My Heart in Your Hands
by Princess of Monkeys
Chapter 25
Damn... I'm at 25 chapters already? I actually didn't plan on this being such an epic, and it shows no signs of wrapping up any time soon. This can be either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you want to take it..... But I prefer to think of it as a good thing- of course, it is my story, so I am quite biased. Hooray reviews.. Yay DaughterofDeath and Carapheonix- glad you're liking it. Remy's Lonely Goth Chere- (like the name, by the way!) I'm trying to write fast, really I am! Ish- happy birthday! Yay, you're a Scorpio- best sign of 'em all (I should know, I am one!) Rogue Fan- I was trying to do some comic relief with the Scott rescue scene.... Glad it went over well!
I'm trying to move the story along some, so this chapter takes place on the following Friday after the last chapter. (i.e. this chapter takes place about a week after Blind Alley.)
Rogue dragged herself out of bed on Friday morning, glad this horrible week was finally over. Between Evan's decision to leave and go live in the sewers with the Morlocks, and Kurt's disastrous dinner with Amanda's family, a heavy pall had hung over the Institute all week. It was strange tot have Evan gone- no more rap music blasting in the middle of the night, no more skateboard marks on the banisters, and now there wasn't anyone hogging the milk in the mornings- but still, his presence left a hole. She remembered how when their English teacher had asked about his continued absence, and they had lied and said he'd gone back home, the woman had commented under her breath "Good, one less freak in my classroom. Too bad the others won't leave too." And since it was all over the news that Powr8 was dangerous for mutants, the football team had taken to the halls carrying bottles of it, trying to corner the mutant students and force them to drink it.
Kurt had been in bad shape too. Amanda's parents had almost been willing to accept Kurt into their home, and to try and be open minded about his relationship with their daughter- until Toad had broken in and revealed Kurt's true appearance by stealing his inducer. Even though Amanda had assured him that she didn't care about her parent's decrees, he was so unsure of himself around her now that it was causing incredible tension in their relationship. They all felt really bad for him, but nobody knew what to do about it.
And to top it all off, her powers were starting to go haywire. After her racquetball game with Scott last night, her head had started hurting so bad that she'd thrown the racquet across the room. It had embedded itself into the wall, and horrified, Rogue had run from the room, escaping back to her bedroom and dosing herself with more painkillers. She'd been taking so many lately that she felt groggy and unfocused most of the time, but she didn't know what else to do. Having her own room was probably about the best thing she could say had happened all week- the construction company had finished early, and the Professor had allowed them to pick out their new rooms and move into them on Wednesday night. Smiling, she remembered the mad rush to the mall on Wednesday afternoon after the announcement- everyone needed new sheets, posters, music systems...
As Rogue moved around slowly, choosing clothes and trying to wake herself up, she looked around her own room, pleased. She'd painted the walls purple, and hung candle sconces all over the place, inspired by the décor at Lestat's. Posters for her favorite bands hung on the walls, and the black furniture she'd chosen gave the room a gothic feel that perfectly matched her attitude. Carrying her things, she stumbled down the hall to the girl's bathroom, finding an empty shower stall and stepping into it gratefully.
The shower woke her up some, and by the time she'd dressed, blew her hair dry, and applied her makeup, she felt almost human again. Back in her room, she was pulling schoolbooks out from under the bed and stuffing them into her backpack, when a heavy fist knocked on her door. She opened it to find Logan, standing there holding the shattered racquet in his hands, a question on his face. "You want to explain how this happened, Stripes? I found it in the wall."
"Uh, Ah have no idea Logan. Gotta run!" She dashed past him down the hall, and he stared after her, a strange expression on his face. _That girl has been acting mighty strange lately..._ The supply of painkillers was mysteriously vanishing at an alarming rate, and he'd found an empty bottle in the rec room trash can after Rogue had moved out of the room. She was still being evasive about where she'd been until 3:30 last weekend, and now the shattered, broken racquet he'd found in the wall. He'd been trying ot keep an eye on her, but she hadn't done anything suspicious. Even so, he was still worried.
