Recap: Jean has been trying for most of the day to find the Professor but has had no luck. Emma insults her calling her weak and takes over. Jean exits Cerebro and bumps into Logan who's telling people to start heading downstairs to the ground floors as it's getting later. Jean goes to the kitchen to get some food when she finds Rogue in the kitchen. Jean asks what's wrong with Rogue. Rogue admits that she's talked to Kurt like the other X-Men wanted and informs Jean that he'll tell all tomorrow when he wakes up again. Jean feels awkward with how Rogue puts it. Jean apologies for how she acted in the van and admits to Rogue that she's been getting annoied and jealous of Emma as she found Emma and Scott together in the forest. Rogue now feels awkward asking why Jean's suddenly opening up to her. Jean doesn't know but asks Rogue if she really thinks she's a bitch. Rogue tells Jean what she really feels about her, saying she's not a bitch, but she's a teachers pet and had it easy, but now the Professor's gone and she's got competition she's finally understanding how hard life is for the rest. Jean apologies for being a teachers pet saying she never knew. Rogue forgives her. From then they get friendly and jokey towards each other with Rogue explaining why she was attracted to Scott and that she's confused about Joseph and Gambit. When Jean insists that Rogue and Joseph had a thing before Gambit Rogue admits she doesn't want anything because she cant control her powers and she doesn't want to get around her powers, but learn how to control them so she can get married and have kids. Jean tries to say Rogue's evolving to cheer her up in the hopes that she may learn to touch. Rogue admits she doesn't know what's going on with her powers. at the end of their conversation Jean says that it doesn't matter about her powers anyway because she has two guys after her. Joseph then chosen to walk into the kitchen. he had been looking for Rogue. Jean leaves them alone. Joseph makes small talk stating that Rogue and Jean didn't get on last time. Rogue explains how Jean apologied while washing the bowl she had been eating ice cream from. As she's talking Joseph comes up behind her and puts his hands on her waist, slipping his hands under her top and touching her bare skin. Shocked Rogue turns around, not knowing what to say or do, then Joseph kisses Rogue and she kisses him back, caught up in the moment. Rogue pushes Joseph away after she gets her head back and tells him to stay away from her. Joseph explains about the magnetic barrier he's created to making touching Rogue work, but rogue still pushes him away. Confused, angry and jealous Joseph starts saying horrible things about Gambit and how Gambit dosen't care for Rogue and had left. Rogue walks out of the room hurt and unset and determined to prove Gambit hadn't left. while she's walking the walls a voice in her head tells her that she was in delinal of her feelings for Joseph. Rogue rejects the voice and finds Logan. she asks where Gambit is as Logan's been with him all day on security, but Logan says he doesn't know. Rogue asks Logan to look for Gambit, but he says no and orders her downstairs. Rogue goes upset and Joseph follows. She hopes to find Gambit downstairs.
Chapter 16
Rogue tried her best to stay awake as she kept waiting and wanting to hear the sound of a door opening. She kept wanting to think that any moment Gambit would walk through those doors and she would ponce on him, yelling at him for disasapearing and yelling at Joseph for doubting him. A thought had crossed Rogue's mind, which made it even harder for her to sleep. Rogue had thought about if she ended up dreaming of Gambit being attacked by the vampires. It was a horrible thought and one some of the others picked up on. Rogue's eyes shifted to Kitty who was still out cold from her attack. There were bite marks on her neck, a few bruses and a lack of blood, but apparently to Hank, nothing inside her was changing. She was still alive and wasn't a vampire. Although he did need to clean hers and Pete's blood to be sure there was no vampire venom. Besides from that they were going to be fine. Hopefully wake up tomorrow. Rogues eyes moved to were she could see the guys at the other far side of the room. Her brother Kurt was asleep there. At least she knew everything was going to be alright with him, and he was going to help make it seem like she was less crazy tomorrow. Logan was sat up awake, looking after everyone. He looked towards Rogue, eyeing her. Rogue looked away from Logan, feeling heavy with hurt as those eyes seemed cautious of her. It just showed how little trust Logan had in her. Rogue turned around in her sleeping bag to end up facing Jean. Rogue really couldn't believe how much they'd turned into friends now since the whole outing up top. Jean had been the first person Rogue had talked to about what Joseph had revealed in the kitchen, only she left the kissing part out. Jean had been shocked as rogue basically told her that Joseph had told her that he liked her, and didn't understand why she didn't like him and that he was jealous of Gambit. Jean had been understanding and strangely comforting. Although, she'd had to turn into a bit of a mama taking care of the younger kids and making sure they were alright, so rogue guessed she just got the baby care treatment everyone else (except Emma) was getting from Jean. Jean had set rogues mind to rest when rogue had wanted to go out looking for Gambit, and had convinced her to stay and try and sleep, that he'll be back later. They had slept side by side and now rogue was facing a sleeping Jean.
