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: NC-17 (you've been warned)
Notes: Alternate Universe. Elements of comics, cartoon, and movies.
kili-2 - Lol, okay.
Immortalatk - Of course not!
Lesley - Yep. After all, it's my favorite pairing.
DaughterofDeath - Okay.
lilmiss - Thanks, I'll try.
ally - Thanks, I'm working on more as we speak.
Benjidog - Your question should be answered in this chapter.
Gimpy1 - Rogue and Wolverine's pasts will be developed more soon.
Oracale - Thanks, I thought so.
Kimberly - Glad you like it, alternate realities are my forte.
Sweetpup - Thank you, I'll try not to take so long between updates.
lurking-in-the-shadows - Glad you noticed. I believe everyone has a bit of a beast in them.
Syd - I am SO sorry this update took so long. I went home for spring break and I just can't work at home.
The crowd held their collective breath as the fight in front of them took a sexual turn. Wolverine was ravaging his opponent's mouth as though he planned to devour her. The savagery of the fight was still present, making the display seem all the more carnal in its intensity. In that moment, it seemed as if they all shared an understanding that if they were absolutely silent, they would be able to watch this interesting turn of events play out.
Beside the cage, the announcer looked on with his beady little eyes, his weasel-like brain racing with the monetary possibilities of this performance. People had shelled out a lot of money to witness these two strangers fight. It boggled his mind to think of how much they would pay to see them fuck.
* * *
The whole room seemed to spin out of control as Rogue felt Wolverine's tongue demand entrance to her mouth, running along the silky insides of her cheeks and teasing her to respond. Desire shot through her as she strained to put more of her body in contact with his. Wolverine growled as he felt her efforts and redoubled his own, running his hands roughly up and down her body. His senses were reeling as her arousal became more and more evident. Her body began to respond in earnest and Wolverine willingly rose to the occasion.
In the course of their hot pursuit, Wolverine's hands found themselves fondling Rogue's breasts through her clothing. Frustrated at the cloth barrier, Wolverine shoved his hands underneath her shirt. Just as he was about to take her tender flesh in his hands, part of his mind howled in outrage. Tearing his head away from his conquest, Wolverine's eyes fell on the crowd watching them. There was no trace of reason in their wild depths, only the animalistic urge to claim his mate. The only thing stopping him from doing so right now, was the awareness that strange men were bearing witness. Wolverine's inner beast raged against the thought. No man would have even the slightest glimpse of his mate without paying dearly for it. Snarling at the other males in the crowd, Wolverine stood up abruptly, pulling Rogue's writhing form up with him. Slinging her over his shoulder, the animal in him relishing her growling protests, Wolverine stormed out of the cage. For a split second, the announcer considered trying to stop him, but one look into the other man's eyes convinced him that it would be a dire mistake, and most likely his last one. Disappointed, the greedy man was helpless to do anything but watch as his chance at thousands strode out the door.
* * *
"Fred, are you paying attention?"
Fred's head snapped up as his boss's voice thundered out of his office. The office was only a few feet away with a thin wall separating the hotel manager from his young employee and Fred could hear the irritation in the older man's voice.
"Yes, sir," he responded quickly. He looked around to make sure no one was indeed waiting for his attentions. He honestly hadn't been paying attention and was pleasantly surprised that his laziness hadn't been witnessed.
When his boss failed to yell a response, Fred sighed in relief. Settling back in his flimsy wooden chair, his hands linked behind his head, he proceeded to fantasize about Miss. October. Working at a hotel had turned out to be a relatively boring job, and he enjoyed these free moments he had.
Suddenly, the doors to the small hotel slammed into the walls as they were throw open by a particularly enthusiastic guest. Fred snapped to attention as a short hairy man strode into the hotel with a beautiful woman thrown over his shoulder. Fred's jaw dropped. The woman was twisting against the man's grip, her face obscured by a beautiful cascade of white-streaked auburn hair. The curves of her body were painfully obvious in her position and Fred almost had to physically pick his jaw up off the floor.
"Uh, c-can I help you sir?" he stuttered, hopefully glancing at the woman again.
The man didn't even look at him. The only acknowledgment of Fred's presence was the fifty dollars the man tossed onto the counter as he strode past.
"Sir?!" Fred shouted, jumping up. "Don't you want your key?"
