A/N: All readers know in advance that this chapter is intentionally funny 'cause I can't help writing a bit of humor and I saw it as the perfect place to slide some into the story. Hopefully the scene won't be too out of character for those involved, but if it is chalk it up to the unusual situations. Or simply my prerogative. :-P
Thank Yous:
Akia Starfrost, thank you for that great review. :-) I sooooo know what you mean about the show introducing such a powerful episode and then totally backing away from it. I completely flipped after watching "No Good Deed" because I'd so been expecting some really great follow up to Impact and when there wasn't I couldn't bring myself to write for like 3 days. I'm also thrilled that you like the Kurt/Wanda pairing. I, too, am rather fond of it now after writing that last chapter and there was a definite softness in the Scarlet Witch when she dealt with Kurt in the episode, so …. ya never know. ;-)
Fantasy-dreamer88, that is too cool! I did a quick web search on the Mayan ruins in Mexico, where Apocalypse went in Impact, and found the "Castillo" on the first website I visited and it looked a bit like the temple in the episode, so I used it. :-P
Witch-Uk, thank ya and John/Wanda hasn't been ruled out yet. Many of the romances are very up in the air right now and will remain slightly unsettled for a bit. Such surprises can happen when lots of attractive people are thrown together in a chaotic, highly emotional situation! And I intend to make sure that lots of said surprises occur. *hehe*
Jo, *straightens hair on slightly swelled head* "Brilliant work" Thank God I've got that opinion in writing. :-P *hehe* Thank ya much for the sentiment and I shall endeavor to continue at such a level. :-)
Ziel1, I do love options in my writing and hopefully surprising my readers. This series is intended to keep everyone guessing about what plans are in progress, what love is blooming, and what the future holds. Don't worry though, all shall be revealed in time….. *pulls cloak over face and vanishes from sight*
Winter Fire, *muahahah – stops cackling abruptly and clears throat* Madness? I know not of this madness you mention. You've got an excellent point in your review there … people think Logan's too old for Rogue … goodness gracious the idea of Apocalypse is utterly scandalous! I'd never actually pair her with someone who was quite likely there to see the pyramids of Egypt built … even though, he did have some very nice and shiny long black hair in that bit we saw of him in Horizons II and he looked rather young at that time, which was the time he was entombed and virtually frozen in all these thousands of years since… *hehe* But um … yeah, *clears throat* I'd never pair him with Rogue.
Black Phoenix, as you can probably tell, I looooooooove to leave my readers hanging. I know it's a super bad thing to do when I've just unveiled a plot twist and y'all are wanting to know what tha heck I'm gonna do next and then I've not even fully figured that out myself yet so the next chapter isn't posted for like days and you're soooo ready to pull your hair out or would give anything to reach through the monitor to strangle me, but …. *hehe* I can't resist. I'm immature like that. Plus …. Gets people to review and demand more, like blackmail or bribery. You know …. "So ya like what I'm doing, wanna see what happens next? Well I won't know that unless you review and if the story doesn't get reviews I'll think nobody likes it and I'll just have to scrap the whole idea." :-P *fusses again with hair* My horns aren't showing are they?
Elizabeth Braddock-Grey, thank ya for the reviews AND getting me past my little block to getting this chapter written. Yes, everyone I was stumped on what to write here until Nesa helped me find the right direction. Let us all be thankful to her. *hands everyone roses to throw at Nesa's feet* Hmm…a bit much? Nahhh. It's not like I'm demanding they bow before ya. Yet. :-P
Ok, now is there any other way I can draw this out?
Eh, can't think of one either, so on with tha show!
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You Wanna What?!
Ah will not faint again, Ah will not faint again.
While Mystique's incredulously shouted "What?!" continued to echo around the room, Rogue repeated the mental mantra with conviction as the wooziness she felt continued to spread throughout her swaying body.
Her disbelieving eyes fluttered for a second then focused on the far too serious looking mutant who stood before her.
Apocalypse sank from his freaky hovering position over her and took a step in her direction with a look of determination on his tattooed face that had her quickly looking toward Mystique for help.
Ah'm gonna faint, she thought gulping frantically at the approaching man.
With her eyelids fluttering she put a hand to her swirling head and fell back against a sarcophagus.
Surprisingly, her adoptive mother rushed past the man to place herself between him and the faint girl to steady her.
"Back off," the shapeshifter snarled. "You're scaring her!"
Leaning gratefully against her mother, Marie forced herself to focus on the man who was obeying the command and moving a few steps away from them.
"That is not my intention," Apocalypse stated calmly. "She must become accustomed to my presence, though, and accept me in her life. As my queen she will spend her every waking moment with me or our children unless I am away at war. It is best she get over these foolish fears of me now."
"Queen." There was that word again, Marie thought as the world shifted in and out of focus.
"Look, buddy Ah ain't really queen material," she finally found her voice to try reasoning. "Ah just wanna trah and live as normal a lahfe as Ah can. If ya really wanna queen, Mystique is a far bettah choice for ya."
Yellow eyes widened with shock at that statement before Mystique pulled back a little to glare down at the girl she'd stepped forward to protect.
