The Truth Hurts

Chapter XXV:  Mutter Dearest

By:  Michelle

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Disclaimer:

Parts of this chapter come from Uncanny X-men 428: The Draco Prologue and both X-men movies.    I, of course, claim no rights to owning any of the quotes used throughout my fanfic. 

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He carefully made his way into the hideout without detection.  His eyes glared upon her disguised form as she walked towards the cell.  He had given her the one thing she wanted most, and she threw him away. 

He stared up at the waterfall where she stood holding a basket over the falls.  As usual, she was hiding her true appearance.  He could tell her lips were moving, but he couldn't read them.  He moved as quickly as he could as she dropped the basket. 

BAMF

He caught the small bundle that lay within the basket.

BAMF

He perched at the bottom of the falls watching the basket smash on the rocks.  "Damn her."  He looked up to see her glance down after the crowd left. 

He looked down at the small bundle squirming in his arms.  This wasn't how it was suppose to be.  Why couldn't that mystique be satisfied with her child like all of the others?  Damn.

He carefully unwrapped the bundle, revealing his son.  His appearance was uncanny, a combination of the two of them:  blue flesh tone, six fingers, four toes, a long spaded tail, curly cobalt hair, and golden eyes.

He sighed bringing his red spaded tail over his son debating what to do next.  Damn Her.  He smiled as he felt tiny fingers grasp the end of his tail.  Margali.  I take him to Margali. 

He looked down at his son again, before he quickly wrapped him back up in the blanket.  He picked him up and cradled him in his arms.  She is not worthy of you, my son. 

He glared at her hard as he clung to the ceiling waiting for the right moment to make his appearance.  You will not succeed.  He is not worthy to have you as a mother. 

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She walked down the hallway in her disguised form.  She was nervous, but who could blame her.  After all, this would be the first time she'd face all her children at once.  They would be like one big happy family.  Well, sort of. 

Happy family my ass.  All three of her children were wronged by her in one way or another.  Could they ever forgive her?  Her mind tortured her as she made her way to their cell.

"Well, Frau Wagner."  The doctor said looking at his tests.  "I have your results from your tests three days ago."

"What did you find?"  She said tired and nauseated.

"You're pregnant."

She sat silently for a moment tears of joy filling her eyes.  She didn't know what to say.  After so many months of failure, she was finally going to have a child.  A child of her own.  She touched her abdomen.  I love you Azazel.

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"All the things you said."  She reminded him.  "I thought you loved me."

"Raven, my dear, never confuse physical passion for matters of the heart.  Since the dawn of mankind, the two have rarely gone hand in hand."  He glared at her with his bright yellow eyes.  "Now go back to the Baron in the perfect little world you married yourself into…and raise our child…my child…as his."

BAMF

Raven placed her other hand on her abdomen and cried.  How could he do this to me?

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Lightning flashed around her as she destroyed all evidence of her evil deed. 

Raven curled up as best she could in her pregnant state.  Tears flowed down her eyes as she felt the life inside of her kick.  How can such a blessing, be such a curse?

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She placed the basket on the ground, bent down, and touched his cheek.  "Why couldn't you be more like me?"  She pulled her hand away.  "Damn you Azazel.  I had everything I ever wanted in life before you!  I was rich and powerful and …how could I have been so stupid?  How could I have let you do this to me?"

She tucked him in tightly in his blanket.  "My baby boy."  She brushed her fingers through his long cobalt locks.  She pulled out a knife and gently cut one of his curls.  She took the lock of hair and wrapped it safely in a handkerchief. 

She turned to hear the villagers closing in closer to her.  She stood up holding him out over the falls.  "I'll change my appearance and escape yes.  But with nothing.  No money, no clothes, and nothing of any value whatsoever."

Her heart pounded as she felt the innocent baby squirm in her hands.  Her appearance changed into a townsman.  "Behold.  The devil's child."

"Throw it into the falls."

"Send him back to the hell he came."

