Author: Viral
Author's Notes: I've never done a Rogue-centric fan fiction before, but I suppose there is a first time for everything. I hope this story satisfies those X-Men: Evolution fans out there.
-=-=-=-
This day was to be another cliché of yesterday and the day before. Rogue knew that from the moment she woke up from her regularly scheduled nightmare that had something to do with the memories of someone she had touched. It didn't matter how long ago she had touched the person or how long she had touched them. It was simply this: their mind was stuck in her mind and there was nothing she could do about it. Last night had been one of the worst so far. She had been dreaming one of Mystique's past experiences right around the time when she had given birth to Kurt… but no, she wouldn't think about that anymore.
She walked out of her room, dressed in her signature green clothing and her thick gloves. She felt so enclosed and trapped, especially when she walked around the others dressed in their halter-tops and miniskirts, not worried about who they touched – or for that matter, who touched them. They didn't have to be careful about how they embraced people. Heck, if she could turn off her powers for just one minute she would probably run around in a bathing suit – just glad to be free for once.
"Top of the morning," Scott said, coming down the hall shirtless. Rogue's eyes slowly looked up from his bare feet, to his gray sweatpants, to his shirtless chest and then to his smiling lips.
"Mornin Scott," she answered in her rich Southern accent as he continued to walk towards her. She closed the door behind her and thanked God – whomever that was, for such a nice start for her Saturday morning. She enjoyed Scott, but not just for his flawless body or his charming smile. The attraction she had for Mr. Summers was much deeper. He was trustworthy, caring, and strong-minded. He was a man with a purpose to live. His personality consisted of everything that Rogue considered to be perfect.
When he finally approached her they began walking together down the hallway towards the main staircase that led to the foyer of the Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters. Or, in the words of Principal Kelly, "A school for freaks."
"What do you plan on doing today?" he asked. Things had been pretty non-eventful since the X-Men had managed to escape Apocalypse's wrath. Now that Scott and Jean had graduated high school and had been accepted to college, Westchester Business Institute and Wells University, respectively they had been given responsibilities as trainers for the younger mutants. That meant, Rogue saw less of Scott and would see even less of him. The good part was, she'd see much less of Jean.
"Ah really didn't have anything in mind," she said, some loose hair behind her right ear. "What about you?"
"I thought it would be cool if we hung out today, maybe go bowling or something," he said, as they began walking down the steps to the foyer. "Want to come?"
"Sure," she smiled. "It's about time Ah got some fresh air. Ah was startin to get cabin fever."
"Jean was telling me the same thing. All we've been doing is training and sleeping," Scott said. He just had to mention the "J" word didn't he? He knew that word was forbidden around Rogue.
"Hey guys," Jean said, waving them down the stairs.
"And speak of the devil," Rogue mumbled.
"Did you say something Rogue?" Scott asked from behind his shades.
"No," Rogue sighed.
Scott and Jean greeted each other with a kiss, which caused Rogue to look a way with disgust. "Hey, you two, Come eat I just finished making pancakes and breakfast sausages."
"Actually, Ah don't got much of an appetite," Rogue sighed and walked out of the front door of the mansion.
Weren't opposites supposed to attract? Jean and Scott were just too much alike to be perfect for each other. At least that was Rogue's reasoning and her last chance of hope for getting at him. They were both the epitome of their sex. Jean was the skinny, attractive cheerleader and high academic achiever. Scott was the charming, stable male with a sure future. Rogue was the south to Scott's north end of the magnet. She was everything but what Jean was: antisocial, bitter, cold, devious, eerie – she could go through the whole alphabet and find a negative word to describe herself.
"I take it you don't like my tulips very much," came a voice that frightened Rogue to wake up from her daydream. She looked down at her boot-clad feet and noticed that one of them had been grinding a yellow tulip into the concrete pathway that led around the mansion in a maze-like path.
Rogue turned around to face Ororo Munroe, the white-haired weather witch. Ororo was dressed in her gardening attire: a pair of overalls, a white shirt, and construction boots. Her long white hair was tied in a ponytail and her gloved hand she was holding a garden garbage bag. "Ah'm sorry," she said. "Ah didn't even notice Ah was doin it. Ah guess my mind is just too far gone on other things."
"Anything you would like to talk about?" Ororo asked, picking up the tattered flower and discarding it in the bag. She when went about fixing up the hole in the ground where the tulip's root had been pulled from.
"Nothing personal against you, Ororo, but we ain't exactly best friends to be tradin secrets," Rogue said, and started to continue walking down the path.