And this was the thanks she got?!
Feeling the woman's indignant disbelief, Rogue cringed and looked up at her with an apologetic shrug.
"You mother is a fine warrior and if she likes she is welcome to serve among my army, but you are the only one I desire," Apocalypse stated.
"Ya can't be serious?" she screeched before frantically looking around her for a place to run when he stepped toward her with a hint of said desire in his gaze.
"I am. I knew the moment I opened my eyes and saw you standing above me, ready to replenish my lifeforce, that you were destined to be my bride. You have purity, strength, and compassion that will serve our kingdom well."
He's delusional, Rogue thought. But then a few thousand years locked in a box would probably fry a few of a anyone's more rational brain cells.
"Look, Ah - " she sputtered to a stop as words failed her.
Uh-oh, world is spinning again.
Mystique tightened her hold on her swaying daughter and turned to glare at the ancient mutant.
"This is all a little much for her right now. Do you think perhaps you could leave us alone?"
Thrilled by that suggestion, Marie straightened in her sorta mother's arms and looked hopefully at the man she'd be very happy to see leave.
The room, the country, the planet, the further he went the happier she'd be.
Sensing the direction of the girl's thoughts, the man glared at her until she shrank back in a bit of horror at seeming to have angered him.
That reaction proved Mystique's point that his presence was upsetting his intended, so the ancient mutant growled softly and glared at both females before turning to float from the room. An absentminded flick of his hand had Mesmero faithfully running after his master, leaving the women alone.
For a moment, Rogue was too relieved by the semi-privacy to think of anything but how good it was not to be near that strange man. Then she realized she was now alone with her very estranged somewhat mother who had done her best to beat the living crap out of Marie earlier.
Wearily, the girl straightened and moved away from the shapeshifter.
"I'm not going to hurt you, child, I've gotten that out of my system," the blue skinned mutant said with a slight sigh at how the girl withdrew.
"Ah guess Ah deserved it," Marie acknowledged.
"And I got what I deserved, so let's put that behind us and focus on the more immediate issue at hand."
"Ya don't think he really means it do ya?" she asked hopefully.
"He's a complete unknown to any of us, Rogue. I'm pretty sure he's sincere in that though," her mother replied.
"Couldn't ya have lied ta me or somethin'? This is really one of those tahmes ya'd be forgiven for sayin' everythin's gonna be all rahght even if we both know tha world's headin' ta hell in a hand basket," the girl sighed and hopped up to sit on the table she'd been leaning against.
"Ok, then, I'm sure he's still struggling with being free again after all this time and soon he'll return to his senses and let you go without further mention of the queen thing," Mystique said in a pacifying tone as she moved to sit next to Rogue. "Everything will be all right."
Rolling her green eyes, Marie looked at the woman and scoffed, "Liar."
"I believe you specifically asked me to lie to you."
"Since when have ya evah done anythang Ah asked ya too?"
"Now seems as good a time as any to start," the shapeshifter stated.
"Yeah, sure, kissin' up ta tha future queen of tha world."
"I really doubt Xavier and your other friends will allow such a thing to happen, Rogue."
"And they'll stop it how? This ain't one of yer hoods, Mystique. He's survahved thousands of years without anythang and he was tha most powerful mutant alahve before thay sealed him up. How's tha team gonna conquer that?"
"How do the twerps ever get anything done? They persist until the enemy is defeated of annoyed enough to annihilate them and speaking from experience I can say they're a damn difficult bunch to kill."
The reminder of all Mystique had done against the team was not a good thing in this situation and introducing it had Rogue jumping off the table with a glare.
"Ya've got no rahght ta talk about them lahke that. They're tha good guys. If it hadn't been fer you thay woulda saved tha day and stopped this lunatic from getting' out."
"I'm well aware of that," the woman sighed.
Marie watched in fascination as the other mutant's body slumped in defeat and actual guilt filled her yellow gaze.
"If I could undo it I would," yellow eyes lifted to lock with green ones. "I know you'll never believe this, but I did it to help you. Irene sees the future. She saw what your mutation would be and when those you absorbed would try to overpower you. She also saw that Apocalypse would rise again and he would hold our fates in his hands. I thought that by helping him, I would be assuring a favorable fate for us both."
"Haven't ya evah heard of self-fulfillin' prophecies?" Rogue groaned as she again sat next to her 'mother'.
For a moment Mystique just glared at the girl who glared back until they both seemed to find the situation amusing and laughed.
It was probably just hysteria at their unbelievable circumstances, but it felt good so they continued to laugh.
"I can't believe my little girl's getting married," Mystique suddenly joked as she wiped a tear of laughter from her face.
"Shut up!" Rogue gasped with a shove to the other woman for making light of that particular situation.
"I know things have been *laugh* awkward between us lately, but *wicked cackle* I hope you'll invite me to the wedding."
Convinced there must be some kind of laughing gas pouring into the chamber, Marie again pushed at her so not funny adoptive mother who fell to the floor laughing at her own jokes. The sight of the villainess rolling around in stitches with her amusement had Rogue laying down on the table and laughing until her throat and stomach hurt.
