Title: Forgiveness
Author: Jenny11
Disclaimer: Characters and some lines are property of Marvel. Not me.
Archive Rights: I'm flattered, just ask.
Feedback: I'll love you forever. Could also mean advance snippets between long updates.
Rating: R
Notes: Alternate Universe. Elements of comics, cartoon, and movies.
The Little Dragon - I agree that they should not be canceling X-Men Evolution.
Syd() - Hey, the more reviews I get, the faster I write and the quicker I update. Trust me, you're doing your part in assuring that you get to read more.
Arin Ross() - That is one of the best reviews I've ever received. I love it when reviewers are specific about what they like (for instance, quoting a line). I also like the way you speculated as to where I was going with Rogue's character. Now I have a question for you: is "RoLogan" a term you came up with, or do others use it as well? Is a "RoLogan" a bad thing?
Karma() - Thank you! I love it when someone reviews my work more than once!
Spy() - Sorry this chapter took so long!
The next morning, Rogue paused mid-crunch as she heard a knock on her door. Standing up, she walked over and opened the door to find Jean standing in the hallway.
"Rogue, you're up," Jean said, surprised.
Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh."
Jean smiled. "I thought you might still be sleeping since we hadn't seen you yet this morning."
Rogue shrugged. "Ah was just exercising. Don't wanna get out of shape."
"You know, we have a gym here. If you'd like to work out, you're more than welcome to use it."
"Ah'm fine up here, but Ah'll think about it."
"All right."
Rogue looked at her expectantly.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I just wanted to let you know that the Professor would like to talk to you." A shadow crossed Rogue's face and Jean rushed to add, "It's not a problem that you didn't see him yesterday. He understands that you've just been through a difficult ordeal and besides, we're not here to tell you what to do." Rogue relaxed slightly and Jean smiled reassuringly. "He's in his office which is on the first floor. Just go down there and ask one of the students to show you where it is."
Rogue took a deep breath and was silent for a few moments. Finally, she nodded.
"All right."
* * *
Professor Xavier looked up from his work as he heard a knock at the door.
"Come in."
Rogue poked her head in the door. "Jean said you wanted to see me?"
Xavier smiled and gestured for her to come in. "Yes. Please have a seat, Rogue."
Rogue walked in and sat down in the chair opposite the Professor. Her body language was a little stiff, but she seemed to be trying to stay relaxed.
"First of all, I'd like to know how you've been doing? I'm told you and Wolverine have been getting along well."
Rogue nodded slowly. "Yeah."
Professor Xavier watched her for a minute. Finally he took a deep breath and decided to just get right down to business.
"Rogue, what do you remember before waking up here?"
Rogue was silent for a moment, thinking carefully. "Honestly, Ah don't remember anything, really. There are images in mah head, but they're all pretty fuzzy."
"How do you feel about that?"
Rogue shrugged. "Ah guess it's a little unnerving not remembering anything. But Ah figure I'll either remember it eventually, or Ah won't. Maybe there's a reason Ah don't remember anything."
Xavier nodded thoughtfully. "For instance?"
Rogue looked uncomfortable. "Ah don't know."
"Rogue, are you uncomfortable talking with me?"
Rogue hesitated. "It's not you. Ah just don't really wanna discuss mah memories, or lack thereof with anyone."
Xavier smiled. "Rogue, I want to help you in any way I can. If you're not comfortable talking, I understand." He thought for a moment. "Do you feel comfortable enough around Wolverine, that you would possibly consider training with him?"
"Training?" Rogue asked.
"Meditation. Logan is quite knowledgeable in the art of meditation and I feel he may be able to help you. It may help you to retrieve your memories. At the very least, I feel meditation is a valuable skill that may help you to deal with your memories once they return."
He waited while Rogue digested the information. He could practically see the wheels in her head turning over the possibilities. Finally, she nodded.
"All right. Ah'll give it a shot."
* * *
"You're late."
"You're cranky."
Wolverine didn't respond. His eyes were closed and he was sitting cross-legged and bare-chested in the shade of a large oak tree. Rogue watched him carefully. When he didn't give her any directions, she shrugged and sat down in front of him. She'd decided to wear the newly washed black full length body-suit that the X-Men had found her in. Despite its full coverage, the suit stretched easily. Folding her legs, she mimicked his position and closed her eyes.
"Is it comfortable for you to hold that position," Wolverine asked. His voice was low and steady.
"Peachy," Rogue responded in the same tone.
Wolverine frowned. "Concentrate on your breathing."
Rogue concentrated. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. As she continued to slow her body, Rogue could feel her body start to relax. The sounds of nature around her soothed her nerves. She could hear birds in the trees around her. The water in the pond not far off, sent the sounds of tiny waves and gentle splashing towards her ears. She smiled. She loved the outdoors.
