Chapter 11, "Concrete Angel"
By: RogueBHS
A/N: I'M BAACCKKK. Now, I know, I was mean and left you hanging again. Sorry! Really, I am. It just happens that way when I write. Go figure. For all of those who are reading this, if you know of a GOOD site for Madelyne Pryor (Goblin Queen), Nathan Summers (Cable), or Nate Grey (X-man), PLEASE PLEASE let me know. The better the site (information wise, right now, I don't give a flip about pictures of them), the better the next part of the site will be. Also, any good Cable, Maddy, or X-man centric fan fics that you know of just might help too. :)
Again (I seem to be saying this a lot lately), sorry for the delay in the update. My muse hid, and I was just plain busy. Hope you can forgive me. Made this a longer chapter for you once my muse got back!
Also, here's the plan for the rest of the arc:
Part 1 (already completed): Scott/Rogue
Part 2 (in progress, DUH): Storm/Rogue
Part 3: Cable/X-man/Rogue
Part 4: Jean/Maddy/Rogue
Part 5: Professor Xavier/Rogue
Part 6: Beast/Rogue
Part 7: Bobby/Rogue
Part 8: Logan/Rogue
Part 9: Bishop/Rogue
Part 10: Mystique/Rogue
Part 11: Magneto/Rogue
Part 12: Remy/Rogue
Part 13: Rogue/Rogue
Whoa! That's a lot isn't it? LOL. Yes, I DO plan on covering all of that. I have way too many ideas for this baby to just stop. Besides, I know a few people who'd kill me if I did. LOL. Ok. Hide the caffine and sugar from me today. Oy vey. Anyway, hope you enjoy.
OH! I have to thank "RogueRemy" and "Lucky439" for asking the very question I was hoping to hear. Hehe. Gotta wait till nearly the end of this chapter to find out. I'm so mean. I know.
Rogue was silent as she slid out of the medlab bed. It had been almost 24 hours since she had awoken, much to the surprise of Betsy who had been keeping an eye on her, and yet she wasn't allowed to leave the medlab. Hank knew how much Rogue detested any type of medical facility (but not why), yet he insisted on her staying put. He was the only one who knew of her headaches, and what caused them. It wasn't as simple as it used to be to get rid of the headaches either.
With Scott's powers, Rogue's headaches were worse, even with his power turned off, if she was in the sun for any length of time. Now Rogue, being Rogue, couldn't just sit inside all day. What good was the power to fly if it wasn't sunny and gorgeous outside, or worse, if she could only use it inside?
She would have padded out into the main part of the medlab, but she heard voices...one in particular that had her jumping back in the bed. Scott would absolutely kill her if she didn't obey Hank's orders. Ok. So maybe he wouldn't kill her, but he certainly wouldn't be happy. And if Scott wasn't happy with her, that meant it could be a while before she was on active duty.
Scott walked into the room after a brief talk with Hank, and smiled at Rogue. He took a seat in the chair next to Rogue, and then in a rare move, took her hand and kissed it. "Guess what I just did."
Rogue raised an eyebrow, but returned his smile. "What did ya do sugah?"
"I just talked Hank into setting your release for tomorrow unless something else pops up or unless you decide to be a bad patient and try to sneak out."
Rogue feigned innocence. "Ah have no earthly idea what you're talkin' about."
He laughed. "Sure you don't. I know as well as you that you hate any type of medical facility. And I know why too, Rogue. So don't act like you wouldn't escape from her at the first sign of it beng possible."
Rogue sighed, then nodded. "Alright. So maybe...no...So Ah would. We both know it, and we both know why. And we both know that if Professah Xavier knew why, he'd have me doin' therepy sessions or somethin." Rogue met his gaze levely. "Ah ain't gonna have everyone actin' all sympathetic, Scott. Not evah again. Ah nevah grew up, nevah matured properly cause Ah was babied so-ta-speak. If Ah said somethin' about a headache aftah absorbin' somebody, Ah was treated like a porcelin doll that had super powers. All this junk lately has made meh think, mainly about mah life heah and with Mystique."
