This is it, y'all! The final chapter, and the longest. Jeez, 17 pages in Word. Dear heavens---Enjoy!
I don't own anything-no I own my car; yes I had to pay for that. But the x-men, no. Car, yes, X-men, no. Got it? Good? Also don't own Ann Rice books (there's a brief mention).
ENJOY IT OR ELSE! BLAHH!
Jean examined her fingers as she rode down the elevator to the lower levels. Even in the low gleam of the elevator lights they sparkled under their coat of 'sparkling lavender'. The tips of her nails were perfectly trimmed to two centimeters away from each fingertip. In short, the nails like the person they were attached to remained perfect in everyway.
Satisfied with her examination she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her weight on her left foot. As the metallic doors slide open she flipped her hair over one shoulder and proceeded to walk out of the confining space.
She was instantly greeted with two options: turn right and burn off some steam in the danger room, or turn left and visit the large medical wing.
Jean turned left and started to count the doors. The first three doors on either side belonged to the medical supply storages. The next seven were smaller examination rooms designed for smaller illnesses and minor aches not requiring immediate attention. The majority of the wing was divided into sections for the emergency centers. It was here that most of the x-men spent their time. Recovering from laser blasts, broken bones, electric shock…
The young telepath ignored most of these and set her eyes on the fourth door on her right. It contained the person she wanted at the moment.
The doors opened when she pushed the button and there she was.
Her eyes were closed and her head was still propped against the massive amounts of pillows behind her head. In the exact way she had left her.
Jean looked from side to side and found that neither Beast nor the filthy little runaway were in the room.
'Mr. McCoy must have finally moved him out of ICU. Dirty punk, all he had was a minor scratch.'
Using her mental powers Jean summoned a small stool to the side of Rogue's bed and sat down. She leaned her arms on the rails and glared at the unconscious girl. The closed eyes were moving rapidly beneath their pale lids. The eyelashes twitched from second to second erratically.
'Dreaming…'
"I hope it's a nightmare you're stuck in, Rogue." Jean spoke aloud to the living corpse, "That's all you've left me with here, you know. I used to be the only one Scott could turn to. I was the one everybody counted on. I was the perfect one!" she felt her jaw clenching and released it.
"The same thing happened back at my house, with my family, you know that? I never had any younger sisters or brothers. I was the only one my parents loved. Then it changed. They started fighting all of the time and then they got the divorce. They stopped showering me with attention and soon stopped seeing me at all. My father sent me here. You know the rest. First the others showed up, I could deal with them for the most part and then you showed up. You just had to be so different! No one paid attention to me anymore!" Jean punched at the rails and stood up.
"That's why I started dating Duncan, Rogue! It was unheard of in this house to get that close to a normal person! And suddenly you were forgotten. Scott wanted to be with me, not you. I was in the spot light once again.
"And as soon as I give you over to the Friends of Humanity, I'll make sure they leave everyone at the institute alone. Don't worry no one will miss you. I'll just tell them all you decided to run away. Nobody will care."
Jean smiled once again leaning over the rail and getting dangerously close to Rogue's face. She held her hand over the girl's face and spread her fingers wide. Jean waved her hand back and forth a few times and then spoke to the prone girl.
"Wake up, Rogue."
While one second she was completely still the next her body flinched and her eyes fluttered open.
Rogue instantly saw Jean and threw her a puzzled look. But it seemed she didn't care as much about seeing the girl as actually be able to feel. She felt the bed against her back, the sheets around her body and the painful needle in her arm. Rogue was free.
As soon as she asserted she was in the real world she glared up at Jean.
"What's going on?" she spoke in an angry but hoarse voice.
"You'll know soon enough." She mentally commanded a wheelchair over and then concentrated on Rogue's body. The small, weak girl thrashed in the air but soon found that Jean's telepathy was far too strong for someone in her condition to fight. And then she found she didn't have to fight. There was a scuffle and Rogue found her body dropping, and then slamming into the bed rail before she hit the ground with a painful thud.
Somehow she managed to look up to see Jean slumped half on half off the bed. She looked around and soon found her savior with the demon eyes glaring at the unconscious telepath.
He was instantly at her side gently pulling her to her feet. Remy finally saw the questions in her eyes and hesitated before pulling a deck of cards into his pocket.
"Listen, Chere, Remy gonna get you outta 'dis place. Red over 'dere is looney. You not safe here."
Out of the confusion of just waking up out of that void and then the sudden attack by Jean Rogue still managed to resist a bit and narrow her eyes at the handsome boy.
"Ya can't just expect me ta' leave mah' home!"
With speed even Wolverine couldn't match, he was pressed against her with a gloved hand running up her arm.
"I di'int save you just ta' have Chere thrown inta' more danger, heah?" He summoned his power of charm and let it seep through his skin, out of his eyes, out of every fiber of his being so that the unwilling girl would settle down and obey his requests. She soon started emitting the too familiar warmth, and her eyes drooped slightly. As she started to drop he pressed her body against his holding her limp form in the crook of his arm.
"Jus' let Remy do all de' work fo' Chere, oui?"
Rogue nodded slightly while Remy slowly pulled out the needle in her arm. He was fairly sure that he had done it incorrectly when a small trickle of blood began pouring from the spot, but ignored it and picked up the light body. Her glazed eyes told him she was off in la-la land, safe and sound.
He walked toward the door, checking all around for anyone coming, and slipped out the door. Remy looked back on Jean, collapsed on the bed and grinned.
"Good luck wit' de' plan, Rouge*."
And, as always with the thief, he was gone in the space of a breath.
*Rouge as in the French way to say "red" not a typo of Rogue's name.
"Come on, kid, sooner you tell me something, the sooner we can get you some medical attention for that eye. Look at you, you can't even open 'em."
Scott ignored the jabs, both physical and verbal, as he sat in the dark being assaulted by what appeared to be only one man. He had found his glasses gone as soon as he regained consciousness, and since had been forced to keep his eyes closed. He grit his teeth and struggled against the metal bands on his wrists. Blood was running down his hands, which at least allowed the shackles to slip a bit.
That's right, Scott, ignore the pain and use everything to your advantage, he kept telling himself. You've been through danger sessions worse than this, you must have. Don't say anything.
Suddenly he felt himself being lifted off the ground and his head slamming into the wall behind him. Scott could smell and feel his breath as he leaned into the teenager.
"I don't have time for this! Tell me something!"
Scott bit his lip, refusing to give the jerk anything.
A door opened and slammed then footsteps approached.
"David!!"
Scott could tell from the voice it was a woman, a young one at that, and prayed that she might be here to help.
So optimistic.
"Sandra, get out of here."
A gasp, "What are you doing to that kid??"
Great, sympathy! Maybe she could help him.
"Please-" Scott managed to spit out.
For his courage he was rewarded with another slap across the face.
"Shut up, you! Sandra, don't feel sorry for him, he's a mutie."
"Oh."
Well there went his hope.
"Where did you find him? Use the mutant radar?"
"No, I saw him beating up a kid."
"A kid that beat up my friend!" Scott found his anger growing and his self-control waning.
"Probably a freak like you."
"Rogue is not a…" Scott bit the inside of his cheek as he realized that he had let go of some very valuable information. He slammed his own head against the wall behind him. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid.'
"Rogue…" David turned his head towards the voice. It was the same guy that had been questioning him, but his voice was soft, almost kind when he said it.
"Isn't that the freak that the kid beat up?" there was a rustling of papers. "Yeah! It is." Scott heard the click-click of high heels as they approached him.
"You a friend of this 'Rogue', kid?" the woman's tone picked up the man's cold one, "You know we helped out the kid that did it."
"Stop it, Sandra." It was barely a whisper as Scott felt the hands leave his shirt. He let himself slid down the wall.
The voices now argued above him.
"It's true isn't it, David?"
Scott strained to hear as the voices got quieter.
"Sandy…I…"
"Well, God, David…just because you helped create the thing doesn't make you responsible for it."
'Create the thing? Were they talking about…?'
"Jeez, Sandy, it's not like you and your mother. You two were never close, right? My kid and me were. Her mother I'll never forgive, but she was my little girl!"
Sandra let out a sigh, "David, this "Rogue" isn't your daughter. She hasn't been your daughter for ten years." There was a sigh, "If we start to feel sorry for these…freaks, who knows what they could do to us?"
"We are not freaks!" Scott fought against opening his eyes to look at the woman.
Click-click and he felt hot breath on his face.
"If not why do you hide?"
Scott talked through the small gaps in his clenched teeth.
"Because…humans…" he tried to make it sound as venomous and horrible as possible, " are stupid enough to fear what they don't understand."
"You dirty little-."
A rustle of clothing.
"Sandra! Put it down!"
Another click, but not from high heels.
She aimed the gun at Scott's forehead, right between the eyes. But she wouldn't get the chance to fire it.
Because Scott decided that if he didn't open his eyes he would never live to regret it.
So he slowly opened them and Sandra never got the chance to blink before she was enveloped in a ray of burning light.
"Chere, you must walk fasta' den dat. Remy be tryin' to escape, non play hide an' seek."
Rogue's retort was cut down to a lethal glare to his backside. She wanted to be mad at him for managing to force her out of the house, but found that she couldn't. An insult would bubble its way up from her chest, only to die on the tip of her tongue when he would like back and check on her progress. Those two demonic eyes of his kept her in place without really trying to.
It annoyed Rogue that she couldn't be angry with the young man guiding her to safety. Sarcasm and insults were walls that she used to keep people away from her. If those failed then people could get close to her, and get hurt. Rogue really didn't want to hurt people, but she especially didn't want to end up sending this particular man into a coma.
She raised her gloved hand to her forehead to wipe off some sweat. Even though the night was fairly chilly her body was a furnace. The time she was trapped in Jean's little mind abyss left her weak and what little strength she had she was loosing with each step.
Rogue didn't even know she had stopped walking and was beginning to fall until she felt two, strong arms supporting her.
"Chere!"
"Don't touch me!" her war cry was cut down to a mild yelp.
"Merde, Chere. You wearin' gloves and Remy wearin' gloves. C'est bien, non?"
She pulled herself away and stood up. Rogue threw him an apologetic look and crossed her arms.
"Sorry. Force of habit."
Remy winked at her and started to walk forward. "Remy let it go. Only because chere is too pretty to be holdin' a grudge wit'."
Rogue smiled as she followed closely behind the Cajun charmer. A few minutes passed in silence before she became annoyed.
"Do ya even know where we're goin'?"
"Oui, Remy always know where he is. Remy leadin' Chere to a safe place where…"
"You are so lost, ain't ya'?"
Remy glared over his shoulder but kept walking.
"If chere doesn't like Remy's plan she can always be backtrackin' back to de' Institute, non?"
Rogue thought about the redheaded telepath lying unconscious on the bed and decided to quicken her pace to walk by the Cajun's side. Remy smiled smugly down on the girl and had to mentally slap himself from reaching over and laying his hand on the small of her back. Most girls would be gracious of his flirting, but he had a feeling that this particular young lady would make him regret it. Instead he reached into his pocket and pulled out his latest pack of cards from his pocket. They were a cheap pack but they had been the only ones available at the Institute so he had made due with stealing them until he could make it to a store with cards of his caliber to steal.
Remy looked around his surroundings as he shuffled the cards subconsciously with only his right hand. They were in the woods approximately a mile or two from the edge of town. On the ground was a carpet of dead leaves that was covered by layer of new frost. He watched as his breath came out in small clouds of vapors. Chere's was doing the same, but she was almost panting from the strenuous walking.
"Does chere want Remy to-."
"No."
"Remy only want-."
"No."
"Would Chere just-"
"No. No. No!" Rogue spun on her heels to face him. He was standing with crossed arms looking at her with an air of surprise.
"Listen here, I really appreciate you saving me…twice now, but I'm a big girl and I don't like it when people treat me like some doll. Got it?" She placed her hands on her hips and waited for a response.
She received one in the form of Remy wrapping his arms around her waist and pinning her to a nearby tree.
"Remy say you welcome, and he never thought of Chere as a doll." He smiled and continued walking.
Rogue coughed and composed herself before taking a few steps forward. She was forced to stop, however; when a bright beam of light flew into the sky from someplace close by.
"Chere! Get down!" Remy grabbed her hand and tackled her to the ground while covering her with his own body.
Rogue gazed up at the beam of light looking at the red flare for a while before something clicked in her mind.
"I know that beam! It's Scott!"
Remy looked at her and then the beam.
"Who?"
"It's Cyclops! One of the mutants at the institute." She pushed Remy off and jumped to her feet, "We hafta' help."
Remy stood up slowly, dusted off the leaves from his coat and jolted after her. It was easy to overcome her while she remained in her weak state.
"Does Chere not grasp 'de concept of runnin' away?"
Rogue glared at him, "I think Scott needs some help."
Remy rolled his red on black eyes and kept pace with her, "'Dey might be tryin' capture you, did ya 'dink of 'dat, chere?"
The girl shook her head as she kept her gaze focused on the spot in the sky where the light had come from. " I don't know how ta' explain it but I just got a feelin' that Scott needs help."
The Cajun's glare hardened. He was the first in line to admit he had a problem with jealousy and the fewer males mentioned in his presence the happier he was.