"Let your mind wander," Wolverine said, his voice low with relaxation. "This exercise is supposed to calm your mind as well as your body. Let your thoughts flow through your mind."
Rogue frowned. All her thoughts seemed to be pushed behind the walls in her mind. The more she started to relax, the more those thoughts seemed to want to flow out from that wall. Steeling herself, she reinforced the walls, trying to keep whatever they held locked away in place. As she concentrated on pushing the memories away from her, she felt her body start to tense up again. She shifted.
"Problem?" Wolverine asked calmly.
Rogue opened her eyes to find Wolverine watching her. His position hadn't changed and his breathing was still perfectly regular.
Rogue rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Ah don't know about you, Logan, but Ah slept last night. Ah don't need to be sittin' here takin' a nap right now."
Wolverine didn't respond. Instead, he closed his eyes. Suddenly, his arms unfolded and his hands braced themselves on the ground, lifting his body. Like lightening, his leg swept out towards Rogue's head. Rogue reacted quickly, but she wasn't fast enough. As she dove out of the way, she caught a glancing blow to her shoulder that spun her around. Rolling with the momentum, she recovered quickly. Rolling onto her hands and knees, she knelt there and got her bearings. Wolverine had stood up and was now crouched down, watching her with a smile. She smiled back and motioned for him to step forward. In seconds they were trading blows, each one searching the other's form for some sign of weakness.
The fight escalated to the point that neither of them noticed when a crowd started gathering. Alerted by the sounds of a fight, some of the students had wandered into the woods and found them. One of the students, a telepath, promptly sent out a telepathic shout to his fellow classmates who weren't there to witness it. Soon, students were running for the forest, all of them eager to see the infamous Wolverine battle the most recent arrival.
In his office, Professor Xavier raised his head as he heard the child's message. Shaking his head, he sent his own telepathic message to Cyclops and Storm. The two X-Men were quick to excuse themselves from their classes and rush outside to see what was going on. Assuring himself through his telepathy that there was no serious threat to anyone's health, Xavier watched as Storm and Cyclops raced towards the woods. He sighed. Why couldn't Rogue have taken a fancy to one of his more restrained X-Men?
* * *
Rogue watched curiously as Wolverine sat looking at the Professor with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. A fuming Cyclops and a serene Storm stood off to the side. Eventually, Professor Xavier met his eyes with a steady gaze.
"You seem very proud of yourself, Logan."
Wolverine shrugged. "Meditation wasn't doing anything for her, Wheels. A change of tactics was necessary."
"And you thought attacking her was an appropriate alternative?" Cyclops asked incredulously.
"Scott, please." Professor Xavier rubbed the bridge of his nose. After a few moments, he turned to Rogue.
"Well, Rogue, what do you think? Was the fight helpful?"
Rogue stared at him for a moment. She seemed to be debating with herself on whether the Professor had meant that as a serious question. Finally, she decided that the Professor didn't strike her as the joking type.
"Better than sittin' there just breathin'," she answered honestly. She glanced over at Cyclops. He seemed like a few deep breaths might do him more good than her.
"Well, Logan," the Professor continued. "That's not exactly a ringing endorsement. May I ask what you feel you've accomplished?"
Wolverine smiled. "I think I just recruited the newest X-Man."
"WHAT!? Newest—You—Are you--?"
Rogue watched, fascinated as a little vein began to pulse at Cyclops' temple. That can't be a good sign, she thought to herself.
"Scott, please," Professor Xavier started.
"Professor, with all due respect, Rogue's been here for less than two days. I don't think this is an appropriate topic to be discussing with her!"
"You "discussed" it with me the *first* day I was here," Wolverine countered. He looked at Storm. "Don't you think you should give Rogue the same chance to choose her side?"
Storm smiled. "A noble sentiment, Wolverine."
Cyclops' jaw dropped. "We don't even know if she can fight!" he sputtered.
Wolverine grinned, his sharp canines giving the smile a slightly sinister look. "Yes. We do." He looked back at the Professor.
Professor Xavier held his gaze. For several moments, the only sounds in the room were the labored breaths of Cyclops as he struggled to control his blood pressure. Just when Rogue thought Cyclops was going to explode, the Professor spoke.
"What do you think about all this, Rogue?"
Rogue stared at him. "What's an X-Man?"
Cyclops fainted.
* * *
A few days later Cyclops, Wolverine, and Rogue were gathered around the table in the War Room waiting patiently for the Professor to join them for a final debriefing before they left. In her seat beside him, Rogue noticed that Wolverine seemed agitated. She wondered whether it was the mission or the fact that she would be along for the fight this time that was bothering him. Her train of thought was interrupted when the doors swished open and the Professor entered the room.
