My Heart in Your Hands
by Princess of Monkeys
Chapter 28
When Rogue came to herself, she didn't know where she was. She found herself in an alleyway, clutching a trashcan for support, memories running through her head. "Control, control, Ah'm me, Ah'm me!" she cried to herself, desperately trying to maintain her control. All the memories in her head, all the spirits trapped inside her mind, were rising up in an unholy cacophony inside her, and it hurt so much....
A sudden sound of movement came from the mouth of the alley, startling her, and she looked up to find Mystique standing there watching her, almost sadly. "You!" Rogue screamed, and flew at the woman, throwing punches and kicks that somehow never landed. Mystique blocked all her moves, but wouldn't fight back.
"Why won' ya fight back?" Rogue screamed at her, and all Mystique said was "I don't want to hurt you, Rogue."
Rogue leaned back against the wall, giving up, too exhausted to fight with the shape shifter anymore. "Ah think it's a little too late for that!" She replied with venomous bitterness.
Mystique looked at her, and said slowly "I know I've hurt you, but I only posed as your friend so I could be near you."
"Liar!" Rogue spat, hatred in her eyes. "You only used me ta spy on the X- Men!"
Mystique shook her head. "No Rogue, it's not that simple. You touched me- if you have my memories, then you know what our relationship really is."
"Ah don' know anythin'." Rogue crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for whatever new lie the woman could come up with. She knew she should run away, but she had to stay, had to find out the truth, the reason behind the deception.
"Admit the truth, Rogue. I adopted you when you were four. Search your memories! You are my daughter." As she spoke, she slowly transformed herself into the smiling, blonde woman of Rogue's earliest childhood memories. The woman Irene always told her to be nice to, the woman who always brought her toys and candy as a little girl on her rare, infrequent visits. Rogue's mother.
"Oh mah gawd," Rogue said weakly, recognizing the truth. "But why?" She whispered softly, desperate for a reason.
"I just wanted to be close to you, to be there for you as I never was when you were growing up. I just wanted to keep you from making the same mistakes I did," Mystique said soothingly, and Rogue was so desperate for something, anything, for anyone to help her, that she would have even accepted help from this woman, a mortal enemy who was the closest of relations. But then came the sour note.
"And I got back just in time, too. You do need looking after- I said you could do better than Scott, but one of the Acolytes is hardly better, Rogue. You could do so much better than Magneto's trash."
Rogue turned on her. "Yer nothin' but Magneto's trash, too!" She could feel the spirits inside her rising with her anger, taking over, taking control, and she let them, giving way again, becoming someone else and running. Moments later, she realized that she had Kitty's face and form, and she had just run through a wall. Looking around, she found herself in a warehouse full of electronics supplies, and she staggered, leaning against a wall of giant t.v. boxes. A spasm of pain dropped her to the floor, and she curled up in the fetal position, whimpering.
Her head was pounding, skull threatening to split any moment, and suddenly she wanted them all gone, all out. All the memories, all the thoughts and hopes and dreams of a million and one people who were making her brain their home- she wanted them gone. But she didn't know how to fight them back. Something else briefly managed to take control again, going on a rampage amongst the boxes of electronics, before Rogue could regain herself, and she could hear voices and the sounds of sirens from outside the warehouse.
Outside the electronics warehouse, Jean had picked up some kind of psychic signal, and they established a base of operations outside the warehouse, waiting for the others to arrive.
The van pulled up, and the Professor wheeled out, followed by Wolverine and Storm. "Professor, I've picked up a signal- I think we've got Sabretooth in there."
The sounds of more destruction came from inside the building, and before anyone could tell him not to, Cyclops had fired off an optic blast. A sound somewhere between a tortured scream and a roar came from inside the building.
The Professor concentrated for a moment, and came out of it looking confused. "I've got only one presence inside the building, but that presence is full of different mutant signatures. Jean, where is Rogue?"
Jean shook her head. "I don't know- after Sabretooth appeared, and Juggernaut, we couldn't find her anywhere. We just thought she was trying to protect her friend- you know, Risty."
As Cyclops fired off another optic blast, Wolverine caught a familiar scent on the air. "Don't fire- that's not Sabretooth, it's Rogue!" He called out, but it was too late.
"What?" Cyclops asked, turning towards Wolverine. "How can it be Rogue? We saw Sabretooth, he was attacking the stage!"
The Professor answered for him. "We think Rogue's powers have gone haywire, and she is unable to control the memories of the psyches inside her. Do not attack her- I can help her, but we do not have a lot of time."
Cyclops nodded, and he called out "Rogue, please, come out! Let your friends help you!" Kitty and Kurt joined their voices to hers, but they heard nothing. Then, Rogue's hoarse shout of "Ah ain' got no friends!"
