Only six reviews, I'm a little disappointed, because I really want to know what you guys think, So R&R, please! Thanks for responding: Ishandahalf, The Rogue Witch, Lyranfan, Loup Garou42, Rouge 151, and tohruhonda1—let me know if you guys like where this is going.
***Disclaimer—I own nothing of the X-Men. Even Marvel owns my pen name. Thank you, and enjoy your trip.***
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ABOVE THE CLOUDS
~Scott could you come down to the Blackbird, please?~
~Is it Alex? Did they find him, Professor?~
~Yes Scott. We've found where he is now located. He managed a call in a few minutes ago. We are preparing to leave to pick him up. Rogue, if you could suit up as well, you will be joining us.~
~Five minutes, Professor.~
The Blackbird flew stealthily over the mountains, in a high enough fly space that it went unnoticed by the radars that most commercial, or even military planes were equipped with. They had been in the air for barely an hour, yet they were now crossing the Rocky Mountains, at a speed of almost twice a normal jet. Rogue was still lost in thoughts when the Professor motioned for her to accompany him towards the back chamber of the Blackbird.
"Yah needed something, Professor?"
"Yes Rogue. I have been meaning to speak with you about the events that occurred last week." He paused. "With Apocalypse"
At the mention of the mutant's name, Rogue stiffened. "What about him?"
Xavier paused. "Logan mentioned to me that he thought Apocalypse may have…touched you. Touched your skin.[1] He thought he saw just the slightest brush of his finger on your arm, but even with Logan's advanced healing powers, the head injuries he sustained could have impaired his judgment."
"The injuries he sustained on behalf of Mystique." Rogue added quietly.
"On behalf of Apocalypse" Xavier corrected. "Your mother was as much a pawn in his game as Ororo or I were, Rogue. She didn't know what she was doing, she was under his control."
Rogue looked up. "But she wasn't when she let Mastermind brain wash me. She wasn't when she used me to absorb all mah friends. She wasn't when she led me to the Himalayas and had me unlock that monstah! And she's not. Mah. Mother!"
The Professor looked towards Rogue with compassion. "It's hard, I know it is, Rogue. But one of these days it'll be…calm."
"But for how long?" Rogue asked, her voice thicker than usual. "From where Ahm from, ya learn quickly that the calm is only temporary. Then the storms will rage again. The Hurricane's eye just gives yah false hopes."
Xavier thought on this. "Just give it time, Rogue. But ultimately, for it to be better, you have to want it to be." He paused, then quoted: "Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good." [2] "But Rogue, I have to know? Did Apocalypse touch you?"
Rogue looked away. "No," she lied, then paused. "Professor?"
"Yes, Rogue?"
"Hope is the denial of reality."[3]
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****Ok you guys, this was short and sweet, but I should have another chapter uploaded very soon, now with 500% more Jamie hilarity…I'll give you guys a hint—he's in tights! (Come on, I have to have some funny parts, Jamie in tights, John with pink socks, Bobby trying to go after his newest love interest, and John serenading one of our X-girls. Plus, there will eventually be a little Romy, so please, no flaming!) R&R guys, come on, you know you wanna!
Footnotes:
[1] This is a part of Ascension II that I slightly modified—it takes place when Rogue is shutting down Apocalypse and he reaches out and grabs her arm—through her shirt in the cartoon. But in my version, it's just the most minute of brushes against her skin—and nothing happens. The first sign of Rogue gaining control over her powers.
[2] Vaclav Havel
[3] Margaret Weis, Dragons of Winter Night