'Why couldn't you love me Azazel?'  She whispered to herself and dropped the baby to a watery grave.

She waited until the crowd left before she changed back into her true form.  She looked down at the crashing water below seeing his smashed basket on the rocks.

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She was on the run for quite sometime.  She wasn't sure what to do.  Everything was destroyed when he was born.  Now here she was, months later trying to find the perfect identity for herself.  Currently she was impersonating Leni Zauber, a German spy.  Then, she ran into them two.

"Thanks, for your help."  She studied the two.  The taller reminded her of a wild cat. The shorter one reminded her of a wolf.  She enticed them by kissing each on the cheek.  "Victor…Logan."

"Anytime."  Victor growled while Logan rolled his eyes. 

"The name is Leni Zauber, but you can call me Mystique." 

"And why would they call you that?"  Victor questioned suggestively.

"Wouldn't you like to find out?"  She hinted back.

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She looked down at her stomach.  She felt like a balloon ready to pop.  As she felt the life inside her kick, she couldn't help but regret telling his father.  He'll find out in a couple of years.  After all, he was the one who insisted on going on the long as mission in the first place. 

It didn't matter.  She could raise this child on her own, right?  Well, as long as he doesn't have blue skin and a tail, everything would be alright.

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"It's been almost three years."  He looked down at the 18 month old boy clinging to a disguised Raven.  "So you're married now."

"No."  She replied picking up the boy.

"Then, who is this from."  He asked not sure he really wanted to know.

She smiled.  "Take one guess."

He carefully looked over the boy.  He had many of his mother's features:  her chin, her nose, her smile.  However, the boy had his blonde hair and dark merciless eyes. "He's mine."  He growled softly to not scare the boy.  "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Didn't think you cared."  She watched as he gave her a look.  "Didn't think you were the family man type."

"You'd be surprised."

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"Where the hell were you, Raven?"

"It is none of your business."  She snapped back, not in the mood to talk about it.

"You went to that circus again."  He spat then demanded.  "Didn't you."

"Yes."  She answered knowing he already picked the scent up on her.  "I just had to see him."  I had to see my son…Kurt.

She looked up and saw the three year old Graydon peeking out his bedroom.  His innocent face frowned at the sight of them arguing again.  He was too young to understand.

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"Graydon, I've told you once before."  Raven fussed, snatching a box of personal belongings out of her nosey six year old son's hands.  "No digging."  She sighed getting aggravated with him as the box fell on the ground dumping all of its contents.  "Go find your father."

"Sorry, Mutter."  Graydon hung his head and ran out of the room.

As she looked at the contents of the box, she didn't care where her son ran off to.  She just wanted him out of her hair.

"RAVEN."  She heard Victor growl.  "COME GET HIM OUT OF HERE.  I'M TRYING TO SLEEP."

She stormed into the next room seeing him disturbing his father's sleep and grabbed her son by the arm.  "I swear son.  I ought to send you to boarding school."

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"Mutter, guess what."  Her eight year son said as she walked him around his boarding school.  It was a rare occasion when she actually visited him, but she had her reasons.  She had to check to see if his powers where starting to appear.

"What Graydon?"  She replied not really caring about what he wanted to tell her.

"We had this paper to do about what we wanted to be when we grew up."  Graydon explained.  "And I said I want to work in the government."

"That's nice son."  She sighed.

"I got an A on it."  Graydon said hoping she would be pleased. 

She listened to him talk more, but she was not satisfied.  He certainly had a mouth that needed to be shut up though.  She rubbed her temples.  Maybe they aren't going to show up until later.  Hopefully.

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"NO! NO!"  The ten year old Graydon kicked and screamed as she dragged him to the closet.  "Please Mutter."

She threw her son inside and closed the door.  She sat down on the couch listening to him scream and bang on the door to get out.  Her son was such a nuisance when he was home from his boarding school.  She couldn't work because she had to watch him all the time.  She hated that. 