Inside the warehouse, Rogue was curled against the wall, hiding behind a bank of shelves. Cyclops' optic blasts had caught her, and she was cradling her ribs, gritting her teeth in agony. When she heard his voice, she wanted to believe him, but he'd already fired at her..... More memories flashed through her mind- how they'd used her as an enemy during practice sims, before she'd joined the team; Kitty and Kurt being so quick to judge her; Risty's betrayal.... "Ah ain' got no friends!" She'd yelled back, and then collapsed into a fit of coughing as her injured ribs poked against her lungs.
A voice spoke up from the shadows. "y' always got Remy, chere."
She turned in shock, ignoring the pain from her ribs, and drew herself up into a fighting stance. "Ah know it's you, Mystique, an' Ah ain' gonna believe any of yoah lies."
Remy stepped forward out of the shadows, gently holding her up as she began to fall. "Do Ah have t' kiss y' again t' make y' believe it really be me?" He asked, and she sagged against him in relief, knowing it really was him. She hadn't told Risty- Mystique- whoever she was- about the kiss.
Remy supported her weight, holding her in his arms as she leaned against him, whispering "shh, shh, it be okay petite, everythin' gonna be okay now, Remy be here, ain' nobody gonna hurt y' no mo'."
Outside, Jean and Cyclops were having a hurried consultation. "Look, I've got to try! I know we don't really get a long, but she helped me- I at least owe it to her to try!"
"Jean, I don't want you trying to go into her mind! It'll just make her more upset with us, less likely to trust us!"
Jean shook her head. "I'm just going to try to calm her down, try to soothe her, so she'll be willing to come out. I have to try!"
Hands to her head, she sought out Rogue's mind, trying to project soothing thoughts. Suddenly, Rogue's voice screamed "Get outta mah head!" and Jean was flung back against the van with a wave of telekinetic power.
Remy held her as she suddenly stiffened, and then screamed at the people outside to stay out of her mind. She fell back against him, muttering weakly "oh gawd Rem, make it stop- make 'em stop!"
"Shh, chere, it gon' be okay, Remy gon' make it better. Remy make 'em help y'." Still supporting her, he helped her walk to the door, pushing it open for her. "Quit attackin' her, y' jus' makin' it worse!" He shouted at the X- Men ranged around outside the door, staring at him and Rogue in open shock.
An unfamiliar, Cajun accented voice shouted at the team as the warehouse door opened, and a trench coat clad figure with demon eyes came out, supporting Rogue as she tried to walk towards them. He was immediately recognizable as one of Magneto's team, and Cyclops' first reaction to the sight of the Acolyte with Rogue was to attack, and he could hear the 'snikt' sound of Wolverine unsheathing his claws behind him. The Acolyte put up a hand, the one that wasn't supporting Rogue, and said "Remy jus' be tryin' t' help her."
Desperately, hoping his gamble would work to end the stalemate so Rogue's friends would help her, he dropped his mental shields and projected a thought to the man in the wheelchair as strongly as he could. *Worry about me later, just help her!* Rogue's Professor gave him an almost imperceptible nod, and then said out loud "do not attack him."
Wolverine and the others stared at the bald man in surprise, but Rogue's cry turned all attention back on her. "Pofessor, it hurts, make it stop!"
She almost fell to her knees, and the Professor immediately went into his trance state, trying to gain access to her mind. Meanwhile, Logan's dislike of the Acolyte's presence was momentarily forgotten as he tried to talk Rogue through the pain.
"C'mon Stripes, you can do this, don't give in to it! You're lettin' em push you around- the Rogue I know never lets anyone push her around! Fight it!"
Rogue focused on his words like a lifeline, trying desperately to focus, to clear her mind until there was just her. She tried to push through the pain, through the memories of betrayal and trust taken and abused, tried to focus on getting herself back. The effort was finally too much, and as her eyes rolled to the back of her head, she slumped forward, unconscious. Before Logan could catch her, the Acolyte had already scooped her up and was effortlessly cradling her in his arms.
Wordlessly, the teenagers got into the van, and Remy climbed in as well, still holding Rogue in his arms. The others let him have the back seat, whispering amongst themselves and giving him sidelong glances full of questions, but he had eyes only for Rogue, staring down at her intently to make sure she still lived and breathed. Nothing else mattered right now- he could deal with their questions and his own affiliations later. Right now, she was the most important thing in the world. He had never been more afraid for the welfare of another human being in his life, and the intensity of his fear was sobering and all-encompassing.
Before the Professor wheeled up the ramp, Scott placed a hand on his arm to stop him. "Professor, I'm not sure about letting him into the mansion- he's still the enemy, after all."