Rogue rushed down to the kitchen, grabbing an apple and biting into it as she followed the others outside. Jean had gotten a new car as a gift from her parents, who were trying to make up for the huge fight they'd had at Christmas- it had just been delivered last night- and she was eager to show it off. Everyone had heard about Jean's visit home for the holidays- her parents and her normal sister Sarah had ganged up on her, telling her that she'd been living at that place for long enough, why wasn't she able to contain her powers and just come home and live a normal life? IT had gone on for the whole week, and Jean had come home early, spitting mad. She'd refused to take her parents phone calls for three months straight, and since she had turned eighteen already, there was nothing they could do. She had only just started speaking to them again, and they had sent her the SUV as a combination apology gift and early graduation present.
Rogue had almost begun to feel some sympathy for Jean- she knew what it was to be estranged from family, since she refused to have any contact with her guardian Irene. But when Jean had received the car, and immediately forgiven her family, all of Rogue's sympathy had evaporated. _She's just as shallow and superficial as I always thought she was._ Still, her low opinion of the red head didn't prevent her from accepting a ride to school.
She got into the back seat, sitting next to Kurt, and Kitty jumped in front, chattering on about carpooling to the concert they were all going to that night. Jean muttered something about how she was going with Scott, and Kurt and Kitty chorused "Ooh, Jean's going on a date!" Their continued teasing and discussion of dates for the concert was really starting to grate on Rogue's nerves, and she finally yelled "would ya'll jus' drop the date thing already? Yer drivin' me crazy back here!" Kitty and Kurt immediately quieted, Kurt shooting her a strange look, while Kitty merely looked calculating. Rogue still wasn't speaking to her, but she thought she had some idea of the other girl's problem.
The subject of dates just made Rogue uncomfortable. She seen neither hide nor hair of Remy all week, and it really irritated her to admit that not seeing him bothered her. _Here we are, he tells me this big dark secret, we talk for hours, and he almost kisses me- and then I don't even see him for a week? What kind of mind game is the crazy swamp rat playing with me?_ A part of her was afraid that Magneto had found out about their little meetings, and had done something to Remy, but most of her was leaning towards the idea that he was a player after all, and that he had just been trying to use her. _But why then why did he tell me that story? That's not something you just make up on the spot- that was real. And you don't go telling people big dark secrets out of your past if you're just going to use them and walk away..._ Overall, Rogue was back to being unsure about their relationship, and she didn't like that feeling.
Jean pulled into the student parking lot, and Rogue murmured a quiet "thanks for the ride" before rushing off to her locker. Even though she hadn't found a card or a rose all week, she still couldn't help but hope. Kitty watched her rushing off, wondering.
This time, Rogue wasn't to be disappointed. She opened her locker to find another rose atop her French book. She smiled quickly, but then remembered where she was, and pasted a neutral expression on her face. She slipped the rose into her bag along with her French book, and wandered off to class. Since he hadn't left her a note, she figured he'd be showing up at lunch, and she couldn't help but look forward to seeing him again. Of course, she fully intended on demanding an explanation for his week-long silence, but still....
As Kitty reached her locker, she was just in time to see Rogue go walking off down the hall, a lightness in her step and the beginnings of a smile on her face. She sighed- Rogue still wasn't speaking to her, and she was sick of it. Rogue was her closest friend, and she had so many things to tell her... She decided to go find Rogue at lunch and apologize to her. Even though Kitty didn't think she'd been completely wrong in what she'd said, she knew Rogue would never apologize for anything, and it would be up to her to save their friendship. Feeling better now that she had decided to solve the problem, she turned to go to her own first period class.
After he'd gotten into the school to leave his message for Rogue, he wondered what her response would be to his rose. He hoped she wasn't too mad. He had tried to sneak out to see her several times over the week, but since Magneto hadn't lined up any missions for him, and there was plenty of food at the base, he had no viable reasons to be going out. Every time he so much as looked at the door, Sabretooth would magically appear. Magneto had been closeted with that new mutant, Mastermind, ever since they had successfully completed the rewriting of Wanda's memories.
The whole thing had made him sick. To do that to your own child... For the first time, he could fully understand how people could judge him as evil because he worked for the man. Magneto was ruthless and ambitious and completely without conscience when it came to getting his way. But Remy didn't consider himself to be evil, and Wanda's brainwashing had finally been the proverbial straw. He had to get out- immediately. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like he was going to get that opportunity, since he'd been watched and unable to leave the base all week. But finally, his chance had come. St. John was busy drinking beer and watching surveillance tapes from the mansion that showed his crush training. He was muttering about "Pretty flames" and drooling into his beer. Piotr had locked himself into his room, and Sabretooth had been called into Magneto's office, along with Mastermind. He saw his escape opportunity and took it. Packing his few possessions into a duffel bag, not bothering to say goodbye, he left.