By the time, Sabretooth got home, Graydon had calmed down.  "What'd he do now?"  He asked as he opened the closet to see his only son curled up in the corner shaking and crying.

She failed to answer him.  She didn't need to have a reason to torture her son. 

Graydon crawled out of the closet and hugged his father for protection.  She could feel his dark eyes glare at her with fear and hatred.  His father, of course, felt the same way she did.

Sabretooth growled and pushed him away.  "What's for dinner?"

"Roast Pork with Sauerkraut and potatoes on the side."  She answered as her husband pulled a beer out of the fridge.  "And you don't get anything tonight."  She fussed at her son.  "Go to your room."

She watched without sympathy as Graydon sniffled and wiped away tears rolling down his cheeks.  "I'm sorry, Mutter."  She heard him whisper as he walked to his room.

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"He's worthless."  She fussed not caring if her son heard.  "I can't believe this."

"Raven, you knew it was a possibility."  Sabretooth answered.  "So, he's not a mutant.  Big deal.  It's not like you care about him any way"

She folded her arms.  She knew it was true.  The only reason they kept Graydon as long as they did was because they hoped he would manifest one of their mutations one day.  However, thanks to a routine checkup, the doctor confirmed he was a human. 

"We need to get rid of him."  Sabretooth said.  "He's no good to us."

"I know."  She caught sight of her son standing in the doorway heartbroken at what he heard. 

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"It wasn't meant to be, Raven" He tried comforting his lover.  "The X-gene didn't pass on to him.  There was nothing we could do about it."

She stared angrily at him.  "Bull shit.  The X-gene comes from the male.  AND YOU DIDN'T PASS IT YOU SON OF A BITCH." 

"So this is my fault."  He growled at her.  "REMEMBER, I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS.  YOU WERE THE ONE WHO INSISTED TO REPLACE THE ONE YOU LOST.  YOU USED ME RAVEN.  I WAS JUST A TOOL IN YOUR SICK TWISTED LITTLE GAME."

"So NOW it's MY FAULT."  She snapped back.  "Remember that day on the mountain. I believe it was you who wanted me."  She altered her appearance into his rival, claws and all.  "Just to piss Logan off."  She said in his voice. 

"This has nothing to do with that."  He growled as she changed back.  He watched as her heart seemed to shatter into a million pieces.  He placed his hand on her shoulder.  "Graydon is not one of us.  He never will be.  He'll never accept us.  He's a human.  You have to accept that.  His world is against ours.  I know you know that.  We had no choice."

"I know."  She closed her eyes, remembering the burning look Graydon gave her before he walked away. 

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"Irene, I have missed you."  She said hugging her friend.  "Everything has fallen apart for me."  She pulled away and wiped her tears.  "Sabretooth and I have separated.  Graydon turned out to be a worthless human.  And Margali, under Azazel's influence, refuses to let my near my other.  I've lost everything."

"That's not true Raven."  Irene said comforting her.  "For I see another in the future."

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"Hi there."  Raven stooped down and smiled at the little girl before her.  "I'm Ms. Raven and this is my friend Ms. Irene."  She said motioning to the older lady standing next to her.  "What's your name?"

"Marie."  The little girl replied shyly. 

I always wanted a daughter, Raven thought to herself as she looked over the little girl.  She was about four years old and had short brown hair.  She's a tuff girl or tomboy, Raven noted as she looked at superman t-shirt and her overalls with holes in them.

Raven stood up and smiled to her father.  "We'll take good care of her while you are gone, John."  Especially with the vision Destiny saw.


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"Can I go outside and play now Momma?"  Marie asked. 

"No."  Raven answered the persistent nine year old. 

"Why?"  Marie whined.  "I cleaned my room already."

"You didn't clean it good enough."  Raven said to her adopted daughter.  "Now march back in that room and you can't go play until I say it's clean."

Marie hung her head and walked back to her room.  Raven ignored seeing how hurt her daughter was, but she couldn't afford letting her out of her sight.