The Professor looked back at Remy and Rogue in the back, saw the fear in the young man's demon eyes and the way he held her, and said "I don't think he is our enemy anymore, Scott."
by Princess of Monkeys
Chapter 28
When Rogue came to herself, she didn't know where she was. She found herself in an alleyway, clutching a trashcan for support, memories running through her head. "Control, control, Ah'm me, Ah'm me!" she cried to herself, desperately trying to maintain her control. All the memories in her head, all the spirits trapped inside her mind, were rising up in an unholy cacophony inside her, and it hurt so much....
A sudden sound of movement came from the mouth of the alley, startling her, and she looked up to find Mystique standing there watching her, almost sadly. "You!" Rogue screamed, and flew at the woman, throwing punches and kicks that somehow never landed. Mystique blocked all her moves, but wouldn't fight back.
"Why won' ya fight back?" Rogue screamed at her, and all Mystique said was "I don't want to hurt you, Rogue."
Rogue leaned back against the wall, giving up, too exhausted to fight with the shape shifter anymore. "Ah think it's a little too late for that!" She replied with venomous bitterness.
Mystique looked at her, and said slowly "I know I've hurt you, but I only posed as your friend so I could be near you."
"Liar!" Rogue spat, hatred in her eyes. "You only used me ta spy on the X- Men!"
Mystique shook her head. "No Rogue, it's not that simple. You touched me- if you have my memories, then you know what our relationship really is."
"Ah don' know anythin'." Rogue crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for whatever new lie the woman could come up with. She knew she should run away, but she had to stay, had to find out the truth, the reason behind the deception.
"Admit the truth, Rogue. I adopted you when you were four. Search your memories! You are my daughter." As she spoke, she slowly transformed herself into the smiling, blonde woman of Rogue's earliest childhood memories. The woman Irene always told her to be nice to, the woman who always brought her toys and candy as a little girl on her rare, infrequent visits. Rogue's mother.
"Oh mah gawd," Rogue said weakly, recognizing the truth. "But why?" She whispered softly, desperate for a reason.
"I just wanted to be close to you, to be there for you as I never was when you were growing up. I just wanted to keep you from making the same mistakes I did," Mystique said soothingly, and Rogue was so desperate for something, anything, for anyone to help her, that she would have even accepted help from this woman, a mortal enemy who was the closest of relations. But then came the sour note.
"And I got back just in time, too. You do need looking after- I said you could do better than Scott, but one of the Acolytes is hardly better, Rogue. You could do so much better than Magneto's trash."
Rogue turned on her. "Yer nothin' but Magneto's trash, too!" She could feel the spirits inside her rising with her anger, taking over, taking control, and she let them, giving way again, becoming someone else and running. Moments later, she realized that she had Kitty's face and form, and she had just run through a wall. Looking around, she found herself in a warehouse full of electronics supplies, and she staggered, leaning against a wall of giant t.v. boxes. A spasm of pain dropped her to the floor, and she curled up in the fetal position, whimpering.
Her head was pounding, skull threatening to split any moment, and suddenly she wanted them all gone, all out. All the memories, all the thoughts and hopes and dreams of a million and one people who were making her brain their home- she wanted them gone. But she didn't know how to fight them back. Something else briefly managed to take control again, going on a rampage amongst the boxes of electronics, before Rogue could regain herself, and she could hear voices and the sounds of sirens from outside the warehouse.
Outside the electronics warehouse, Jean had picked up some kind of psychic signal, and they established a base of operations outside the warehouse, waiting for the others to arrive.
The van pulled up, and the Professor wheeled out, followed by Wolverine and Storm. "Professor, I've picked up a signal- I think we've got Sabretooth in there."
The sounds of more destruction came from inside the building, and before anyone could tell him not to, Cyclops had fired off an optic blast. A sound somewhere between a tortured scream and a roar came from inside the building.
The Professor concentrated for a moment, and came out of it looking confused. "I've got only one presence inside the building, but that presence is full of different mutant signatures. Jean, where is Rogue?"
Jean shook her head. "I don't know- after Sabretooth appeared, and Juggernaut, we couldn't find her anywhere. We just thought she was trying to protect her friend- you know, Risty."
As Cyclops fired off another optic blast, Wolverine caught a familiar scent on the air. "Don't fire- that's not Sabretooth, it's Rogue!" He called out, but it was too late.
"What?" Cyclops asked, turning towards Wolverine. "How can it be Rogue? We saw Sabretooth, he was attacking the stage!"
The Professor answered for him. "We think Rogue's powers have gone haywire, and she is unable to control the memories of the psyches inside her. Do not attack her- I can help her, but we do not have a lot of time."
Cyclops nodded, and he called out "Rogue, please, come out! Let your friends help you!" Kitty and Kurt joined their voices to hers, but they heard nothing. Then, Rogue's hoarse shout of "Ah ain' got no friends!"