He would just have to show the young Chere how much better she was with him than the Cyclopes when he came to the young leader's rescue. The Cajun smirked thinking of having to throw the boy over his shoulder like a damsel in distress to save him. Remy picked up the pace a bit and within seconds it was Rogue trying to catch up with the Ragin' Cajun.
Hank McCoy sauntered down the hallway towards the med-lab. Using three of his appendages for walking and one for carrying a tray he approached the room that held the currently (to the best of his knowledge) comatose Rogue. On it was a dinner of steak, biscuits and gravy for the newest member of the X-men. To the side of the food was a brand new deck of cards.
He had enjoyed the demonstration of the young boys powers as both a mutant and a cunning slight of hand wizard. The Beast couldn't decide which skill he was more impressed with the movement of energy into any object or the way the boy had been able to beat him out of one hundred dollars within a minute.
As the doors swished open the last thing the Beast expected was the site lying before him.
Rogue was gone.
Remy LeBeau was gone.
Jean was lying on the bed, unconscious and sporting a few bruises.
The professor who had been sitting by the bed hovering a hand over her face opened his eyes and shook his head. Hank McCoy finally regained sense enough to shut his mouth and voice the hundred or so questions running through his advanced mind.
With his years of schooling and the constant trek for a higher education and intellect the words that spilled out of his mouth was a far cry from his usually Shakespearean prose.
"Whaaa?"
Charles Xavier smiled in the all-knowing way of his and rolled away from the bed.
"Precisely."
The Beast put the tray down on a nearby table and walked over to the sleeping telepath. With one large paw he scratched at the fine, blue furs of his chin and contemplated all that could have happened.
"I presume the young mister LeBeau is gone and has taken our injured Rogue with him."
"Yes, but I'm afraid that doesn't even cover half of what has been going on underneath our noses." The man shook his head, the weariness showing in the wrinkles around his eyes.
The Beast grabbed a stool and carefully lowered his massive form on the tiny chair.
"Please elaborate."
"Jean's mental shields have been lowered. Unfortunately when I went through her mind to try to find out what happened I found some rather disturbing information." He swallowed, trying to rid himself of the taste of bile that had found its way to his throat, "Apparently when she found out that it was Duncan Mathews responsible for Rogue's injuries Jean sent her into a…an…"
" A coma?" Hank offered.
"No…It was more or a state of brain dead. Jean is holding a lot of hostility against Rogue for some reason, but I was unable to find out why."
"I would never have seen Jean for the vindictive type."
The professor nodded rolling forward, facing away from his once prized student.
" There's still more." The Beast raised an eyebrow; " She also sold out Rogue's mutant identity to a rising group known as Friends of Humanity."
Hank stared at the professor.
"Tonight she planned to bring Rogue to them, in exchange they would leave Bayville. It appears that Mr. LeBeau interceded before Jean could get Rogue out."
The Beast ran his large paw through his blue mane.
"I…I don't know what to say…what are we going to do?"
"First, we must-."
"Professor!" He was interrupted as Kitty phased through the wall with Kurt on her heels, "Professor! On the- Hey, what's wrong with Jean?"
Xavier wheeled toward her, "Never mind that, what's the matter, Kitty?"
The Shadow Cat shook her head trying to get back on track.
"It's Scott. His car is still at the school and he hasn't come home yet!"
"Ja! And on ze news! Zere is a huge fire in the woods! Zey showed Scott's beam."
The professor needed no more. He raised his hands to his temples and began calling out to each person in the house.
Ororo was in the greenhouse watering a few of her plants before dinner. She was working on a few of her oldest roses when she heard it.
Evan was in mid-air completing a 180 turn as the call rang through his brain.
The new recruits were in the process of sneaking some pre-dinner snacks when the voice sounded through their heads. All fell flat on their faces, startled.
"X-men. Suit up and meet by the blackbird. Now."
Kurt and Kitty nodded. The Shadow Cat grabbed Kurt's fuzzy hand and the two disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Hank, give Jean a sedative and then lock this room up. When we have all the students back in this house then we will deal with her."
The Beast nodded.
The Professor threw one last disgusted look toward his once prized student and began wheeling himself to the Launch area to meet with his X-men.
The cold atmosphere of the night wasn't conducive to Scott's current situation. His shirt was ripped and exposed his cuts to the raw wind.
He held his injured shoulder as he limped through what he could only guess to be the woods. Every few feet he found himself tripping over what he assumed were roots and stones. Of course he could always open his eyes and find out where he was. And of course he would get caught.
Scott tripped on a rock and flew face first into a nearby tree. He swallowed a scream, remembering that he was supposed to be covert. Instead he bit his tongue and raised his hand to the injured side of his face. He brushed away the bits of bark from his face and hissed as his fingers grazed the bleeding scratches on his face.
"Why does everything happen to me?" he whispered to himself.
"Merde Chere, You even know where you goin'?"
Scott froze and threw himself on the ground. He used some breathing techniques Logan had taught him to drown out the noises of his body and focus on the noise around him.
There was some rustling of leaves and footsteps a few yards off to his right.
"Will you shut up, Swamp Rat? We must be getting' closa'."
""Swamp Rat"? Ah, mon petite, Remy is touched."
'Remy? The boy!' If he was in the woods then maybe that other southern accent belonged to…
"Rogue!" He whispered as loudly as he could.
The gothic mutant twirled in all directions searching for the source of the voice.
"Remy, did ya hear that?"
"Oui, get down, petite."
Scott decided to stand up and reveal himself. "Rogue!" he risked a louder call, "It's Scott!"
Rogue turned to her left and saw the young leader stand up. She gasped as she took in his injured form. The missing goggles also caught her attention.
Within seconds she had crossed over to him and enveloped him in one of her rare hugs. He was surprised to find himself being embraced by the young woman but easily reciprocated and wrapped his one good arm around her. The hug only lasted a few seconds before she broke away.
"We saw your beam in the sky. What happened?"
"Look, Rogue, we've got some bad people out here. Let's get back to the institute and I'll explain there."
A few feet away he heard a deep chuckle. Remy.
"What's so funny?" Scott demanded.
"Just dat Remy an petite here have just made a hasty retreat from de institute of yours."
"What?"
"We've got some explain' to do to, Scott. But we do have to get out of here." Rogue answered. Scott felt someone grab his arm, "Listen, I know you won't like it but let's just head over to the brotherhood an-."
"No."
"But-."
"No. Listen to me, Rogue." Scott blindly reached out and grabbed her shoulders, "We can go back to the institute. Whatever he" the leader of the X-men jabbed his head in the general direction of Remy, " told you is wrong. No matter what you do you always have a home with the X-men."
Scott heard a rustling of fabric and felt Rogue being pulled out of his grasp.
"Listen, ami, dat may sound all fine an' dandy in yo' happy land, but in dis situation fairy tales ain't gonna work. Comprenezvous? An' if you don' mind ol' Remy askin', why don' you open yo' eyes?"
"Because, Swamp Rat, if he does that beam we saw will shoot out and let everyone know where we are."
"Oui? 'Dat must suck."
"That's one way of putting it." Scott rolled his eyes underneath the closed lids, "Those people took my glasses before they started interrogating me."
"Glasses?"
"The Professah designed special glasses so he could see without hurtin' anything."
"You mean like" Remy fished in his pocket and held out an open palm to Rogue with a pair of sunglasses in it, "Dis?"
"Did you steal these from the mansion?"
"Old habits die hard, chere."
Scott heard a grunt of exasperation before he felt something being slipped over his face.
"Don't worry, Scott. The Swamp Rat just happened to steal a pair of yours."
He gently pushed Rogue out of his line of vision before he slowly opened his eyes. He assumed from the unharmed Remy directly in front of him that the glasses were indeed his. Rogue was smiling at his side as he turned to face her. He frowned taking in her shallow cheeks, bags under her eyes, and over all swaying form.
"Come on, Rogue. You've got to get back to the med-wing."
She raised an eyebrow, "After you." Rogue motioned for him to start walking and smiled at him.
From the corner of his eye he saw Remy snarl and turn away.
"Whateva'. Let's just get out of des' woods now."
Although he had been unconscious David knew he had been out for about half an hour. He tried pushing off the heavy bar from his chest but it was too much with one of his arms still pinned down below him.
He spat out some dust from his mouth and cleared away and debris from his eyes. Above him the moon was shining through a hole in the roof. A few feet from him he heard many voices calling out to him. Someone stepped on his stomach and he screamed out in pain.
"He's over here!"
David recognized the voice of Joe and tried to see him over the rubble around his body. The bar was lifted off his chest and the cold air rushed into his lungs in large gasps.
Joe's face loomed over him as he tried to sit up.
"Woah, there. Don't move until we can check you out first."
"The mutant?"
Joe shook his head, "He got away. But we have about fifty men searching for him. Don't worry, David, he's not getting away.
David nodded, "What about Sandy? She was in here too."
The other man bit his lip, trying to phrase an appropriate answer.
"David, we just pulled her from the rubble a few minutes ago. We used CPR. She's just barely staying with us."
The older man growled and pulled himself from debris, disregarding the pain in his side. Joe tried to get him to calm down but David
pushed him to the ground. He turned on his stunned comrade and ran over to where a group was standing around a still figure. The commander threw people aside and glared down in disbelief at his friend.
There was a piece of metal at her side, tinted with blood, and a huge red stain all over her abdomen Burn marks were all over her arms and face. The ends of her hair were burnt black.
Without thinking he reached out and grabbed the arm of a person passing by him.
"Call headquarters and tell them to send out their special units and-."
"We already have sir. They should be arriving within the hour. And they also said they'd be sending over Mr. Hutton."
"Great. Then maybe we can get some freaking control over these mutants!" He saw some of his comrades with their heads hanging down. Someone came forward and covered her broken form with a blanket to give her warmth. Another man came forward to pick up the girl and brought her inside.
Joe walked towards him. David finally made eye contact.
"I want that freak brought back here. Preferably alive to I can kill him myself."
"X-men. It's important that you all listen to me. Scott is in some trouble. We can only assume that he used his power to save himself. Rogue and the boy Remy have vanished. Logan, Kurt; you two go and find Rogue. Ororo, Hank take the rest of the team and find Scott. We might be dealing with an army of people who hate mutants. Also, you will need to attend to the small fire that is out in the woods." He nodded at his team and they spread out.
Logan grabbed Kurt's hand leaving the room through a cloud of smoke and haze of sulfur.
The Professor loaded the Blackbird with his team and they took off.
One figure remained, watching the sky as the plane took flight. She pulled back her red hair as the artificially created wind flung it in all directions.
"Scott?" she whispered to the empty hanger.
"Don't worry, Scott. I'm coming to help." She smiled and lifted herself into the air, trailing the Blackbird.
"Hey, Remy, you mind slowing down a bit. I don't think Rogue can keep this pace."
Scott pulled up on a barely conscious Rogue that was leaning on him for support. He patted her shoulder trying to keep her awake.
"S-S-Sorry, Sc-scott. It's just so cold."
Her lips were turning blue and there was hardly any heat radiating off of her.
"It's okay, Rogue. The institute is just about a mile down the road."
"I really wish we could go the sh-shorta way."
"I know, sorry about that. But whoever took me might be checking the main road." Scott looked ahead at the small street that ran through the woods. Street lamps were rare down the street, which was best for staying hidden, and they walked most of the way in darkness. Remy, however, kept feeling the need to take a card, light it, and through it to the ground and watch as it exploded.
Scott shook his head as Remy did it again, igniting a Queen of diamonds before tossing it to the gravel.
"Scott, it's too cold…" he felt Rogue slipping through his arms but before he could grab her Remy turned and caught her. Remy landed on his knees, supporting Rogue by her upper-arms. Their noses were within a few millimeters of touching.
The card-dealing mutant slowly rose, bringing Rogue up with him. He started wriggling out of his trench coat while supporting her with the crook of his arm.
"If chere was cold, she shoulda told Remy." He gave her a lopsided grin as he pulled her arms through the large sleeves. The coat was far too long and big for the small frame it was one but Rogue smiled all the same. It was warm, and the rich, musky scent on it comforted and strengthened her.
"Thanks, swamp rat."
"All right, red-eye, let's get going, non? Remy don wanna stay-." His own red eyes widened, "Get off de road!" Remy pulled Rogue into his arms and dragged her off the road into a ditch. Scott turned to see dark car without its lights on speeding down the street headed in their direction. He limped to the side and threw himself down.
He pressed his back to the dirt wall of the ditch and listened for the car to pass. It did after a minute, showering the three in fallen leaves and gravel. Remy held his arm over Rogue to protect her. His warm breath blew on her face. Rogue inhaled it, once again smelling the musk and spice. She looked up to find that his eyes were searching out her own.
Remy LeBeau found himself intrigued by the eyes that seemed to flicker between green and gray. A persistent strand of white hair kept falling in her face, which he subconsciously brushed away with his gloved hand.
Rogue couldn't seem to look away from his eyes, though her cheeks were burning for staring at him the way she was. But his eyes were just so unlike anything she had ever seen. They were the darkest black mixed with sanguineous pupils.
Their interlude was interrupted by a screech of tires and a loud thud.
Scott immediately took the leader role and motioned for the two to stay down. He slowly stood up and peeked over the edge of the road. A few hundred feet up the road the car was still. It was lying on its side, half in the ditch, and the other half sticking up in the air. There was no motion within the car: no one was trying to get out.