He had decided to contact Rogue first, before trying to go to Xavier directly, figuring that she could smooth the way for him. If one of his own team demonstrated confidence in him, then perhaps the man wouldn't just dismiss him on sight, or sic Wolverine on him. So he'd left the rose in her locker, figuring that he would talk to her during her lunch time, and maybe she could make a call to her Professor to set something up. After he left the school, he went to get breakfast, and then he went to buy a case of cards. He had a feeling Magneto would be less than pleased by his departure, and he wanted to be as prepared as he could be.
She suffered through a test in European History, exiting the room breathing a sigh of relief. _I should really get Kurt to help me- he should know this stuff easily, since he used to live there...._ She thought as she made her way to French. Second period was an easier period- they were watching 'Amelie' without the subtitles, and for some reason, in the last two weeks, her ability to understand French had mysteriously gotten better. This was the first movie they had watched in class that she'd been able to understand at all. She wondered where this mysterious ability had come from, but she wasn't going to knock it- not if it helped her bring up her failing grade!
They finished watching the movie during that period, and after the break, she met Kurt in the hall. He and Kitty were whispering about something when she arrived, so she attempted to make small talk with Amanda, without much success- Kurt's girlfriend seemed really distracted by something.
Her head started aching again halfway through English, and she tried to surreptitiously search through her backpack for painkillers, but she didn't have any. So she suffered through the rest of the class, and barely managed to make it through bio. When the bell rang, she raced down the hall to the second floor girls bathroom, intending to put cool water on her face- sometimes that helped.
She tried to push open the door, but instead, she overbalanced herself- and fell through the door. _Oh my god, how did I just do that, I'm not Kitty, I can't do that,_ her mind gibbered at her, and she straightened up to find herself staring at a purple haired girl calmly fixing her makeup in the bathroom mirror.
by Princess of Monkeys
Chapter 25
Damn... I'm at 25 chapters already? I actually didn't plan on this being such an epic, and it shows no signs of wrapping up any time soon. This can be either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you want to take it..... But I prefer to think of it as a good thing- of course, it is my story, so I am quite biased. Hooray reviews.. Yay DaughterofDeath and Carapheonix- glad you're liking it. Remy's Lonely Goth Chere- (like the name, by the way!) I'm trying to write fast, really I am! Ish- happy birthday! Yay, you're a Scorpio- best sign of 'em all (I should know, I am one!) Rogue Fan- I was trying to do some comic relief with the Scott rescue scene.... Glad it went over well!
I'm trying to move the story along some, so this chapter takes place on the following Friday after the last chapter. (i.e. this chapter takes place about a week after Blind Alley.)
Rogue dragged herself out of bed on Friday morning, glad this horrible week was finally over. Between Evan's decision to leave and go live in the sewers with the Morlocks, and Kurt's disastrous dinner with Amanda's family, a heavy pall had hung over the Institute all week. It was strange tot have Evan gone- no more rap music blasting in the middle of the night, no more skateboard marks on the banisters, and now there wasn't anyone hogging the milk in the mornings- but still, his presence left a hole. She remembered how when their English teacher had asked about his continued absence, and they had lied and said he'd gone back home, the woman had commented under her breath "Good, one less freak in my classroom. Too bad the others won't leave too." And since it was all over the news that Powr8 was dangerous for mutants, the football team had taken to the halls carrying bottles of it, trying to corner the mutant students and force them to drink it.
Kurt had been in bad shape too. Amanda's parents had almost been willing to accept Kurt into their home, and to try and be open minded about his relationship with their daughter- until Toad had broken in and revealed Kurt's true appearance by stealing his inducer. Even though Amanda had assured him that she didn't care about her parent's decrees, he was so unsure of himself around her now that it was causing incredible tension in their relationship. They all felt really bad for him, but nobody knew what to do about it.
