A/N: Thank y'all SO much for the enthusiastic reviews! I'm rather beginning to enjoy this series a lot even though I've strayed from one original idea I had when writing it. The new direction is way better I think. :-)
Quick Note: This chapter contains some insight into a few romantic pairings that will get more attention in the next chapter. It also has a fun moment with Apoc & Rogue followed by … Read and see. :-P
Gambitgirl, I'm so glad you like my Apocalypse. I am, yes it is deliberate, writing him as a much lighter character than he is in the comics. I mean it's the Evolution world where things are quite a big lighter so I just can't bring myself to write him as this dour intimidating big bad bully … yet. :-P For the most part though, I'm making him a rather comical presence in the series with the whole "Want you for my queen thing."
I'm happy to announce that though I'm not quite sure how long this series will go, we're reaching the final stages leading to the big face off! *applauds giddily* That's gonna be soooo cool.
Ok, enough ado, here's the latest installment.
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Planning
Two hours after her grand entrance into Xavier's institute, Mystique was stuck with his bunch in the lab.
The majority of those who'd gathered around to watch the show when she first arrived had opted out of taking part in this more serious meeting where those attending hoped to begin laying out some plan to rescue Rogue and perhaps stop Apocalypse in the process.
Xavier was hopeful that the girl would prove to be a weaknesses in the ancient mutant's seemingly impenetrable defenses.
Logan was of the belief that Mystique was setting them all up for a nice neat fall into Apocalypse's hands and offered only growls and impatient pacing to the meeting.
She'd been quickly introduced to all the unfamiliar faces present in the mansion.
Amanda Sefton, Beast, the Braddock twins, Caliban, Callisto, Charles, Jean, Kitty, Kurt, Nate Grey, Pietro, Piotr, Scott, Storm, Wanda, Warren and the Wolverine were all gathered in the room with her, brainstorming and dissecting every tiny little detail she had told them about Apocalypse and the Castillo's interior.
Mystique had been largely ignored for the past thirty minutes, but she wasn't minding. She was actually finding this almost surreal scene entertaining.
Her estranged son appeared to have the young Miss Sefton and the temperamental Scarlet Witch vying for his attentions rather than actually trying to assist with the planning session. She was quite surprised to see Kurt spending most his time in private conversation with Wanda when he wasn't eagerly listening to the others with their suggestions on how to get Rogue back.
The Braddock twins were an interesting case. Though they'd allegedly been identical twins at birth it was now impossible to see any similarity between them except maybe their blue eyes. Brian appeared to be something of an oxy moron being very muscular and all brawn in looks, but astonishingly intelligent. He appeared even more scientifically inclined and versed than the X-Men's prized Hank McCoy. Elizabeth, 'call me Betsy', Braddock looked to be one to watch. She had an exotic beauty that obviously had Nate and Warren vying for her, but one could see in her strongly compact form a fierce warrior that was capable of killing an enemy without breaking a fingernail or sweat.
Yellow eyes watching that girl closely, Mystique smiled and made a mental note to try recruiting Psylocke to her team if the world survived whatever was to come.
Caliban and Callisto of the Morlocks were rather interesting figures. It was clear that they were leaders of the underground mutant community that basically just survived in the sewers beneath Bayville. Caliban was a rather creepy 'all seeing' type of man, very tall and skinny with a slow dragging walk and voice that almost lulled a person into sleep listening to it. Callisto was obviously ex-military of some kind, though Mystique doubted it was simply US Army like the woman's fatigues led one to believe. Everything about that mutant said advanced training and experience in covert ops. The eye patch was curious, lending a very pirate like look to the woman.
Actually, Mystique straightened and looked more closely at the other woman, if gave her a look very similar to the mysterious Nick Fury. Another mental note was made to see if there was any connection between the Morlock and man in charge of SHIELD.
Aside from those few, the others present were the dreadfully boring X-Men.
Young Shadowcat got a moment of attention from the observing shapeshifter who was well aware of the flirtation between the X-Girl and Lance. Seeing Kitty practically clinging to the large frame of Colossus while listening to the group around them was a bit of a surprise.
"…And you say the tunnels had no kind of defense mechanisms?" Charles' voice finally broke through her idle thoughts.