He remained still watching to make sure all remained motionless before he beckoned for Rogue and Remy to stand up.
"That car that passed us is lying in a ditch up ahead. I don't see anyone, but we can't go past it. We're going to have to head back and find another-."
"What are you talkin' about, Scott?"
Cyclopes turned to a clearly agitated Rogue.
"We can't risk sneaking past them so we-."
"I can't believe what your sayin'! We can't just leave 'em in there, we hafta help!" Rogue began to climb out of the ditch and head toward the car.
"Rogue, stop!" Scott hopped up and grabbed her arm, "They'll be fine, we'll call 911 when we get to the mansion."
Rogue ripped her arm away from him and almost fell over in the process. Remy managed to once again catch her in time and support her.
"We're X-men! We help people." She turned on heel and started walking towards the car.
Remy gave Scott a cocky grin and jerked a thumb in Rogue's direction.
"I like her."
He turned and caught up with Rogue and wrapped an arm around her shoulder for support.
Scott sighed, rubbed his temples and jogged to catch up with them.
They reached the still running car and looked inside the windows to see who was inside. On the driver's side, which was lying on the ground, was a young man. His head was lying on the broken glass of his window; his temple was bleeding and covered his face with blood. In the passengers seat was an elderly man with short white hair. His seatbelt was the only thing keeping him from falling onto the other person. And although he appeared uninjured he was still unconscious.
"All right" Rogue drawled approaching the car. A gust of wind blew her hair and coat tails backwards as she reached out to grab the car door. Remy approached her and gently pulled her back.
"Listen here, chere, you might want to let de boys handle dis one, non? Don't want you passin' out o' any' tin' before we can rescue dem."
Once again he let the charm flow between their two bodies. She nodded and sat down in a daze.
Scott, concerned over her obedience waved a hand in front of her face. She didn't respond but sat and gazed at Remy as he opened the car door.
"What did you do to her?" Scott asked, becoming angry with the arrogant young man.
"It's Remy's charm. All de belles fall fo' it. Keeps 'em nice and agreeable."
Scott shook his head and moved away from Rogue and held open the door while Remy perched on the side.
"You should shut the car off first. We really don't need any explosions right now."
Remy nodded and reached down slowly toward the keys. His arms brushed the older mans chest, which caused him to freeze. But the man remained unconscious so Remy kept on. With a flick of his wrist he turned of the car and pocketed the keys. He reached over towards the driver and checked for a pulse. It was there, alive and strong; same with the old man.
The thief wriggled out of the car and turned toward Scott.
"They're both alive, just out of it. We just gotta be careful moving dem outta dere."
"All right, let's do it."
The two started the task of removing the old man's seat belt. He started to hunk over but Remy pulled him out, careful to keep his neck strait. He laid him down next to Rogue who kept giving him warm looks. Scott was already working on the other man's belt (AN: yes, read it again, it can sooooo be taken out of context for perverse uses). He made sure that all glass was away from the driver's face before he lifted him out by his arms. By the time Scott managed to lay the man out on the road the elderly man was already stirring.
The glazed over look in Rogue's eye started to disappear. She rubbed at each eye and shook her head trying to shake off the warm feeling surging through her. The mutant glared at Remy.
"Don't do that again, Cajun. That's creepy."
Remy smiled at her. "I 'tink you like dat more den you let on, petite."
"Uhhh, where...where am I?" came a weak voice tinged with a British accent.
The old man sat up and rubbed at his head. Rogue stood aside as Remy helped the man up.
"Be all right now, m'sier. We just pulled you from de car dat had fallen over."
The man nodded, accepting it and looked down to his left where he companion was still lying unconscious on the street.
"Oh, dear heavens! He's really gone and messed himself up this time." He shook his head and knelt down to the injured man, " I keep telling him to take it slower on these icy roads, but he never listens." He removed a white handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at the blood on the mans forehead, "I supposed he will be feeling that in the morning." The old man stood up and turned to face his rescuers, "But I'm being terribly rude. My name is Richard Hutton. Thank you for rescuing me."
Richard reached out and took Scott's hand, raising an eyebrow at the disheveled state of the young man. "Looks like you've been having a rough evening there, lad." He turned toward Remy, but immediately stumbled back.
"What's wrong with you're eyes, child? And you," he pointed a Scott, "wearing sunglasses at night. You're mutants aren't you??" The old man pressed a hand towards his heart. Rogue stepped in front of Remy, pushing him back a bit.
"Sir, if y'all will just listen for a second, y'all can understand that we aren't gonna hurt ya." She motioned towards the car and the man on the ground, "We were just tryin' to help."
Richard gazed at her, about to comment on her abnormal hair and mutants inability to help any normal person when the white streaks picked at something in his brain. Something about the white and reddish-brown hair mixed with the green eyes…!
"Tell me…is those white bangs of yours…natural?"
Rogue glanced at Scott who just shrugged.
"Yeah, ah've always had 'em."
That only heightened his suspicions.
"Ann Marie?"
Rogue raised her eyebrow and took a step back, "I don't go by that name anymore…"
"My God…" Richard reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Within the leather folds he pulled out a worn picture. He looked down at it; looked at her, then back again. After a minute of staring at the picture he lifted his hand to touch the white hair hanging in her face. Out of instinct she jerked away, but something in the old man's eyes held her and she let him caress her hair.
Richard met her confused stare.
"My word, you don't even remember who I am. Do you, Ann Marie?"
The skeptic, anti-social Goth took over her persona as she crossed her arms.
"I go by Rogue."
"Don't use that tone with me, young lady." All three mutants looked surprised, "I'm the one who helped give you that nickname, I believe." He smiled in a manner only a grandfather or old relative could, "I remember the way you acted around other children, my dear. Always hanging on the outside, being your own leader and follower. I can't believe you've stuck with it all these years."
"All right, now you're scarin' me. How do you know all this?" She took another step back. Only then did she feel the warm hand pressed against the small of her back. Rogue glance through her peripheral vision at Remy who was fixated on the man in front of them.
Richard smile widened, "Why, I'm your god-father, my dear. In fact, I was on my way to meet your father when my car skidded."
Remy felt her body start to lean against his hand and he moved once again to catch her as her legs gave out.
"God-father? Father? I don't…I never…"
Her eyes rolled back before she could complete her sentiments.
" Oh dear heavens, "the old man proclaimed as Remy picked up the limp girl, "I didn't mean to scare the poor thing. Goodness, gracious." He moved to push the hair off of her forehead but Remy jerked her away.
"Wouldn't do dat. De chere here, she got poisonous skin. Not exactly good for de continued health, eh?"
"So, she's a mutant as well…no wonder David gave her up."
"David?" Remy questioned.
"Rogue's father." Richard and David asked at the same time. Richard turned.
"How did you know that?"
Scott stepped forward, briefly glancing at Rogue, and turned to Richard.
"He kidnapped me from school and started "Interrogating" me." The young leader pointed at his cuts and bruises, "I only escaped with my life by using my power."
"Power?"
"If I were to take off these glasses and open my eyes you would be shot by a laser beam."
"Ah, so you are the reason I was called all the way out here." The old man ran a hand through his hair, "You know that you almost killed one of them."
Scott hung his head.
" I had no other choice. They were literally holding a gun to my head. I had no other choice." The last part was barely a whisper.
Richard sighed and rubbed at his eyes.
"It seems as if things aren't so simple anymore. There are more of your kind in this area, aren't there?"
"I'm not disclosing any information to a complete stranger."
Richard nodded and patted the boy's shoulder. "Whoever raised you, raised you smart, that for sure. But you've got to get your kind out of the Bayville area."
"What?" Scott pushed away his hand.
"That's why they called me out here to the middle of nowhere. I'm the head of Friends of Humanity. We're trying to get the mutants under control." He raised a hand to calm to hateful stares; "We've built a device that will let us find you, no matter where you hide. But there's a great deal of soldiers on the way, and already a great deal here. They won't stop until all of you." A frown came to his lips as he looked over Scott's shoulder and looked at Rogue, "Every single one of you is locked up and caged."
He stomped his foot and threw his head back, making a growling noise.
"I hate when my conscious plays games with me. Bloody hell. Could you get in contact with your team?" He gazed at Scott who responded by glaring.
'If I had a team they would have seen my beam set the forest on fire, and would notice I was gone by now. They'll be out searching for me and Rogue."
"A-hem."
"And him." Scott jerked a thumb behind him.
"Merci."
"Listen, boys, I have a proposition for you." Richard pushed aside his jacket and removed a gun from his shoulder holster. Assuming they were being attacked the two other men jumped back; Scoot brought his hand up to remove his sunglasses. They were pleasantly surprised when he took out the magazine and handed the gun to Scott. "Here's what I'm thinking. You come with me back to the base and we try to reason this thing out before both sides end up killing each other. Fair enough?"
Scott shook his head; "We've got to get Rogue back to the mansion. She's too weak to be out here this long. I don't even know why she was brought out here in the first place." He shot a look at Remy who only smiled and pulled Rogue closer to him.
"Well, my boy, sorry to sound like a monster, but she could really be key to turning this whole battle around. David loved his daughter very much; maybe she'll make him see reason if everything else fails. And besides, they're sure to have an expert medical team out here with them. How else were they going to fix up those boys you, " he pointed at Remy, "beat up."
"Remy was only savin' de damsel in distress."
Richard noticed the affectionate glance at Rogue.
"Yes well, do we have a deal?" he held his hand out to Scott to accept.
The leader looked wary, "What caused you to change your mind about mutants?"
The older man nodded and smiled in a knowing way, "I have a very strict code of honor. My friend and I might have been stuck in that car for hours, freezing slowly to death. You deserve my gratitude. And also, if my god-child, who was the closest thing I ever got to a grandchild or daughter, is a mutant, then maybe I should reexamine my views."
Cyclopes took the still offered hand and leaned down to pick up the unconscious driver.
"All right. Lead on."
Logan was growing expediently more agitated with the smell of brimstone and sulfur each time they "bamfed" to a new location. His heightened sense of smell was driving him mad with the constant leaps they were making.
The two had just come from the high school, and before the Brotherhood house. Fortunately the members were working on some outrageous plan to get back at Duncan to notice the two X-men sneaking around their house.
Kurt ported them to a section of the woods and let go of Logan's hand. The fuzzy elf looked up at the older man as Logan sniffed the air.
There was smoke looming in the air from the fire that had been put out. Logan also managed to pick up the faint smell of blood, along with a rich, spicy musk that hung all over the place.
"Thank God that punk wears too much Old Spice."
"Ze'yre here?" Kurt spoke, smiling.
"Naw, passed by a half an hour ago, but…" he took in a long sniff and opened wide eyes, 'Scott was with him. Injured I think." Logan turned in a full circle, closing his eyes and listening to all the clues nature was providing him with.
"They head that way, towards the road that goes through the woods." He turned to face Kurt, "Can you get us there?"
Kurt nodded, grabbed the man's hand and faced in the direction he pointed.
The few nocturnal animals that dwelled in that area jumped as smoke and an obnoxious fume invaded their territory.
"They're about a half a mile away from us, Professor. We can land in that clearing and walk the rest of the way."
"Yes. I can only sense fifty or so. But they have already sent for help. A few more men are on their way. Via air I believe. Ororo." Charles faced the wind goddess, "Could you create a bit of turbulence for them?"
She nodded, walking towards the back of the blackbird and exited the jet through the top.
Charles watched her as she took of into the skies and concealed herself with a veil of fog.
"X-men," he looked at each child in turn, "We are not here to start a fight, merely to end one. We will get Scott back, and prove that we mean no harm. Do not use your powers to hurt them unless it becomes absolutely necessary. Do each of you understand?" they nodded, some reluctantly and some with vigor, "Good. Beast, take us down."
Joe approached a fuming David reluctantly.
"David, we just got word from the back up forces. Due to this sudden storm they had to turn back. There was no place they could land and be discreet. We're on our own."
"What about Hutton?"
"He's still on his way, David. He should be here soon."
"I don't want soon!" David threw the cup he was holding across the room and it landed in a hundred pieces. The glass flew and shards landed all over the room. David noticed one landed by the completed helmet for detecting mutants. In a calmer voice he questioned the younger man.
"Why can't was use that to find the freak, again?"
Joe pointed towards the dark sky.
"The storm, it's too dangerous to use anything that requires too much electricity."
"Damn it! Where could that old guy be?"
The door to the room was thrown open as an elderly form walked into the room.
"There was a time, old friend, that you would address me by name and not "old guy." Richard lectured as he approached his long time friend.
David stood to embrace the old man.
"How are you, Richard?"
"Well…"Richard seemed to look David over, then at Joe, and then all around the room. No weapons were in sight, which made David for the most part harmless, "I'm quite all right, but it appears," he waved with his hand to some figure behind him and two figures walked through the door. One, who kept his head downcast, was carrying a figure draped in a trench coat far too big. The other, the mutant that had killed one of his own, carrying a bleeding and unconscious young man, "It appears that my companions are a bit worse for wear."
David tried to get to Scott, but was kept back by a single pat on the chest by the old man.
"That temper of yours is terrible, David. Calm it down before I make you. Besides, these two saved my life, I owe them."