And to top it all off, her powers were starting to go haywire. After her racquetball game with Scott last night, her head had started hurting so bad that she'd thrown the racquet across the room. It had embedded itself into the wall, and horrified, Rogue had run from the room, escaping back to her bedroom and dosing herself with more painkillers. She'd been taking so many lately that she felt groggy and unfocused most of the time, but she didn't know what else to do. Having her own room was probably about the best thing she could say had happened all week- the construction company had finished early, and the Professor had allowed them to pick out their new rooms and move into them on Wednesday night. Smiling, she remembered the mad rush to the mall on Wednesday afternoon after the announcement- everyone needed new sheets, posters, music systems...
As Rogue moved around slowly, choosing clothes and trying to wake herself up, she looked around her own room, pleased. She'd painted the walls purple, and hung candle sconces all over the place, inspired by the décor at Lestat's. Posters for her favorite bands hung on the walls, and the black furniture she'd chosen gave the room a gothic feel that perfectly matched her attitude. Carrying her things, she stumbled down the hall to the girl's bathroom, finding an empty shower stall and stepping into it gratefully.
The shower woke her up some, and by the time she'd dressed, blew her hair dry, and applied her makeup, she felt almost human again. Back in her room, she was pulling schoolbooks out from under the bed and stuffing them into her backpack, when a heavy fist knocked on her door. She opened it to find Logan, standing there holding the shattered racquet in his hands, a question on his face. "You want to explain how this happened, Stripes? I found it in the wall."
"Uh, Ah have no idea Logan. Gotta run!" She dashed past him down the hall, and he stared after her, a strange expression on his face. _That girl has been acting mighty strange lately..._ The supply of painkillers was mysteriously vanishing at an alarming rate, and he'd found an empty bottle in the rec room trash can after Rogue had moved out of the room. She was still being evasive about where she'd been until 3:30 last weekend, and now the shattered, broken racquet he'd found in the wall. He'd been trying ot keep an eye on her, but she hadn't done anything suspicious. Even so, he was still worried.
Rogue rushed down to the kitchen, grabbing an apple and biting into it as she followed the others outside. Jean had gotten a new car as a gift from her parents, who were trying to make up for the huge fight they'd had at Christmas- it had just been delivered last night- and she was eager to show it off. Everyone had heard about Jean's visit home for the holidays- her parents and her normal sister Sarah had ganged up on her, telling her that she'd been living at that place for long enough, why wasn't she able to contain her powers and just come home and live a normal life? IT had gone on for the whole week, and Jean had come home early, spitting mad. She'd refused to take her parents phone calls for three months straight, and since she had turned eighteen already, there was nothing they could do. She had only just started speaking to them again, and they had sent her the SUV as a combination apology gift and early graduation present.
Rogue had almost begun to feel some sympathy for Jean- she knew what it was to be estranged from family, since she refused to have any contact with her guardian Irene. But when Jean had received the car, and immediately forgiven her family, all of Rogue's sympathy had evaporated. _She's just as shallow and superficial as I always thought she was._ Still, her low opinion of the red head didn't prevent her from accepting a ride to school.
She got into the back seat, sitting next to Kurt, and Kitty jumped in front, chattering on about carpooling to the concert they were all going to that night. Jean muttered something about how she was going with Scott, and Kurt and Kitty chorused "Ooh, Jean's going on a date!" Their continued teasing and discussion of dates for the concert was really starting to grate on Rogue's nerves, and she finally yelled "would ya'll jus' drop the date thing already? Yer drivin' me crazy back here!" Kitty and Kurt immediately quieted, Kurt shooting her a strange look, while Kitty merely looked calculating. Rogue still wasn't speaking to her, but she thought she had some idea of the other girl's problem.
The subject of dates just made Rogue uncomfortable. She seen neither hide nor hair of Remy all week, and it really irritated her to admit that not seeing him bothered her. _Here we are, he tells me this big dark secret, we talk for hours, and he almost kisses me- and then I don't even see him for a week? What kind of mind game is the crazy swamp rat playing with me?_ A part of her was afraid that Magneto had found out about their little meetings, and had done something to Remy, but most of her was leaning towards the idea that he was a player after all, and that he had just been trying to use her. _But why then why did he tell me that story? That's not something you just make up on the spot- that was real. And you don't go telling people big dark secrets out of your past if you're just going to use them and walk away..._ Overall, Rogue was back to being unsure about their relationship, and she didn't like that feeling.