"No. I'm relatively sure that they're left unguarded in any form because they are so very elaborate and difficult to navigate. Mesmero seemed to use them often to leave the pyramid to carry out orders given to him by Apocalypse," she replied in answer to the question.
"Do you feel confident that you can lead a team through them to get inside the Castillo?"
"Easily," she smiled confidently, "my mind is like a steel trap and it recorded every step I took out so I would be able to get back in."
"We're supposed to trust that?" Logan snarled while stalking across the room to stand right in front of her. "To trust you?"
"Rogue is trusting me. Why shouldn't you?"
"We've only your word on that and your word means nothing here," he growled.
"It's all you've got to go on, runt, so back off," she glared furiously at him and shoved against his shoulders.
His claws snapped out at her actions and raised to strike her, but he was stopped by Brian, Hank and Scott who all leap forward to restrain and pull him back.
"How many times must I tell you two enough?" Charles said angrily with glares to them both. "This is not a time for your petty differences to interfere with our mission. All attention should be on Apocalypse and Rogue and if you two cannot manage to focus I will keep you separated liked the children you're behaving as."
Both mutants growled slightly at the man's reprimand, but Logan retracted his claws and stalked to the other side of the room where he went back to growling and glaring skeptically at the shapeshifter.
Betsy and Nate looked from one mutant across the room to the other then exchanged laughing glances at the 'grown-ups' actions.
"Now then," the Professor assured himself that they were going to behave then brought the conversation back on track, "about this chamber you say before leaving. What importance do you think it has?"
"The chamber was just like the other rooms I was led through on my way out, but within it was something I sensed Mesmero did not want me to see."
"But you did see it?" Hank asked Mystique.
"Just enough that I'll recognize it when seen again. It had nothing that identified it to me," she answered the Beast.
As if they'd been debating something for a while now and finally come to a conclusion, Hank and the Professor looked at one another and nodded.
The big furry blue man adjusted his dark rimmed glasses on his nose and turned to the large computer to punch a few keys and pull up an image on the large screen in the room.
"Is this what you saw?" he asked.
Nodding with conviction she approached the monitor with her yellow eyes looking closely at the image of the device she had seen in Apocalypse's lair.
"What is it?" she asked the group.
No words were spoken to answer her, but the increased yet now worried growling emanating from the Wolverine's chest and the concerned looks exchanged by Charles, Hank, Jean, Scott and Ororo spoke louder than any words.
Whatever it was it had to be bad.
~*~*~
"Have you any medical conditions I should know about that keep you doing this?"
Groaning, Rogue tried to pretend she was still unconscious and ignore the man she sensed hovering beside her.
"It will not work, I am well aware of your recovery, Rogue," she cracked an eye open to see Apocalypse actually smile down at her. "It pleases me to see that my kisses are as potent now as they were in my youth."
She bit her tongue to keep from lying that it had nothing to do with his kiss and sat up.
The sight of the ancient mutant smiling was scary than him all glowing and daunting and hovering over her in all his ancient Egyptian garb preparing to crush someone. Smiling made him seem … normal.
Which was bad, she told herself. Very very bad.
He's not normal. He's the biggest baddest mutant ever unleashed upon the world and he'll destroy that world now that he's been freed again.
Marie could not allow herself to forget that.
Even if his kiss had left her a little tingly after she'd stopped feeling frozen with fear and before she fainted.
It wasn't his kiss, she lectured. It was the fact Ah'd been kissed at all.
"That's a very human trait you have. Talking to and deluding yourself in your thoughts."
Glaring at the man for that, she otherwise ignored him to hop off the other side of the table she'd been on once again.
"Unlike the rest of you, I know your lips were not virgin before me. You have kissed others," he rounded the table she'd tried to put as a barrier between them. "You responded to my lips."
Not about to even think that might be true, she threw out a hand to stop him from coming any closer and began backing away.
"Just you stop rahght thare mister," she was quite pleased to hear that her tone was very firm as she said the words.
He did so with a rather impatient sigh, crossing his arms over his bare chest and glaring slightly as she rushed to the other side of the table away from him.
"Ah don't want any more of that," she stated, "not … not until we're married!"