The young man turned on his friend.
"Owe them?? Their mutants! Freaks! Scum of the earth! Don't you remember what Friends of Humanity is all about??"
"David." Richard tried to calm him.
"No. Joe, get me some armed men in here now. Get these freaks in chains now."
Joe nodded and moved toward the door.
"I don't dink so, mon ami."
Remy glared at him and put down Rogue on a nearby table. The cards he carried in his pocket were in his hands and waited to be thrown as he charged them.
The glow illuminated the darkened room and everyone in it.
"Remy don' wanna hurt nobody. But de only reason he come here is so chere will get a bit of medical attention, non? So nobody leave dis room until a doctor come in and take care of her. Comprenezvous?"
Richard raised his hands to placate the boy, "All right, Mr. LeBeau. David, why don't you get on that?"
David was currently keeping up a glaring contest between himself and the teen leader of the X-men.
"I'm not going to let one of my men actually help these mutant freaks."
Scott set the man he was carrying down besides Rogue and gently sat her up. The charge Remy was lighting the room with clearly showed her sleeping features to the man.
"What about your own daughter?"
David nearly choked on his own breath as he saw her face. It was so much paler than it had ever been, white even bathed in red light. It was cold in the room, and every slow breath she took was a thin ribbon of vapor.
He was jolted from his reverie as the sound of many stomping feet over powered the quiet night.
"Mutants in the woods! Fire! Fire!"
Richard stood in front of David.
"Call your men down, David. We don't need to fight them."
The middle-aged man tore his gaze away from the face of his daughter and glared at his long time friend.
"We are going to capture of kill each and everyone of these mutants."
Remy flung a handful of cards at the man's feet and watched the continued charging. Before they could blow up Scott removed his glasses and vaporized all the cards. He turned to Remy.
"Don't. Let's get out of here and help the others." He moved toward the door.
"What about chere?"
Scott glared over his shoulder at David, 'She's going to be just fine and patched up before were done taking down all of these men." He looked at Remy again, "But we're not gonna kill anybody."
Scott exited, and Remy followed suit. Richard was in the middle of pushing a stunned Joe out of the room. The old man stopped,
"David, for once, do the right thing. It's not too late to stop hiding from your own kid. You won't be getting another chance." He smiled at Joe, 'Come one, boy, show me where you're hiding the medical supplies around this dump and you might just come out of this thing unhurt."
David watched as they left before finally turning again to his daughter.
He slowly approached her, watching her breath coming in and out.
There was a chair in front of the table she was lying on and he pulled it out and sat on it, watching her, and thinking of what to do with himself.
"Jeez I hate guns!" Kitty yelled as she slipped through another man with gun trained on one of her fellow mutants. As she phased through she managed to grab all of the bullets out and sent them flying into the woods. She smiled watching as the guy stared down at his now useless gun in amazement.
The other X-men were doing well against the other men.
The newer recruits were working together to contain about twenty-five men. The Beast sent men flying into an unconscious heap as he flung his muscular arms at them. Evan kept shooting his spikes at the weapons, sending them flying out of men's hands.
She smiled, this mission was a lot easier than it had sounded and there were only a few scratches and bruises on a few of the more careless members of the x-men.
"Kitty!"
The voice that she knew was the one and only Cyclopes came from behind her. She spun around and saw him approaching her.
He looked terrible in a torn shirt with some cuts exposed, but he was for the most part fine which was all she needed to know. When he was close enough she hugged him and squealed with relief
"Oh my gosh! Scott! You're okay!"
"Yeah, I'm just great. Kitty, where's the professor?"
She looked around and pointed the smallest building in the clearing.
"He was over there looking for you about two minutes ago."
"Thanks, Come on, Remy let's go find him."
The Cajun nodded and took after the teen boy. But not before he winked at Kitty who giggled as he ran past.
Not a single man from Friends of Humanity was left standing. They were all huddled in a pile and slowly being caged in my either ice or a wall of magma.
Scott smiled; proud of the way the X-men handled the potentially dangerous situation. He was so beaming with pride that he didn't notice the small figure creeping up besides the building.
A very sick looking Sandra held the gun up with a shaky hand as she aimed at the running Scott. She aimed at his head and pulled on the trigger.
Seconds seemed to melt into hours as the bullet slowly left the chamber. Sandra was knocked back by an unnatural wind of some sort. The gun went flying from her hands, but the bullet was well on its way towards its victim.
"Scott!"
He turned to face the one who had called his name, giving the bullet a nice target of the back of his head. Before he could see who had called him he felt himself being knocked down by a very tall, redhead girl. As his head went down so did the arm that was pushing him.
The bullet missed Scott but managed to tear through the shoulder of Jean Gray.
Scott grunted as he landed on the ground with an added weight landing on his chest.
The force of the fall also sent his glasses flying of his face. Both fortunately and unfortunately he happened to be looking past everyone at the building he had just exited.
It was cold; Rogue knew that from the unwillingness of her cheeks to move and the lack of warmth throughout her entire body. She shook her head, trying to shake out the heaviness but only succeeded in making herself a bit dizzier.
She finally decided to sit up and find out exactly why she had fallen asleep in the first place.
"If that boy uses that "warm-fuzzy" feeling thing on me again, I swear I will…" she finally looked up to see an exact copy of her eyes looking at her.
A man, in his middle forties she guessed, was sitting in front of her just staring into her eyes.
His hair was the same coppery brown.
There were specific white streaks growing on the side of his head that resembled hers.
His face had the same angles as her own. There was no mistaken who this man was.
"David, right?"
He nodded, "There was a time you called me dad."
She sat up all the way and swung her legs over the table. A splitting headache ripped through her skull, but it didn't stop her from glaring.
"I would still be callin' ya dad if ya hadn't or left me with Irene."
Her obvious intent to hurt him didn't faze him as he continued to smile at her.
"I didn't think it would bother me so little actually standing here close to you."
Rogue pushed herself a little ways away form the man.
"What are ya talkin' about?"
"You're a mutant…but it seems so stupid to think about that now that you're actually here in front of me." He stood from his seat and stood up tall, "I really missed you, Ann Marie."
She crossed her arms.
"My name is Rogue. And it's too late for sorr-."
There was a single, thundering shot before the familiar sound of Scott's beam going off reached her ears. That was seconds before the wall of the room came clattering down on the both of them.
Using some long dormant parental instinct David lunged at Rogue and covered her with his own body as concrete and piping came spilling in on them.
Though for the most part she was covered his cheek still managed to touch her own.
Memories of his flooded her mind. Hate for mutants, rooting from his encounter with her mother, Mystique. Happiness from the common everyday things of fatherhood. Picnics, playtime, and the first time he ever saw her. All these memories flowed from his mind to her own. Then sadness as he left her mother, and then finally abandoned her. They kept coming and coming, until for no apparent reason, they stopped.
She felt his final breath on his ear, and the last beat of his heart.
The last sentiment that she could clearly pick from his mind was directed towards her.
"I'm sorry."
Eventually Richard managed to get everything straitened out. FOH became nonexistent, as it's founder stopped endorsing it. The mutants were safe from predators for a while.
The X-men kept their conquest in the woods of Bayville of secrets from the prying eyes, but it was quite a story they had to set up about the fires and the massive destruction done to the forest.
It was hard to clean up as well.
The two buildings the Scott destroyed were intricate piles of metal and concrete. They decided to leave the first building Scott knocked down alone, but lives were depending on their ability to clean up the other one.
Hours after it came crashing down the team managed to spot the three persons inside. Rogue had been awake when they found her, saved from harm by the human shield. He was dead, killed by a piece of metal through his stomach, not to mention the prolonged touching of skin between himself and Rogue.
As they were pulling her out of the debris she couldn't find words to express what she had gone through in the hours they had been digging. She had been forced to sit in the dark and feel the weight of her dead father pressing against her. His memories and emotions had kept her somewhat sane, but the experience would haunt her forever.
The driver was also pulled out of the building no worse for wear aside from the gash on his head.
There was a funeral for David, which was only attended by a few. Rogue decided to come only because it seemed as if Richard was on the verge of breaking down. But during the burial the two found themselves leaning on each other for help.
The old man left the following day and Rogue returned to her life at the mansion.
Jean had been a sore subject for weeks. The others were never told about her attempts on Rogue's life, only Ororo, Logan, Hank, and the professor knew. But they all took it easy on her as she did save Scott's life by risking her own. Her shoulder blade was injured from the bullet, but after a few months she was able to play sports again.
The two girls avoided each other in the halls and around meal times. Only after several weeks of therapy with the Professor did Jean finally start to calm down. She managed to apologize to Rogue and began acting as friendly towards her as she was towards all of her friends.
Remy was doing so well in the mansion. He stayed with Rogue, attended school with her, but enough was enough. He had come to Bayville trying to make a new start with his life, but the whole "good-guy" routine wasn't working. Danger sessions ended in Remy blowing the door open and leaving before the sequence could end. He never listened to the Beast, and his smoking habit drove the teachers and students crazy. At times it seemed the only reason he stuck around was to be near Rogue.
There was something more than friendship between the two, for sure. And just because she couldn't kiss didn't mean that Remy didn't stop trying.
But, he knew he couldn't stay away from his New Orleans forever.
The winter was coming to a close and he missed the hot springs and summers. His mind was made up. On a morning in late January he approached Rogue who was sitting by the fire reading one of her Ann Rice novels.
He teasingly pulled on her hair to get her attention. She looked up at him and smiled. Remy was surprised by the lack of make up on her face. He had of course seen her without it, at the beginning when he had saved her from Duncan and then again from Jean, but never intentionally.
"Chere get tired of purple, non?"
She punched his legs and pulled him down to the floor.
"Ah just got tired of hiding behind that make-up. Ah used to wear it because I liked to, but now…" she shrugged, "I don't want to hide what I am anymore."
He gave her a lopsided grin, "Just so long as you don' go showin' off yo mutant powers, Remy is fine wit it."
"You're too kind, LeBeau."
She smiled and looked past his shoulder at the bags that were at his feet. Rogue looked at his red black eyes.
"You goin' somewhere?"
"Oui. Back To New Orleans."
She pushed away from him a bit and looked at the fire in front of her.
"You leavin' because of me?"
"Come on, petite. You are de only ting keepin' Remy here. Remy's not cut out to be a hero, it just not working." He saw the sad look on her face and pulled her around to face him, "You don wanna get close to ol' Remy anyway. If you dink people getting' too close to you is dangerous, but I don want Chere to see what happens to people who get too close to Remy."
He smiled sadly at her as he ran a gloved hand through her hair.
Tears were about to spill over her green eyes, but he pulled her into a strong hug.
"Don you be thinkin' dat we ain't gonna see each other again, girl. We got some'tin good here, non?"
She smiled and pressed her face into his chest. He gave her one final squeeze before he stood up, picked up his bag and walked out of the room.
Rogue watched as he walked out, and heard the door shut on his way out. She ran to the window just in time to see Logan's favorite motorcycle being driven through the snow and out the gates. She pressed her hand against the glass and blew a kiss with the other.
"See you someday, Swamp Rat."
Epilogue
Two years passed quickly in the mansion.
Jean and Scott declined going to college and stayed at the mansion to help with the X-men. Everyone was convinced that the main reason they didn't head off for colleges was the fear that they wouldn't be together. But everyone also had a haunting suspicion about the what the diamond ring that Jean sported on her finger meant. The two were inseperable, so the professor foudn away for them to continue their studies. They were forced to take on-line classes and the professor had to hire a tutor or two but it was well worth it to keep his two original X-men.
Life at the mansion was as it always was, except for one specific Gothic girl who was finding herself more and more strangled by the adolescent hormones running though the institute.
Rogue covered her ears as she passed by two fighting mutants and picked up her mail on the kitchen table. She rummaged through it as she walked up the stairs to hers and kitty's room.
She was only too glad to see her hyper roommate wasn't there so she could get in some private time. Rogue pulled her now long hair into a sloppy bun letting the white bangs fall in front of her face and flopped on her bed.
"Hi, dad." She greeted the picture of David on her bed stand. Richard had sent her a few of David's things over the years. Although she really couldn't bring herself to love the father that abandoned her she felt connected to him through the memories he had given her that horrible night years ago.
The mail seemed nothing out of the ordinary. Cell phone bill, letters from the army asking her to be part of the army of one. Some pamphlets from colleges that she had no intention of going to. College was a hard decision for the mutant. She had no idea what she wanted to study and no campus seemed to interest her. Just that morning the Professor had been lecturing her about dead lines for applications and what not. She shook her head and through all college related material on the ground. The final letter caught her attention; it was a black envelope with "The Rogue" written in red.
She smiled, reminded of a certain Cajun mutant as she ripped open the envelope and read the letter within. Her grin widened as she read and by the time she was through she was all but bouncing of her bed.
Immediately she called out to the professor as he had taught her to.
'What is it, Rogue?'
'Well…I was thinkin', how does the University of Louisiana sound for college?' she let out a rare giggle and held a playing card that had been included in the envelope. She brought the King of hearts to her lips and kissed it.
"See you soon, Swamp Rat."
Theendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheend
Wow, it's finally done. Thanks for all the encouragement from everybody and sorry it took so long. I typed for so long this weekend trying to finish this in time for the one-year mark, but it didn't work. Sorry, we'll have to settle for the day after. THANK YOU!!
