When There's No One To Catch You

Standard disclaimers apply. Don't owe 'em, wouldn't want to. They look like hard work.

Note: forgive any accent problems that might occur. And.. I'm kinda messing with some of the characters' pasts because… well… I can. Hehe. Sorry for the ridiculous delay to any one who actually reads this. Its my first one… still trying to figure this whole public writing thing out. Sorry if it's terrible. This is leading up to something, I swear. ^^;; Read and review pleeeease!

Chapter 6… I think… (it is 6, right? Its been a while ^^;;)

Rogue arrived at the institute shortly after her talk with Kurt. Her mind swam with tortured thoughts that left her eyes filled with unshed tears. The young mutant slowed her pace to a walk as she entered the front lawn of the mansion; pausing only to tuck a stray strand of white hair behind her ear and carefully get rid of any evidence of wetness in her eyes. She wasn't safe to express any pain in this place; not safe to be hurt or scared. She was only safe to be the rogue. Rogue glanced up at the main door of the institute with a saddened look on her face. It was a mistake to come here, she thought to herself. Ah, ah cant be what he wants. Ah cant be someone Ah'm not. Ah was crazy to think Ah'd be enough.  With a quick swipe across her eyes, she quickly banished any of these thoughts from her mind as she resumed her walk to the front door. With a quick brush at the dirt that cluttered her jeans from sitting under the tree, she climbed the stairs that led to the door. It was still quiet. The rest of the students were probably still bickering over who was riding in which vehicle, or maybe they stopped somewhere to eat. Rogue really didn't care.

Readjusting her bag on her shoulder, the teenager opened the front door and entered the eerily silent building. She deposited her bag full of school books on the floor in the living room just inside the institute and tried vaguely unsuccessfully to plaster on her trademark scowl, just in case she ran into one of the occupants. Much to her dismay, Rogue found it extremely difficult to form the frown over the heartbroken expression that had been steadily growing on her features since her talk with Kurt. Kurt. She tightly hugs her arms around herself as she made her way to her room. She had lost him before she truly found him. It was almost too much to stand.

"And I vould pretend that I had a sibling. Perhaps a sizter. And she would be pretty, and smart, and strong, and love to do the things that I do. She would have perfect grades and a perfect attitude, and spend all the time in the world with me and my friends. I vould show her off because I vas so proud that she vas my sizter." Her brother's words echoed through her mind. "Didn't you ever dream about what your family was really like?" Rogue stopped on the stairs up to the girls' dormitory, and sat down on one of the steps. Resting her head on her drawn-up knees, she fought to regain control over the thoughts that invaded her mind. Ah used ta try not to think about mah family. Ah knew too much already. Ah knew that mah brotha was dead. Ah knew that mah mother was a thief; a con, a liar. Ah knew Ah was unwanted. And Ah knew that mah father…

"Whad are ya up to here, Stripes?" came a gruff voice from behind her, startling Rogue from her thoughts.

"Logan!" she cried in surprise, clutching her chest. "Ya nearly gave me a heart attack!" Rogue quickly stood to face her instructor in the stairs.

"It's time to start your punishment, Kiddo, or have you forgotten?" said Wolverine with a slight smirk. Rogue caught the look and inwardly groaned. It was going to be a long afternoon. "I suggest you go change, and meet me on the track in ten minutes. The sooner you get started, the sooner we can both leave." With that, Logan continued his way down the steps and towards the kitchen. Rogue glanced out of a nearby window. There were clouds gathering heavily in the sky, but she vaguely recalled an unnaturally high temperature that day. If she was going to be doing one of Logan's running workouts in this weather, shorts were a necessity. A slight wave of panic struck the young girl as she realized in horror that she would be terribly exposed with people around.

