Hey all!!! I didn't forget you, I just got too busy to write. Life caught up with me. I have to go visit a hand specialist on December 18 to see if my tendon problem can be fixed. My bf's birthday is coming up. Thanksgiving was this past weekend. (I'm Canadian.) I got about 8 billion assignments in school.... You know how it gets. And I got.... A NIGHTCRAWLER MOVIE PLUSHIE! My best friend made it for me... It's really cute. I call it my bamf doll.
Anyroad, here's the next installment. Shout-outs follow the story.
Disclaimer: Taineyah doesn't own the X-Men, but Stan Lee has given them to her in his will.... Who wrote this script? It's a blatant lie!! Tainz has never even met Stan Lee! And why would he give her anything? She's just an insane fangirl!
Tainz: *Looks sheepishly at her feet* Baaaa!! Hey! I've got cute feet!! Tra lalalalala! *skips off to chase her plot (who, for some unexplained reason, looks like a baby dragon with a really long tail)*
Disclaimer: All right then.... *looks confused and runs his hand through his spiky hair* I guess I'll put the story up on the screen for you. *jams a red diskette into the floppy drive on the computer* There.
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After nearly an hour on the phone with his parents, Kurt finally came out to the living room. Rogue's tears had long-since dried up and the food was sitting on the coffee table, cold but untouched. She was watching the news and she didn't look up as he came in. The story was fascinating.... as well as being completely unexpected.
The voice of CNN's lead reporter, Cameron Martinez, sounded out over top of footage of Capitol Hill, teeming with people. "Today it was revealed by reliable sources that a testing facility raided by the Mutant Protection Squad last week was funded by the US government. Top government officials denied the rumours, saying that the Place, as it has come to be called by investigators, is still being searched for the full story. Despite such denials, Positives and their families began gathering at Capitol Hill this afternoon, demanding better explanations. Paula Morikson reports."
A young blonde appeared on the screen, with the Capitol Building as her backdrop. "Thank you Cameron. The Place has been called the worst example of a testing facility discovered since the Mutant Equality Act was put into place. Some of the Positive individuals held there had been there for more than a decade. As you might imagine, the topic of the investigation has been highly charged. Many people want answers now, and the Mutant Protection Squad has been unusually tight-lipped about this particular investigation. Vice-president Maria Levinson herself appeared earlier today to deny that she had ever signed documents approving of the execution of any Positive individuals."
Rogue suddenly became aware of Kurt staring at her and she clicked off the TV. She looked at him apologetically.
"Is it true?" he asked, voice low. He didn't sound angry or dangerous, just hollow.
"Officially, Ah can't tell you. We don't have the full story. Unofficially, yes. Ah'm not supposed ta tell anyone anything, but it'll be out in the open any time now." Rogue sounded tired and upset.
"I thought they protected us now. You told me earlier that they did. You said ve vere safe." He was a little bit accusatory, but Rogue couldn't blame him.
"Ah thought it was true. Ah really did. There's still a possibility that the government didn't do it... It's a slim chance, but it's still there. Like Ah said before, we don't have the full picture. It's only been a week."
"Vhat do you believe?" Kurt asked.
"Ah don't know. Ah don't want ta think that Ah've been workin' for the bad guys. Ah've raided so many testing facilities... But what if it's true? What if the government did it? If they did, why? Why lie ta us? Why form the MPS in the first place? Why not just try ta exterminate us? It doesn't make sense. None of our information seems ta agree... It's really confusin'." She sounded strained and stressed.
Kurt searched her face, looking for answers that weren't there. He saw a lot of pain, and didn't know whether it came from everything she'd tried to put away being torn open again or if it sprang from this new betrayal. Deciding that it was a little bit of both, he let the subject drop.
"I'm tired. I vant a shower. Vhere do you keep your towels?" His voice was childlike, pleading for something in a silly, half joking manner.