"Ah was appointed t' th' senior team because Ah had skill supposedly, but hell. Ah've been skilled all along. Problem is, Ah wasn't mature enough t' handle that type o' position before. Ah'm not even sure Ah'm mature enough now." She put up a hand before he could interupt. "No one trusted meh completely, because Ah took the easy way out when things got tough; Ah ran. But Ah don' wanna do that again, Scott. This team has helped meh as best they can, an' all Ah do is run when things get tough for meh. That ain't really much of a thank ya, is it?"
Scott smiled slightly and shook his head. "No, its not really. Thing is Rogue, we do trust you. Yes, I'll admit we all get angry when you run, but that's because we want to help you more if we can. Granted, some of us feel stronger on that than others."
Rogue smiled and nodded, but before she could speak, a voice at the door interupted her.
"Is this a private party, or can anyone join?"
The smooth feminine voice was a dead give away, and neither Scott nor Rogue had to look to see who it was that had joined them, but did anyway. Ororo was standing there, a hand on her hip as she smiled at the two of them. She must have been out in her garden not too long ago, because she was still in a pair of jean shorts and a loose t-shirt that had streaks of dirt on them.
Rogue motioned to the other chair in the room, smiling at her other friend. "Its alright by meh if ya join us, Roro. Scott an' Ah were jus' discussin' immaturity."
Ororo raised an eyebrow as her blue eyes sparkled. "Now Rogue, what have I told you about discussing Bobby behind his back?"
Scott and Rogue both laughed briefly. When they had quieted, Scott spoke to Ororo. "Hate to disappoint you Storm, but we weren't discussing Bobby. He just doesn't interest me enough to talk about him behind his back."
Nodding, Storm tilted her head. "Then whom were you speaking about?"
Rogue met Ororo's eyes. "Me."
Curious again, Storm's eyebrows raised. "You, Rogue? But you said you were..."
Rogue interupted Storm in the middle of the sentence. "Ah know what Ah said Roro. Scott an' Ah were discussin' th' fact that Ah acted immature for a long time aftah Ah joined th' team."
Scott shook his head. "No. You were saying you acted immature, I said no such thing, nor did I agree with you on that part. I just agreed when you said that running away like you have in the past wasn't much of a thank you for us trying to help you."
Storm nodded in agreement. "You have a point there, Rogue, on the running away. But on you being immature? I don't know if that is really the proper word. Granted, immature can mean that something is unfinished or not yet perfected, which does suit you. For that matter, it could fit all of us."
Scott laughed. "Some more than others." He turned his attention to Rogue. "She is right, you know; about the unfinished part I mean."
Rogue's head tilted to the side. "What do you mean? Unfinished?" Rogue looked between Ororo and Scott. "How could a person be unfinished?"
"You already know that answer Rogue. I know you do. But, since you asked, I will answer." Storm shifted to better face Rogue. "By unfinished, we both mean that you are incomplete, or missing part of you, obviously. But deeper than that, we mean that there is a part of you that has yet to make itself known. Your leadership skills didn't show up until they were needed, and the same can be said of your advanced powers. Of all of us, you have the most potential. Not just from your training and powers, but from things you may not even know about yourself."
"You're smart, probably smarter than any of us know. You're strong, and I'm not speaking about with your mutant abilities. Its your strong heart and mind that we speak of when we refer to your strength. Yes, you have your flaws, like all of us. That I can not deny. But the good is more than enough to help us see past those flaws, and I don't think you realize that."