Just as she opened her mouth to voice her concerns to Wolverine, the short man turned and regarded her. As if he had read Rogue's mind, he called "There won't be anyone else on the track, Stripes. I suggest you dress appropriately for a long workout." And as quickly as he had appeared on the stairs, Logan disappeared behind the heavy oaken doors of the kitchen. Sighing in relief, Rogue turned and went up the stairs to her room. Her soft footsteps on the marble floors of the institute echoed quietly. She hastily entered the room she shared with Kitty and closed the door behind her. The room was becoming darker as the clouds continued to gather in the sky above Bayville. Rogue turned on a small lamp beside her dresser and began rummaging around for something to wear. She finally emerged from a deep drawer with a pair of dark blue running shorts and a white tank top. With a second glance at the sky outside, she selected a small hooded, light blue sweatshirt from the drawer as well. With thirty seconds she was dressed, and within a minute, her face was washed clean of makeup, and her hair pulled into a high ponytail. Cursing under her breath, she saw that she had three minutes to make it down to the fields to meet an already plotting Wolverine. Rogue pulled in a pair of running shoes and took off for the back of the institute.

It was 3:17 by the time Rogue had woven her way through the mansion and onto the field to meet Logan; she was two minutes late. There was no mistake that it was a fault she would be paying for soon enough. She jogged lightly to stand beside the older man, who was playing with a stopwatch that hung around his neck. Without turning to face his student, Logan began: "Well, Rogue, since you seem to have trouble sleeping at night, I figure it's my duty as your instructor to correct the problem." He finally turned to face the girl with a small grin on his face; completely unfazed by Rogue's uncharacteristic wardrobe change (much to Rogue's relief). "Lets just say you start running, not jogging, and you don't stop 'til I give you the word? Fair enough?" Logan's eyebrow quirked up; waiting for confirmation.

"Yes, Mr. Logan, Ah think that sounds fair," Rogue answered lifelessly.

Satisfied, Logan turned and headed for the living room inside, where he could watch the girl's progress while also allowing her some space. He noticed she seemed more spacey than usual today, and figured that someone hovering over her would do no good. "Oh yeah, and Stripes," he called over his shoulder, "If you slow down to anything below a quick stride, I'll double your time on the track! Got that?" Given a disgruntled nod from Rogue, he turned and headed for the living room; confident that his orders would be fulfilled.

Left standing on the deserted track, Rogue pulled a set of headphones over her ears and began her laps around the track, oblivious to the far-off sound of thunder in the air. Her pace quickened and she was soon running at quite a commendable speed. Her thoughts, however, were focused on anything but her physical activity. Cut off from everything else outside of her mind, her gaze became distant and glazed as the voices of those she had absorbed filtered into her consciousness. It was nothing that she wasn't used to, but as she rounded the third corner of the track, an all-too familiar voice joined in. The sharp, crisp voice of Raven Darkholme, Rogue's mother, grew from a mere whisper to an insistent hum in Rogue's mind that demanded attention. My dear Rogue, you're not yourself today, the voice cooed in her ear. What's wrong? Don't you like living with your brother? Aren't you happy there? Isn't this what you wanted? Rogue clenched her eyes closed as she ran, trying to block out the voice of her mother that steadily grew more vicious..

Leave me alone, Mystique, Rogue desperately thought in her mind. Her mother was possibly the last person she needed to think about at the moment. She tried valiantly to concentrate on the burning in her legs as she began her eighth lap, but the voice of Mystique continued to overwhelm her senses.

After all I've done for you, girl. Everything I've done for you! Don't you remember anything from your childhood? I always took care of you! Doesn't that mean ANYTHING to you? You had to run into the arms of our enemy?!? None of that was enough? You had to try and steal my son from me too? Scenes from Rogue's childhood began to flood her mind as her mother's voice boomed in her head and her feet hit the track.

One lap..

** A five year old girl with white streaks in her auburn hair stands alone at a funeral… waiting to meet the woman they say is her mother; the woman who's going to take care of her now. **

            Five laps..

** The girl and her blue-skinned mother move to Japan. Her mother changes… she's not blue anymore… she's Japanese..? The girl is given a new name. She learns to speak, walk, and fight like the other kids there.. Her mother says she is proud. She gives her a music box for her birthday.**

            Seven laps..

** The girl, now nine, plays in the snow with a small white-haired boy. Her mother, now Russian, calls them inside. The children get inside, and the girl stumbles over the new language to greet  the man they are living with. He has white hair too. He calls her something… a new name.**

            Eleven laps...