Slowly, Rogue started drifting off. It was late after all and she was tired. but alas, there was no rest for Rogue as she came to standing in front of the cloud.
Rogue had thought hard and deeply about what to do and had come up with an idea. Her emotions were high in fear, worry, panic, anger, confusion and every other seemingly dark emotion that just seemed to bury her, and give the cloud power. The cloud scared her as she could see and feel it's power, but she really wanted to check in on the Professor. So Rogue thought hard about the Professor and even called out his name as she began walking into the cloud, her hand shaking with unsureness as she reached out for it. Only, she was stopped from entering as purple sparkes from the cloud shock out at her and sent her flying backwards into the deep dark depths of her mind. Rogue was spinning and drowning into nothingness in her sleep. seeing nothing. smelling nothing. Tasting nothing. Feeling nothing. Hearing nothing.
Until a fibrating phone rang out into the darkness. The X-Men stired as they heard Storm answer her phone.
"Hello... Yes, what in heavens is the matter child... Oh, stay hidden, were on our way."At hearing storm go from sleepiness, to full conscious panic, the other members of the X-Men rose up awake from their sleep and paid attention to the weather witch as she addressed the team. "The Morlocks are in trouble. We need to act fast and get there faster. Logan, Scott, Emma, Jean, Evan, Kurt, Rogue and Joseph, come with me. The rest of you are under Hanks care and supervision. Keep them safe Hank and under ground. Let's go!" Storm commanded and was shortly followed by the team.
They quickly changed into their alfits and hurried into the X-Van with Logan driving. "What's going on Ro?"
"That was a little girl on the phone, crying. The Morlocks have been attacked."
"What?" Evan gasped, shock and anger coursing through him as he punched the van pull. "ARUGH, I never should have left." His eyes darted to Rogue. "Did you know about this?"
"What? No! No ah didn't!"
"But you could see all the other vampire attacks! What, your new vampy powers failing you? You can't see my people getting attacked-"
"Enough Evan!" Called Storm from the front of the van. "I don't think whoever has attacked the Morlocks are these vampires. Look out the window, it is already dawn and I could still hear screams in the background. And the little girls discription of lasers, bombs and guns attacking the Morlocks doesn't seem to link with the vampires. I think someone else, like this friends of humanity group, have attacked them Evan."
Evan grinned his teeth and clutched his fists in the air. "Sorry." He gritted through teeth to Rogue.
"Speaking of the HOF, how we gonna get past those members." The van stopped as Logan said this. The people protesting against mutants were still outside the gate. Logan turned back to look at Kurt.
"Oh no." Kurt said, but let out a breath and teleported them over the wall. He rocked with dizzyness in his seat next to Rogue, but later as they drove into town, Kurt sat up as if he'd just woken up. "Hey, I don't feel as tired as I did last time."
"Must be your powers improving from using em." Rogue said, offering him a smile. From the corner of her eye, as she placed a gloved hand on Kurt's shoulder and said this, she saw Joseph, who was behind her, studying her carefully. She tried to ignore his intense gaze. It just made her feel small and bad.
"Hey, where's Gambit anyway?" Evan asked. Rogue doubted that anything worse could have been said.
Jean looked back, eyeing Rogue as she spoke. "He's most likely still back at the mansion."
"Don't count on it Red. I smelt the place before we left. That Cajuns scents long gone."