Rogue tilted her head slightly. "Ok, so Ah'm human. Ah've got mah flaws an' Ah've got mah strengths. Who doesn't? The fact that Ah've got 'em doesn't make meh special. Hell, there's a special gene that does that (A/N: X-gene) that Ah jus' happen t' have. Roro, none of us are 'finished.' Everyone has their secrets they keep even from themselves, an' Ah happen t' know some of those secrets thanks t' mah power. Ah know that two of th' members of th' team have latent powers that are burstin' at th' seams t' get loose. Ah know so much about so many people Roro, that it ain't even funny." Her eyes seemed darker, more mysterious as she continued. "As for potential...It ain't fair t' say Ah have th' most. Bobby, for all o' his jokin' an' what not could be bettah, so much bettah than he is now. Even Jubilee could be amazin' with that powah o' hers and her personality. So don' say Ah have th' most, Storm. Cause that ain't true."
Storm and Scott shared a glance. Rogue had always been one to shrug off what she felt to be excess praise, though no one fully understood why. It seemed there were some traits she would never loose. Meeting Rogue's eyes again, Ororo nodded slowly. "Alright, Rogue. You do have a point there I suppose. But with your powers Rogue, and your additude, your potential is virtually limitless."
Rogue's eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Why th' hell is that lately everything comes back t' th' powah Ah hold now? Th' Shadow King bein' loose was mah fault, me endin' up heah was partially 'cause of mah current powah state. Some thangs ain't due t' th' damn X-gene ya know." Her eyes locked with Ororo's, and the green seemed so intense that Ororo was a tad surprised. "You were raght when ya said Ah'm smart though. Gawd...Ah could probably almos' put Hank t' shame. Granted mah smarts are in othah areas, but still...Ah am smart. Aftah all, Irene and Mystique were mah teachers, how could Ah not be?"
Storm and Scott shared a glance, as her true intelegence had never really been under serious question. They knew she had enough smarts to handle being an X-woman and even leading the team for a while, but outside of that, what did they really know? That was something they would have to discuss later.
*8:30 AM*
Rogue glared at Storm when she told her how she was to spend her day. Rogue had done enough "testing" in her life, thank you very much. Now Storm and Hank were insisting that she had to do it. It was gorgeous outside, and Rogue had planned to go out flying for a while...maybe even go out on her bike. But when Storm and Hank all but shoved her into the elevator, Rogue pouted and looked at the two of them. "Ah don' know when this place became a real dang school, but Ah know Ah don' lahke th' change."
"No one said you have to like the change, Rogue. And after all, this is simply temporary. You were the one who said that you had a brain, my dear, so this is your own fault that you're being tested." Beast's words gave Rogue little encouragement, and he knew it. But this was being done on Xavier's orders.
Rogue sulked as she leaned against the wall, but neither Storm or Hank seemed to care. They had learned over time that Rogue's sulks were usually over quicker if they were ignored, unless the problem was truely something important. Granted it had been a while since Rogue had really sulked, but that didn't matter. Rogue did stop sulking when she noticed that they weren't going to let up on this one, and sighed. "Alright, alright. Ah'll do the testing. But it had bettah not take all damn day ya know."
Beast grinned at her. "We'll make sure that we end by dinner time, Rogue. But if you are not finished with all of the tests, we will drag you down here again, make no mistake about that."
Rogue glanced at Ororo. "Ya wouldn't really drag meh again would ya?"
Ororo gave Rogue a bland look. "I would advise you not to test that one Rogue. You might be surprised what lengths we would go to in order to ensure that this is all taken care of, Rogue. And we have Xavier's backing on this."
Rogue fought the urge to pout. "Ah bet Remy wouldn't lahke knowin' that you're forcin meh inta this."
Storm shrugged and smiled. "Remy's opinion in this case doesn't matter. After all, this was agreed on by the other senior members, Scott included."
"Ah ain't surprised really. Figured he'd wanna know how smart Ah am after Ah let that slip th' othah day. Aftah all, he's still th' leadah of th' X-men, an' he ain't gonna miss a chance to make us bettah."
