Of Hearth and Home

Chapter Eleven: Roadhouse Blues

Rogue shook in anger as she stalked through the mansion. She had just come from a conspiracy web site that actually seemed to know what it was talking about.

Kurt had surprised them all by discovering a small treasure trove of facts about Calvin Carlyle.

Calvin was a drummer, but he possessed a metronomic sense of timing. He had played ALL the instruments on the album Rhythm's Slave – and then overlaid the separate 'tracks' to make the album. When it became a hit, he hired a band to play with him and went on tour. Then at the height of fame, at a concert in Belgium, during the encore – something happened.

Some said it was a fire. Others said it was lightning. But the one thing everyone agreed on was that when the smoke cleared, Calvin Carlyle was no where to be found.

And Rogue wished he had never resurfaced. She searched in anger, room by room and floor by floor as she went, until she found finally him.

Derek was eyeing the pool table, stick in hand, when she saw him through the partially open door.

"You!" She called, getting his attention as she pushed through the door. "What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, launching herself at him and pushing him with both hands.

He was surprised and the stick fell to the floor as he stumbled back a few steps.

"Rogue!" Beast roared from the opposite side of the table. "Enough!"

"Don't touch him!" Kurt called, reaching out a cautioning hand from Hank's side of the table. "Remember, da Professor …"

"You don't know what I do!" She told Hank, ignoring Kurt's warning, she pushed him again, this time, up against the wall.

And then Hank had her – one arm wrapped around her waist and the other holding one of her gloved hands away from the other – to prevent the gloves from coming off.

"Actually," Hank admitted as he wrestled himself between them. "I may." He sighed. "Kurt. Give us a few minutes, alone please?"

"Ja." Kurt agreed slowly, turning his eyes on Derek.

Derek smiled weakly and motioned that he should go.

Kurt looked back to Hank, still restraining Rogue while she squirmed with hate burning behind her eyes.

"Go." Hank told him. "This is just … a very personal … misunderstanding."

Kurt swallowed once and closed the door behind him as he left the room.

Hank slowly released Rogue. "What do you know?" He asked her quietly.

"He did it on purpose – what he did to the Professor." Her eyes were wild and angry.

Derek caught Hanks eye and shook his head in a confused denial.

"He did!" Rogue squirmed and tried to push towards him but Hank reinforced his grip.

"Why do you think that?" Hank pressed her.

"SHE sent him here. Do you know who he is? Who he really is?" She had turned her eyes on Hank now and glowered as she spit the words. "His name isn't Calvin. It's Derek."

Derek stood up strait at hearing his real name.

Rogue swung her head around to see the expression on his face when she announced "Derek Darkholme."

Hank sighed softly. The cat was out of the bag.

"Rogue." Hank caught her attention. "I know."

Her eyes were wide as saucers when she turned to look Hank in the face.

"He told me the first day he was here. In a manner of speaking – his blood is very similar to Kurt's – it's got a very high copper and low iron content – I take it they get that from Mystique. And what happened with the Professor was an accident. I'm sure of it. It was the Professor's idea. I know because I was there."

Rogue was still shaking and angry but now she was torn between Derek and Hank as targets.

"I think he's here … because of Kurt." Hank told her. "He was just curious about … his brother."

Rogue turned her eyes back to Derek who was standing cautiously, and keeping one of the room's small armchairs between them.

"Does Xavier know?" She asked. "Does Kurt?" She whipped back to face Hank.

"No." he told her. "On both counts."

"Why not?" She glared. "What's he got to hide?"

Derek sighed. "Son of a son of a sailor." (1) And he shrugged.

"What?" Rogue demanded.

"He's talking about this Rogue – right now. About people holding her actions against him. Or expecting the same from him" Hank felt her relax, just a bit.

Derek could see it too, as he slipped out from behind the chair and slumped down in to it before laughing once, sadly. He could see that Hank was looking for him to explain it.

