Can't Escape Destiny

Chapter Four

         Remy came in just as Rogue pulled a shirt over her head and she grinned at him, combing her hair into place with her fingers. "Disappointed that I got ready so fast?" she teased, running a finger under his chin as she passed him going into the hallway. She was only a few steps down when she felt him catch her around the waist, pulling a giggling Rogue flush against him. Her laughter faded as she was enthralled by his stunning eyes. "Very," he murmured, giving her a soul-searing kiss before, drawing back. He smirked at her expression and she smacked his arm lightly, but they held hands on the way to the kitchen. "I see that you're back in a good mood. Any particular reason, shiela?" St, John asked with a grin.

        The southern Goth raised a brow, "Just glad to be getting' away from you, flame-boy." "Oh, I'm hurt," he said, mocking a pained expression. "Then we're even, that shirt is hurting my eyes," she responded. "Hey! This is one of my favorite shirts!" Pyro exclaimed, gesturing at the black, flame-print nylon shirt. Rogue just laughed and went around to the main kitchen area, taking the full plate of pancakes as she greeted Colossus. The tall Russian never said much and didn't really seem to fit into Magneto's wild bunch, but he was still a good friend. She couldn't wait to escape herself, she just hoped that she could keep control of whatever this was long enough to have some fun.

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-One Week Later-

         Rogue was feeling truly, completely, truly at peace, for the first time she could remember being in her life. Being in New Orleans with Remy seemed to brush away that darkness in her like cobwebs, and the last week had been magical- from Mardi Gras to getting their portrait sketched in Jackson Square. 'And dancing,' she thought with a laugh as the music in the small club wound down. 'Lots of dancing.' "Be right back, chére. Remy's gonna get us some drinks," her companion breathed, giving her a quick kiss before sauntering away. Rogue could only nod dazedly as she watched his back with a dreamy smile. She knew other girls watched him too, they did no matter where they went, but she also knew that Remy never gave them a second look.

         'Besides,' she thought with a secret grin. 'I've gotten plenty of looks myself, especially since Remy convinced me to loose the Goth make-up and grow my hair out.' Then again, it hadn't taken much convincing- though she fussed for show. She'd been considering the change before Remy even thought of it, though she had no idea why all of a sudden. Slightly flushed from dancing all night, Rogue left the middle of the dance floor to lean against the wall nearby, knowing Remy would still find her. But twenty minutes later, when he didn't show up, she started to get worried. 'Where…' Suddenly some guy that was always hanging around the club came up to her, looking anxious. "You're Rogue, aren't you?" Confused, she nodded. "That guy that you're here with every night… Remy LeBeau, he's out in the alley beat up pretty badly," the stringy haired man gasped all in one breath.

         Knowing Remy had been in the Thieves Guild before he came to Bayville and likely still had enemies around these parts, Rogue nearly went to pieces from worry and panic. Rapidly pulling herself together however, she shouted above the music, "Take me to him, now!" They ran out into the alley in the back of the club then down a mile or two, Rogue passing the stranger a few times as she ran ahead to search. But there was no sign or Remy. Tears pricking her eyes at the thought of him beaten and bloody somewhere without her, she cried, "I don't see him!" Quick as any other snake could strike, the fretfulness left his face and he lunged at her, crushing Rogue to him. "I'm the only one you're gonna be seeing for a long while, honey. I'll make sure of that," he leered, alcohol heavy on his breath.

         He forced a revolting kiss on her before she could think, or even remember her powers- then she pulled away enough to punch him, splitting his lip. "You bitch!" he spat, wiping away the blood from his lip. "You'll pay for that!" He suddenly sneered, snapping his fingers, "Boys!" Five more men came out of the shadows at her, just as slimy and evil-looking as him, and the first grabbed her bare wrist, twisting her arm. Somehow, that forced a shred of clarity past the veil over her mind and she threw that switch in her brain to activate her powers. He screamed, dropping to his knees, and Rogue screamed too as his memories washed into her. She was almost glad when one of the others twisted her away, delivering a kick to her side but stopping her from absorbing even more- or even killing the guy. "Mutant freak!" he screamed.

         The wind knocked out of her, and still reeling from the transfer, she could only stare blindly up at them as they moved in, beating her. Then an explosion sounded right behind them and the gang fell back. "Remy," she whispered, thankful tears in her voice now. He took on her attackers with a fierce look, one against five, and Rogue winced painfully as she tried to get up- absorbing two more briefly as she made her way to her boyfriend, leaning into his strength. "Sorry petite," he grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with one hand, the other arm supporting her. "Dem snakes got de best o' Remy an' knocked 'em cold by de bar. Good t'ing Remy recovers fast." She nuzzled his chest, "I'm just glad you're here with me now. I was worried about you." "Remy will always be wit' you chére, you don' have to worry." The Cajun lifted her into his arms, seeing how weak she was, "Let's go back to de hotel, petite, you could use some rest." Rogue only nodded, snuggling closer, as he carried her back to their room.