"You give your permission then to our joining?"
His lips were curled into a smile again as he uncrossed his arms and rounded the table with the apparent intention of embracing her and with a shriek, Rogue ran to away from him to the side of the table he'd just left.
"This is rather ridiculous, Rogue," Apocalypse said as he saw her all ready to make another dash around the stone slab if he approached again.
"Then stop tryin' ta touch me!"
"You must become accustomed to my caresses, Rogue. Children are not simply found in cabbage patches, they are created through the union of two bodies and our children shall be created through the joyous union of our two bodies."
"If ya want me ta stop faintin' ya gotta stop talkin' lahke that!" Rogue said as his words 'joyous union of our two bodies' made the world start spinning dizzily around her. "In fact, ya mahght should just stop talkin'."
"As you wish," he leapt over the table and curled his hands over her shoulders, "I can imagine many other things to do with our lips besides talking."
"Ah changed mah mind, Ah lahke talkin'," Marie pushed against his chest and struggled to get free of his hold. "Ya've got a verah sexy voice, Ah'd love ta hear it some more."
Yippee, she'd made another funny, Rogue thought sarcastically as the mutant relaxed his hold on her to throw back his head and laugh as he had not too long ago at something else she'd said or done.
Grateful for his mirth, she took advantage of the distraction to get away from his hands and even further from his body.
"You are a delight with your wit, Rogue. I have not been so humored since my childhood," he stopped laughing to smile at her and extend his hand. "As you seem to be recovered, would you like to have that tour now?"
Hoping that he'd be too occupied with showing her around this creepy old place to make another pass at her, Marie nodded eagerly at the suggestion but bit her lip over accepting the hand he extended.
"If I promise to do no more than hold your hand so that you do not get lost in the darker corridors will you stop balking and take it?" asked the no longer smiling mutant before her.
Feeling much better for having been given that assurance she put her hand in his, which returned a slight smile to his lips.
What followed was a surprisingly enjoyable stroll through the musty stone temple he'd chosen for his 'home.'
They walked through dark hallways with him protectively shielding her from any obstacles or dips in the path that may have caused her to stumble in the darkness then into partially lit rooms where he let go of her so she could explore the chambers at will. His voice rumbled through the rooms rather soothingly as he explained the purpose of the chamber or gave the details of artifacts found within it.
For the most part she just nodded at whatever he said and pretended great interest in every little speck of dust to draw out the moments she didn't have to touch him or have him feel the right to touch her.
The niceness of it all ground to a dead halt when they came to the last room.
Instantly upon entering the chamber on the lowest level of the pyramid, every tiny hair on Rogue's body stood on end and a chill ran through her body.
It was the sensation most commonly referred to as the feeling of having someone walk over your own grave.
"Whah is that here?" she asked as her wide green eyes locked on the Eye of Ages positioned in the center of the room.
"It is my greatest weapon. Did you think I would leave it in the mountains for your friends to take and destroy with experiments?" Apocalypse countered.
Ignoring him, she focused completely on the large round device that was lying open like some kind of stone flower just as she had first seen it when Mesmero's hold on her had been broken only after she had been foolish enough to open the machine and free Apocalypse.
Of course, unlike then the ancient mutant was not all withered and aged looking in the middle of the opened orb. Thanks to her he was restored to life and youth and health and full strength and standing behind her as she stared at the Eye.
All the X-Men had learned about this machine in briefings since their failure to stop the rise of this ancient warrior.
Back when Apocalypse had been trapped in the device he had entered it with the intention of wielding its power to turn all the world into mutants.
"Only the strong would have survived it. Weaker bodies would have been destroyed by the rapid evolution of their bodies. This world would have been full of a dominant, strong and undefeatable race of mutants had I not been betrayed," En Sabah Nuhr said as he moved beside her to run a hand over one of the open panels of the machine.
"Yer plannin' to do it again, aren't you?"
His dark eyes were cold and determined as they turned to look into hers and Rogue was frozen in place by the expression.
"Successfully this time," he stated resolutely.
Though the knowledge of what he had planned was borderline terrifying part of her felt calm at finally knowing what he was up to.
Now for the team to come and stop him, she thought with a silent prayer that they hurry.