Title: Not Like It Should Be
Author: Natalia Melissa Vronsky
Email: blackqueenphoenix@yahoo.com or sputiehead@aol.com
Web-page: www.geocities.com/blackqueenphoenix
Part: two of ?
Category: Rogue/Gambit (kitty, jubilee, john, bobby)-Ariana POV
Rating: R for language... and violence/references to violence.
Summary: We get to know Ariana... and she get's to know The X-Men... or what's left of them.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters... Marvel Character Inc. does... 20th Century Fox does. I have NO money. I don't even have a job. I live offa my parents for Pete's sake! So don't sue me.
*Ariana Jenkins* is mine... there will be more further along in the story who are mine. Please don't use them without asking. I promise... if you ask... I'll say yes.
Author's Notes: No real clear answers yet on what happened to lead up to this... but soon, I promise. But so far it is clear Apocalypse has caused mass death and destruction.
Thanks: to Cassie and Daisy for being the worlds bestest beta's. :)
Dedicated: To all those lost on Sept. 11, 2001... and all those effected in any way shape or form by what happened...
Archive: Feel free to archive anywhere... I don't care so long as it's not at some "worst fan-fiction ever" page... also... just let me know, 'kay?
Feedback: PLEASE! I don't care if'n you flame me... just respond... it's nice to know what others think of my work. PLEASE!

"My life was so simple... quite really.

I lived normal life, going to school, hanging out with friends... then one day... everything changed.

Cities destroyed.

People killed.

My parents died. Leaving me an orphan... to fend for myself.

I did a decent job of it... but things have been getting worse.

Food is scarce.

I haven't eaten in days.

I hope these 'X-Men' have food where ever they're taking us.

None of them talk.

Using signals and gestures.

The other people talk, however.

I hear one old man utter, 'I can't believe I'm following these goddamned muties.'

Pig.

They may make it possible for him to live longer than he might out here and he's ungrateful.

The woman in front stops and looks back.

The Asian girl moves to the front. Finally speaking. "Everyone, this way."

She heads down a tunnel, everyone following.

The girl with brown and white hair stays at the entrance, looking down... not making eye contact with any of us.

I wonder why.

She looks so young.

Once at the mouth of the tunnel, I look back to see the woman go into the man's embrace.

They stay like that for a moment... then walk in.

I run ahead... hoping they didn't catch me watching them.

After a few more minutes of walking, there is an open area... lit and everything.

There are what seems to be hundreds of people laying on the floor... either dead, injured or asleep... I imagine.

I don't really want to find out.

All of the people from out group scatter in the tunnels.

I follow the two girls... wanting to help... some way... any way.

'Yes?' The brunette asks wearily when she noticed I was following them.

'I wanted to know if there's anything I can do to help?' I ask.

The Asian girl smiles at me. 'Yeah. You can come help me.'

'Great.' I follow her quietly as she gets a couple of buckets of water from a small table.

'We'll go make the rounds... see who's thirsty... later we'll see what food's been dug up... then we pass that around.'

'All right.' I take two buckets myself.

I see others doing the same.

Only two other men in the room are wearing the leather outfits.

'I'm Ariana.' I tell her.

She seemed kind of reluctant to tell me her name.

'I'm Jubilee.'

'Is it true... are you one of the X-Men?' She laughs... and I see bitterness in her young, pretty face.

'Who told you that?'

'A lady... on the way down here.'

'Our teachers... before they died... before they were killed... were The X-Men. We,' She motioned to herself and the other five. 'Were stand-by's... and students at Xavier's school.'

'Oh.' I said... not sure of how to respond.

'That's ShadowCat..." She pointed to the girl with brown hair. "Those two are Ice-Man and Pyro.'

'And them?' I asked, handing a ladle to an old woman who drank greedily.

'Gambit and Rogue... they're our leaders.' She said with pride in her voice.

The two, Gambit and Rogue sat close together... looking over maps.

'Are they... involved?'

A flicker of sadness crossed her face. 'They're married. The first of the attacks started when they were on their honeymoon. That's what saved them from being killed with the others.'

I remember hearing that the first target had been Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters... home of the X-Men.

Of course, it wasn't public knowledge then as it is now.

'And you four?'

'We were in Florida... it was, after all spring break.' She laughed again. 'We had been grounded... but we left anyway.'"

~ Ariana Jenkins ~