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         "Team, assemble by the Blackbird, I've located Rogue with Cerebro- with Gambit as we suspected. It seems she's in New Orleans and they just used her powers." The older members paused as they heard Xavier's mental announcement, then they rushed to get ready for their rescue mission. Kitty and Kurt were to stay home, with Logan to watch them, since they were so sick. Kitty, meanwhile, was digging around for the bottle of aspirin that had rolled behind her bed. She felt something small and cardboard-y, pulling it up. When she saw what it was her heart nearly stopped. Remembering what she'd seen a month ago, she re-analyzed it after reading the message on the playing card- the Queen of Hearts. Rogue hadn't been kidnapped, she left with Gambit! This must've feel behind the bed after Rogue left it.

         Letting out a small sound of distress, she bit her nails. Then something hit her. She was going to New Orleans! "Kurt!" she called, running down to his room. "Suit up, we got a mission!" "What…?" he started. Kitty shoved the card at him and his eyes went wide as he looked back up at her, trying to process the fact that Rogue left them for the enemy, along with everything else. Was it his fault for over-reacting about Mystique? Remarkably intuitive and smart despite the way she appeared, Kitty touched his face, "It's not your fault, Kurt. She loves him, I should've realized that way before now, I should've realized that she was miserable here. But I was too caught up…" he impulsively kissed her to shut her up.

         "It's not your fault either," he said fiercely. The wide-eyed Valley girl just stared at him, mouth hanging open- amazed at the way she felt. This was Kurt, one of her best friends… her other best friend's brother! As if his own actions just registered for him, she noticed him blushing beneath his fur and thought it was so cute. "Kitty…" he began again, embarrassed. Before he could apologize, she pulled him close and kissed him sweetly. Then promptly sneezed after moving back. "Now," she grinned, "We gotta show Mr. Logan the card, especially since he's been just as upset over Rogue being gone as we were- though he tried to hide it." This time Kurt sneezed, accidentally teleporting to the top of his dresser. "We might need Mr. Logan to fly us," Kitty added thoughtfully.

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         While Rogue's clueless former teammates tried to find them, she was suffering through nightmares, strange inner battles. Remy was at her side to offer any help that might be necessary, but he was beside himself with worry about what was happening to Rogue. It had been three hours since the unexpected attack, the girl he loved having gone unconscious on the way back to the hotel. Remy shook his head, getting up to get some coffee from the machine on the counter. Then objects started flying swirling around the room, lights flicking on and off as the sky outside rumbled with thunder. Suddenly Rogue started sobbing in her sleep, twisting as she rose into the air herself, and he rushed to her side.

        "Chére," he called, standing on the bed to reach her (luckily the ceilings weren't too high), shaking her. He had to wake her up, now. "Chére," he cried again, yelling as the objects closer and closer around them. "Rogue!" This time she fell back down to the bed, with him to catch her, and everything inside of the room went back to normal- the skies even quieting. Then she abruptly sat up, "Apocalypse!" she cried. Remy's eyes widened, "What?!" Rogue turned her teary face to his, eyes serious and troubled. "He's the dark presence that's been inside me, trying to take over all this time. And he's winning, he's calling me to him." The Cajun felt a shot of fear in his heart and he went cold.

         "What are you talkin' about petite? Dat's impossible." Rogue shook her head. "No. It's not. When I was under his control all that time again, he grabbed my hand to absorb all those powers from me and I must've absorbed part of him." She started to sob again. "This isn't fair! This is happening too soon, I'm not strong enough now!" Remy pulled her close, confused and more than a little scared. He wasn't even sure he could tell her it would be all right now. "We were supposed to get married two years from now and have a son- and I'd have control over all the powers I absorbed…" she sniffed. "So you see the future now?" he teased, trying to get her mind away from the negative and sort out what she said at once.

         "I did when I fell during that battle," she sighed sadly. Her eyes teared up again, "But this isn't supposed to happen now and we may lose everything. And the more I fight it or withdraw from it, the greater it grows." "Then don't fight it," Remy whispered, kissing her. "Don't withdraw from it." Another kiss. "I'll be right there to pull you back." Looking into his beautiful red-on-black eyes, Rogue made a decision. She brought her lips to his, unable to find the words she needed, and kissed him with all the bittersweet longing, all the desperation, that had tormented her lately She silently gave him the invitation to do what they had both wanted for months but waited for. To make love for the first, and maybe last, time.