"But then again, Rogue, you don't have much of a relationship with anyone. Sometimes I look at you and nearly cry because you are so much like me when I first came back to America. I was born in New York but when my dad received a journalism job in Cairo, Egypt to cover a war that was taking place over in that region, my mother and I went with him. It was there that my parents died as a result of a plane crashing into our apartment and they died before my very eyes. I was trapped for days under rubble with nothing but the view and stench of my dead parents to keep me company," Ororo said, looking at the flowers. A light drizzle began to fall from the cloudless sky, representing the tears that Ororo refused to cry from her eyes. "You see Rogue, you are not the only one with a past that you'd like to keep a secret. But the more you concentrate on your problems and your contempt for the world around you – the more you will fail to see the beauty that lies within you and the beautiful flower that you are. The same way you just unknowingly crushed that tulip beneath your foot is the same way you are stomping on your own life. But you don't have to do that."
The drizzling stopped and Rogue looked at Ororo who was standing up and walking towards her. "Ah didn't know… Ah should've known after having your memories all this time. It's just hard to believe. You're so beautiful and so full of life. The things you hold dear are the things Ah look at with contempt. How did you ever overcome that tragic of a past?"
"I never have and never will overcome my parents death or the claustrophobia that the whole incident gave to me. However, I live with it. That's what women do – strong women. We take all the mess life throws at us and we give birth to something beautiful. Coal must be pressed before it becomes diamonds, and gold must be tested before it is accounted as pure." Ororo held out her closed hand to me and Rogue opened hers. She had seen Ororo pull something out of the hole before covering it up while she had been sitting on the ground. She didn't know what it was until it was dropped in her hand. "If you ever need to get away from it all…" were the last words she heard before everything around her was muted. She just looked down at the key. She didn't even notice when Ororo walked away and began doing some more cosmetics on her flowers.
The only thing that was floating in her head was, "Why?"
-=-=-
"Mein Gott," Kurt said with his head bowed in the quiet dining hall. "Ve ask that you vould bless zhis bounty in zhe name of zhe Father, and of zhe Son, and of zhe Holy Spirit: Amen."
"Amen," the majority of the students and teacher at the table replied before the noisy passing of food trays began. Conversations ensued, some about boys, others about plans for the rest of the night. As usual, Rogue was sitting next to Kitty Pryde: the intellectual valley girl who would be perfect befriending material if she didn't talk as often – or at all. "Kurt, like hurry up with the spaghetti!" she said with frustration as Kurt carefully put spaghetti on his plate. "And don't get any fur in it." Kurt grinned and began moving even slower than he had been before. This resulted in a growl from Logan.
"Look, Nightbug, I told you about playin at the dinner table before," he said with a grimace.
"Party pooper," Kurt said, continuing to smile as he passed the dish to Kitty.
"Like I was saying," Kitty said, directing her words to Rogue who was lazily munching on a warm biscuit. "So after Lance told me that he would be at the football game and it would be a totally awesome coincidence if I was there too I like totally knew he wanted to ask me on a date. So…"
Rogue began to tune out the sound of Kitty's voice, however managing to nod and smile at the right times of the entire monologue. At that moment her mind was fixated on one thing. Why would Scott ask me to go with him to the bowlin alley if he is still gonna be flirtin with Jean. Ah mean, he's starting to confuse me. It's like the only reason we can't get close is because we confuse each other. But silence sometimes speaks louder than words, right? Maybe Ah should just tell him. But what if he rejects me? Then Ah'd never be able to look at him the same way. And Ah don't want to feel different about him – not in a negative way at least. It's just that, we should be able to understand each other. We both have somethin we have to hide behind to keep the people around us safe. He got his shades and Ah got my gloves. If we can understand each other on that level what's keepin us from bein able to open up? Rogue's eyes darted over to Jean. It seem like every time the devil's mentioned, Ms. Perfect shows up. I just wish she would die… but she'd probably come back to life anyway. It's like she was born to be my arch nemesis. Why didn't Ah just let her die when her powers was goin crazy? Rogue contemplated the question for awhile and sighed when she finally came up with the answer. Maybe Ah don't hate her for being Jean Grey. Maybe Ah hate her for being the girl that Scott loves.
She awakened from her mental reflections when she felt a hand on her shoulder, "Rogue, I'm going to get ready. I'll meet you in the foyer in ten minutes."
She looked up at Scott and nodded. Finally, in ten minutes she could have some time alone with Scott and actually talk about how she felt.