"Man in the mirror." (2) He said, idly pointing at Rogue.

"Something in common?" Beast asked. "The anger?"

Derek nodded, looking deflated in the chair.

Rogue had stopped squirming and was staring hard at Derek. Hank, in turn, had lessened his grip but still stood between them.

"Tell the Professor." Rogue said, turning her eyes on Beast. "If you don't, I will, you hear me? He should know."

Hank looked at Derek then back to Rogue. "And if he agrees to tell the Professor, will you respect his privacy where everyone else is concerned?"

"You mean Kurt?" She asked.

"I mean everyone." Hank told her. "He's here on personal, family business. It's a private matter, do you understand?"

"No, actually, Ah don't." She said. "Why not just tell Kurt the truth?"

Derek looked at them and sighed a frustrated sigh.

"I think his exact reasons are beyond his ability to explain." Hank guessed and Derek nodded. "But I do know that Kurt would have accepted and embraced him right away if he knew they were related." Hank was leveling a glance in to Rogue's eyes. "And instead of taking that route, he's been putting in the time and effort to really get to know Kurt. And I can't fault him for that."

Rogue hesitated. She knew that Hank was right. "Okay." She said at last. "If you tell the Professor, I can keep mah mouth shut."

Derek met her eyes with a hopeful look.

"For now." She told him. "But so help me, if you make me regret this – Ah WILL return the favor!"

"Is that all right with you?" Hank asked over his shoulder. "I'll tell the Professor and you behave yourself?"

"Shoop Shoop." (3) Derek smiled wide and nodded enthusiastically before turning seriously on Rogue. "I wanna be everything, except for your mistake." (4) He said as sincerely as he could mange.

Rogue softened. She could understand someone who wanted to ditch a past with Mystique, and Derek did seem sincere. But with the recent episode with the Professor she wasn't sure.

"Ah'm gonna be keeping mah eye on you." She told him before pulling completely free of Hank and stalking out of the room.

Derek sighed loudly.

"I can't tell if I'm a doctor or a referee lately." Beast joked, trying to break the ice.

"I don't have very long … " (5) Derek grumbled to himself.

"Everyone's gone feral where you're concerned." Beast shook his head. "It's crazy."

"Welcome to the jungle." (6) Derek agreed. Before adding "Are we having fun yet?" (7)

"You know …" Hank tried not to smile.

Derek watched him expectantly.

"It's the same kind of reaction Kurt must get at first glance … most anywhere else." Hank smiled softly. It really wasn't funny. Not at all.

Derek snorted a laugh and then forced himself to stop.

They both laughed when their eyes finally met again.

"So, it is Derek then?" Hank asked.

Derek nodded.

"Were you also Calvin Carlyle?" He pressed.

And again Derek nodded. This time more vigorously and with a smile while simulating a quick drum roll.

"You liked it then, the music?"

Derek smiled a leisurely and dreamy grin as he nodded slightly and sighed.

Beast seemed struck by an idea. "Is that how … Where your powers manifested?"

Derek smiled at him noncommittally as though waiting for him to finish the question.

"Is it?" He pressed on. "Because I could see where … where even the chaos of a crowd like that … being determined by … a pattern …"

Beast's eyes opened wide and he turned in his seat to face Derek directly.

"Is that it?" Beast asked. "Patterns and chaos, the stage and the crowd?"

Derek extended a flat hand and shook it idly from side to side as though saying "Kind of".

"Am I close?" Beast queried.

"Racing and pacing and plotting the course …" (8) He smiled back.

"Getting there." Beast said almost to himself. "Hunh."

1) Jimmy Buffet – Son of a Son of a Sailor

2) Michael Jackson – Man in the Mirror

3) Vonda Shepard – It's in His Kiss (The shoop-shoop song)

4) Sister Hazel – Your Mistake

5) Styx - Renegade

6) Guns 'n Roses – Welcome to the Jungle

7) Nickelback – This is How You Remind Me

8) Cake – Distance