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"Momma."  Marie pleaded.  "I want to go to the movies with Lance and Fred."

"Rogue."  Raven addresses her twelve year old daughter.  "I said no."

"But why?"  She questioned.  "It's just a movie."

"I said No."  Raven reaffirmed herself.  "And I don't have to explain myself to you."

"But it's not fair."  Rogue cried.  "You never let me do anything, EVER."  She ran off to her room and slammed the door.

"Raven, you can't protect her forever."  Her friend reminded her.  Irene may have been blind, but she could clearly see what had happened. 

"I know."  Raven answered.  "But I just can't risk it.  You know what she will be capable of."

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Raven watched as her heartbroken thirteen year old daughter was taken back by her father.  She ignored Rogue's pleas to stop him.  She just stood by and let them leave. 

As always, she put her own interests first.  Perhaps joining Magneto's Brotherhood was going to be the best move she ever made, even if it meant teaming up with her husband again.

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Mystique hung up the phone as Magneto paced around the room.  He needed someone to power his machine and she had the answer. 

Destiny informed her early in the year, that Rogue manifested her absorbing power and run away form her father.  Currently, she was heading up to Canada.  If they acted quickly, they can capture her shortly after her meeting with Wolverine. 

"What are you so cheery about, my dear/" Magneto asked. 

She smiled and walked around him.  "I know someone who can power the machine."

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She lerked around the mansion and walked towards the unsuspecting teen.  "Rogue."

"Bobby."  She smiled as she saw him approach.

"Rogue, what did you do?" Her disguised form sat on a bench next to her.  "They say you are stealing other mutant's powers.

"No, no."  She explained.  "I borrowed his power."

"You never use you power against another mutant."

"I had no choice."  She pleaded for him to understand.  "No, you don't understand me…"

"If I were you."  He cut her off.  "I would get myself out of here."

She looked at him contemplating what he said.  "What do you mean?"

"The students are freaked.  The Professor is furious."  He said.  "I don't know what he'll do with you."  He could tell he was starting to hurt her.  "I think it will be easier on your own."  Rogue turned away fighting the tears.  "You should go."

Rogue hung her head and looked at him before she stormed off.  He kept his emotionless face as she turned one last time before she left. 

She smiled wickedly to herself.  She's all yours Magneto.

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As she approached Liberty Island, she walked to the back to see her daughter in chains.  Sure, she could have freed her, but her mission was more important.  Rogue's sacrifice meant too much.

She could feel those emerald eyes plead to her for help.  Yet, she never felt sorry for her.  She just walked pass her and out the door, leaving her with Magneto.

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"Excuse me."  She turned to glance at her son, and then turned away.   She didn't care to be bothered at the moment.  She was too busy staring at the two forms in the darkness.

He approached her with curiosity and addressed her.  "They say you can imitate anyone, even their voice."


"Even their voice."  She replied mimicking his voice.  She kept her focus but had a feeling he was shocked.


"Then why not stay in disguise all the time?"  He proposed and watched his new friends separate. "You know, look like everyone else."


 "Because we shouldn't have to."  Son.  She brushed pass him and headed towards her target.  She could have approached him then.  She knew there was more he wanted to ask her.  However, Once again, she put her own interests first.

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"Why don't we get any uniforms?"  Rogue asked looking at one of the extra X-suits.

"Yeah, where's ours?"

"They're on order."  Logan replied.  "They'll arrive in a few years."

She and Magneto couldn't resist laughing. 

Rogue turned and stared at her with her emerald eyes.  She could tell the young woman despised the two of them for what they tried to do to her.

"We love what you've done with your hair."  Magneto commented and they both laughed.

She could tell Rogue didn't think his comment was funny as she watched her pull off a glove. 

"Hey, hey.  Come on."  Her boyfriend stopped her and directed her out of the room.

She continued to laugh knowing how much it hurt her, but she didn't care. 