** The girl quickly dispatches her opponents in a training mission. Those who are still conscious beg for her mercy in a new language. The girl is glad she doesn't know this one too well. She looks to the side at her mother; waiting for her nod of approval. She gets it, and promptly knocks out the rest of her enemies. She grins at her mother, and gets a smile in return. **

            Sixteen laps..


** The eleven year old girl sits in the middle of her new garden; the moon lighting her face. Her mother sits beside her with her arm wrapped around her narrow shoulders. She had done well today. Her mother quietly sang a soft song in her ear.. lulling the girl to sleep in the serene space.**

            Twenty-two laps..

** The girl cowers in the corner of her tiny attic room; her mother's voice echoing up the narrow stairway. "USESLESS! You're useless, girl!!!! It should be YOU that died! My son wouldn't have been nearly as INCOMPETENT!!!! I wish you were DEEEEEEEEEAD!" The little girl hid further into the corner…. Wishing she was dead too.**

Rogue's focus was completely stolen by now. The ache in her legs and stomach unnoticed as she continued to run, even picking up speed, around the track. Her blank expression masked the unshed tears that refused to fall, and her mechanical movements belied any inner turmoil she was feeling. During her workout, dark storm clouds had gathered over head, and the sound of thunder seemed to be getting closer and closer. As the small figure of Rogue continued around the track, oblivious to the outside world, a smaller figure, a black cat with yellow eyes, watched from the woods beside the track. The cat sat just behind a cover of leaves; observing the activity on the track with narrowed eyes.

Inside the mansion, the shrill ringing of the phone startled the comfortable quiet that had settled over the institute. With most of the kids involved in something else and obviously not answering the phone, Logan groaned inwardly and got up to answer the ring. Flashing an annoyed glare at Scott who was sitting right next to the phone, talking to Jean, Wolverine picked it up.

"Hello?" he asked in a less than friendly manner.

 "Hey, Mr. Logan!" said an enthusiastic voice from the other end. Wolverine rolled his eyes when he realized it was none other than Evan on the phone; most likely calling from detention at school.

"Whadda ya want, Porcupine?" answered Logan.

Unfazed by Logan's lack of excitement, Evan continued, "Hey, so it looks like its gonna pour outside, and my ride home got out early and left, so… I was wondering if someone at home could give me a ride..?"

Logan sighed, looked around at the mass nearly empty room, and told Evan that he'd come get him, and that he'd "better be outside waiting" if he knew what was good for him. He hung up the phone, grabbed his jacket and keys, and quickly checked his watch. Rogue had been running for over an hour. Wolverine turned to Scott and Jean. "Hey, Scott, I need you to do something. I've got Rogue outside running on the track. It looks like the rain's gonna start any minute now, so in five minutes, go out there and tell her she can stop. Got that?" He raised an expectant eye at the teen in sunglasses that sat in the corner of the couch.

From her position lying on the floor, Jean waved and answered without looking up from the magazine she was reading, "Yeah, Logan, we got it. Five minutes. No problem." Logan gave a small snort and left the institute to pick up Evan. Scott sighed, leaned back into the couch, and absentmindedly turned on the tv to surf through the channels. Within a few moments, he stopped searching and turned to Jean with a grin.

"Hey, Jean, Spiderman's playing on tv. Wanna watch? I hear the guy they got to play Peter is a real joke. Heh," he said as he moved over on the couch.

Jean got up from her spot on the floor to join Cyclops on the couch. "I still don't see how they convinced him to let them make a movie about him. It just doesn't seem right." Just as she had comfortably seated herself beside Scott, three versions of Jamie entered the room from the kitchen; each holding a different snack.

"Hey, guys, whacha watchin?" asked one of the multiples. He wedged himself in between Scott and Jean on the couch, while the other two Jamies made themselves comfortable on the floor. "Oooooooooh, it 'Spiderman'," he stated with awe as he looked over at the tv screen. "Coool," he muttered with an excitement that only a superhero crazed thirteen year-old could muster. Scott cast a look of annoyance at the young kid next to him. Another opportunity to be alone with Jean lost. He sighed once again and sunk further into the couch.