I don't own anything-no I own my car; yes I had to pay for that. But the x-men, no. Car, yes, X-men, no. Got it? Good? Also don't own Ann Rice books (there's a brief mention).
ENJOY IT OR ELSE! BLAHH!
Jean examined her fingers as she rode down the elevator to the lower levels. Even in the low gleam of the elevator lights they sparkled under their coat of 'sparkling lavender'. The tips of her nails were perfectly trimmed to two centimeters away from each fingertip. In short, the nails like the person they were attached to remained perfect in everyway.
Satisfied with her examination she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her weight on her left foot. As the metallic doors slide open she flipped her hair over one shoulder and proceeded to walk out of the confining space.
She was instantly greeted with two options: turn right and burn off some steam in the danger room, or turn left and visit the large medical wing.
Jean turned left and started to count the doors. The first three doors on either side belonged to the medical supply storages. The next seven were smaller examination rooms designed for smaller illnesses and minor aches not requiring immediate attention. The majority of the wing was divided into sections for the emergency centers. It was here that most of the x-men spent their time. Recovering from laser blasts, broken bones, electric shock…
The young telepath ignored most of these and set her eyes on the fourth door on her right. It contained the person she wanted at the moment.
The doors opened when she pushed the button and there she was.
Her eyes were closed and her head was still propped against the massive amounts of pillows behind her head. In the exact way she had left her.
Jean looked from side to side and found that neither Beast nor the filthy little runaway were in the room.
'Mr. McCoy must have finally moved him out of ICU. Dirty punk, all he had was a minor scratch.'
Using her mental powers Jean summoned a small stool to the side of Rogue's bed and sat down. She leaned her arms on the rails and glared at the unconscious girl. The closed eyes were moving rapidly beneath their pale lids. The eyelashes twitched from second to second erratically.
'Dreaming…'
"I hope it's a nightmare you're stuck in, Rogue." Jean spoke aloud to the living corpse, "That's all you've left me with here, you know. I used to be the only one Scott could turn to. I was the one everybody counted on. I was the perfect one!" she felt her jaw clenching and released it.
"The same thing happened back at my house, with my family, you know that? I never had any younger sisters or brothers. I was the only one my parents loved. Then it changed. They started fighting all of the time and then they got the divorce. They stopped showering me with attention and soon stopped seeing me at all. My father sent me here. You know the rest. First the others showed up, I could deal with them for the most part and then you showed up. You just had to be so different! No one paid attention to me anymore!" Jean punched at the rails and stood up.
"That's why I started dating Duncan, Rogue! It was unheard of in this house to get that close to a normal person! And suddenly you were forgotten. Scott wanted to be with me, not you. I was in the spot light once again.
"And as soon as I give you over to the Friends of Humanity, I'll make sure they leave everyone at the institute alone. Don't worry no one will miss you. I'll just tell them all you decided to run away. Nobody will care."
Jean smiled once again leaning over the rail and getting dangerously close to Rogue's face. She held her hand over the girl's face and spread her fingers wide. Jean waved her hand back and forth a few times and then spoke to the prone girl.
"Wake up, Rogue."
While one second she was completely still the next her body flinched and her eyes fluttered open.
Rogue instantly saw Jean and threw her a puzzled look. But it seemed she didn't care as much about seeing the girl as actually be able to feel. She felt the bed against her back, the sheets around her body and the painful needle in her arm. Rogue was free.
As soon as she asserted she was in the real world she glared up at Jean.
"What's going on?" she spoke in an angry but hoarse voice.
"You'll know soon enough." She mentally commanded a wheelchair over and then concentrated on Rogue's body. The small, weak girl thrashed in the air but soon found that Jean's telepathy was far too strong for someone in her condition to fight. And then she found she didn't have to fight. There was a scuffle and Rogue found her body dropping, and then slamming into the bed rail before she hit the ground with a painful thud.
Somehow she managed to look up to see Jean slumped half on half off the bed. She looked around and soon found her savior with the demon eyes glaring at the unconscious telepath.
He was instantly at her side gently pulling her to her feet. Remy finally saw the questions in her eyes and hesitated before pulling a deck of cards into his pocket.
"Listen, Chere, Remy gonna get you outta 'dis place. Red over 'dere is looney. You not safe here."
Out of the confusion of just waking up out of that void and then the sudden attack by Jean Rogue still managed to resist a bit and narrow her eyes at the handsome boy.
"Ya can't just expect me ta' leave mah' home!"
With speed even Wolverine couldn't match, he was pressed against her with a gloved hand running up her arm.
"I di'int save you just ta' have Chere thrown inta' more danger, heah?" He summoned his power of charm and let it seep through his skin, out of his eyes, out of every fiber of his being so that the unwilling girl would settle down and obey his requests. She soon started emitting the too familiar warmth, and her eyes drooped slightly. As she started to drop he pressed her body against his holding her limp form in the crook of his arm.
"Jus' let Remy do all de' work fo' Chere, oui?"
Rogue nodded slightly while Remy slowly pulled out the needle in her arm. He was fairly sure that he had done it incorrectly when a small trickle of blood began pouring from the spot, but ignored it and picked up the light body. Her glazed eyes told him she was off in la-la land, safe and sound.
He walked toward the door, checking all around for anyone coming, and slipped out the door. Remy looked back on Jean, collapsed on the bed and grinned.
"Good luck wit' de' plan, Rouge*."
And, as always with the thief, he was gone in the space of a breath.
*Rouge as in the French way to say "red" not a typo of Rogue's name.
"Come on, kid, sooner you tell me something, the sooner we can get you some medical attention for that eye. Look at you, you can't even open 'em."
Scott ignored the jabs, both physical and verbal, as he sat in the dark being assaulted by what appeared to be only one man. He had found his glasses gone as soon as he regained consciousness, and since had been forced to keep his eyes closed. He grit his teeth and struggled against the metal bands on his wrists. Blood was running down his hands, which at least allowed the shackles to slip a bit.
That's right, Scott, ignore the pain and use everything to your advantage, he kept telling himself. You've been through danger sessions worse than this, you must have. Don't say anything.
Suddenly he felt himself being lifted off the ground and his head slamming into the wall behind him. Scott could smell and feel his breath as he leaned into the teenager.
"I don't have time for this! Tell me something!"
Scott bit his lip, refusing to give the jerk anything.
A door opened and slammed then footsteps approached.
"David!!"
Scott could tell from the voice it was a woman, a young one at that, and prayed that she might be here to help.
So optimistic.
"Sandra, get out of here."
A gasp, "What are you doing to that kid??"
Great, sympathy! Maybe she could help him.
"Please-" Scott managed to spit out.
For his courage he was rewarded with another slap across the face.
"Shut up, you! Sandra, don't feel sorry for him, he's a mutie."
"Oh."
Well there went his hope.
"Where did you find him? Use the mutant radar?"
"No, I saw him beating up a kid."
"A kid that beat up my friend!" Scott found his anger growing and his self-control waning.
"Probably a freak like you."
"Rogue is not a…" Scott bit the inside of his cheek as he realized that he had let go of some very valuable information. He slammed his own head against the wall behind him. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid.'
"Rogue…" David turned his head towards the voice. It was the same guy that had been questioning him, but his voice was soft, almost kind when he said it.
"Isn't that the freak that the kid beat up?" there was a rustling of papers. "Yeah! It is." Scott heard the click-click of high heels as they approached him.
"You a friend of this 'Rogue', kid?" the woman's tone picked up the man's cold one, "You know we helped out the kid that did it."
"Stop it, Sandra." It was barely a whisper as Scott felt the hands leave his shirt. He let himself slid down the wall.
The voices now argued above him.
"It's true isn't it, David?"
Scott strained to hear as the voices got quieter.
"Sandy…I…"
"Well, God, David…just because you helped create the thing doesn't make you responsible for it."
'Create the thing? Were they talking about…?'
"Jeez, Sandy, it's not like you and your mother. You two were never close, right? My kid and me were. Her mother I'll never forgive, but she was my little girl!"
Sandra let out a sigh, "David, this "Rogue" isn't your daughter. She hasn't been your daughter for ten years." There was a sigh, "If we start to feel sorry for these…freaks, who knows what they could do to us?"
"We are not freaks!" Scott fought against opening his eyes to look at the woman.
Click-click and he felt hot breath on his face.
"If not why do you hide?"
Scott talked through the small gaps in his clenched teeth.
"Because…humans…" he tried to make it sound as venomous and horrible as possible, " are stupid enough to fear what they don't understand."
"You dirty little-."
A rustle of clothing.
"Sandra! Put it down!"
Another click, but not from high heels.
She aimed the gun at Scott's forehead, right between the eyes. But she wouldn't get the chance to fire it.
Because Scott decided that if he didn't open his eyes he would never live to regret it.
So he slowly opened them and Sandra never got the chance to blink before she was enveloped in a ray of burning light.
"Chere, you must walk fasta' den dat. Remy be tryin' to escape, non play hide an' seek."
Rogue's retort was cut down to a lethal glare to his backside. She wanted to be mad at him for managing to force her out of the house, but found that she couldn't. An insult would bubble its way up from her chest, only to die on the tip of her tongue when he would like back and check on her progress. Those two demonic eyes of his kept her in place without really trying to.
It annoyed Rogue that she couldn't be angry with the young man guiding her to safety. Sarcasm and insults were walls that she used to keep people away from her. If those failed then people could get close to her, and get hurt. Rogue really didn't want to hurt people, but she especially didn't want to end up sending this particular man into a coma.
She raised her gloved hand to her forehead to wipe off some sweat. Even though the night was fairly chilly her body was a furnace. The time she was trapped in Jean's little mind abyss left her weak and what little strength she had she was loosing with each step.
Rogue didn't even know she had stopped walking and was beginning to fall until she felt two, strong arms supporting her.
"Chere!"
"Don't touch me!" her war cry was cut down to a mild yelp.
"Merde, Chere. You wearin' gloves and Remy wearin' gloves. C'est bien, non?"
She pulled herself away and stood up. Rogue threw him an apologetic look and crossed her arms.
"Sorry. Force of habit."
Remy winked at her and started to walk forward. "Remy let it go. Only because chere is too pretty to be holdin' a grudge wit'."
Rogue smiled as she followed closely behind the Cajun charmer. A few minutes passed in silence before she became annoyed.
"Do ya even know where we're goin'?"
"Oui, Remy always know where he is. Remy leadin' Chere to a safe place where…"
"You are so lost, ain't ya'?"
Remy glared over his shoulder but kept walking.
"If chere doesn't like Remy's plan she can always be backtrackin' back to de' Institute, non?"
Rogue thought about the redheaded telepath lying unconscious on the bed and decided to quicken her pace to walk by the Cajun's side. Remy smiled smugly down on the girl and had to mentally slap himself from reaching over and laying his hand on the small of her back. Most girls would be gracious of his flirting, but he had a feeling that this particular young lady would make him regret it. Instead he reached into his pocket and pulled out his latest pack of cards from his pocket. They were a cheap pack but they had been the only ones available at the Institute so he had made due with stealing them until he could make it to a store with cards of his caliber to steal.
Remy looked around his surroundings as he shuffled the cards subconsciously with only his right hand. They were in the woods approximately a mile or two from the edge of town. On the ground was a carpet of dead leaves that was covered by layer of new frost. He watched as his breath came out in small clouds of vapors. Chere's was doing the same, but she was almost panting from the strenuous walking.
"Does chere want Remy to-."
"No."
"Remy only want-."
"No."
"Would Chere just-"
"No. No. No!" Rogue spun on her heels to face him. He was standing with crossed arms looking at her with an air of surprise.
"Listen here, I really appreciate you saving me…twice now, but I'm a big girl and I don't like it when people treat me like some doll. Got it?" She placed her hands on her hips and waited for a response.
She received one in the form of Remy wrapping his arms around her waist and pinning her to a nearby tree.
"Remy say you welcome, and he never thought of Chere as a doll." He smiled and continued walking.
Rogue coughed and composed herself before taking a few steps forward. She was forced to stop, however; when a bright beam of light flew into the sky from someplace close by.
"Chere! Get down!" Remy grabbed her hand and tackled her to the ground while covering her with his own body.
Rogue gazed up at the beam of light looking at the red flare for a while before something clicked in her mind.
"I know that beam! It's Scott!"
Remy looked at her and then the beam.
"Who?"
"It's Cyclops! One of the mutants at the institute." She pushed Remy off and jumped to her feet, "We hafta' help."
Remy stood up slowly, dusted off the leaves from his coat and jolted after her. It was easy to overcome her while she remained in her weak state.
"Does Chere not grasp 'de concept of runnin' away?"
Rogue glared at him, "I think Scott needs some help."
Remy rolled his red on black eyes and kept pace with her, "'Dey might be tryin' capture you, did ya 'dink of 'dat, chere?"
The girl shook her head as she kept her gaze focused on the spot in the sky where the light had come from. " I don't know how ta' explain it but I just got a feelin' that Scott needs help."
The Cajun's glare hardened. He was the first in line to admit he had a problem with jealousy and the fewer males mentioned in his presence the happier he was.