"Any new information, Professor?" Cyclops asked.
Xavier shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Scott. My sources report activity up at Alkali Lake, but I was unable to learn anything specific. Using Cerebro, I was able to ascertain that there is mutant activity at the abandoned plant. However, I do not know what they are doing." He glanced at Wolverine before continuing. "I want all of you to go up to Alkali Lake and learn what you can. If the mutants there are dangerous, I want to know what they're doing before they can do any real damage. If they are not, I want you to make sure they are all right and if they need assistance, bring them back with you."
Cyclops nodded and motioned for Wolverine and Rogue to follow him to the waiting Blackbird. As they filed out, Professor Xavier signaled Wolverine to remain behind.
"Wolverine, I just wanted to reassert that you are all right with this mission. You realize that you are not obligated to go."
"I didn't even know you were still keepin' tabs on the place," Wolverine said wryly.
"I told you I would try to help you find your past, Logan. I keep my word."
Wolverine shook his head. "I've already been up there, Chuck. There was nothing there. If there's anything there now, I want to know."
* * *
Rogue quietly crept back to where Cyclops was waiting, hidden behind a cropping of trees surrounding the Alkali Lake complex.
"Nothin' over there, shugah."
Cyclops nodded and turned watch Wolverine approach from the opposite direction. "Nothin'. There's no sign of mutant activity anywhere."
Cyclops turned a ruby colored gaze on the complex. "Then I guess we take a closer look. Stay close. Wolverine you take point."
Wolverine crept ahead, sniffing occasionally to make sure they weren't walking into a trap. As they got closer to the building, Wolverine frowned. If there was anyone in there, he should be able to smell them by now, but the only scents he was picking up were Rogue and Cyclops. He straightened up and opened the door.
As they filed into the building, Cyclops looked around, searching for any sign that the place was inhabited. Neither he nor Wolverine, nor Rogue spotted anyone.
"This place is silent as the grave," Rogue said softly. She looked around at the cold stone walls and dusty floors. "Ah don't think there's anyone here."
"I have to admit, that's what it looks like. Still, the Professor isn't usually wrong. Maybe there's a basement."
"There is," Wolverine said quietly. Rogue and Cyclops turned to look at him. Wolverine's normally blank face seemed strained and there was a haunted look in his eyes that spooked his teammates. "It's off to the right, down the stairs."
Cyclops stared at him for a moment longer before nodding slowly. He turned around and Rogue followed him to where Wolverine had told them the basement was. Wolverine hung back, not moving towards the basement. He knew what was down there. He had the nightmares, he didn't want them any fresher. Keeping his senses on high alert, he continued to look around, watching for any sign of trouble.
* * *
Rogue felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as she followed Cyclops down the basement stairs. Something about this place was giving her the creeps. Somehow, the look in Wolverine's eyes had seemed hauntingly familiar to her. As she and Cyclops headed further into the basement, her feeling of discomfort increased.
At the bottom of the stairs, the hallway opened up into a huge room. Computers lined the walls and huge tank of water stood in the center. As Cyclops walked past them, Rogue stopped dead in her tracks. With her eyes riveted to the tanks in the center, she opened her mouth and screamed . . .
* * *
Up on the ground floor, Wolverine heard a scream pierce his sensitive hearing. Without a second thought, he dashed towards the door to the basement, rushing down the stairs. When he burst into the room that haunted so many of his nightmares, he saw Cyclops desperately trying to calm down a hysterical Rogue.
Wolverine rushed over and stared into her wild eyes. Screams tore from her throat as she seemed to watch specters that weren't there. As he reached out to touch her, Rogue jerked away from him. Her eyes were glazed over, staring at him unseeing.
"Wolverine, we have to get her out of here," Cyclops shouted.
Wolverine didn't wait to be told twice. He turned to run up the stairs, as Cyclops threw Rogue's twisting body over his shoulder. Together they raced towards the Blackbird.
As they climbed aboard, Cyclops took Rogue to the back and strapped her down to one of the stretchers. Rogue screeched and fought him, her movements uncoordinated and useless. Finally, Cyclops got her strapped down. Returning to the front of the jet, he kicked the engines into gear, and the jet rose off the ground and shot towards the mansion.
Author's note: I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. In the future, if I have a difficult time getting a chapter out in time, I will send what I have done after a week to those loyal reviewers who leave their e-mail address in a review. If you're not comfortable posting your e-mail address, you can e-mail me after posting a review for the story and I will keep a list of the e-mail addresses that will receive advance snippets. This is my way of thanking those of you who take the time to review.
I like to write Cyclops as an uptight commander and use him for humor purposes. I realize it is slightly out of character. Sorry.