When they reached the medlab, Rogue was surprised to find that Hank had set up a table for her to use, rather than one of the desks she knew they had in the mansion for the Gen Xers. Then again, she was also grateful she didn't have to use one of those desks, as Jubilee had an annoying habit of sticking her huge wads of gum underneath the desk when no one was watching her closely. Without any more fuss, Rogue took a seat at the table, then looked expectantly at Ororo and Hank.
"Alright, so where's th' tests?"
Hank smiled and opened a folder on his desk, he slid her a booklet and pencil. "Finish that as quickly and acurately as you can, my dear."
One look at the cover had Rogue's eyes narrowing. "You're givin' meh a test for damn 7th graders?! How stupid do ya take meh t' be?"
Ororo put a hand up to stop the accusations from continuing. "We dont' think you to be stupid, Rogue. Its simply that the test there covers some basic information that Xavier wants to see if you know. After all, you did say that your 'schooling' with Mystique was rather unorthadox, so we're going to test you from 7th grade level on up to see what skills are the strongest."
Rogue rolled her eyes, then glanced up at them. "Ya gonna stay in heah with meh all day or somethin?"
"Scott pointed out that there may be some forms of a problem that you may not understand, as you seem to be a very visual learner. So yes, Ororo and I are staying put, if only to ensure that if you need a different version of the test that we are here to give it to you without any delay so you can get out of here faster."
Rogue grinned. "Can't argue with that logic."
Hank and Ororo took a seat in the med lab, then made themselves comfy as Rogue started her first test of the day.
*Approximately 5:30 PM*
Rogue grinned as she watched Ororo and Hank grade her final test for the entire thing. Most of the tests she had completed within an hour, no matter how long they may have been. Of course, it had taken getting a Geometry test with pictures used for each question to get her past that stupid subject, but that was no matter. She had done it. When they had tested her on languages, she knew that she had blown them away. After all, they have never known that she could speak over 20 different languages in all of their forms. Even Remy couldn't honestly say that he knew every form of French, be it Canadian, Cajun, "real" French, ect.
Hank looked up at Rogue, his eyes a bit wide. "It seems you weren't kidding Rogue. You are extremely intelegent in your own right. But there is one thing I don't understand."
Rogue tilted her head, smiled. "What's that?"
"It seems that you are, as Scott said, a visual learner. But that makes no sense, as you also did decently on some of the tests that had no visuals. Do you know why that might be the case?"
Rogue bit her lower lip, then answered, her expression serious. "Most of what Ah learned was related to a mission in some form or fashion. An' mah history lessons came from Irene, so Ah guess that Ah jus' got t' where Ah relate th' problems t' th' old missions Ah used t' do for Mystique. Aftah all, she taught meh about usin' angles an' what not when Ah was makin' a shot or jus' spyin on someone, so that's what Ah remembah when Ah try t' solve those problems. An' Ah nevah really did anythin' regardin' propah use o' English, cause Ah know Ah didn't do as good on that stuff."
Hank nodded slowly, then looked to Ororo. "I supposed that makes sense." He looked back at Rogue. "Would you be willing to do a few examples of what you did on missions? In the danger room of course."
Rogue sighed. "Ah'd prefer not t', but if th' rest of ya decide that ya need t' know, Ah'll do it for th' team." She met Ororo's blue stare directly. "But Ah'm gonna warn ya...Ah swore aftah Ah joined th' X-men that Ah wouldn't do that stuff anymore, an' Ah plan on stickin' to that."
Storm smiled, understanding. "That's your own choice Rogue, and we'll make the others aware of that."
Rogue nodded, then pushed away from the table she had been leaning on. "Make sure ya do, Roro." She smiled, then waved to the door. "Can we get outta heah now?!"
With a laugh, Hank and Ororo followed the Mississippi Marauder from the medlab, both wondering how on earth Rogue had concealed her intelegence this long. Glancing up ahead at Rogue, who had remained so much a mystery even to now, they knew that there were some questions that would just have to remain unanswered. After all, the present was what really mattered.