He would just have to show the young Chere how much better she was with him than the Cyclopes when he came to the young leader's rescue. The Cajun smirked thinking of having to throw the boy over his shoulder like a damsel in distress to save him. Remy picked up the pace a bit and within seconds it was Rogue trying to catch up with the Ragin' Cajun.
Hank McCoy sauntered down the hallway towards the med-lab. Using three of his appendages for walking and one for carrying a tray he approached the room that held the currently (to the best of his knowledge) comatose Rogue. On it was a dinner of steak, biscuits and gravy for the newest member of the X-men. To the side of the food was a brand new deck of cards.
He had enjoyed the demonstration of the young boys powers as both a mutant and a cunning slight of hand wizard. The Beast couldn't decide which skill he was more impressed with the movement of energy into any object or the way the boy had been able to beat him out of one hundred dollars within a minute.
As the doors swished open the last thing the Beast expected was the site lying before him.
Rogue was gone.
Remy LeBeau was gone.
Jean was lying on the bed, unconscious and sporting a few bruises.
The professor who had been sitting by the bed hovering a hand over her face opened his eyes and shook his head. Hank McCoy finally regained sense enough to shut his mouth and voice the hundred or so questions running through his advanced mind.
With his years of schooling and the constant trek for a higher education and intellect the words that spilled out of his mouth was a far cry from his usually Shakespearean prose.
"Whaaa?"
Charles Xavier smiled in the all-knowing way of his and rolled away from the bed.
"Precisely."
The Beast put the tray down on a nearby table and walked over to the sleeping telepath. With one large paw he scratched at the fine, blue furs of his chin and contemplated all that could have happened.
"I presume the young mister LeBeau is gone and has taken our injured Rogue with him."
"Yes, but I'm afraid that doesn't even cover half of what has been going on underneath our noses." The man shook his head, the weariness showing in the wrinkles around his eyes.
The Beast grabbed a stool and carefully lowered his massive form on the tiny chair.
"Please elaborate."
"Jean's mental shields have been lowered. Unfortunately when I went through her mind to try to find out what happened I found some rather disturbing information." He swallowed, trying to rid himself of the taste of bile that had found its way to his throat, "Apparently when she found out that it was Duncan Mathews responsible for Rogue's injuries Jean sent her into a…an…"
" A coma?" Hank offered.
"No…It was more or a state of brain dead. Jean is holding a lot of hostility against Rogue for some reason, but I was unable to find out why."
"I would never have seen Jean for the vindictive type."
The professor nodded rolling forward, facing away from his once prized student.
" There's still more." The Beast raised an eyebrow; " She also sold out Rogue's mutant identity to a rising group known as Friends of Humanity."
Hank stared at the professor.
"Tonight she planned to bring Rogue to them, in exchange they would leave Bayville. It appears that Mr. LeBeau interceded before Jean could get Rogue out."
The Beast ran his large paw through his blue mane.
"I…I don't know what to say…what are we going to do?"
"First, we must-."
"Professor!" He was interrupted as Kitty phased through the wall with Kurt on her heels, "Professor! On the- Hey, what's wrong with Jean?"
Xavier wheeled toward her, "Never mind that, what's the matter, Kitty?"
The Shadow Cat shook her head trying to get back on track.
"It's Scott. His car is still at the school and he hasn't come home yet!"
"Ja! And on ze news! Zere is a huge fire in the woods! Zey showed Scott's beam."
The professor needed no more. He raised his hands to his temples and began calling out to each person in the house.
Ororo was in the greenhouse watering a few of her plants before dinner. She was working on a few of her oldest roses when she heard it.
Evan was in mid-air completing a 180 turn as the call rang through his brain.
The new recruits were in the process of sneaking some pre-dinner snacks when the voice sounded through their heads. All fell flat on their faces, startled.
"X-men. Suit up and meet by the blackbird. Now."
Kurt and Kitty nodded. The Shadow Cat grabbed Kurt's fuzzy hand and the two disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Hank, give Jean a sedative and then lock this room up. When we have all the students back in this house then we will deal with her."
The Beast nodded.
The Professor threw one last disgusted look toward his once prized student and began wheeling himself to the Launch area to meet with his X-men.
The cold atmosphere of the night wasn't conducive to Scott's current situation. His shirt was ripped and exposed his cuts to the raw wind.
He held his injured shoulder as he limped through what he could only guess to be the woods. Every few feet he found himself tripping over what he assumed were roots and stones. Of course he could always open his eyes and find out where he was. And of course he would get caught.
Scott tripped on a rock and flew face first into a nearby tree. He swallowed a scream, remembering that he was supposed to be covert. Instead he bit his tongue and raised his hand to the injured side of his face. He brushed away the bits of bark from his face and hissed as his fingers grazed the bleeding scratches on his face.
"Why does everything happen to me?" he whispered to himself.
"Merde Chere, You even know where you goin'?"
Scott froze and threw himself on the ground. He used some breathing techniques Logan had taught him to drown out the noises of his body and focus on the noise around him.
There was some rustling of leaves and footsteps a few yards off to his right.
"Will you shut up, Swamp Rat? We must be getting' closa'."
""Swamp Rat"? Ah, mon petite, Remy is touched."
'Remy? The boy!' If he was in the woods then maybe that other southern accent belonged to…
"Rogue!" He whispered as loudly as he could.
The gothic mutant twirled in all directions searching for the source of the voice.
"Remy, did ya hear that?"
"Oui, get down, petite."
Scott decided to stand up and reveal himself. "Rogue!" he risked a louder call, "It's Scott!"
Rogue turned to her left and saw the young leader stand up. She gasped as she took in his injured form. The missing goggles also caught her attention.
Within seconds she had crossed over to him and enveloped him in one of her rare hugs. He was surprised to find himself being embraced by the young woman but easily reciprocated and wrapped his one good arm around her. The hug only lasted a few seconds before she broke away.
"We saw your beam in the sky. What happened?"
"Look, Rogue, we've got some bad people out here. Let's get back to the institute and I'll explain there."
A few feet away he heard a deep chuckle. Remy.
"What's so funny?" Scott demanded.
"Just dat Remy an petite here have just made a hasty retreat from de institute of yours."
"What?"
"We've got some explain' to do to, Scott. But we do have to get out of here." Rogue answered. Scott felt someone grab his arm, "Listen, I know you won't like it but let's just head over to the brotherhood an-."
"No."
"But-."
"No. Listen to me, Rogue." Scott blindly reached out and grabbed her shoulders, "We can go back to the institute. Whatever he" the leader of the X-men jabbed his head in the general direction of Remy, " told you is wrong. No matter what you do you always have a home with the X-men."
Scott heard a rustling of fabric and felt Rogue being pulled out of his grasp.
"Listen, ami, dat may sound all fine an' dandy in yo' happy land, but in dis situation fairy tales ain't gonna work. Comprenezvous? An' if you don' mind ol' Remy askin', why don' you open yo' eyes?"
"Because, Swamp Rat, if he does that beam we saw will shoot out and let everyone know where we are."
"Oui? 'Dat must suck."
"That's one way of putting it." Scott rolled his eyes underneath the closed lids, "Those people took my glasses before they started interrogating me."
"Glasses?"
"The Professah designed special glasses so he could see without hurtin' anything."
"You mean like" Remy fished in his pocket and held out an open palm to Rogue with a pair of sunglasses in it, "Dis?"
"Did you steal these from the mansion?"
"Old habits die hard, chere."
Scott heard a grunt of exasperation before he felt something being slipped over his face.
"Don't worry, Scott. The Swamp Rat just happened to steal a pair of yours."
He gently pushed Rogue out of his line of vision before he slowly opened his eyes. He assumed from the unharmed Remy directly in front of him that the glasses were indeed his. Rogue was smiling at his side as he turned to face her. He frowned taking in her shallow cheeks, bags under her eyes, and over all swaying form.
"Come on, Rogue. You've got to get back to the med-wing."
She raised an eyebrow, "After you." Rogue motioned for him to start walking and smiled at him.
From the corner of his eye he saw Remy snarl and turn away.
"Whateva'. Let's just get out of des' woods now."
Although he had been unconscious David knew he had been out for about half an hour. He tried pushing off the heavy bar from his chest but it was too much with one of his arms still pinned down below him.
He spat out some dust from his mouth and cleared away and debris from his eyes. Above him the moon was shining through a hole in the roof. A few feet from him he heard many voices calling out to him. Someone stepped on his stomach and he screamed out in pain.
"He's over here!"
David recognized the voice of Joe and tried to see him over the rubble around his body. The bar was lifted off his chest and the cold air rushed into his lungs in large gasps.
Joe's face loomed over him as he tried to sit up.
"Woah, there. Don't move until we can check you out first."
"The mutant?"
Joe shook his head, "He got away. But we have about fifty men searching for him. Don't worry, David, he's not getting away.
David nodded, "What about Sandy? She was in here too."
The other man bit his lip, trying to phrase an appropriate answer.
"David, we just pulled her from the rubble a few minutes ago. We used CPR. She's just barely staying with us."
The older man growled and pulled himself from debris, disregarding the pain in his side. Joe tried to get him to calm down but David
pushed him to the ground. He turned on his stunned comrade and ran over to where a group was standing around a still figure. The commander threw people aside and glared down in disbelief at his friend.
There was a piece of metal at her side, tinted with blood, and a huge red stain all over her abdomen Burn marks were all over her arms and face. The ends of her hair were burnt black.
Without thinking he reached out and grabbed the arm of a person passing by him.
"Call headquarters and tell them to send out their special units and-."
"We already have sir. They should be arriving within the hour. And they also said they'd be sending over Mr. Hutton."
"Great. Then maybe we can get some freaking control over these mutants!" He saw some of his comrades with their heads hanging down. Someone came forward and covered her broken form with a blanket to give her warmth. Another man came forward to pick up the girl and brought her inside.
Joe walked towards him. David finally made eye contact.
"I want that freak brought back here. Preferably alive to I can kill him myself."
"X-men. It's important that you all listen to me. Scott is in some trouble. We can only assume that he used his power to save himself. Rogue and the boy Remy have vanished. Logan, Kurt; you two go and find Rogue. Ororo, Hank take the rest of the team and find Scott. We might be dealing with an army of people who hate mutants. Also, you will need to attend to the small fire that is out in the woods." He nodded at his team and they spread out.
Logan grabbed Kurt's hand leaving the room through a cloud of smoke and haze of sulfur.
The Professor loaded the Blackbird with his team and they took off.
One figure remained, watching the sky as the plane took flight. She pulled back her red hair as the artificially created wind flung it in all directions.
"Scott?" she whispered to the empty hanger.
"Don't worry, Scott. I'm coming to help." She smiled and lifted herself into the air, trailing the Blackbird.
"Hey, Remy, you mind slowing down a bit. I don't think Rogue can keep this pace."
Scott pulled up on a barely conscious Rogue that was leaning on him for support. He patted her shoulder trying to keep her awake.
"S-S-Sorry, Sc-scott. It's just so cold."
Her lips were turning blue and there was hardly any heat radiating off of her.
"It's okay, Rogue. The institute is just about a mile down the road."
"I really wish we could go the sh-shorta way."
"I know, sorry about that. But whoever took me might be checking the main road." Scott looked ahead at the small street that ran through the woods. Street lamps were rare down the street, which was best for staying hidden, and they walked most of the way in darkness. Remy, however, kept feeling the need to take a card, light it, and through it to the ground and watch as it exploded.
Scott shook his head as Remy did it again, igniting a Queen of diamonds before tossing it to the gravel.
"Scott, it's too cold…" he felt Rogue slipping through his arms but before he could grab her Remy turned and caught her. Remy landed on his knees, supporting Rogue by her upper-arms. Their noses were within a few millimeters of touching.
The card-dealing mutant slowly rose, bringing Rogue up with him. He started wriggling out of his trench coat while supporting her with the crook of his arm.
"If chere was cold, she shoulda told Remy." He gave her a lopsided grin as he pulled her arms through the large sleeves. The coat was far too long and big for the small frame it was one but Rogue smiled all the same. It was warm, and the rich, musky scent on it comforted and strengthened her.
"Thanks, swamp rat."
"All right, red-eye, let's get going, non? Remy don wanna stay-." His own red eyes widened, "Get off de road!" Remy pulled Rogue into his arms and dragged her off the road into a ditch. Scott turned to see dark car without its lights on speeding down the street headed in their direction. He limped to the side and threw himself down.
He pressed his back to the dirt wall of the ditch and listened for the car to pass. It did after a minute, showering the three in fallen leaves and gravel. Remy held his arm over Rogue to protect her. His warm breath blew on her face. Rogue inhaled it, once again smelling the musk and spice. She looked up to find that his eyes were searching out her own.
Remy LeBeau found himself intrigued by the eyes that seemed to flicker between green and gray. A persistent strand of white hair kept falling in her face, which he subconsciously brushed away with his gloved hand.
Rogue couldn't seem to look away from his eyes, though her cheeks were burning for staring at him the way she was. But his eyes were just so unlike anything she had ever seen. They were the darkest black mixed with sanguineous pupils.
Their interlude was interrupted by a screech of tires and a loud thud.
Scott immediately took the leader role and motioned for the two to stay down. He slowly stood up and peeked over the edge of the road. A few hundred feet up the road the car was still. It was lying on its side, half in the ditch, and the other half sticking up in the air. There was no motion within the car: no one was trying to get out.
