Hank McCoy bounded enthusiastically down the hall. He arrived once again at his now overstuffed bags. After careful consideration he decided not to try to force anything more in to them. He cast a shady glance down the hall. No one was coming.
He snagged the roll of duct tape off the back of the pantry door and leapt back to his luggage.
He then took the hopeless mass of wires he carried, and the shiny box they were attached to, and wrapped them once themselves, and then taped the bundle to one of his tweed suitcases.
He eyed the obvious attachment and his luggage. He then lifted and turned the affixed case so that the growth was instead between the cases, and in his mind anyway, ten percent less obvious.
"Hank!" Marie called out so as to startle him.
Hank jumped and tried to throw the roll of duct tape in to the next room. The loose end of the tape instead caught itself deep in his wrist fur, where it hung unbeknownst to said Beast, as he used that hand to smooth the hair above his ear, while he tried to look innocent. "I was just, waiting."
Marie was momentarily entranced by the ensnared roll of tape, then she came to her senses. "Oh Hank." She said, still fighting off her laughter. "Let me get this. . ."
Hank looked hopeless and helpless upon seeing the tape.
Marie took his great blue paw and turned it over between her own small hands. She held his hair close to the skin, careful not to make contact, and slowly worked the tape loose, very carefully.
"Thank you." His tone was one of humor tinged with embarrassment.
"You really want to get up there, don't you?" She smiled and let go of his hand affectionately.
Hank looked breathless at the mention of it. "Indeed." He smiled. "Indeed and in fact." He pursed his lips. "The technology needed for such a venture. . ." He shook his head. "There is so much I could learn from even a short duration." He sighed.
"But that woman? Emma Frost?" She ventured.
"She seems quite. . ." He searched for the word "Resolute. About something."
"As Ah understand it, the station belongs to mah Lucas." Rogue waited for him to nod in agreement. "And she's there as his guest, right?"
Hank nodded again.
Marie lit up like a Christmas tree. "Then don't worry about it, shugar." She gave him an affectionate push with her fist. "My Lucas can see inside a person." She explained. "Always could." She hopped up to sit on Xavier's antique entry room table.
Hank raised his eyebrows. "Is it a Mutation? Telepathy?"
"Just common sense." She smiled "Mostly." She kicked her feet idly. "He's got some telepath in him now." She grinned a bit. "Some t..k. too."
"Now. . ." Beast thought for a moment. "Oh, right, he's got your powers, and Wolverines healing. . ."
"He's got powers all his own Beast." She shook her head. "His real power is keeping all those other powers in check. Mine, his daddy's, and all those powers he nabbed from all those folks who were just up to no good."
She pursed her lips and smiled.
"You've every right to be proud." Hank smiled.
"I wasn't around much." She shook her head. "He really raised himself. Scott always used to tell me so."
"You don't seem worried about him." Hank realized out loud, questioning.
Rogue laughed out loud, and her eyes shone like glass. "How can I be Hank?" She looked wistful as she searched for the right words. "You can't hurt him Hank. Most folks cant anyhow." She laid her hand on Hank's arm. "And we've got you to handle this for us Hank."
He looked at her. Had he almost believed that she was the Rogue of his world? Had he forgotten the truth? Even for this one moment?
The two of them seemed identical.
Beast suppressed a shudder and fought back a million questions about dimensional mechanics.
"You know." Beast hesitated. "I remember. . ." He swallowed. "The Night of Confusion." Wasn't that what he had heard them call it? "And I'm sorry." His eyes looked pleading. "I always thought that if I had been there. . ." He hesitated, "I could have helped. . ." Then he swallowed again. "Sort it all out."
"Hank." She breathed throatily and laid a hand on his forearm. "Everything happens for a reason."
She looked as though she might cry. "I'd do it all again." She nodded. "Just for the chance." She nodded at Hank's bags, behind him. "So that I can be here, now, when he needs me." Tears flooded her lower lid, but did not fall. "You said he saves whole worlds Hank." She let her head sway as though the idea were overwhelming. "I get to help out now Hank, when it really matters." One small tear escaped and ran down her cheek but she didn't notice. "How can I regret anything that brought us here?" She looked as though an idea had struck her suddenly.
"Hank, " She began "I'd die Hank, I'd die just for the chance to let this unfold like it should." She nodded with herself. "To bring him home safe."
"I didn't mean to suggest. . ." He was at a loss. How much had she realized about her past? About the other Rogue?
"You didn't." She smiled and shook her head, then wiped her eyes. "But I don't think I've been clear with you Hank." She looked him in the eye "Lucas picked you." She let it sink in. "When he was looking to contact someone, about fixing things here, it was you."
"Yes." Hank was treading delicately. Xavier had said not to discuss these things too closely with her at first.
"You see?" She said dramatically "He knows Hank. Who he can trust and who's true to their word."
Hank had not considered this before.
"And if he trusts this Frost woman enough to leave her there alone, for any period of time. . ."
"Yes." Hank agreed. "I see." And he really did, for the first time.
All it really came down to was; Did he trust Lucas' judgement?
And he did.
Just then, a light twinkled by Hank's bags and several metal objects appeared on the floor, then shifted and clattered as they settled. A note was affixed to the top item.
"What's all that?" Marie hopped down off the table.
Hank held up the four interlaced rings and read the note. "Oh dear." He cocked one eyebrow quizzically. "She wants me to wear handcuffs."
