Rogue, A Crowd Of Her Own

Author: Icy Flame
Chapter One

Logan was shaken from a daze, memories of an old friend in Europe, when an insistent beeping sound kept screeching in his sensitive ears. Shooting up in his chair he at once found the cause, Rogue was still on her bed but her skin was clammy, not to mention her heart monitor was yelping for attention. A quick glance at the neon green screen told all he needed to know.

"CHARLES!" He shouted as loud as he could, both out loud and mentally. He was awarded with a mental probe, asking what the matter was. As the elevator doors parted, Charles rushed into the room, a blue figure right behind him.

"What is it Logan?" Hank asked, and then noted the piercing sound of the heart monitor. He paled and went straight over to her, feeling for a pulse he shook his head and motioned to Xavier. Charles paled, trying to pick up a mental pulse from her, rewarded with a large physic shock. Slumping in his wheelchair his breathing was labored.

Hank grasped the paddles in his large hands, rubbing them together in preparation. Turning to Rogue he set them on her chest and let the burst of electricity course through her. She physically leapt off the table, into the air and landed with a thud back onto the hospital bed. Charging up the paddles once more Beast sent a larger shock through her. This time he received a steady beat on the heart monitor. Letting out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding, he shared a shaky smile with Wolverine.

Both hairy men turned to their colleague. Xavier seemed a little worse for wear but had already started to come around. Jerkily he sat up straight in his chair, groaning at the effort but mentally putting forth a Herculean effort to stop his headache.

Physically he turned towards Rogue, eyes flickering towards the monitor, pleased to see the steady beat.

"What's the problem Chuck? I thought you said she'd be gettin' better." The gruff man asked, trying to mask his concern for the southern teen. He wasn't fooling anyone.

Charles sighed wearily before answering, attempting to gather his thoughts. He tried to gather a description of the situation.

Xavier said at last, "It seems that last night won't be the last we see of Rogue's 'intruders."

"Whatever do you mean Charles? I thought you said that they would cease to struggle for control of our young friend." Hank argued.

"I'm afraid not Hank. Last night's solutions were not as permanent as I had hoped. Though I did not think they would force them down so soon. But here is not the place to discuss such things." Logan was about to question whether or not they should leave Rogue unattended when Raven came in. She'd been standing outside the door during the whole attack, not wishing to get in the way, but fearing she'd never get to explain to Rogue. The flood of relief that she'd felt when Beast had stepped back from her baby had been overpowering. She was unsure if the others would accept her presence. This doubt was only briefly, her emotions were shuffled behind a mask of annoyance, glaring at Wolverine.

"I'll watch her now." Wolverine was about to protest when Xavier simply nodded and led the men out of the hospital room.

Scene Change

"So why do you think she's here Scott?" Jean asked, dipping her cookie in the milk with her TK powers. He looked skeptical but didn't respond at first. Why had she come here? Shouldn't Mystique have been frightened off by the reception she'd receive at the Institute? He gave up trying to get into her mind set.

Scott answered Jean after a long pause, "I just don't know."

"She's not trying to take Nightcrawler away is she?" Jean tilted her head to the side, munching on her soggy cookie. Scott couldn't help but smile at her, she was just so beautiful. 'God Jean Grey is definitely the only girl for me'

"Scott? Uh Scott?" She was waving her hand in his face, trying to make him snap out of it. She blushed slightly as his head shot up and his lips brushed against her skin. Ripping her hand away as if it'd been burned she tucked it behind her back.

"Jean?"

"I you er you totally spaced off Scott Summers, I may be boring but you could just say so!" She pouted, turning her back on him in an attempt to hide her own embarrassment.

"Uh I'm sorry." Scott's voice was tinged with amusement but he was earnest to please the redhead.

"Yeah well-"

"Ah hi Scott, Jean." Bobby greeted abruptly, having ducked into the kitchen to grab a snack, feeling the awkwardness in the room he left as quickly as he'd appeared.