Inside the warehouse, Rogue was curled against the wall, hiding behind a bank of shelves. Cyclops' optic blasts had caught her, and she was cradling her ribs, gritting her teeth in agony. When she heard his voice, she wanted to believe him, but he'd already fired at her..... More memories flashed through her mind- how they'd used her as an enemy during practice sims, before she'd joined the team; Kitty and Kurt being so quick to judge her; Risty's betrayal.... "Ah ain' got no friends!" She'd yelled back, and then collapsed into a fit of coughing as her injured ribs poked against her lungs.
A voice spoke up from the shadows. "y' always got Remy, chere."
She turned in shock, ignoring the pain from her ribs, and drew herself up into a fighting stance. "Ah know it's you, Mystique, an' Ah ain' gonna believe any of yoah lies."
Remy stepped forward out of the shadows, gently holding her up as she began to fall. "Do Ah have t' kiss y' again t' make y' believe it really be me?" He asked, and she sagged against him in relief, knowing it really was him. She hadn't told Risty- Mystique- whoever she was- about the kiss.
Remy supported her weight, holding her in his arms as she leaned against him, whispering "shh, shh, it be okay petite, everythin' gonna be okay now, Remy be here, ain' nobody gonna hurt y' no mo'."
Outside, Jean and Cyclops were having a hurried consultation. "Look, I've got to try! I know we don't really get a long, but she helped me- I at least owe it to her to try!"
"Jean, I don't want you trying to go into her mind! It'll just make her more upset with us, less likely to trust us!"
Jean shook her head. "I'm just going to try to calm her down, try to soothe her, so she'll be willing to come out. I have to try!"
Hands to her head, she sought out Rogue's mind, trying to project soothing thoughts. Suddenly, Rogue's voice screamed "Get outta mah head!" and Jean was flung back against the van with a wave of telekinetic power.
Remy held her as she suddenly stiffened, and then screamed at the people outside to stay out of her mind. She fell back against him, muttering weakly "oh gawd Rem, make it stop- make 'em stop!"
"Shh, chere, it gon' be okay, Remy gon' make it better. Remy make 'em help y'." Still supporting her, he helped her walk to the door, pushing it open for her. "Quit attackin' her, y' jus' makin' it worse!" He shouted at the X- Men ranged around outside the door, staring at him and Rogue in open shock.
An unfamiliar, Cajun accented voice shouted at the team as the warehouse door opened, and a trench coat clad figure with demon eyes came out, supporting Rogue as she tried to walk towards them. He was immediately recognizable as one of Magneto's team, and Cyclops' first reaction to the sight of the Acolyte with Rogue was to attack, and he could hear the 'snikt' sound of Wolverine unsheathing his claws behind him. The Acolyte put up a hand, the one that wasn't supporting Rogue, and said "Remy jus' be tryin' t' help her."
Desperately, hoping his gamble would work to end the stalemate so Rogue's friends would help her, he dropped his mental shields and projected a thought to the man in the wheelchair as strongly as he could. *Worry about me later, just help her!* Rogue's Professor gave him an almost imperceptible nod, and then said out loud "do not attack him."
Wolverine and the others stared at the bald man in surprise, but Rogue's cry turned all attention back on her. "Pofessor, it hurts, make it stop!"
She almost fell to her knees, and the Professor immediately went into his trance state, trying to gain access to her mind. Meanwhile, Logan's dislike of the Acolyte's presence was momentarily forgotten as he tried to talk Rogue through the pain.
"C'mon Stripes, you can do this, don't give in to it! You're lettin' em push you around- the Rogue I know never lets anyone push her around! Fight it!"
Rogue focused on his words like a lifeline, trying desperately to focus, to clear her mind until there was just her. She tried to push through the pain, through the memories of betrayal and trust taken and abused, tried to focus on getting herself back. The effort was finally too much, and as her eyes rolled to the back of her head, she slumped forward, unconscious. Before Logan could catch her, the Acolyte had already scooped her up and was effortlessly cradling her in his arms.
Wordlessly, the teenagers got into the van, and Remy climbed in as well, still holding Rogue in his arms. The others let him have the back seat, whispering amongst themselves and giving him sidelong glances full of questions, but he had eyes only for Rogue, staring down at her intently to make sure she still lived and breathed. Nothing else mattered right now- he could deal with their questions and his own affiliations later. Right now, she was the most important thing in the world. He had never been more afraid for the welfare of another human being in his life, and the intensity of his fear was sobering and all-encompassing.
Before the Professor wheeled up the ramp, Scott placed a hand on his arm to stop him. "Professor, I'm not sure about letting him into the mansion- he's still the enemy, after all."
The Professor looked back at Remy and Rogue in the back, saw the fear in the young man's demon eyes and the way he held her, and said "I don't think he is our enemy anymore, Scott."