Eventually all humor fled them as they laid on their backs and stared at the ancient stone walls of the temple around them.
"Ah don't wanna marry him," the girl whispered.
"It doesn't look like you've any choice, Rogue," the woman on the floor said with equal quiet.
"Are ya sure you don't want him? Ah mean he seems yer tahpe. Very Magneto-ish and 'Ah-wanna-conquer-and-rule-tha-world-of-humans-that-snubbed-me-fer-evolvin-fastah-than-them.' Plus, ya've alwahys struck me as a wannabe queen."
"Gee, I'd thank you if you'd have bothered to throw in a compliment there," Mystique scoffed before jumping to her feet. "Is your opinion of me so poor?"
"Well look what Ah have ta base it on," Rogue sat up. "Ya abandoned Kurt when he was just a baby. Ya adopted me fer some unknown reason then dumped me on Ahrene ta raise. Then ya pop back inta mah lahfe when it's ahll startin' ta go ta hell 'cause mah mutation's kicked in and ya totally betray me bah pretendin' ta be tha X-Men so Ah'd join yer lil group of losahs. Once Ah learned yer little game, ya tried ta kill Scott and were willin' ta put me down with him. Still not satisfied, ya learned that Kurt was yer son and nevah made more than that one pathetic little attempt to reconcile with him. Then ya play at bein' a friend to me as Ritsy, ya lock up tha Professor ta make us all little pawns in tha games you and Magneto played, ya again try ta kill Scott and ta top it all off ya help Mesmero kidnap me ta free Apocalypse. Geez Louise do Ah owe you an apology. Ah shouldn't be critical of ya fer all that, Ah should be nominatin' ya fer mothah of tha Goddamned year."
"I never claimed to be perfect, but I have tried to help you. I deserve some respect for that."
Remembering the guilt she'd felt at thinking this woman dead and her own realizations that Mystique hadn't been completely evil, Marie bit back her automatic retort and sighed.
"Yer rahght. Ah'm sorry Ah," she sighed again, "it's just not an easy habit ta break now that yer alahve again. All tha evil-adoptive-mothah memories come pourin' back with ya …. ya know bein' here."
"I'm sorry I've made it so difficult for you."
They hesitantly looked at each other and eventually smiled in silently mutual forgiveness.
After a moment though, Marie's green eyes grew scared and confused again.
"How are we gonna get outta this mess?"
"You're not going to like the answer I've come up with to that one," the shapeshifter stated wearily.
~*~*~
"You wanna what?!"
"Rogue, think about this carefully it's the only way," Mystique said quietly in the most likely wasted hope that Apocalypse would not learn of her plans.
"No way. Ah am not stayin' here. Especially not ahlone with …" the girl stopped shouting to lean forward and whisper, "not with him."
"I promise not to be gone long and I think we can trust him not to harm you."
"Ah'm supposed ta trust ya ta come rushin' rahght back here with tha Calvary and him ta behave lahke a perfect gentleman tha whole tahme? Tha lunatic wants ta marry me. He thinks we're destined!" she whispered furiously.
"And it's apparent to me that he intends to woo you until you see things his way. If his intentions were anything else, you'd be under Mesmero's spell and quite happily saying 'I do' to the mutant."
"Who's ta say that ain't exactly what he'll do when ya leave?! He seemed pretty darn eagah ta get ya outta here."
"You fail to understand the workings of a mind such as his," she ignored the rolling of green eyes at her for that, "he's repaid me for my assistance and now sees me as unimportant. He wishes to focus solely on you now. I could stay or leave or run naked through this place screaming 'I'm a nympho needing powerful mutant sex now' and he wouldn't care."
The imagery worked like a charm to make Rogue forget her concerns and just laugh at the thought of the woman ever doing something like that.
"You'll really bring them ta get me?" the girl asked hesitantly once her giggles faded.
"My track record isn't that promising, but I do promise to get us both out of this mess somehow."
Biting her lip, Marie looked around the creepy room that hadn't seemed so creepy with Mystique in it with her.
Her options were keep the shapeshifter here indefinitely so she'd have the company of someone she knew or trust the woman to carry out the plan she'd laid out for her.
Wanting more than anything to find some way out of this Twilight Zone, she made her decision and raised her green eyes to meet with the yellow ones awaiting an answer.
"Don't let me down," she ordered while silently promising to use her status of queen to get even with the other mutant if she turned out to be lying once more.
"I won't."
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ANOTHER QUICK NOTE: I know, bad me again with the cliffhanger especially as it may be a bit before I can update. If you watch the news you're sure to have seen mention of hurricane Isabel approaching the eastern coast of the US. I live in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, not far from Washington, DC and it's so far being forecast that this whole area will be slammed by the storm toward the end of this week. Though I hope it all fizzles out, I begin taking precautions today to prepare for the possible bad weather and power outages that are anticipated, so writing may take a back burner for a few days til we see where this goes. I do already have a start on the next chapter and I'll work to post it asap, but please do be patient.
Thank ya and I'll keep y'all posted, Mishka. :-)