The Rogue

Author's Note: Wow, this story is getting longer and longer by the chapter… I had originally intended this story to be only a few chapters long, but I kept getting more and more ideas… ^-^ Thanks for the support, I know its kind of a rocky plot, but bear with me!

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Logan watched as Xavier and Jean tried to contact Marie within the Rogue. Somehow, there had been some complications when Henry had pulled out the TAG device from her spine. Ricky hadn't left Scott's side since his mother had let him go to try and clear her mind.

" You know, none of this would've happened if we didn't have that fight in the kitchen," Scott said sadly, as he looked at Logan. " If you hadn't accidentally stabbed her, she would've been the one to pick up Ricky and maybe there wouldn't have been as much pressure on Hank."

Logan growled as he stared at the leader of the X-Men. " Don't you put this all on me! You're the one that started the damn fight in the first place!"

Scott scoffed. " Me? You were the one who charged at me!"

" Well if you hadn't moved on Marie, I wouldn't have been pissed off are you!" Logan responded.

" If you hadn't left, then maybe I wouldn't have!" Scott screamed.

Ricky stared at both men and shook his head. " Well, if I heard correctly, If Mr. Logan hadn't left then you wouldn't have seen Ms. Grey's disloyalty to you."

Both men stared at the 9-year-old and looked at each other. Jean wondered why they were acting so childishly, and Marie wondered what could've set them off.

Ororo knocked on the door and peeked inside. " Professor, I have Ricky's clothes."

Xavier nodded and smiled at Ricky. " Would you like to try them on?"

Ricky looked at Scott, who gently pushed him towards Ororo. The gesture wasn't lost on the group, and they wondered what Scott was to Ricky for him to even ask him for permission.

Jubilee glanced at Logan and lowered her head. The guilt was eating her up inside, and by the looks of things, Kitty wasn't any better. They had made things more complicated for three people, and now it seemed that it made things more complicated for a 9-year-old child.

" What are we going to do?" Kitty whispered to Jubilee. " I mean, Scott's… Scott… you know he cares for her and he can take care of Rogue… Ricky seems to be attached to him already."

Jubilee nodded. " But what about Wolvie? Look at him."

Logan heard their conversation, and decided to set them straight. " It's not your choice in who Marie ends up with. Her heart isn't yours to give away."

The teens were wide-eyed and they nodded to the man. " You're right, sorry."

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Sabertooth waited patiently for a call from DeVillago. He had arrived at the mansion and was now hearing every conversation that was happening inside.

' Can't believe they bugged everything the kid owned.' He thought. 'Talk about a breech of privacy'

"…Here you go Ricky, I hope these fit better than your old ones. What would you like to do about them?"

Sabertooth couldn't believe what he was hearing. 'Those idiots didn't check the right size?' he thought.

" Maybe we could donate them to the orphanage?"

Victor took out the phone and called DeVillago. He had a strange feeling that he might have to do his job earlier than planned.

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Xavier wandered inside the depths of Rogue's complex consciousness and was at awe. The Rogue persona whom Xavier was not accustomed to walked beside him, guiding him through the hallways of her mind. Rogue had guaranteed his safety from the secrets beyond the closed doors, the ones Marie had placed to trap any wandering psyche that might overtake her mind.

As Xavier looked around, he realized that Rogue's mind was much like a fun house in a carnival. Only one door led to the exit and the rest were mean to draw your attention from it; leading you to an unending, inescapable labyrinth. Xavier pitied those who managed to get trapped within the maze and hoped the Marie persona, his beloved daughter, was just behind the right door.

"Professor, I must admit, whatever help you offered to her- me… is quite incredible," Rogue said as she admired the complexity of her defenses. " I assume that you taught her to keep things out, however… these seem to be made to keep things in."

Xavier had to admit that Marie improved upon the defense structures that he had taught her; making them an inescapable cage to those unwelcome, allowing her to delete and create things however she pleased.

"Tell me, Professor," Rogue started calmly as they reached the defense's exit. The door that would lead them into Marie's past. " What if 'Marie' was permanently erased during the accident?"

Xavier shrugged. " Many will miss her, me included," he replied truthfully. " However, I am hoping that is not one of the many scenarios we may face."

Rogue nodded and opened the door. The room beyond the door was immense. It was like a library of videotapes; rows upon rows of memories stored neatly on the shelves. Xavier gasped as he saw Marie, watching as the 10 years of her life were replaying itself of the walls, reliving every nightmare she had as well as others' she had absorbed.

