Mommy Mystique (cont.)

(Here we get some of the history of how this family came together. In this reality, "Turn of the Rogue" never happened. And you'll see what happens to "Shadowed Past".)

( ***** = flashback.)

The next day, the announcement was made in school. A few kids were tempted to make bad jokes. Most didn't even know she was married. But everybody signed the card for her in the office.

The only one who wasn't happy was Acting Principal Kelly, who had grown too attached to his job to lose it now.

Even Pietro had grown fond of the new arrivals, to the point where he made them cute outfits for every day of the week.
Wanda was staying at a friend's house, but she came to visit every day. And she usually did so carrying enough toys to sink a battleship.

"How come they're not blue?" she asked.

"Long story," Mystique said. "Would you like to hold one of them?"

"OK . . ."

The babies wore little bead bracelets with their names on them, a gift from Kurt. Wanda  looked down at the one Mystique had just placed in her arms. JARED, in alternating blue and green beads, was around the baby's tiny wrist.

"You must be so happy to have a family," Wanda said sadly. She couldn't picture herself ever having kids. And her relationship with her father was not so great . . . so this would probably be the only chance she got to be with a real family.
Mystique sighed. "It wasn't always like this," she said.

"Hey, Mama," Rogue said. "Hi, Wanda."

"I was just about to tell Wanda," Mystique said, "how we became a family."

"Oh. That. It's kinda a long story . . ."

"I'd like to hear it," Wanda said.

"A long time ago . . ." Mystique began.

"How far back are ya goin'?" Rogue asked.

"Years."

"Nah, let's start where it began for us. When Ah started havin' those dreams."

"All right." So Mystique began to relate the story of Rogue's nightmares.

"It all started when I was working with Magnus."

"My father?" Wanda asked.

"Yes. That's what I've always called him. "One day he noticed that Rogue was having trouble sleeping, so he came to me and "asked me to find out what the trouble was."
"And Ah couldn't tell you."

"No, you couldn't. You didn't know why you were having these dreams. At this time, you didn't fully understand your own power."

Rogue shuddered at the memory. "They were awful. The wolves . . . the woman, running . . . and that poor baby . . . Ah couldn't see him at first . . ."
"Baby?" Wanda asked.
"The woman was carrying him in her arms. Then the wolves attacked her . . . and she dropped him, into the water."
"How long did you have these dreams?"
"Every night for about two months, ever since I came here. Ah didn't figure it out till Kurt and Ah were assigned to do a family tree together . . ."

*******************

"Family tree?" Kitty said to Kurt.

"Ja, Miss Romney said ve have to make vun up."
"But why you and Rogue? She hates you! She hates everybody!"

"How should I know?" Kurt shrugged. "Maybe she thought ve could help each uzzer . . ."

Kitty had her doubts. "That's just so stupid! I mean, like, how are you supposed to work with her?"

On the other side of the room, Rogue sulked. Just her luck to get stuck doing a stupid project with Blue Boy. Why couldn't the teacher have picked somebody else for her to work with instead?

Anyone.
Even Toad--well, maybe not Toad. But at least they lived in the same house.

But no, they had to make her work with Kurt Wagner. What a freak he was . . .

 What a freak she is, Kurt thought, looking over at Rogue.

After class, Kurt was at his locker when someone came up to him.

"Excuse me . . ." It was Rogue.
"Vas?"

"You Kurt Wagner?"

"Of course I am! Ve . . . met."
"Well, excuse me, but we didn't have what you'd call a proper introduction!"

Kurt flinched. "I tried being nice!"

Now it was Rogue's turn to flinch.

"Okay, maybe Ah deserved that . . . so, when do you wanna get started?"

"Um . . . I hadn't thought of zhat. After school?"
"Sure, I guess so. Where do ya wanna meet?"
"I don't know."
"The library? The big one, in town?"
"Sounds good."
"Fine. Ah'll meet you here at three, and we'll walk over."
"Okay."
It wasn't until much later that either of them realized just what they were getting into . . .

Two weeks into the project, Rogue's nightmares became much clearer. She started seeing the faces of the woman and the baby.
The woman was--no doubt about it--Mystique.
And the baby? Well, blue, fuzzy, and with three fingers . . . it could only be one person.