The man didn't respond. As he disappeared up one of the stairwells, Fred pondered his fortune. He couldn't help but wonder if his boss would even notice the money wasn't in the register, seeing as how the man hadn't even waited for a room number or key . . .
WARNING: GRAPHIC SEX AHEAD. IF THIS OFFENDS YOU, STOP HERE. E-MAIL ME AND I WILL SEND YOU A VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER WITHOUT THE GRAPHIC MATERIAL.
* * *
Rogue's head was spinning by the time she felt her back hit the bed. Reaching through the dizzying effects of Wolverine's touch, she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him against her. Wolverine's large frame fell heavily on top of her, his hands resuming their rough exploration of her body as though they'd never stopped. Rogue gasped as he pushed her shirt up past her shoulders, his fingers grazing her nipples. She moaned and threaded her hands through his hair, guiding his head downwards. Wolverine snarled, but allowed her to guide him, his mouth finding purchase on one breast. Rogue squirmed as his tongue snaked around her nipple, his teeth roughly teasing the sensitive skin.
"Wolverine," she gasped.
Wolverine growled in response, his mouth moving up to capture hers again. His hands grasped the band of her jeans, muscles flexing as he ripped them down to the crotch in a single motion. Rogue wriggled out of them impatiently, needing to feel his touch everywhere on her body. Wolverine snarled as his fingers found the wetness between her thighs. Sliding back and forth, he coated his fingers with her before slipping inside. Rogue cried out as his fingers found her g-spot, mercilessly rubbing against the sensitive site of nerve endings. Growling, she thrust upwards, urging him to increase the level of intimacy. Wolverine felt the best inside him howl in satisfaction as he pleased her. Removing his fingers, he ignored her moans of protest. Quickly divesting himself of his own clothing, he freed himself from the confines of his jeans. He placed himself at her entrance, not bothering to fight his instincts. With a savage roar, he thrust inside her, relishing the way she tightened around his cock. There was no gentleness in his touch, nor emotion in his eyes as he continued to pound into her, rolling his hips to get as deep inside of her as he could. Rogue met him thrust for thrust, her own beast relishing the ferocity of their coupling. Grabbing him by the shoulders, she ran her hands over his back, her nails making angry red lines on his skin. Wolverine growled his appreciation, her actions urging him on. Suddenly, Rogue felt her body tense as her pleasure began to peak. Digging her nails into his skin, she gasped and shut her eyes against the onslaught of sensation. Her body contracted around Wolverine and he gritted his teeth as he approached his own climax. Finally, he heard Rogue scream as her orgasm broke. Howling his satisfaction Wolverine followed right behind her, darting his head down to sink his teeth into the flesh of her neck as he came.
As the last wave of pleasure washed over him, Wolverine collapsed on top of Rogue. For a few moments they remained like that, their heavy breathing slowly returning to normal. Finally, Wolverine rolled off of her, one arm reaching out to pull her to him. Her back curled up against his chest as Wolverine held on possessively to his mate. Rogue sighed contentedly. Exhausted, they drifted off to sleep.
* * *
The next morning, Rogue woke up to find herself still in Wolverine's protective embrace. For a moment, she relished the warmth of his body against hers. For the first time in several days she felt at peace, comfortable with her surroundings. Last night had been nightmare free, the exhausted sleep offering her a reprieve from the images that had plagued her. Rogue sighed. She could almost ignore the tiny thought that something was amiss.
Wolverine shifted behind her, his arm tightening around her waist. Nuzzling her neck, he took a deep breath and stretched. Rogue smiled as she felt his muscles shifting under the skin against her back.
"What's so amusing?" Wolverine rumbled.
"You."
Rogue turned over to face him. His eyes were still hazy with sleep as he studied her. Impulsively, she leaned forward and kissed him. Unlike last night, this kiss was soft and gentle. Wolverine responded in kind, his lips sliding against hers in feather-light movements. When they finally parted, Rogue smiled.
"That was nice."
Wolverine grinned. "You're welcome."
Rogue slapped him playfully. Rolling onto her back, she stretched languidly. The uninterrupted sleep had done wonders for her mood. Wolverine propped his head up on his hand as he watched her. His eyes roamed over her body, pausing over the exposed flesh at the top of the blanket. Something was nagging at the back of his mind.
"Hey," he said suddenly.
"Hey what?" Rogue asked, sighing. Her eyes began to drift closed again as she enjoyed the moment.