-=-=-
Indeed, in ten minutes the ever-punctual Scott Summers was standing in the foyer waiting for Rogue. However, when she came down the stairs she had to keep herself from yelling. She just wanted to let out the mixture of emotions she was feeling: anger, confusion, love, hate, and anxiety. Once again she had assumed that she was going to have some "me and you time" with Scott but he was holding Jean's hand and they had six students with them, ready to bowl.
"Rogue, are you ready?" Jean asked, smiling wildly as she ran her free hand through her long red hair.
"Ah changed my mind," Rogue frowned. "Sorry for keepin y'all watin all this time."
-=-=-
It was, once again, ten minutes later when Rogue entered the War Room down on the sublevels of the Xavier's Institute. The Professor had called all the remaining students and teachers down stairs to brief everyone on recent developments. Rogue habitually sat down next to Kitty.
"We have a few unexpected things going on," the Professor said. "In Washington D.C. a riot has been started by a large number of anti-mutant protestors. The event turned hostile only a few minutes ago with looters and people burning down stores in an attempt to get the attention of Congress. They have been hunting down known mutants in the city and have already found a few. We must stop the riot before anything really serious occurs. Those mutants who are in danger include Mystique."
"Ah'm not goin," Rogue said softly but with much acrimony.
"Rogue!" Kurt squealed. "Zhis isn't about Mystique right now."
"Ah don't care Kurt! Ah don't want anything to do with her! Ah don't want to be near her. She destroyed my life more than once and she keeps showin up to do more damage. Every time Ah come in contact with her the woman tries to use me and always has a plan on how she's gonna do it!"
"But --,"
"Are you listenin to a word Ah'm sayin?" Rogue yelled at Kurt, standing up from the round, metal table. She forcefully placed her hands down on the table and looked Kurt in the eye. "If Ah ever see the woman again Ah'll kill her on the spot. You really don't want me to go."
-=-=-
Rogue watched from the main balcony on the second floor as the X-Men's jet flew from within the hangar and headed south. So, when she heard the glass door to the large balcony open she turned around quickly to see who was there. "Ah thought you would've went with the rest of them," she said and turned back towards the view of the semi-circle driveway that lead to the front entrance of the mansion.
"Ororo decided to stay, too," Kurt said, walking over to the railing that went around the entire balcony. He sat on it and let his legs dangle over the side.
"So why did you stay? Ah hope its not to tell me how wrong Ah am," she responded, hoping that her hostility would drive him away. It seemed to work against every other person she interacted with except Kurt. He just seemed to take it, absorb it, and turn it into compassion.
"I would never try to make you feel guilty for your emotions," Kurt answered. "But I don't want you to feel like you have to be alone all the time." He turned around to face her, placing his feet on the balcony floor. "I said it before, 'We're in zhis together, sis'."
"And Ah've said this before, 'We're not related'. Remember? Mystique adopted me. She didn't give birth to me – and Ah'm glad she didn't. She would've gotten rid of me just like she got rid of you. She left you alone in a world where she knew people would hate you and try to kill you because you looked different! Yet you still love her. How?" Rogue asked, with tears building up in her eyes. They soon overcrowded her tear ducts and make up began running down her face.
"Because God loves me and has forgiven me, I am able to do the same to Mystique," Kurt responded, looking down at the cross dangling from his neck. He had been slightly religious before, but over the summer after the run-in with Apocalypse he had become a devout Catholic. This made things even harder for Rogue to digest.
"How can you love a God that makes you feel guilty for ever little thing you do wrong and then forces you to do everything he says in order for you to make it right? How can you sacrifice your whole life to a higher power that didn't care enough to give you a mother who would love you?!" She felt herself becoming emotionally weak and her voice softened as tears freely fell down her face, "Answer me Kurt. How can you?"
He just walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly as tears fell down his furry face. Rogue buried her face in his chest as she relived Mystique's memories. She could see the blue woman trying to get rid of her son when he was first born. He had ruined her chances at leading a normal life under the guise of a normal woman with her rich husband. He was blue, hairy, and ugly. Her reputation was ruined and the nice comfortable life that she had faked her way into had been destroyed.
Knowing all of this she felt her heart become heavy, wondering what could possibly be bewitching Kurt so bad that he refused to give up hope on such a heartless creature. Mystique wasn't worthy of such affection. She was an abuser. She took advantage of the weak-minded and used their strengths to her advantage. Her only goal was to survive. She was an animal by nature – with no conscious and no soul. Vicious dogs don't get love. They get impounded and killed. That's exactly how Rogue felt about Mystique.
She continued to weep noisly in Kurt's chest. Ororo turned away from the balcony with closed eyes before walking away from the scene. Gray clouds began forming overhead.