He remained still watching to make sure all remained motionless before he beckoned for Rogue and Remy to stand up.
"That car that passed us is lying in a ditch up ahead. I don't see anyone, but we can't go past it. We're going to have to head back and find another-."
"What are you talkin' about, Scott?"
Cyclopes turned to a clearly agitated Rogue.
"We can't risk sneaking past them so we-."
"I can't believe what your sayin'! We can't just leave 'em in there, we hafta help!" Rogue began to climb out of the ditch and head toward the car.
"Rogue, stop!" Scott hopped up and grabbed her arm, "They'll be fine, we'll call 911 when we get to the mansion."
Rogue ripped her arm away from him and almost fell over in the process. Remy managed to once again catch her in time and support her.
"We're X-men! We help people." She turned on heel and started walking towards the car.
Remy gave Scott a cocky grin and jerked a thumb in Rogue's direction.
"I like her."
He turned and caught up with Rogue and wrapped an arm around her shoulder for support.
Scott sighed, rubbed his temples and jogged to catch up with them.
They reached the still running car and looked inside the windows to see who was inside. On the driver's side, which was lying on the ground, was a young man. His head was lying on the broken glass of his window; his temple was bleeding and covered his face with blood. In the passengers seat was an elderly man with short white hair. His seatbelt was the only thing keeping him from falling onto the other person. And although he appeared uninjured he was still unconscious.
"All right" Rogue drawled approaching the car. A gust of wind blew her hair and coat tails backwards as she reached out to grab the car door. Remy approached her and gently pulled her back.
"Listen here, chere, you might want to let de boys handle dis one, non? Don't want you passin' out o' any' tin' before we can rescue dem."
Once again he let the charm flow between their two bodies. She nodded and sat down in a daze.
Scott, concerned over her obedience waved a hand in front of her face. She didn't respond but sat and gazed at Remy as he opened the car door.
"What did you do to her?" Scott asked, becoming angry with the arrogant young man.
"It's Remy's charm. All de belles fall fo' it. Keeps 'em nice and agreeable."
Scott shook his head and moved away from Rogue and held open the door while Remy perched on the side.
"You should shut the car off first. We really don't need any explosions right now."
Remy nodded and reached down slowly toward the keys. His arms brushed the older mans chest, which caused him to freeze. But the man remained unconscious so Remy kept on. With a flick of his wrist he turned of the car and pocketed the keys. He reached over towards the driver and checked for a pulse. It was there, alive and strong; same with the old man.
The thief wriggled out of the car and turned toward Scott.
"They're both alive, just out of it. We just gotta be careful moving dem outta dere."
"All right, let's do it."
The two started the task of removing the old man's seat belt. He started to hunk over but Remy pulled him out, careful to keep his neck strait. He laid him down next to Rogue who kept giving him warm looks. Scott was already working on the other man's belt (AN: yes, read it again, it can sooooo be taken out of context for perverse uses). He made sure that all glass was away from the driver's face before he lifted him out by his arms. By the time Scott managed to lay the man out on the road the elderly man was already stirring.
The glazed over look in Rogue's eye started to disappear. She rubbed at each eye and shook her head trying to shake off the warm feeling surging through her. The mutant glared at Remy.
"Don't do that again, Cajun. That's creepy."
Remy smiled at her. "I 'tink you like dat more den you let on, petite."
"Uhhh, where...where am I?" came a weak voice tinged with a British accent.
The old man sat up and rubbed at his head. Rogue stood aside as Remy helped the man up.
"Be all right now, m'sier. We just pulled you from de car dat had fallen over."
The man nodded, accepting it and looked down to his left where he companion was still lying unconscious on the street.
"Oh, dear heavens! He's really gone and messed himself up this time." He shook his head and knelt down to the injured man, " I keep telling him to take it slower on these icy roads, but he never listens." He removed a white handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at the blood on the mans forehead, "I supposed he will be feeling that in the morning." The old man stood up and turned to face his rescuers, "But I'm being terribly rude. My name is Richard Hutton. Thank you for rescuing me."
Richard reached out and took Scott's hand, raising an eyebrow at the disheveled state of the young man. "Looks like you've been having a rough evening there, lad." He turned toward Remy, but immediately stumbled back.
"What's wrong with you're eyes, child? And you," he pointed a Scott, "wearing sunglasses at night. You're mutants aren't you??" The old man pressed a hand towards his heart. Rogue stepped in front of Remy, pushing him back a bit.
"Sir, if y'all will just listen for a second, y'all can understand that we aren't gonna hurt ya." She motioned towards the car and the man on the ground, "We were just tryin' to help."
Richard gazed at her, about to comment on her abnormal hair and mutants inability to help any normal person when the white streaks picked at something in his brain. Something about the white and reddish-brown hair mixed with the green eyes…!
"Tell me…is those white bangs of yours…natural?"
Rogue glanced at Scott who just shrugged.
"Yeah, ah've always had 'em."
That only heightened his suspicions.
"Ann Marie?"
Rogue raised her eyebrow and took a step back, "I don't go by that name anymore…"
"My God…" Richard reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Within the leather folds he pulled out a worn picture. He looked down at it; looked at her, then back again. After a minute of staring at the picture he lifted his hand to touch the white hair hanging in her face. Out of instinct she jerked away, but something in the old man's eyes held her and she let him caress her hair.
Richard met her confused stare.
"My word, you don't even remember who I am. Do you, Ann Marie?"
The skeptic, anti-social Goth took over her persona as she crossed her arms.
"I go by Rogue."
"Don't use that tone with me, young lady." All three mutants looked surprised, "I'm the one who helped give you that nickname, I believe." He smiled in a manner only a grandfather or old relative could, "I remember the way you acted around other children, my dear. Always hanging on the outside, being your own leader and follower. I can't believe you've stuck with it all these years."
"All right, now you're scarin' me. How do you know all this?" She took another step back. Only then did she feel the warm hand pressed against the small of her back. Rogue glance through her peripheral vision at Remy who was fixated on the man in front of them.
Richard smile widened, "Why, I'm your god-father, my dear. In fact, I was on my way to meet your father when my car skidded."
Remy felt her body start to lean against his hand and he moved once again to catch her as her legs gave out.
"God-father? Father? I don't…I never…"
Her eyes rolled back before she could complete her sentiments.
" Oh dear heavens, "the old man proclaimed as Remy picked up the limp girl, "I didn't mean to scare the poor thing. Goodness, gracious." He moved to push the hair off of her forehead but Remy jerked her away.
"Wouldn't do dat. De chere here, she got poisonous skin. Not exactly good for de continued health, eh?"
"So, she's a mutant as well…no wonder David gave her up."
"David?" Remy questioned.
"Rogue's father." Richard and David asked at the same time. Richard turned.
"How did you know that?"
Scott stepped forward, briefly glancing at Rogue, and turned to Richard.
"He kidnapped me from school and started "Interrogating" me." The young leader pointed at his cuts and bruises, "I only escaped with my life by using my power."
"Power?"
"If I were to take off these glasses and open my eyes you would be shot by a laser beam."
"Ah, so you are the reason I was called all the way out here." The old man ran a hand through his hair, "You know that you almost killed one of them."
Scott hung his head.
" I had no other choice. They were literally holding a gun to my head. I had no other choice." The last part was barely a whisper.
Richard sighed and rubbed at his eyes.
"It seems as if things aren't so simple anymore. There are more of your kind in this area, aren't there?"
"I'm not disclosing any information to a complete stranger."
Richard nodded and patted the boy's shoulder. "Whoever raised you, raised you smart, that for sure. But you've got to get your kind out of the Bayville area."
"What?" Scott pushed away his hand.
"That's why they called me out here to the middle of nowhere. I'm the head of Friends of Humanity. We're trying to get the mutants under control." He raised a hand to calm to hateful stares; "We've built a device that will let us find you, no matter where you hide. But there's a great deal of soldiers on the way, and already a great deal here. They won't stop until all of you." A frown came to his lips as he looked over Scott's shoulder and looked at Rogue, "Every single one of you is locked up and caged."
He stomped his foot and threw his head back, making a growling noise.
"I hate when my conscious plays games with me. Bloody hell. Could you get in contact with your team?" He gazed at Scott who responded by glaring.
'If I had a team they would have seen my beam set the forest on fire, and would notice I was gone by now. They'll be out searching for me and Rogue."
"A-hem."
"And him." Scott jerked a thumb behind him.
"Merci."
"Listen, boys, I have a proposition for you." Richard pushed aside his jacket and removed a gun from his shoulder holster. Assuming they were being attacked the two other men jumped back; Scoot brought his hand up to remove his sunglasses. They were pleasantly surprised when he took out the magazine and handed the gun to Scott. "Here's what I'm thinking. You come with me back to the base and we try to reason this thing out before both sides end up killing each other. Fair enough?"
Scott shook his head; "We've got to get Rogue back to the mansion. She's too weak to be out here this long. I don't even know why she was brought out here in the first place." He shot a look at Remy who only smiled and pulled Rogue closer to him.
"Well, my boy, sorry to sound like a monster, but she could really be key to turning this whole battle around. David loved his daughter very much; maybe she'll make him see reason if everything else fails. And besides, they're sure to have an expert medical team out here with them. How else were they going to fix up those boys you, " he pointed at Remy, "beat up."
"Remy was only savin' de damsel in distress."
Richard noticed the affectionate glance at Rogue.
"Yes well, do we have a deal?" he held his hand out to Scott to accept.
The leader looked wary, "What caused you to change your mind about mutants?"
The older man nodded and smiled in a knowing way, "I have a very strict code of honor. My friend and I might have been stuck in that car for hours, freezing slowly to death. You deserve my gratitude. And also, if my god-child, who was the closest thing I ever got to a grandchild or daughter, is a mutant, then maybe I should reexamine my views."
Cyclopes took the still offered hand and leaned down to pick up the unconscious driver.
"All right. Lead on."
Logan was growing expediently more agitated with the smell of brimstone and sulfur each time they "bamfed" to a new location. His heightened sense of smell was driving him mad with the constant leaps they were making.
The two had just come from the high school, and before the Brotherhood house. Fortunately the members were working on some outrageous plan to get back at Duncan to notice the two X-men sneaking around their house.
Kurt ported them to a section of the woods and let go of Logan's hand. The fuzzy elf looked up at the older man as Logan sniffed the air.
There was smoke looming in the air from the fire that had been put out. Logan also managed to pick up the faint smell of blood, along with a rich, spicy musk that hung all over the place.
"Thank God that punk wears too much Old Spice."
"Ze'yre here?" Kurt spoke, smiling.
"Naw, passed by a half an hour ago, but…" he took in a long sniff and opened wide eyes, 'Scott was with him. Injured I think." Logan turned in a full circle, closing his eyes and listening to all the clues nature was providing him with.
"They head that way, towards the road that goes through the woods." He turned to face Kurt, "Can you get us there?"
Kurt nodded, grabbed the man's hand and faced in the direction he pointed.
The few nocturnal animals that dwelled in that area jumped as smoke and an obnoxious fume invaded their territory.
"They're about a half a mile away from us, Professor. We can land in that clearing and walk the rest of the way."
"Yes. I can only sense fifty or so. But they have already sent for help. A few more men are on their way. Via air I believe. Ororo." Charles faced the wind goddess, "Could you create a bit of turbulence for them?"
She nodded, walking towards the back of the blackbird and exited the jet through the top.
Charles watched her as she took of into the skies and concealed herself with a veil of fog.
"X-men," he looked at each child in turn, "We are not here to start a fight, merely to end one. We will get Scott back, and prove that we mean no harm. Do not use your powers to hurt them unless it becomes absolutely necessary. Do each of you understand?" they nodded, some reluctantly and some with vigor, "Good. Beast, take us down."
Joe approached a fuming David reluctantly.
"David, we just got word from the back up forces. Due to this sudden storm they had to turn back. There was no place they could land and be discreet. We're on our own."
"What about Hutton?"
"He's still on his way, David. He should be here soon."
"I don't want soon!" David threw the cup he was holding across the room and it landed in a hundred pieces. The glass flew and shards landed all over the room. David noticed one landed by the completed helmet for detecting mutants. In a calmer voice he questioned the younger man.
"Why can't was use that to find the freak, again?"
Joe pointed towards the dark sky.
"The storm, it's too dangerous to use anything that requires too much electricity."
"Damn it! Where could that old guy be?"
The door to the room was thrown open as an elderly form walked into the room.
"There was a time, old friend, that you would address me by name and not "old guy." Richard lectured as he approached his long time friend.
David stood to embrace the old man.
"How are you, Richard?"
"Well…"Richard seemed to look David over, then at Joe, and then all around the room. No weapons were in sight, which made David for the most part harmless, "I'm quite all right, but it appears," he waved with his hand to some figure behind him and two figures walked through the door. One, who kept his head downcast, was carrying a figure draped in a trench coat far too big. The other, the mutant that had killed one of his own, carrying a bleeding and unconscious young man, "It appears that my companions are a bit worse for wear."
David tried to get to Scott, but was kept back by a single pat on the chest by the old man.
"That temper of yours is terrible, David. Calm it down before I make you. Besides, these two saved my life, I owe them."
The young man turned on his friend.