Jean glared at the back of Logan's head, but Rogue didn't really see this. Instead she just kept her head down. Three long fingers came over her gloved fist and Rogue smiled back at her brother.
When they got to the entrance of the tunnels, Joseph quickly pulled Rogue aside so that they would be the last ones to go down the ladder into the tunnels. He pulled her to the side so only they could hear each other. Rogue protested a little, but didn't want to make a scene so not as much. "Joseph, what-"
"Please, just hear me out. I'm sorry about the other night Rogue. I'm not sure what came over me. I-I guess it was just the excitement. Just the joy of figuring out I can touch you... You might think that you are tortured by your powers, and it's yours and alone your burden to bear. Your wrong Rogue... It hurt me knowing that no matter how close I thought we were getting there was always something between us... Skin. Arguements. Him... I'm sorry that I'm jealous Rogue. I really am. I know I was harsh and horrible last night even though I was right, but I was angry. Angry that I felt as if all the barriers between us had finally been knocked down, and then he comes along and... I felt -feel- like I was losing you... I don't want to lose you Rogue. all I want you to know is that whatever you decided... I always want to be there by your side. In you life... I care a lot about you Rogue... You gave me purpose, hope and a home when I felt like a hollow tool and homeless... I owe you the life that I have now Rogue. I know it may seem that I'm idolising you because you brought me to the X-Men and gave and a home... But it's so much more than that... You have been my closest, dearest and only friend... And I love you... I don't want to lose you Rogue... So if stepping down and stepping away is what I have to do, then I'll do it even if my heart breaks and tells me every day I want more..."
Joseph stepped away from Rogue, letting go of her arm, but Rogue's bottom lip had dropped. She couldn't believe it. This was... This was so... Strange for Rogue. So unexpected. So confusing. So hurting and heart wrenching. She wanted to be flattered by the love, but she didn't know if she wanted it or not. She felt like a right mean girl messing him about like this. She had been clear that she didn't want anything like that, but still. from the way he was talking and all the feelings and voices in her head, she felt horrible that she'd hurt Joseph so bad. She could see the white pain in his eyes and knew he was trying to keep the tears back.
"I can't live without you Rogue... Please. Don't push me away. I'll do anything to keep you in my life and keep you safe. Just please... Trust me and give me a chance."
How could she say no to him? "J-Joseph, ah... Ah'm Sorrah. Ah... Ah neva meant ta hurt ya or drive ya away or anythin... But, ah just don't... Ah mean ah do. Ah care bout ya a lot but ah don't..."
"You don't think you love me..."Pain stung his eyes as he searched in Rogue's. Then he shuck his head, no." I don't believe you don't love me Rogue. I know you struggle to understand what love is because of all the betrayal you've gone throw by people you have cared about, but I'm nothing like them. Or at least I'm trying not to be... Rogue you make me want to do the right thing. I think about you all the time. I right thinking of my life before, and my life with you now... I can't imagine a better another life without you Rogue. That's why I'm asking. Even if you can't see it now or don't want to understand your feelings for me now, then I'll wait. I'll try and wait and distance myself... But Rogue all I ask is that you don't push me away. Please."
Rogues bottom lip was shaking. Her mind bottling with confusion. She couldn't think of anything to say. no she didn't love him and no in time she wouldn't discover she loved him. No, they were lies. She didn't know what she felt about Joseph. He...was right. Maybe. Maybe it wasn't love she felt for him. Or maybe it was love, but not the kind he thought. Questions with no answers rattled around Rogue's brain and she was thankful for Scott calling out to them to follow them down.
"Alright porkypine, lead the way." Logan said and Evan started towards the hide out. But as they turned a corner, there was one float of an object which made them all stop and some gasp. Logan and even were by the mans side the moment they saw him. Evan turned him round, identifying him, and Logan checked for a plus.
"Ray Burns?"
"He's dead." Logan said gruffly.
Evan looked up to Logan, his nerves and fear rising. "What, but... But..."
Storm was at his side, holding or trying to hold him. But evan simply pushed her off him and run deeper into the tunnels. The others ran after him, trying to keep up. they came to find other dead bodies, shattered around the tunnels to the hide out, but it was the inside of the Morlocks hid out that scared everyone.