"You never mentioned that you could control your powers."
Rogue froze. Opening her eyes, she met Wolverine's steady gaze. The tiny thought that had been bugging her earlier leapt to the forefront of her mind. Could she control her powers? Her mind raced to search for some scrap of memory that would help her find the answer. The blocks in her mind stood there silently, almost daring her to look behind them. Rogue shied away from them, choosing instead to think back on her time with the X-Men. Vague images of a dark room and a young girl floated back to her. As Rogue strained to make sense of the hazy pieces, another memory slammed into her. She had absorbed Wolverine in the infirmary. She winced.
"Hey," Wolverine said quietly. "What's goin' on?"
Rogue looked away. "Ah don't remember."
Wolverine's face remained impassive. "You say that a lot."
Rogue closed her eyes. "Ah know," she whispered.
Wolverine thought about it for a while. He didn't know how much Rogue remembered about absorbing Kitty. It was possible she remembered it and simply didn't want to talk about it. Then again, it was equally possible that she was too out of it at the time to remember. After all, she had just woken up after being rescued from Mojo's televised prison. He thought back to when Xavier had had him let her absorb him.
"When I touched you in the lab, the transfer didn't start right away," he commented finally.
Hearing his words, Rogue seemed to tense up. "Ah don't wanna talk about that," she said abruptly. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something about absorbing Wolverine that bothered her tremendously.
"What's wrong?" Wolverine prodded.
When Rogue didn't answer right away, he reached out to lift her head. She flinched away from him. Wolverine frowned.
"A few minutes ago you were fine. What's wrong?"
Rogue didn't answer. Her eyes stared off into space, not seeming to see anything. Wolverine's mind was racing. He searched his mind for some idea as to what might be bothering her.
"Is it the sex?" he asked finally. He ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I didn't mean—"
"It was just sex, Wolverine. It doesn't have to mean anything. In any case, Ah don't expect anything from you and Ah'm certainly not gonna fall apart over it."
Wolverine was slightly taken aback. That wasn't the response he was used to from the women he bedded. It was the response he was used to giving and hearing the words coming from the woman was slightly unsettling. Shaking it off, he thought back over the past day or so. An image of Rogue, wet and bedraggled floated into his mind's eye. That day he had come to her to suggest this trip, he had found her downstairs with Scott and Jean. The two lovebirds had been oblivious to others, as usual. Now that he thought about it, Rogue had seemed almost in a trance. He hadn't noticed at the time, but Wolverine was starting to wonder if he had unwittingly interrupted something. Perturbed, Wolverine decided the best plan of action would be to wait. Quizzing Rogue wasn't getting him any answers.
"All right," he said finally. "You don't wanna talk, that's fine." He sat up, throwing the covers off. "Might as well get something done today. I'm gonna take a shower."
Rogue watched as Wolverine closed the bathroom door behind him. Somehow, his abruptness had hurt. Considering his total comfort with walking to the bathroom completely naked, she suspected that shutting the bathroom door had been meant to keep her out. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Everything seemed to be getting out of control. She knew Wolverine's patience for her lack of answers was wearing thin. She sighed. Last night had gotten totally out of control. Rogue had meant what she said about not expecting anything from him. The sex had been great. Rogue felt a rush as she recalled the wild abandon that had consumed them last night. If that bar hadn't been part of her memory before, it certainly was now. She smiled as she remembered how Wolverine had carried her to the room. He'd used his sensitive hearing to listen for sounds of occupancy, slicing the handle off the door of the first empty room. She giggled. He was definitely losing his deposit.
The water stopped in the bathroom and Rogue's good mood left. Any minute now, Wolverine was going to come out of that bathroom, and she still had no answers to offer him. She pushed her hair back from her face. Steeling herself, she looked at the situation logically. Obviously, she had not absorbed Wolverine last night. If she had, he would have lost consciousness. Thus, there were only two possibilities. Number one: she could control her powers. Contrary to what one might think, this was not a pleasant possibility. If Rogue could control her powers, that had to mean that she had absorbed that girl on purpose. Rogue didn't want to ponder what her reasons may have been for that. A cold feeling in her heart told her that whatever her motivation had been, it had struck her again the other morning. Rogue could still see Jean standing in front of her, her own hand outstretched.