"Marie," Rogue called out.

The 17-year-old looked up and blinked away her tears to clear her vision. Standing before her was a woman with long auburn hair, experience clear in her eyes. She scrutinized the woman's outstretched hand, but took it nevertheless hesitantly.

"Rogue," she whispered, her voice trembling from fear and sorrow. " How do you do it?" she asked.

Rogue smiled and opened her arms widely, Marie leaned on the woman and sobbed. After a moment, Xavier had to shield his eyes from the light that occurred as soon as the two parted.

"Professor?"

He placed his hands down, finding only one woman before him. " Marie, my daughter," he said as he smiled at the woman. Her long auburn hair cascading down her back, her platinum bangs framing her beautiful face.

Marie chuckled and hugged Xavier, " I'm glad that's over with," she said, both waking up from their exhausting adventure.

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"So, like, what do we call you?" Kitty asked as Marie stared at her best friend. " I mean…do you want us to call you Marie or Rogue?"

Marie smiled. " I'd actually like it if you guys call me Rogue," she said. " It's nothing personal, I just… I feel its more of a nickname for me now."

Kitty grinned and nodded. " Like, sure!"

Jubilee tilted her head and looked at Ricky. " So… um, who's Ricky's father?"

Marie laughed at Jubilee's flustered face as the team stared at her strangely. She motioned for Ricky to come towards her and she looked back at everyone.

" Richard Adler, my son, was conceived on the first year of my capture in Area 42," Rogue started. Scott watched her and made eye contact. She smiled as if to reassure him and continued. " My captor, Dr. DeVillago was one of the high people in society in Mississippi. Apparently they've known about my mutation a long time ago and was already keeping a close eye on me."

" Once my mutation finally kicked in and became permanently there, he decided to relocate me from above ground away from my foster parents and into the underground facilities where they made me absorb a lot of people," she continued, looking at Logan. " They said they wanted me to be the perfect weapon. Since their previous project, The Wolverine had escaped. And since I have a unique mutation, they decided to create someone who would be immune to my skin."

" So, they like thought you having a kid would be the answer?" Kitty asked.

Marie nodded as she held Ricky closer to her body. " Its actually fascinating, your child is immune to your powers, so if you, Kitty had a child, you wouldn't be able to phase through them, and they'd be immune to any powers similar to that of yours or your husbands'."

They nodded. " That still doesn't answer my question," Jubilee said, pouting slightly.

Marie chuckled. " I had Ricky through 'Invitro' or 'artificial insemenation'. My skin prevents any skin-to-skin contact, remember? I only began to learn control after five years. I had absorbed many since then, killed even more."

Scott walked towards her and rubbed her shoulders, trying to comfort her. " Its not your fault," he reminded.

Marie nodded and a silence fell over the crowd. They had just been included in a part of Rogue's life that they hadn't even dreamed she had.

" Hey, like why don't we lighten the tension by going to the carnival?" Kitty suggested.

Xavier nodded in approval. " I believe that would be a good idea! Jean, Ororo, get the X -van ready, we're going to the carnival…" then he stopped when he eyed Ricky. " Unless of course, Rogue, you'd rather rest, and we could bring Ricky with us?"

Ricky's eyes went wide. " Please Maman? Come, Please?"

Marie glared at Kitty but sighed when Scott gave her the puppy look. " Yeah, mom… please?"

Marie rolled her eyes and agreed in defeat. " Next time, I think we should just go someplace… less crowded," she said as they reached the carnival.

Scott laughed and took her hand as well as Ricky's. " Nonsense! The crowd is what makes a carnival fun!"

" Scott?" Marie asked

"Yeah?" he replied as he looked deep into her emerald eyes.

" You are so immature."

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Author's Note: I was wondering whether anyone would be interested in me writing a prequel to this. Like a story that goes into more detail about Marie's capture and her 10 years in Area 42. If you don't like the idea, then I'm fine with it, I just wondered if anyone might be interested…

It may be a bit confusing, but when Xavier's in someone's mind… let's just say its like a totally different world and in which he can walk. Okay?

And as for the Logan/Ororo thing… I just didn't want him to end up with Jean. I dunno why I don't like Jean… oh wait! Yeah I do! But it's a secret that I will keep with me to my grave!

^-^ The Rogue: To be continued…