         He pulled her closer into his arms and covered her mouth with his, kissing her until she was breathless, weightless, aware of nothing in all the world but the iron-hard arms that held her. His face blocked everything else from her vision, and she stared up into his eyes, eyes that burned with a bright red flame. Like a candle in the dark, leading her back home. Perhaps the heat incinerated her clothing, for she was suddenly lying naked beside him while Remy's lips danced across her skin, hotter than the sun that was setting beneath the bayou, engulfing her until she felt as though she was on fire too. With a boldness she didn't know she possessed, she stripped him of his clothing, then let her hands wander over his hard-muscled flesh.

         Rogue felt him shiver with pleasure at her touch, heard a low groan as she rained kisses along his neck and down his chest. And then he was rising over her, eyes blazing. For a golden instant they were still, their eyes open and looking directly into each other's, and Rogue felt all her defenses crumble. Smiling, she opened herself to him; mind, body, and soul. His hips plunged, and when she felt a split second of pain he stopped, letting her adjust to him before he started moving again. Soon she met his thrusts with her own and both cried out with the sheer pleasure of it. Her skin blossomed with the same dampness it had known on particularly hot, southern summer nights, as the eat inside her roared into a conflagration.

         They drew apart, then joined again, and she felt her soul spinning as the tension at her core wound ever tighter. Closing her eyes, Rogue saw colors again, just as she had when they had first kissed and at the mansion the day she left- passionate blues, steamy yellows, hot pinks, and scarlets. Her hands slipped down over his tense body, exploring him, reveling in his lean, virile strength as he shifted her into a wild, haphazard rhythm. Holding him tightly, she let herself go, trusting him to take her higher and higher until her breathing grew shallow and her limbs started to dissolve. There was one more moment of almost agonizing pleasure before Rogue slipped over the edge. She was only vaguely aware of Remy's hoarse cry as his body went rigid with his own climax, but in the aftermath they clung to each other, making small sounds of wonder and awe.

          Rogue felt her soul flying, soaring out of her body, over the room, and beyond. Then, meeting something not entirely unfamiliar, her spirit jerked back into herself. The X-men were coming. Storm, Jean, Cyclops, and Evan on one plane with Kitty, Kurt, and Logan not far behind in another. The thought of them brought so many memories, feelings, and unresolved tensions crashing to the surface. And with it the lure of the ancient mutant she'd helped back into the world. Closing her eyes, Rogue willed it away and opened her bright emerald eyes only when she regained some control, smiling beautifully and holding out her hand as she stood up. Remy smiled back, taking her hand, and she led him into the bathroom shower.

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         Twenty minutes later they emerged, refreshed, and got dressed. But when Rogue looked out the window, tying back the shades, reality intruded again. She'd frozen time. That's why the hours they'd just spent only registered as seconds around them. No one she even knew had that ability… but someone Apocalypse had absorbed thousands of years ago had. Paling dramatically, she hurriedly unfroze it and turned back to Remy an instant before her former teammates burst through the hotel door, the three real friends having had rejoined the others in Mississippi. "Rogue!" they cried at once, happily- like they'd ever been her friends. A small knot of anger formed in her chest and Remy came to her side, likely sensing it.

         The X-men grew tense at his action, angry, and moved to attack. "Leave," Rogue growled, managing to keep a tight reign on herself. "I don't think so Rogue, he kidnapped you and we're taking you back- then exacting our justice," Cyclops said commandingly. The former Goth clutched her head as a burst of power left them all weakened, throwing them back against the walls. "Can't you understand how hard it is for me to keep even this much control!?! I wasn't kidnapped; I left the X-men!!" In a milder tone, she hissed, "I love Remy. I belong here now." Jean looked ready to protest that, but Rogue stopped her, "Believe what you seen, Jean," she started, referring to the card she knew they'd all seen by now. She really was trying to be nice.

         "Your way isn't the right way anymore, Fearless Leader. You must all learn from this," she told Cyclops softly, reading his mind with her borrowed powers. "Now go, before you get hurt, or worse!" she ended on a shout, the forces in her shrieking again. "Gooooo!" she screamed again when they made no move (or thought) to comply, sending them all back to Bayville with powers she never knew she had. All except Remy, who continued to stay by her side. Screaming and sobbing all at once, Rogue collapsed onto the floor, clutching her head, really losing it. Then she blacked out, accidentally knocking Remy unconscious too with the psychic blast.

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