"Owe them?? Their mutants! Freaks! Scum of the earth! Don't you remember what Friends of Humanity is all about??"
"David." Richard tried to calm him.
"No. Joe, get me some armed men in here now. Get these freaks in chains now."
Joe nodded and moved toward the door.
"I don't dink so, mon ami."
Remy glared at him and put down Rogue on a nearby table. The cards he carried in his pocket were in his hands and waited to be thrown as he charged them.
The glow illuminated the darkened room and everyone in it.
"Remy don' wanna hurt nobody. But de only reason he come here is so chere will get a bit of medical attention, non? So nobody leave dis room until a doctor come in and take care of her. Comprenezvous?"
Richard raised his hands to placate the boy, "All right, Mr. LeBeau. David, why don't you get on that?"
David was currently keeping up a glaring contest between himself and the teen leader of the X-men.
"I'm not going to let one of my men actually help these mutant freaks."
Scott set the man he was carrying down besides Rogue and gently sat her up. The charge Remy was lighting the room with clearly showed her sleeping features to the man.
"What about your own daughter?"
David nearly choked on his own breath as he saw her face. It was so much paler than it had ever been, white even bathed in red light. It was cold in the room, and every slow breath she took was a thin ribbon of vapor.
He was jolted from his reverie as the sound of many stomping feet over powered the quiet night.
"Mutants in the woods! Fire! Fire!"
Richard stood in front of David.
"Call your men down, David. We don't need to fight them."
The middle-aged man tore his gaze away from the face of his daughter and glared at his long time friend.
"We are going to capture of kill each and everyone of these mutants."
Remy flung a handful of cards at the man's feet and watched the continued charging. Before they could blow up Scott removed his glasses and vaporized all the cards. He turned to Remy.
"Don't. Let's get out of here and help the others." He moved toward the door.
"What about chere?"
Scott glared over his shoulder at David, 'She's going to be just fine and patched up before were done taking down all of these men." He looked at Remy again, "But we're not gonna kill anybody."
Scott exited, and Remy followed suit. Richard was in the middle of pushing a stunned Joe out of the room. The old man stopped,
"David, for once, do the right thing. It's not too late to stop hiding from your own kid. You won't be getting another chance." He smiled at Joe, 'Come one, boy, show me where you're hiding the medical supplies around this dump and you might just come out of this thing unhurt."
David watched as they left before finally turning again to his daughter.
He slowly approached her, watching her breath coming in and out.
There was a chair in front of the table she was lying on and he pulled it out and sat on it, watching her, and thinking of what to do with himself.
"Jeez I hate guns!" Kitty yelled as she slipped through another man with gun trained on one of her fellow mutants. As she phased through she managed to grab all of the bullets out and sent them flying into the woods. She smiled watching as the guy stared down at his now useless gun in amazement.
The other X-men were doing well against the other men.
The newer recruits were working together to contain about twenty-five men. The Beast sent men flying into an unconscious heap as he flung his muscular arms at them. Evan kept shooting his spikes at the weapons, sending them flying out of men's hands.
She smiled, this mission was a lot easier than it had sounded and there were only a few scratches and bruises on a few of the more careless members of the x-men.
"Kitty!"
The voice that she knew was the one and only Cyclopes came from behind her. She spun around and saw him approaching her.
He looked terrible in a torn shirt with some cuts exposed, but he was for the most part fine which was all she needed to know. When he was close enough she hugged him and squealed with relief
"Oh my gosh! Scott! You're okay!"
"Yeah, I'm just great. Kitty, where's the professor?"
She looked around and pointed the smallest building in the clearing.
"He was over there looking for you about two minutes ago."
"Thanks, Come on, Remy let's go find him."
The Cajun nodded and took after the teen boy. But not before he winked at Kitty who giggled as he ran past.
Not a single man from Friends of Humanity was left standing. They were all huddled in a pile and slowly being caged in my either ice or a wall of magma.
Scott smiled; proud of the way the X-men handled the potentially dangerous situation. He was so beaming with pride that he didn't notice the small figure creeping up besides the building.
A very sick looking Sandra held the gun up with a shaky hand as she aimed at the running Scott. She aimed at his head and pulled on the trigger.
Seconds seemed to melt into hours as the bullet slowly left the chamber. Sandra was knocked back by an unnatural wind of some sort. The gun went flying from her hands, but the bullet was well on its way towards its victim.
"Scott!"
He turned to face the one who had called his name, giving the bullet a nice target of the back of his head. Before he could see who had called him he felt himself being knocked down by a very tall, redhead girl. As his head went down so did the arm that was pushing him.
The bullet missed Scott but managed to tear through the shoulder of Jean Gray.
Scott grunted as he landed on the ground with an added weight landing on his chest.
The force of the fall also sent his glasses flying of his face. Both fortunately and unfortunately he happened to be looking past everyone at the building he had just exited.
It was cold; Rogue knew that from the unwillingness of her cheeks to move and the lack of warmth throughout her entire body. She shook her head, trying to shake out the heaviness but only succeeded in making herself a bit dizzier.
She finally decided to sit up and find out exactly why she had fallen asleep in the first place.
"If that boy uses that "warm-fuzzy" feeling thing on me again, I swear I will…" she finally looked up to see an exact copy of her eyes looking at her.
A man, in his middle forties she guessed, was sitting in front of her just staring into her eyes.
His hair was the same coppery brown.
There were specific white streaks growing on the side of his head that resembled hers.
His face had the same angles as her own. There was no mistaken who this man was.
"David, right?"
He nodded, "There was a time you called me dad."
She sat up all the way and swung her legs over the table. A splitting headache ripped through her skull, but it didn't stop her from glaring.
"I would still be callin' ya dad if ya hadn't or left me with Irene."
Her obvious intent to hurt him didn't faze him as he continued to smile at her.
"I didn't think it would bother me so little actually standing here close to you."
Rogue pushed herself a little ways away form the man.
"What are ya talkin' about?"
"You're a mutant…but it seems so stupid to think about that now that you're actually here in front of me." He stood from his seat and stood up tall, "I really missed you, Ann Marie."
She crossed her arms.
"My name is Rogue. And it's too late for sorr-."
There was a single, thundering shot before the familiar sound of Scott's beam going off reached her ears. That was seconds before the wall of the room came clattering down on the both of them.
Using some long dormant parental instinct David lunged at Rogue and covered her with his own body as concrete and piping came spilling in on them.
Though for the most part she was covered his cheek still managed to touch her own.
Memories of his flooded her mind. Hate for mutants, rooting from his encounter with her mother, Mystique. Happiness from the common everyday things of fatherhood. Picnics, playtime, and the first time he ever saw her. All these memories flowed from his mind to her own. Then sadness as he left her mother, and then finally abandoned her. They kept coming and coming, until for no apparent reason, they stopped.
She felt his final breath on his ear, and the last beat of his heart.
The last sentiment that she could clearly pick from his mind was directed towards her.
"I'm sorry."
Eventually Richard managed to get everything straitened out. FOH became nonexistent, as it's founder stopped endorsing it. The mutants were safe from predators for a while.
The X-men kept their conquest in the woods of Bayville of secrets from the prying eyes, but it was quite a story they had to set up about the fires and the massive destruction done to the forest.
It was hard to clean up as well.
The two buildings the Scott destroyed were intricate piles of metal and concrete. They decided to leave the first building Scott knocked down alone, but lives were depending on their ability to clean up the other one.
Hours after it came crashing down the team managed to spot the three persons inside. Rogue had been awake when they found her, saved from harm by the human shield. He was dead, killed by a piece of metal through his stomach, not to mention the prolonged touching of skin between himself and Rogue.
As they were pulling her out of the debris she couldn't find words to express what she had gone through in the hours they had been digging. She had been forced to sit in the dark and feel the weight of her dead father pressing against her. His memories and emotions had kept her somewhat sane, but the experience would haunt her forever.
The driver was also pulled out of the building no worse for wear aside from the gash on his head.
There was a funeral for David, which was only attended by a few. Rogue decided to come only because it seemed as if Richard was on the verge of breaking down. But during the burial the two found themselves leaning on each other for help.
The old man left the following day and Rogue returned to her life at the mansion.
Jean had been a sore subject for weeks. The others were never told about her attempts on Rogue's life, only Ororo, Logan, Hank, and the professor knew. But they all took it easy on her as she did save Scott's life by risking her own. Her shoulder blade was injured from the bullet, but after a few months she was able to play sports again.
The two girls avoided each other in the halls and around meal times. Only after several weeks of therapy with the Professor did Jean finally start to calm down. She managed to apologize to Rogue and began acting as friendly towards her as she was towards all of her friends.
Remy was doing so well in the mansion. He stayed with Rogue, attended school with her, but enough was enough. He had come to Bayville trying to make a new start with his life, but the whole "good-guy" routine wasn't working. Danger sessions ended in Remy blowing the door open and leaving before the sequence could end. He never listened to the Beast, and his smoking habit drove the teachers and students crazy. At times it seemed the only reason he stuck around was to be near Rogue.
There was something more than friendship between the two, for sure. And just because she couldn't kiss didn't mean that Remy didn't stop trying.
But, he knew he couldn't stay away from his New Orleans forever.
The winter was coming to a close and he missed the hot springs and summers. His mind was made up. On a morning in late January he approached Rogue who was sitting by the fire reading one of her Ann Rice novels.
He teasingly pulled on her hair to get her attention. She looked up at him and smiled. Remy was surprised by the lack of make up on her face. He had of course seen her without it, at the beginning when he had saved her from Duncan and then again from Jean, but never intentionally.
"Chere get tired of purple, non?"
She punched his legs and pulled him down to the floor.
"Ah just got tired of hiding behind that make-up. Ah used to wear it because I liked to, but now…" she shrugged, "I don't want to hide what I am anymore."
He gave her a lopsided grin, "Just so long as you don' go showin' off yo mutant powers, Remy is fine wit it."
"You're too kind, LeBeau."
She smiled and looked past his shoulder at the bags that were at his feet. Rogue looked at his red black eyes.
"You goin' somewhere?"
"Oui. Back To New Orleans."
She pushed away from him a bit and looked at the fire in front of her.
"You leavin' because of me?"
"Come on, petite. You are de only ting keepin' Remy here. Remy's not cut out to be a hero, it just not working." He saw the sad look on her face and pulled her around to face him, "You don wanna get close to ol' Remy anyway. If you dink people getting' too close to you is dangerous, but I don want Chere to see what happens to people who get too close to Remy."
He smiled sadly at her as he ran a gloved hand through her hair.
Tears were about to spill over her green eyes, but he pulled her into a strong hug.
"Don you be thinkin' dat we ain't gonna see each other again, girl. We got some'tin good here, non?"
She smiled and pressed her face into his chest. He gave her one final squeeze before he stood up, picked up his bag and walked out of the room.
Rogue watched as he walked out, and heard the door shut on his way out. She ran to the window just in time to see Logan's favorite motorcycle being driven through the snow and out the gates. She pressed her hand against the glass and blew a kiss with the other.
"See you someday, Swamp Rat."
Epilogue
Two years passed quickly in the mansion.
Jean and Scott declined going to college and stayed at the mansion to help with the X-men. Everyone was convinced that the main reason they didn't head off for colleges was the fear that they wouldn't be together. But everyone also had a haunting suspicion about the what the diamond ring that Jean sported on her finger meant. The two were inseperable, so the professor foudn away for them to continue their studies. They were forced to take on-line classes and the professor had to hire a tutor or two but it was well worth it to keep his two original X-men.
Life at the mansion was as it always was, except for one specific Gothic girl who was finding herself more and more strangled by the adolescent hormones running though the institute.
Rogue covered her ears as she passed by two fighting mutants and picked up her mail on the kitchen table. She rummaged through it as she walked up the stairs to hers and kitty's room.
She was only too glad to see her hyper roommate wasn't there so she could get in some private time. Rogue pulled her now long hair into a sloppy bun letting the white bangs fall in front of her face and flopped on her bed.
"Hi, dad." She greeted the picture of David on her bed stand. Richard had sent her a few of David's things over the years. Although she really couldn't bring herself to love the father that abandoned her she felt connected to him through the memories he had given her that horrible night years ago.
The mail seemed nothing out of the ordinary. Cell phone bill, letters from the army asking her to be part of the army of one. Some pamphlets from colleges that she had no intention of going to. College was a hard decision for the mutant. She had no idea what she wanted to study and no campus seemed to interest her. Just that morning the Professor had been lecturing her about dead lines for applications and what not. She shook her head and through all college related material on the ground. The final letter caught her attention; it was a black envelope with "The Rogue" written in red.
She smiled, reminded of a certain Cajun mutant as she ripped open the envelope and read the letter within. Her grin widened as she read and by the time she was through she was all but bouncing of her bed.
Immediately she called out to the professor as he had taught her to.
'What is it, Rogue?'
'Well…I was thinkin', how does the University of Louisiana sound for college?' she let out a rare giggle and held a playing card that had been included in the envelope. She brought the King of hearts to her lips and kissed it.
"See you soon, Swamp Rat."
Theendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheendtheend
Wow, it's finally done. Thanks for all the encouragement from everybody and sorry it took so long. I typed for so long this weekend trying to finish this in time for the one-year mark, but it didn't work. Sorry, we'll have to settle for the day after. THANK YOU!!