"Oh my God." Jean said.
"Fuck." Logan swore, then began growling.
"No." Evan said falling to his knees. "They're dead... They're all dead... Noooo." Evan hit the ground hard in frustration. It was a massacre death, with blood painting the walls, and bodies pooling the floor. The lights flickered, struggling to be in existence.
"No Evan. They may not be. Not all of them." Storm said beside him.
"Everyone, pair up and search the tunnels. Jean, Emma, stay here and try to sense any survivers, the rest of you, search the tunnels. Becareful. The murders may still be in the tunnels."
Slowly the group split up. Joseph looked at Rogue worried about how she was coping with this. Rogue was disgusted and paler than usual, but having nightmares about the holocaust and weapon X had toughened Rogue up and made it so these bodies weren't the first dead bodies shed seen. But they were the first she'd seen in person. It made her sick to think of the people- no, the killers who could do this to people. It made her think of how lucky she was to have had those dreams about Storm, Kitty and Pete, but made her worry about the Professor and Magneto. Oh God, the Professor. if he dies... Rogue was pale and shaking a little, but her brother Kurt had been sick.
She moved to tend to him, and she parted with him. Scott and Jean had held each other and Jean was a little sick although she swallowed it. Emma just looked on quite like Rogue. Shocked. Logan was already moving throw the bodies. Evan was crying his failure at being there for them. Storm was comforting him with sadness and sorrow of her own, and Joseph was glaring as well as looking just as shocked and upset. He couldn't help but hate whoever did this. He hated that Rogue had seen this and now he couldn't stop her from ever unseeing hated that it was her friends of kinds that had suffered and that she would be in mourning. But most of all he was annoyed and angry that he may have had something to do with this. Soon, Scott left Jean and he and Joseph paired up to search the rest of the tunnels in silence.
Kurt was slowly making his way throw the tunnels. Still in shock. They didn't talk about it. Rogue just told him where she was or where she was going so he felt more safe. They needed to move more quickly and search more areas, but Kurt wasn't helping the search much. Rogue didn't blame him for being in shock, but how she was coping was searching hard and far for others.
So Rogue had walked down a tunnel away from Kurt to come out into another tunnel. She looked the other tunnel up and down, seeing nothing or no body. She was about to turn back down the tunnel and return to Kurt, but something caught her attention. Rogue jumped down and walked over to the ladders. Rogue reached down into the inch of water and pulled out the card she saw. It was a half shingled king of hearts. Rogue heart buckled. She looked up the ladder, seeing a little trail of blood going up.
"Kurt." Rogue called to him. Rogue started climbing up the ladder, but not even half way up, Kurt was besides her pulling her down and scanning her over. "Rogue, are you alright? Are you hurt? Vhats vrong? Vhat happen?" Kurt was really jumpy and on edge. What had happened to those other people had freaked him out, but if anything happened to rogue, he didn't know what he'd do.
"Ah'm finah Kurt, ah just think that there might be someone up here. Just letting ya know." After Rogue pushed his hands off her, Rogue climbed the ladder, coming out into a street allie way.
Rogue didn't realise how late it was. The sun was up high in the sky. It must have been afternoon by now. They had been down in the sewers searching all day for survivers. The realisation hit Rogue hard. If they had been searching all this time and still not found one, how likely was it they'd find someone alive.
Kurt climbed up the ladder after Rogue. They began walking down the allie way, stopping when they heard a hiccup of a sob. Rogue moved forward first with Kurt close behind her. They rounded an allie way into an even smaller allie with bins in it. Rogue moved in further and began looking inside and behind the bins. Then she noticed movement in the corner of her eye. Rogue reached out her hand and pulled the dirty white sheet away from the girls body. Rogue's eyes widened as she saw a shaking little girl no older than six, crying quietly and shaking in the corner. She was terrified.
"Don't hurt me... Please." She whispered.
