use of the name Marie but decided to wait until later after she had escaped from a trap in her own mind to discuss the matter. She got to her feet and reached out and grabbed Mama Kakra's in a tight grip. Rogue's world tilted as she was pulled right off her feet as Mama Kakra's psyche flew out of the room.
Darkness. A flash of light shattered it with a powerful blast that sent the shards hurtling to the farthest reaches. When the brilliant light subsided the world moved and she had to take a step back to keep her balance. She blinked hard to refocus her eyes to the luminescence of reality that hit her like a ton of bricks and assaulted her senses.
Shit. We dahed didn' we? Think about it. Firs' the darkness then all a' sudden a bright flash of lahght. We'ah dead.
Color came rushing back to Rogue as she looked around. Xavier had a look of terror mixed with confusion painted onto his face, she still held him up with one hand. Her other though was not as she remembered it...inches away from Xavie's face.
'Well. At least Ah didn' kill 'em...yet.' she thought.
"Rogue?" Rogue turned to her right, Remy stood by her side, his hand restraining her own from touching Xavier in a tight grip.
Alrahght maybe we'ah not dead.
"Remy?" she dropped her hand away from Xavier's face and grabbed his arm instead to steady herself. "How long was Ah outta it this tahme?" her voice was like she had just woken up from a deep sleep.
"Only a few momen's, ma petite. Remy t'ink yo' gettin' bet'er." Rogue shook her head.
"No. Ah had help from Mama Kakra again. She pulled meh outta this mess." Remy released his grip on her wrist.
Perhaps this wouldn' be the best tahme tah extract revenge an' punishment.
'Ah'm not stable yet.' she thought.
The wind blew and the bitter cold went right through her tattered clothes that hung loosely on her wasted away body. Goosebumps rose all over her body making her shiver with the unexpected cold. Remy wrapped an arm around her shoulders and whispered in her ear.
"Mon amour, il est temps d'attraper notre souffle et de regagner notre santé. Nous pourrions certainement trouver l'utilisation avec leur aide dans ces circonstances." he whispered softly.
His hot breath tickled her ear, sending a tingling down her neck. She lowered Xavier back into his chair and released him. Leaning into his embrace she nodded into his chest, fatigue catching up with her. Remy took off his sweatshirt he had just stolen and put it over her head and helped her into it. Replacing his arm back around her shoulders he turned and addressed Xavier with a humorless smile.
"Monsieur Xavier, yo' 'ave been given a pos'ponement of execution o' wha'ever Rogue 'ad in mind. We would like t' take dis time an' take care of a lot of ot'er mutants instead. Yo' an' yo's may stay for awhile, but Remy warn yo', if Rogue doesn' for some reason o' anot'er can' dispense justice, a lot of ot'er mutants will." A real grin now lit his features. "Now wit' dat said join us in a decent meal mos' of us haven' 'ad in a ver' long time." he turned back to Rogue and swung her up into his arms and carried her away.
Rogue curled up closer to Remy's chest, trying to warm her frozen limbs before she got frostbite. Alex came up to Remy, concern written all over his face when he looked down at Rogue. Remy carried her over to the closest fire and sat on one of the logs the other mutants had scrapped together from the woods and used as seats in front of fires. Gracefully he sat down on one and placed Rogue in his lap, cradling her shivering form against him. Alex looked silently at her then walked away towards the truck. Mutants went about the camp, respectful of Rogue's privacy, Logan and some others passed things out of the truck to the group of mutants while Vixen tended to Mama Kakra at another fire.
"Ah'm scared, Remy." Rogue whispered through her chapped, cracked lips. Blood started to form at one corner of her mouth where the skin had split.
"Tell Remy wha' yo' scared of." he used his thumb to wipe away the blood.
"Look at the mess Ah got everahone in. Ah'm onlah 17 an' human at that. Ah can' keep this up, sugah. Ah can' even keep mah own mahnd togethah. How the hell am Ah supposed tah save the world? These psyches...they'ah tearin' at mah mahnd an' it can onlah handle so much. Mah onlah problems should be guys, school an' parents not savin' the world, mah mahnd, an' survahvin' out in the wildahness. Wha' the hell have Ah become?" A tear slid down her cheek, glassy emerald eyes looked up into his red demon eyes.
"Some he'e would beg t' differ on de par' of yo' bein' jus' human, amour." She rolled her eyes and he couldn't help but smile at her. "Rogue, ev'r'one he'e has dese t'oughts some fo'm o' anot'er. But t'ink of it dis way, if yo' had ne'er 'ave become who yo' are now, none of dese mutants would breat' fresh air again. Dose peoples would still be doin' deir tests on mu'ants. I would ne'er 'ave met de most beautiful, strong, indepen'ent woman I e'er met...I would ne'er 'ave met yo'. I know yo' suf'er, Rogue, but yo' got t' realize dat it isn' for not'ing an' it won' last fore'er." His eyes lit up and his smile grew. "Jus' t'ink abou' af'er all of dis. We can finally be toget'er. Jus' because I ne'er said de words ou' loud doesn' mean dat I 'aven' said dem in my heart. I stand by yo' side t'rough it all, mon amour." he hooked her hair behind her ears.
"But these psyches-" he pressed a finger over her lips just hard enough to stop her words.
"We will fin' a way t' fix dat. Yo' jus' need t' be strong an' las' a lil' longer till we do. Can yo' be strong jus' a lil' longer, chere?" he removed his finger from her lips.
"If yah can stay bah mah sahde Ah can." she returned his smile.
"Den i's a deal." he took her hand and shook it.
Alex returned, arms filled with clothes and shoes, Vixen by his side carrying some fruit and water. Alex handed Rogue a pair of wool socks and leather boots and gave Remy another sweatshirt. Vixen and Alex were already fitted with warm clothes and a hat with gloves. Rogue sat up straighter on Remy's lap and put the coat on, placing the boots and socks on her lap as she did so.
"So does anyone want to fill us on the story with these guys?" he took a seat on Remy's right as Vixen offered Remy an apple, helping herself to a pear and keeping an orange aside for Rogue.
"It's a long storah, sugah, an' not a pleasant one at that." she said as she stripped off the wet socks she had on and replaced them with the warm ones.
"Sounds like a story to be told around a camp fire." he smirked at her, still persisting. Rogue looked up at him pausing in lacing her boots, Vixen looked back and forth between the two of them with her big silver eyes, pear juice running from her chin as she continued to nibble.
"Alrahght. But yah gettin' the shorten' version because it IS really long." She sighed and finished lacing up her boots.
Ah guess it's tahme tah take a stroll down memahry lane...
(a/n...My ink pot had run out of ink. Do you have any idea of how long it takes to make ink? I promised that I would finish this book and I always keep a promise. Still more coming so keep sending the reviews. Till next chapter, may your quills never break, your ink pots never run dry (like mine did) and the whispers of the soul never cease. Black Enchantress)
Translation - Mon amour, il est temps d'attraper notre souffle et de regagner notre santé. Nous pourrions certainement trouver l'utilisation avec leur aide dans ces circonstances - My love, it is time to catch our breath and regain our health. We could definitely find use with their help in these circumstances.