Jean pulled into the student parking lot, and Rogue murmured a quiet "thanks for the ride" before rushing off to her locker. Even though she hadn't found a card or a rose all week, she still couldn't help but hope. Kitty watched her rushing off, wondering.
This time, Rogue wasn't to be disappointed. She opened her locker to find another rose atop her French book. She smiled quickly, but then remembered where she was, and pasted a neutral expression on her face. She slipped the rose into her bag along with her French book, and wandered off to class. Since he hadn't left her a note, she figured he'd be showing up at lunch, and she couldn't help but look forward to seeing him again. Of course, she fully intended on demanding an explanation for his week-long silence, but still....
As Kitty reached her locker, she was just in time to see Rogue go walking off down the hall, a lightness in her step and the beginnings of a smile on her face. She sighed- Rogue still wasn't speaking to her, and she was sick of it. Rogue was her closest friend, and she had so many things to tell her... She decided to go find Rogue at lunch and apologize to her. Even though Kitty didn't think she'd been completely wrong in what she'd said, she knew Rogue would never apologize for anything, and it would be up to her to save their friendship. Feeling better now that she had decided to solve the problem, she turned to go to her own first period class.
After he'd gotten into the school to leave his message for Rogue, he wondered what her response would be to his rose. He hoped she wasn't too mad. He had tried to sneak out to see her several times over the week, but since Magneto hadn't lined up any missions for him, and there was plenty of food at the base, he had no viable reasons to be going out. Every time he so much as looked at the door, Sabretooth would magically appear. Magneto had been closeted with that new mutant, Mastermind, ever since they had successfully completed the rewriting of Wanda's memories.
The whole thing had made him sick. To do that to your own child... For the first time, he could fully understand how people could judge him as evil because he worked for the man. Magneto was ruthless and ambitious and completely without conscience when it came to getting his way. But Remy didn't consider himself to be evil, and Wanda's brainwashing had finally been the proverbial straw. He had to get out- immediately. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like he was going to get that opportunity, since he'd been watched and unable to leave the base all week. But finally, his chance had come. St. John was busy drinking beer and watching surveillance tapes from the mansion that showed his crush training. He was muttering about "Pretty flames" and drooling into his beer. Piotr had locked himself into his room, and Sabretooth had been called into Magneto's office, along with Mastermind. He saw his escape opportunity and took it. Packing his few possessions into a duffel bag, not bothering to say goodbye, he left.
He had decided to contact Rogue first, before trying to go to Xavier directly, figuring that she could smooth the way for him. If one of his own team demonstrated confidence in him, then perhaps the man wouldn't just dismiss him on sight, or sic Wolverine on him. So he'd left the rose in her locker, figuring that he would talk to her during her lunch time, and maybe she could make a call to her Professor to set something up. After he left the school, he went to get breakfast, and then he went to buy a case of cards. He had a feeling Magneto would be less than pleased by his departure, and he wanted to be as prepared as he could be.
She suffered through a test in European History, exiting the room breathing a sigh of relief. _I should really get Kurt to help me- he should know this stuff easily, since he used to live there...._ She thought as she made her way to French. Second period was an easier period- they were watching 'Amelie' without the subtitles, and for some reason, in the last two weeks, her ability to understand French had mysteriously gotten better. This was the first movie they had watched in class that she'd been able to understand at all. She wondered where this mysterious ability had come from, but she wasn't going to knock it- not if it helped her bring up her failing grade!
They finished watching the movie during that period, and after the break, she met Kurt in the hall. He and Kitty were whispering about something when she arrived, so she attempted to make small talk with Amanda, without much success- Kurt's girlfriend seemed really distracted by something.
Her head started aching again halfway through English, and she tried to surreptitiously search through her backpack for painkillers, but she didn't have any. So she suffered through the rest of the class, and barely managed to make it through bio. When the bell rang, she raced down the hall to the second floor girls bathroom, intending to put cool water on her face- sometimes that helped.
She tried to push open the door, but instead, she overbalanced herself- and fell through the door. _Oh my god, how did I just do that, I'm not Kitty, I can't do that,_ her mind gibbered at her, and she straightened up to find herself staring at a purple haired girl calmly fixing her makeup in the bathroom mirror.