Rogue bent down onto her knees, moving the bin and whatever was proventing her from the little girl. "Ah'm not gonna hurt ya. Ahm here ta help ya. dont worry. Everything's gonna be alright now. Ah'm gonna help ya. The X-Men are gonna help ya. Are you hurt? are you ok?" The girl didn't answer, just shuck. "Are you a Morlock...? I know Evan."
The girl looked up to Rogue at the meant ion of Evans name. "Y-you k-know e-Evan?"
"Yes, ah do. He's down in the tunnels with some others who are tryin ta help. Were all here ta help. Were gonna protect you now. Your safe now. We've got ya." Rogue reached out her gloved hand towards the girl. She was shaking still and she thought she would duck out of her touch. Rogue kept her hand out close to the girl, but not touching her. She thought she'd let the girl come to her instead so she could trust Rogue without it being forced. But what Rogue didn't expect was for the pink haired girl to jump at her and hug her middle tight. So tight it was hard to breath at first. The child held on to Rogue for dear life. Rogue turned back to look up at Kurt as she stroked the girls hair as she sobbed into her chest. " Kurt, go back down and get storm and Evan, or someone." Kurt who had come up behind Rogue, seeing the little girl, nodded his head then disappeared.
Rogue turned back to the girl. "Sugar, was anyone else with you? Did you see anyone else?" The girl didn't answer just sobbed. "Did you see anyone with black and red eyes...?" The girl breath caught in her throat. " He's tall and thin and goes by the name of Gambit"
The little pink haired girl looked up to Rogue. "H-he sabed m-me. H-he asked m-me not to say a-anything a-about him. H-he saved m-me."
Rogue let go of a breath of half relief. "Where did he go? Did he go back into the tunnels? Did he run away?"
"H-He made a a call. H-he called p-people. P-people to help. T-then h-he said he was gonna w-watch out for m-me from the r-roof t-tops. I-I saw h-him a few times. L-looking down at me. T-there was n-nothing h-he could do to s-stop the o-others dieing. T-they were all d-dead."
Rogue held the girl closer and tighter, and eyed the sky. Tears were forming in her own eyes. She could only imagine how horrible it had been for the girl at her age to see all that she had saw. Even she, Rogue, and a few of the other adult mutants were completely sickened by what they had saw, found. The poor girl had been a part of that. It sickened Rogue. It was just sick. How could anyone do THAT to mutants? To people? To normal, scared, vunerable people? Why would they kill them?
'Because they are afraid. Mutants are different. Mutants are the future.' Said the voice from the cloud.
Rogue shuck it off and tried thinking of something else. Gambit. Where was Gambit now? Why had he ran off? "Did he say anything else?" Rogue asked. She knew Gambit had told the girl not to mention him, but why? Why not? He'd been a hero and saved the poor girl hadn't he? She said he got her out. Rogue believed that. Why hadn't he got in contact with the X-Men sooner or... Or came to them during the night. He'll what was he doing out and at the scene of the crime anyway? Rogue couldn't help but feel she was missing something. The girl shuck her head. "H-he didn't want me t-to tell y-you bout him."
Rogue nodded her head, and thought she had no other chose, but to trust his wishes. She didn't, after all, want to give Gambit an unneeded bad name or surspision. Besides, next time she saw him, she'd grad him into a smaller room and question him about it. But the thing was she didn't know where or when the next time she saw him would be. People were getting hurt. People were getting killed. This was worse than having to deal with Apocolypse. This couldn't go on. She couldn't risk any more people hurt. There was only one idea in mind and she hoped it worked.
"Ok, ok sugar. Well keep this 'tween us then, yeah. Don't tell anyone you saw him or you know him alright? You just got up and ran and hid, ok sugar. Your a good girl. A good girl. Your safe now. Your safe."
Just then, Kurt POOFED into the Allie. Soon Logan and Storm and the others, emerged from the tunnels and came to find the child tightly wrapped into Rogue. It took Evan and Storm to finally calm her down and let go of rogue, but it was hard as the girl was hanging onto rogue for dear life. Soon though, they pulled the girl away and made her tell her story.