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She blocked Kurt's attacks as he advanced.  This was the first time she encountered him face to face in a battle.  She had to admit.  Her son was an extraordinary fighter.  She understood why Styker chose him for the attack on the president. 

Between his martial arts training and acrobatic abilities, she found herself almost beaten by him.  However, she couldn't let that happen.  She had a mission to do and she never fails on a mission.

So he wants to be an X-man.  So he wants to protect the Avengers.  FINE.  He'll have his opportunity to join her, but for now he was in her way.

When the moment was right, she kicked his feet from under him and watched him fall flat on his back.  Then, she morphed into a raven and flew away from him to head to her. 

She noticed how well Rogue seemed to handle herself against Pyro.  Especially, since he was now lighterless and running from her bare hands.  Foolish boy, she thought reminding herself to train him harder next session. 

She landed and looked around the area in her hawk disguise.  Storm, Wolverine, and the other X-men were rushing to free the Avengers Magneto was holding prisoner.  It was just her, a fallen Nightcrawler, Rogue, and old enemy…Ms. Marvel.

Ms. Marvel flew a few feet above Rogue leading her towards her friends. 

She flew back in the air again and flew closer to Ms. Marvel.  Now was the time.  So Destiny had a vision of Rogue with Ms. Marvel's powers.  Then, she had every reason to fulfill it.

Once she got close enough to Ms. Marvel, she grabbed her and slammed her into Rogue causing them to fall into a pile. 

Rogue's bare hand touched Ms. Marvel's arm, and began draining her.  She could tell Ms. Marvel's powers and life-force was being drained from her as Rogue's screams pierced her ears.

She had forced Rogue to absorb Ms. Marvel.  It was the perfect plan.  Ms. Marvel tried to fight it, but something went wrong.  She backed away as Ms. Marvel fell unconscious and Rogue held her head fighting the psyche that engulfed inside her. 

She stood satisfied at what she had done as Kurt rushed over to calm down Rogue.  She watched as he turned to her with his golden eyes.  They pierced her with anger and confusion.  She could tell he was starting to feel the connection between the three of them. 

She held her head high as she continued the walk to their cell.  She definitely wasn't the world's greatest mother.   In fact, she was far from it.   

She felt sick to her stomach with every step she took.  They had ever right to be angry with her.  They had ever reason to hate her.  They had ever reason to reject her. 

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"Yeah well, tell that to our mother." Graydon took a deep breath and hung his head feeling the hatred bubbling inside of him.  "None of us were good enough for her."

Kurt stood up and walked towards him.  "Our mother."  He said, hoping what he had heard was wrong.

Graydon's dark eyes met Kurt's golden ones.  "Yes…brother."  He said hating to call him that.  "Our mother."

Kurt digested his words fully before he could respond again.  He didn't want to believe it, yet for some reason he knew at the first time he saw Graydon.  There was no point in fighting the truth anymore.  As much as he wanted to deny it, Graydon was his brother.  "I have a brother."

"And a sister."  Rogue said standing back up and walked over to stand by them.  She didn't want to admit Graydon was her brother, but she was proud to admit Kurt was.  

Graydon folded his arms.   "Yeah."  He sighed and looked at both of them.  I'm the only normal one.

They stood speechless for a moment, not sure what to say next.  They had so many questions to ask each other.  Why was I abandoned?...Why was I unloved?...Does my mother love me?…Why was I lied to?...Why does the truth hurt so much?...Why????

They turned towards the entrance of the cell as they heard and saw the bars bend.   Somehow, they knew they didn't have to search far for answers.

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AUTHOR"S NOTES:  Yeah, I know.  I changed up that part about Rogue to make it fit in my story.

WOW!  101 Reviews!  I was so excited.  Thanks to everyone who has followed along in my fanfic.   You know, its quite strange that I can write a 25 chapter fanfics but struggle to write a 25 page research paper. 

Anyways, I better get crackin' on Chapter 26.  

Thanks so much!

Michelle