Rogue shook her head. She'd been spacing out a little bit. "Huh? Oh... There's a closet right across the hall from your room. It's pretty big, but Ah think you can find the towels in it. The bathroom's right next door ta your room, on the left."
"Thanks, Rogue." With that, he walked down the hall, forgetting about food.
As he walked down the hall, he pondered over the decor. It didn't seem suited to the taste of the Rogue he'd known... But then, she'd changed a lot. It seemed more suited to other people. He saw a bit of what Kitty likely would have preferred, a bit of Jean, Evan.... even himself.
Opening the closet door, he realised that Rogue hadn't done anything with this house for herself. It was all done as though she was waiting for the others to come home. As though she'd never moved on. When he flicked on the light, he saw that Rogue had understated it a bit when she'd said the closet was "pretty big."
He spun in one spot before seeing the towels, which were in the back corner. He picked his way through the mess, looking interestedly at some of the objects. A box of painting supplies, including an easel, was just in front of the towels. One of Rogue's old outfits, from her X-Men days, hung from the ceiling. From the grime on it, it had probably been what she'd been wearing the day the Institute was destroyed.
Finally, he reached the towels and picked a thick, fluffy green one. As he headed back to the door, he noticed a pile of picture frames leaning up against the wall. Curious, he went to them and flipped one over.
It was a stunning water-colour portrait of a sad-looking teenage girl in a pink shirt, hair tied back in a ponytail, staring out a rain-spattered window. Kitty, he thought. He recognised the curtains as being those of Rogue and Kitty's room back at the Institute.
The next portrait, an oil painting, was of a wolf running across a beautiful green lawn, next to what appeared to be a set of identical twin boys. Rahne and Jamie. he realised. Portrait after portrait revealed long-gone team-mates. Jean and Scott laughing in the garden. Logan, Ororo, Hank and Professor Xavier lecturing a very ashamed looking Bobby while they tried to hide their laughter. Beautiful, happy moments, all of them. Except the first one. The one of Kitty.
No matter how he looked at it, it didn't fit in with the rest. Kitty wasn't laughing, smiling or looking sheepish. She just looked sad, which was strange, because he couldn't remember many times when Kitty hadn't been upbeat. He remembered her laugh, her eyes... He couldn't believe that her life, so shining and bright, so full of potential, had been cut short like that.
He was still sitting staring at the pictures when Rogue found him a few minutes later. She'd gotten worried about him when she hadn't heard him go into the bathroom, so she'd decided to check on him and make sure he'd found the towels.
"Vhy is everyvun except Kitty happy?" Kurt asked, not looking up.
"Because Ah decided to paint them that way. Ah wanted to remember them at their best."
"That's not vhat I meant. I meant, vhy is Kitty the only vun who looks sad?" Kurt looked up at her now, and saw, not for the first time that day, tears welling up in her eyes.
She took a deep, calming breath and blinked them back. "That's how Kitty looked the last time Ah ever saw her. It was mah fault she was sad."
"How so?"
"It was pourin' rain out. It had been for ages, remember?"
"It started four days before I left for Washington."
She nodded. "Kitty wouldn't shut up. We'd been cooped up inside for days, and she was bored. She just kept chatterin' away at me about some party that was supposed ta be comin' up. Ah got sick of it, and Ah yelled at her. Just then the rain stopped and Ah decided ta go outside. That's how she looked when Ah closed the door. Ah went outside, and the mansion got blown up. She died thinkin' Ah was mad at her. Ah'd been snappin' at people all week. Ah was just frustrated, but she died thinkin' Ah was mad."
"So you painted her like that because you couldn't forgive yourself?"
"No, Ah painted her like that so Ah wouldn't forget what Ah'd done. How Ah'd treated her."
"You didn't do anything wrong. It vas vun little fight. Remember all the times you two vere there for each other? I'm sure she's looking down on you from Heaven right now and vishing she could tell you that it didn't matter. She must know that you vere just blowing off steam. She can't possibly be angry vith you."