She had been playing with the other children Morlocks like any other day, when all of a sudden the alarms go off and they are moved into a room for safe keeping. Sarah, whom name was the little pink haired girls, told the X-Men how she watched and saw from a hole in the wooden door they were hiding behind the other Morlocks be killed by these big horrible group of mutants. This confused and startled a lot of the X-Men. They had questioned the little girl, asking if they were vampires, but Sarah had told them that they were all different and nothing like the vampires discription. It scared all the X-Men of this new threat. More and more enimes and threats kept popping up, but not enough answers or solutions as to stop or prepare for them. The girl told the story of how the children were found and how she cried in the corner of the room. How she thought she was a goner. The girl looked at Rogue as she told the rest of her story of how she thought back a little, but was already hurt and weak and so slipped past the mutant killers, down the sewers and up the ladder, out of the sewers. Rogue could tell from the part where Sarah discribes her escape that it had really been Gambit who had found Sarah in the corner, weak and bleeding and had got them out of the tunnels by fighting. Rogue closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing. Gambit was hurt. He was hurting and he had saved a girl from death. He had thought against these mutant killers and gotten hurt by trying to save them. Rogue felt herself question if he was still...
She couldn't bare it any more. She was upset, but couldn't be around the X-Men. She began walking away from the X van where Kurt and the others were checking Sarah over for medical attention. No one seemed to focus on Rogue as she slipped away. She was glad. She needed time to think and cry. She felt the sobs now as she turned down an allie way corner just to be out of sight and ear shot, but still able to hear and do something if something happened or she was needed. Rogue began sobbing as quietly as she could into her hand. The fear of Gambit being amount one of those dead bodies terrified her. What if he really had died trying to save Sarah. What if the last thing she'd said to him was "Ah'll tell ya later?" Why did she have to tell him later? Why couldn't she have just spilled her guts out right there in the forest? She hated herself for not telling Gambit how she truly felt about him. She knew it was probably a bad idea, what with him being a gorgous flirtatious Cajun who liked, no loved sex and was always on the go and then she was just some cooped up little insecure Goth girl who could touch, or express much emotion to anyone because it hurt her to think she could never have something more with a person. They were at total lose. Total opposites. But somehow, she'd fallen for the raggin' Cajun. maybe she was like all the other girls who he bedded and she'd just finally fallen for his charm, but still. She wished, even if he didn't return the feelings that she'd told him how confused, yet certain of her feelings she'd felt about him.
Rogue thoughts moved off Gambit the moment Joseph turned the corner. He looked down at Rogue, sadness and upset in his own very pale eyes. He slowly took a step closer to her. She didn't move away. She still hid behind her gloved hand as a sob hiccuped in her throat. Her eyes were still red and wet from her crying. Unsure and not really thinking clearly, Rogue didn't retaliate when Joseph wrapped his arms around rogue and brought her into a hug. She didn't want him to see her crying, but at the same time, she would much rather it be him than anyone else. It was true that before Gambit had come back, Joseph had been her closest friend. The person she would open up to and be all close to. All those months of close friendship and now she felt bad. Horrible that she feared Gambit might be dead, but bad that she had pushed Joseph away as soon as another guy showed up in her life. Was she really that cruel? She didn't mean to be. And Joseph was being so kind and so good to her. He'd admitted he was wrong in being pushy and that he had strong feelings for her. She should have been grateful to have such a good friend like Joseph willing to do and give up anything just to make sure she was happy. And he was putting her before himself he was hugging her and rocking her in his arms, trying to make sure she was alright.
He was right, a little part in Rogue came to realise. He was right. She did feel something for him, even if just a little bit. She wasn't completely sure what that something was, but she did feel it just like he felt something for her. But now was too soon to suddenly come out with it. She'd possibly just lost someone she really cared for and she couldn't just say these things to Joseph just because he was good at comforting her. Good at knowing where and how to stroke her to calm her down And how to make her feel safe enough to cry. No. She couldn't crush his heart any more then she already had. But she didn't want to push him away. That would just crush him more. So she let him hold her and comfort her. It was so nice to be in his embrace. So strong and secure. He had a real tight hold on her. Really tight.