"What was that about?" Scott shrugged it off as he went off to go shine his car. Jean frowned and began eating her cookies again.

Scene Change

"So what is it Charles?" Beast asked, sitting down on one of the couches in the office. Logan remained standing, still annoyed that Mystique had been allowed to stay with Rogue.

Xavier rolled over to his desk and rested his elbows on the Oak surface, intertwining his fingers and resting his chin. Taking a deep breath Charles began to organize his thoughts and looked at his two friends.

"It seems that we were wrong about Rogue's powers." Both hairy men gaped at this, how could they be wrong? Rogue's powers seemed so simplistic, sad, but very easy to understand.

"What do ya mean Chuck? She slips'em a little skin, they go down she's them for a bit and then she's back."

"Originally I would agree with you but I'm afraid it's not that simple anymore. It seems that our young friend's X-gene is a tad more complicated Logan."

Change Scene

"Man this sucks" Todd grumped, slinging his tongue out he latched onto a fly and munched on it. Fred was standing by him, yawning loudly, not bothering to covering his mouth with his hand. Lance leaned up against a near by tree, scowling at everything and everyone. Pietro on the other hand was still frantically prancing around like he had a bug in his pants. The grass in his path had been scorched already and was making an awful stench now that Lance thought of it.

"whatarewehgonnado?He'lldecapicatemeifhefindout,therehastobesomethingelsetodo!" Pietro was stressed; if his hair wasn't its natural silvery white then he was sure it'd turn that color. His eyes were dilated and he was sweating, profusely.

"You realize this is all your fault right Lance?"

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

"If you hadn't of said that about Wanda this wouldn't have happened!"

"If you would stand up to her we wouldn't be here!"

"Guys!" Todd interrupted, hopping over to the two feuding 'hood boys.

"Shut up Toad!" "Keep it quiet frogger!"

"Uh guys!" Fred tried to get their attention also but finally giving up he turned their heads towards the demolished building.

Moving amongst the burning ruble and thick smoke appeared a figured. It let out a deafening war cry and pitched forward at them. They let out a squeak and prepared to be demolished by Scarlet Witch. Only to have he fall down at their feet unconscious.

"Wow talk about good luck." Freddy grinned. Todd frowned as he went to pick her up only to drop her back on the ground; Pietro zipped in and scooped her up.

"You guys... she doesn't have a pulse."

Scene Change

Mystique sadly stroked Rogue's cheek with a gloved hand. Willing her tears away she just sat there, gentle keeping contact with her adopted daughter. It had been so long since she'd seen her, really seen her. While recruiting Rogue and seeing her at school filled her with a sense of pride it hadn't been enough. Watching every day as principal as other mothers came to take care of their children had stabbed her through the heart. That was the main reason that she hadn't taken the job again once she returned to Bayville, it hurt too much. Especially whenever it was Xavier or Munroe that came in to take care of matters with Rogue and Kurt. Taking her children home, back to where they could be taken care of.

The second time she'd tried to get their family together it had been horribly ruined. Pietro had told his father and he'd gathered the brotherhood to rain down on her family reunion. Kurt had actually shown up, she'd been filled with such hope that she could finally bring her family together once more. She'd realized that day how futile hope was.

"Muzher?" Kurt stood before her, wiping the tears off her cheek. She gasped, afraid it was an illusion, he pulled back scared he'd insulted her. He looked down trying to mask his hurt, she slowly reached out for her son's three fingered hand; taking it into her own blue hand she gave it a reassuring squeeze. He didn't physically show any improvement but squeezed back.

"It's alright Kurt, we're all together now." He numbly nodded his head and sat on the railing of Rogue's hospital bed, gazing at her lovingly. Raven allowed a tiny smile to grace her features as she pulled over a stool, never breaking contact with either of her children. Maybe there was hope after all of reconstructing her family, just maybe.

End Scene