"Kurt, Ah don't believe in all that. There can't be a God. If there were, He wouldn't have made me like this." She held out a gloved hand. "He wouldn't have taken away everyone Ah loved. Kitty's long gone, and her last thoughts were about me bein' angry with her."
Kurt, whose faith had remained strong despite his years of torture, couldn't understand how she could deny God's existence, but didn't feel like getting into a theological debate. "I am sorry that you feel that vay," he murmured.
Rogue opened her mouth to reply when the phone rang and she hurried off to answer it. After a moment, her voice came ringing down the hall.
"Kurt, remember those neighbours Ah told you about? Do you feel like meeting them, day after tomorrow? We made plans for them to come over here for dinner, a couple weeks ago, and they're just calling to confirm."
Kurt blinked nervously for a second and took a final glance at the picture of Kitty before teleporting to the kitchen. "I vould love to," he answered, before 'porting off to the bathroom, towel in tow.
***
Rogue had only been asleep for a few minutes when a strange sound woke her up.
Swish. Swish.
It sounded like a skipping rope being whirled around someone's head at a high speed. She sat up, eyes adjusting to the darkness and spotted Baby crouched in a corner, hissing terrifiedly at a dark shape. It only took Rogue a second to identify the shadow. Kurt. The sound was his tail, whipping back and forth. Rogue flicked on her light so she could see the full picture.
Kurt had the kitten backed right into a corner and he was muttering menacingly at her. Rogue climbed out of bed and, slipping on her gloves and a cover-up, started towards him.
"Kurt?" she asked softly.
He turned towards her voice and she saw that he was asleep. He started towards her, still muttering, and Rogue wondered what he was doing. Suddenly, he lunged, grabbing for her throat with one hand.
"Kurt!" she hollered. "It's me, Rogue. Ah don't want ta hurt you. Wake up!"
Kurt stopped in place and slowly, his yellow orbs slid open.
"Vhere am I? Rogue? H-h-how did I get here?" He slumped down into a sitting position on the floor, looking completely terrified.
She sat next to him and carefully put her arms around him. "Ya were sleep-walkin' and ya had a nightmare. It's okay, though. We'll just get ya back ta bed and go back ta sleep, all right?"
He whimpered slightly, like a little kid. "I don't vant to go back there. It's dark and lonely. I'm scared that I might have another nightmare."
Rogue felt so helpless at the childishness in his voice. She'd rarely seen him without a brave front, regardless of what he was really feeling. "Tell ya what. We'll get the air mattress out of the closet and ya can sleep in here on the floor for tonight. Tomorrow, when we go out ta get ya some more clothes and stuff, we'll buy ya a nightlight."
"It vill still be dark." Kurt's face sparkled with tears.
"Ah'll leave on mah readin' lamp." Rogue felt like a mother, comforting a child. It almost frightened her, seeing Kurt like this.
He was shaking and trembling like a ribbon caught in the wind. He'd curled himself up into an impossibly small ball and crushed himself against her side. His tail was wrapped around her waist as though he believed that she'd disappear if he let go.
Finally, Kurt nodded and Rogue gently disentangled herself from her terrified brother, moving slowly so as to not frighten him any further. Gracefully, she got up to go get the air mattress. As she left the room, she heard the distinctive bamf of Kurt's porting and suddenly found him standing right in front of her.
"Don't leave me alone in there. You can't," he pleaded.
"Ah won't. Ya can come with me." She grabbed his arm and guided him down the hall.
Half an hour and many excuses and crying fits later, Kurt was curled up by the foot of Rogue's bed, sound asleep again. She watched him sleep and realised that she didn't know how to deal with this. She'd listened to the instructions given her by the hospital psychiatrist before she brought Kurt home. She'd been warned of nightmares and sudden fits of violence and anger, but now that she was witnessing them first hand, she found that she needed to find some more information. She had taken some Psych courses in university, but they hadn't covered this.