Rogue looked up to him to see that he himself had tears and hatred in his eyes. He squeezed and held rogue close to him while his eyes racked the area on look out. Then Rogue understood. She understood Joseph's pain. Joseph's worry. She understood that he needed her in his arms to feel secure just as much as she needed to be held. He was upset about what had happened to the Morlocks and angry. He also wanted her to be safe. Didn't want her to suffer the same fate. Rogue let her head rest against Joseph's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his waist, trying to ignore his tight blood stopping grip.
After a while, they pulled away and started to head back to the van. Sarah was being picked up and sent back to the mansion by angel who would be able to get past the mob in front of the gate. He'd been told what had happened, was shocked by it and agreed to help. He took Sarah in his arms and flew off to the X mansion.
"Alright, that's one survivor found, let's see if we can push our luck and find another." Logan tried to almost encourage them.
"... Logan."
"What is it Red?"
"... W... What if we don't find any more survivers? What happens to the rest of their b...bodies?"
Logan frowned deeply. He hated that he even had to say this. He'd never in his life time if he could prevent it wanted the kids to see something so life changing as this. He let go of a stressful breath. "We're gonna have to start movin their bodies to one place and start pilin' em up."
"What?" Evan spat in outrage. "You wanna build a pit?"
"No, I want to round the bodies up, have each of em identified, then sent to be buried or cremated or which ever send off they woulda wanted... I'm sorry youve all had to go through and see something like this... The world can be a harsh cruel son of a bitch."
"Logan." Storm frowned.
"I'm just lettin' them know the truth Storm. Doubt a little swearing is gonna do much damage after today. But when you down there passing bodies and bringing them back to the Morlocks hide out just remember, this is what Xavier is fighting against. What were all fighting against. Fighting against people so things like this don't happen. Our reason for existence as X-Men is to prevent things like this from happening. To create a better world for humans and mutants alike. Well... We failed royally tonight. But were just gonna have to keep going and keep trying...Guess we should get started then if we wanna be back before nightfall. Alright back into your teams."
Rogue gave one last look around the X-Men. Scott had a comforting arm around Jean's shoulders as she leaned into his shoulder, her eyes watering. Emma stood beside Scott, but turned away from him, looking down to the floor, upset. Evan was sat down on the floor devistated and Storm was trying to comfort him. Then Rogue's eyes fell back to Joseph besides her. He was looking down at her, eyes still upset and caring. He turned more to face her and said two simple but meaningful words. "Be careful."
Rogue nodded her head. It felt slightly awkward being around Joseph after everything that had happened, but at the same time she did feel comforted and safe in his presence. Like she knew that Joseph would always chose to protect her no matter what. It was really comforting to have that sort of person around, but it still sort of hurt. She may have admitted to herself that a little part of her did care for Joseph in that way, but the rest of her didn't. It was hard to think that she still wanted to be friends with someone who wanted more. It was hard to know what to do and not hurt them. Rogue nodded, and accepted another hug from Joseph saying. "Ah will if you will."
Rogue turned and came back to Kurt's side. Kurt looked upset. She couldn't blame him for looking so depressed. Everyone was. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder and attempted to give him a smile even though it wasn't much of one. He tried to get a reassuring smile back before placing his hand over Rogue's and teleporting them back down into the tunnels.
Once they were alone together again Rogue decided to share her ideas with Kurt.
"Kurt, ah need ya ta do meh a favour."
Kurt looked at her puzzled. "Vhat?"
"Ah need ya ta teleport us back to the Brotherhood house."
"Vhat? Rogue, vhy? Vhat about the others?"
"Ah know ah know. It seems weird, but ah thi there's someone awaitin for us there. Someone who could give us some answers Bout everything that's goin' on. Maybe even information on where the Professor is."
"Vhat, vho? Vhy haven't you mentioned them till now? How do you know they'll be there? Vhy haven't you told the others? Vait, the Brotherhood... Is it Mystique?"
"No, it ain't. Ah only just thought of this person now and ah think, if ah'm right, that's where they'll be."
"Vait, how will they know to be there? How do you know they'll be there? Vho is it?"
"Ya about ta find out. Trust meh Kurt. Teleport us to the Brotherhood house, now."
Kurt stared a little longer at his sister, before he took her hand in his and teleported.