Shaking her head, Rogue forced herself to consider another possibility. Xavier and the other X-Men had told her Mojo kept her in a collar while she was his prisoner. A collar that kept her powers on all the time. Maybe, her powers were simply weak, now that they were finally being permitted a break. That would explain why they hadn't kicked in when Wolverine touched her. The first time, he had been concentrating on letting her absorb him. Last night, nothing had happened.
Her train of thought was cut off as Wolverine emerged from the bathroom. Taking a deep breath, Rogue spoke.
"Ah still don't have an answer. But Ah have some ideas."
Wolverine turned to look at her. He regarded her silently for a few moments before nodding finally.
"All right." He gestured towards the bathroom with his head. "Why don't you get a shower. I'm gonna go get you some different clothes. You can tell me about your ideas on the way."
Rogue nodded thoughtfully at the mention of new clothes. She'd almost forgotten he'd destroyed her other ones. Suddenly she frowned.
"On the way? On the way to where?" she asked.
Wolverine shook his head. "Get a shower. I'll be right back." He walked out the door, closing the mangled wood behind him. If Rogue didn't remember anything about Canada, he didn't want to prejudice her by telling her anything ahead of time. First, he would see if she remembered anything on her own. Then, maybe he would share what he knew of his past with her. After all, they were still working on the assumption that their pasts were connected somehow.
* * *
Rogue watched the scenery fly by the truck's window. They had left Laughlin City and were a little ways down a narrow backroad. Tall bare trees lined the sides of the road, giving it an abandoned feel to it. Rogue felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. There was something eerily familiar about this area. She turned to Wolverine.
"So what exactly is it we're looking for?"
Wolverine kept his eyes on the road. "There are very few places I remember. Alkali Lake and that bar are two of them." He nodded ahead. "Up here is the third." He glance over at Rogue. "I don't really expect this place to look familiar to you. Still, worth a shot."
Rogue felt her heart beat a little quicker as Wolverine slowed down. Up ahead, there was a huge tree trunk to the side of the road. Wolverine got out, striding over to sit on the fallen tree. Rogue watched him with trepidation. Slowly, she took off her seatbelt and opened her door. Slipping onto the ground, Rogue looked around her. The feeling of familiarity was getting stronger. She didn't like it.
"What happened here?" she asked.
Wolverine shrugged. "This is where the X-Men found me."
Rogue frowned. "Found you?"
Wolveirne nodded. "Yeah. I don't remember much about that day. Matter of fact, I remember nothing before that day. The Xavier said they found me lying on the side of the road, practically dead." He turned away. "I always figured this must be near the place they held me."
Rogue didn't have to ask who held him. Wolverine subconsciously rubbed his knuckles.
"Ah thought . . . Ah mean . . . Alkali Lake?"
Wolverine nodded. "Yeah, that's what I could never figure out. Xavier's information all pointed to Alkali Lake as the place that did this to me. Hell, the tank they held me in is still there." He shook his head. "Still, what else could have done it?"
Rogue shivered. "Did what?"
Wolverine turned to look at her. "Almost killed me. I heal fast, it takes a lot to knock me out. I was practically dead for weeks. No human could have done that to me."
Rogue felt the icy grip of fear around her heart. "What if humans weren't the ones who did it?" she whispered. "What if it was a mutant? What if that mutant tracked you down here?"
She looked up at the trees. Her eyes had a wild look in them and Wolverine immediately stood up and began to move towards her.
"That doesn't make any sense. Why would they go through all the trouble of tracking me down just to leave me for dead?"
Rogue didn't answer. The trees were starting to look ominous. They seemed to be reaching out to her, trying to trap her. She stepped back.
"Something's wrong," she insisted. "Ah know this place." Her voice grew quiet. "Ah was attacked here. Attacked by someone . . . something . . . horrible."
Wolverine strained his ears to hear her. Her voice was trailing off and she was starting to shake. Her eyes were glazed and unseeing, her face blank except for a vague look of dismay. He took another step forward.
"Hey," he said softly. "Calm down. Tell me what you—"
Wolverine didn't get to finish his sentence. Suddenly, Rogue eyes widened. Her mouth opened in a bloodcurdling scream. Wolverine jumped forward, reaching for her. She stared at him as though he was holding a butcher's knife and threw up her arms. Her hands were balled into fists as she held them out in front of her, warding him off. Before, Wolverine could react, it was over. As suddenly as she had started, Rogue stopped screaming. Wolverine dove forward just in time to catch her as she fainted.