Chapter Six: Remembering the Professor

And here's Chapter Six, where we take a breather to acknowledge the passing of Charles Xavier...who comes back to life after the credits. Seriously, no one seemed to stay truly dead in the original series, except, to quote CinemaSins:

"Well... Cyclops does. Because, f*ck Cyclops." Poor Scott, lol.

genbo: Yes, she is, and I'm glad you liked it! Thanks!

0001234: Holy shit indeed! Yeah, Rogue nearly lost herself last chapter, but she certainly kicked ass! I'm happy you liked it! And oh, Charles. He didn't want to listen to anyone, did he?

Mezita: It's all good! Yeah, no one likes tension between family and close friends. I said a while ago that Rogue actually didn't take Phoenix's powers, because I decided that Phoenix was powerful enough to prevent it, but if she did, it probably would've influenced her anger. I never read the comics, nor watched much of the 90s X-Men cartoon, but from what I gather, the Phoenix Saga just doesn't translate well onto the big screen.

Hope10: I'm so glad my Rogue scenes last chapter were so well-received! Honestly though, if it was this easy to write a bad ass fight scene with her, then surely it could've happened in the original movies. But anyway, this won't be the last time Rogue kicks ass in this story, I promise! :D

Guest: Well, she doesn't blame herself for his death, but she is still pretty sad about it. After all, the last time she spoke to him, she was yelling and sneering at him.

Thewriternextdoor: Oh, she planned on it, but someone beat her to it. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men.

Charles Xavier's wheelchair was placed in his office at the mansion, where it would likely never be moved from again. Scott, Rogue, and Ororo arranged a memorial service for the professor, where they had a small monument built with his portrait above his name, and the words 'Father', 'Teacher', and 'Leader' engraved beneath.

Ororo, Scott, and Rogue gave their speech together, all three of them fighting back tears.

"We live in an age of darkness," Ororo began, "a world full of fear, hate and intolerance. But in every age, there are those who fight against it."

"Charles Xavier was born into a world divided," Scott continued, holding Rogue's bare hand tightly, "a world he tried to heal – a mission he never saw accomplished. It seems the destiny of great men to see their goals unfulfilled."

Logan stood a few feet away from the crowd, listening to the speech.

"Charles was more than a leader, more than a teacher – he was a friend," Rogue concluded, clutching a white rose in her other hand. What she wouldn't give for a chance to apologize to him... "When we were afraid, he gave us strength. And when we were alone, he gave us a family. He may be gone, but his teachings live on through us, his students. Wherever we may go, we must carry on his vision. And that's a vision of a world united."

With a sigh, Logan turned and left. Everyone stood in unison, and Rogue stepped forward to place the rose on the monument.

Later that evening, Kitty cried on her bed. She heard knocking on her door.

"Kitty?" It was Bobby.

Wiping her eyes, she sat up to see him entering her room. "Bobby?"

He walked towards her and sat on her bed. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she said unconvincingly. Then she said, "Ah, it's just... Xavier came to my house. He was the one that convinced me to come here."

He smiled a little. "Yeah, me too. We're all feelin' the same way, you know?"

She sighed. "I – I just miss home. The first snow and all of that."

Hearing the word 'snow' gave him an idea. Looking at her dresser, he saw a pair of ice skates on the floor beside it.

"Kitty, get up," he said, standing up. "Come with me."

"Storm told us to stay in our rooms," she reminded him.

He shrugged. "Don't worry. We won't get caught. I mean, you can walk through walls, you know." They shared a giggle. "Come on."

Holding her skates, he led her to a large fountain.

"This place can be home, too," he told her. He touched the water with his finger, and it instantly froze into their own temporary ice pond.

Kitty fastened her skates as Bobby added ice blades to the bottom of his shoes. Then they skated. They had fun, holding hands and laughing, and doing spins. Kitty spun hard and almost lost her balance, but Bobby was quick to catch her. They giggled, looking into each other's eyes.

"Thank you for this, Bobby," she said sincerely. Whatever she was feeling moments ago, it was replaced by genuine happiness, thanks to him.

Then before either of them knew it, they were kissing. It was brief and chaste, but sweet. They pulled apart, giggling some more as their faces turned pink. They went back to skating for a while before going back inside.

Rogue, having went to Kitty's room to check on her, saw this from the window.

"Good for you, guys," she said, smiling for her friends.

She was glad Bobby managed to move on from his feelings for her. She had been waiting for one of them to make a move, having to endure them sneaking glances at each other and moments like in their last Danger Room session for years. She even saw them holding hands at Xavier's memorial service.

Which got her thinking about Scott.

Scott looked up, hearing knocking on his door.

"It's me," he heard his girlfriend say.

"Come in," he said.

She entered their room and shut the door behind her. She sat with him on his bed. He looked like he'd been crying again.

"Sorry I was out," she apologized. "I wanted to check on Kitty, but Bobby beat me to it. They finally made their moves, and it reminded me that I wanted to be close to you."

"Bobby and Kitty?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow.

She nodded. "They've been dancing around their feelings for a while now. You've never noticed because..." She trailed off.

"Right," he mumbled.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly.

"No, it's okay," he assured her. "I just... I can't believe they're gone. Jean's turned against us, and the professor..."

"It wasn't Jean," Rogue reminded him. "It was Phoenix." Then she began to tear up. "I just wish I had a chance to apologize to Charles." Logan had told her that the professor had silently forgiven them both, but she still wanted to talk to him one last time, to truly apologize to him.

He pulled her in for a hug. "Hey, from what Logan said, he'd already forgiven you."

She cried for a bit into his shirt. "I almost killed someone, Scott. I let my anger towards Charles get the best of me, and if it weren't for you..."

"It's not your fault, angel," Scott assured her, pulling back to look at her. "We all make mistakes. The best thing we can do is learn from them."

She nodded slowly, looking intently at his shades, where she knew his bright blue eyes were hiding behind, and were looking into her eyes.

"Scott," she said softly. "I need you. And you need me, too." She stroked his hair. "We need this tonight."

She didn't need to spell it out for him, with or without telepathy. They were craving each other's closeness, touch, and love. She needed her savior, and he needed his angel.

"I love you so much, Marie," Scott whispered, resting his forehead against hers. He truly did, and he didn't know where he'd be without her.

"I love you, too."

They kissed, holding onto each other almost desperately, as if the other would disappear if they let go. Rogue used Jean's telekinesis to lock the door, ensuring their uninterrupted privacy.

Logan was standing a few feet away from the door to Scott and Rogue's room. His heightened senses alerted him of their growing lust amidst their passion, but he knew better than to interfere. They needed each other tonight. They were doing nothing wrong.

But it made him miss Jean even more. Fighting back tears of his own, he went to his room.

The passing of Charles Xavier broke many hearts, but it had also brought people together tonight.

And there's Chapter Six! Yep, after being interrupted two chapters ago, Rogue and Scott can finally spend the night together uninterrupted. Aww. Scott being Rogue's savior is a reference to him saving her in the first movie, in case you were wondering. And oh, Scott. You don't want to know where you'd be if Rogue wasn't here...

And yes, Bobby and Kitty's kiss was from the extended version of the ice skating scene. Personally, I think that they should've left the kiss in, because it would've drove Rogue further into wanting the cure. The reason it was cut was because the crew thought it looked creepy, because to them, Shawn Ashmore (Bobby) looked too old for Ellen Page (Kitty).