As she lay awake for the next hour or so, watching Kurt's child-like form, she decided that, not only would she get Kurt some new clothes the next day, but that she'd also see about finding him a psychiatrist. She hated herself for making the decision, but she didn't see any other way. As much as she hated being analysed herself, and as much as she knew that Kurt would likely hate being forced to talk to a stranger who he probably wouldn't trust, she knew that Kurt's problems were too much to look after on her own.
Feeling guilty, she finally drifted off, only to have her own nightmares and past haunt her.
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Shout outs!!!
Personage: Still grinning? I hope so. I'm really proud of this chappie!
Gub-man: I didn't want to deal fully with the whole government thing.... Yet. Trust me though, all hell can still break loose. And, yes, there will be information about what happened to Rogue during those ten years. There's a character (not the psychiatrist) coming in chapter after next, or maybe even next chapter, who will bring all of that out.
Rogue151: Yeah... I miss her, but she lives on in this story!! Go me!! I'm glad you like.
Storm-Pietro: There will be some interaction with some Acolytes/Brotherhood members at some point. Maybe it'll be Toad, who's already been mentioned. Maybe it'll be someone else... You never know.
Lucky439: I hope you didn't hod your breath waiting for this update, or you probably didn't get to read it!!
The Pickle Jar: All is forgiven, love. And next time you're snog-deprived, find a mirror or a phone or a prostitute!! Don't flame my story. And don't tell me if you opt for the prostitute.
ishandahalf: Quick like a bunny on crack? C'mon hon, I'm not Pietro! I have other things to attend to besides my stories... Unfortunately. And yeah, the rebonding is going to take time.
Halla: I'm glad you're enjoying.
Yumiko: You really want Remy that bad? I'll see what I can do in the near future, kk?
UnknownSource: I'm glad that you liked his reaction. I really get into the characters I'm writing and become them sometimes, and it was hard for me to become Kurt in that section. It's kinda funny when I'm becoming a charcter... But it explains my German/Southern accent that recently overrode my natural one of Albertan/Maritimes/Ontarian! LOL! My parents think I'm batty, cause they don't speak German!!! Whahahahaha!
Oh yeah.... Toad is very likely to make an appearance in this. Very, very likely, thus the fact that he's already been mentioned. And yeah, the evil neighbours will appear and be bitchy.
Sigma1: Cheee!! *Let's you pet the plot, who's all tired and napping-like* I'm glad you like!!!
ChaosCat: I love ultimate X-men...... Too bad Kurt's barely even in it. He only got a cameo as the non-english speaking Bavarian kid. Poor Kurt.... Everyone abuses him...
Beboots: The answer to your Darkest Hour question is in your email. Please help? I'll give you honourary co-author status???
Caliente: I like that you like, dude! And yeah... I do a lot of the sad and dramatic. I'm attempting comedy in "Kurt and the World's Most Yummilicious Brownies," but it's slow going. I hope to put another chappie up on it this week.
The Tourniquet: Yay!! A new Drama/Angst junkie!!!!! *does happy dance very similar to the one Kurt does, as seen in the opening credits to the early third season* I'm glad you like, darlin'!!
By the way all, and yeah, the Pickle Jar told me not to do this but pah!, I'm holding a name the disclaimer contest. My poor disclaimer doesn't have a name. To enter, include it in your review. His physical description is as follows: Short, spiky black hair, Blue eyes, Semi-dark skin that isn't black or white but somewhere in between, he always wears baggy sleeping pants and a blue t-shirt. He's a bit of a grump, but even a grump deserves a name, so please enter!!
The grand prize is that the winner will get all future chapters of this story e-mailed to him or her the day before they become available to the general public! You do not have to include your email addy in your review to be considered. Selected entries will be posted with the next chapter for voting and the winner will be announced in chapter 8. At that point, I will include my e-mail addy for the winner to contact me.