Thunder boomed overhead, causing the lights to temporarily flicker. Within a few minutes, Ray, Amara, Kitty, and Bobby had joined the crowd in the living room. The sound of pouring rain was soon intermingled in the movie soundtrack as the opening credits of 'Spiderman' rolled. Sven sets of eyes were glued to the screen in no time at all; all thoughts of anything else forgotten.

Two hours later…

"Oh man,  that guy was too much. The real Peter's nothing like that!" exclaimed Bobby as the screen faded into credits once again.

"Yeah," yawned Kitty, "Toby McGuire is like, so wrong for the part."

A chorus of agreements and arguments soon filled the living room as the group of teens debated various points of the movie that had just occupied two hours of their time. Just as the conversation began turning into a heated conversation about whether or not it was Toby's real body, Kurt "bamfed" into the middle of the group; rubbing his tired eyes.

"Jeez, you guys. You are so loud, how can you expect anyone to get any sleep around here? As if the rain vasn't enough." Right before he had the chance to sit down on the couch, there was a loud knock at the front door. Startled, the teens sat and stared at one another, everyone tried to silently bid another to answer it. Shaking his head, Kurt headed towards the door, barely remembering to turn his image inducer back on. He pulled open the heavy front door and was shocked to see Rogue's friend Risty standing in the pouring rain, clutching a book. "Vhat are you doing here, Risty? It's pouring! Come inside!" he bid to her. Risty stood staring for a moment before she spoke.

"Sorry, love, but I can't stay. I was wondering if Rogue was home. She left her French book in class today. I just wanted to return it. You know how she is about homework," she answered evenly with a smile.

Kurt smiled back and said "I haven't seen Rogue since school, but I'll go find her now. Are you sure you don't vant to come in for while? You look pretty cold." Risty just shook her head and turned back towards the gate.

"Thanks for the help, Kurt! Say hi to Rogue for me. Tell her to call!" And with that, Risty was gone as soon as she had come. Though Kurt could no longer see, all that was left in her place was a small black cat that slid between the iron gates of the institute. Go bring her inside, Kurt, it thought. It seems your team has forgotten her.

Kurt closed the door and returned to the living room to find the group still arguing about the movie. He raised his voice and called into the chaotic mass "Hey, has anyone seen zee Rogue sinze after school?" The room got momentarily quiet before Jean and Scott looked at each other and exclaimed "Oh my God!!!" Everyone turned a questioning gaze on the two seniors.

Scott finished quickly "We were supposed to go get her two hours ago! She's out running on the track and Logan asked us to bring her in!" Before he had the chance to add anything else, Kurt had turned a withering glare on him and bamfed out of the room. Kitty quickly fazed out of the room in pursuit. The teens in the room looked at Scott and Jean with wide eyes thinking, if nothing else, that they were dead when Logan came home.

Out on the track…

Kurt teleported to the edge of the track and was immediately soaked by the freezing rain. He shielded his eyes from the storm and gazed out onto the track; quickly locating the small figure of Rogue still running, but on terribly shaky legs. Kitty suddenly arrived beside and too was shocked to see the trembling form of Rogue running. With a quick look of acknowledgment, Kurt teleported himself and Kitty directly in front of Rogue; stopping her run. A quick glance at Rogue told them that she wasn't well. Her eyes were glassy and gazed at them with little focus. Her entire body shook like a leaf in the onslaught of the storm. "K.. Kurt? Kitty?" she barely managed to mumble before she began to fall forward. Kurt caught her in a strong embrace, carefully avoiding her exposed skin, and teleported the three of them to the room Rogue shared with Kitty.

Back in the living room, the teens were just beginning to disperse when they heard a deep grumbling voice over the storm at the front door. "Next time you ask me for a ride, Porcupine, you might wanna explain that you ALSO need me to sit through a meeting with three of your teachers! You're gonna pay for this one, Bub…" The front door opened to reveal a cringing Evan followed by a furious Wolverine. "TWO HOURS I wasted in that school so that I could hear everything you do wrong in school but forget to mention at home! I suggest you get a LOT of sleep tonight, because you have an early morning coming up. Go. NOW," Logan finished as the group of teens in the living room shrank back. All thoughts of leaving were abandoned at the prospect of seeing Scott and Jean on the receiving end of the Wolverine's tirade. That was something that didn't come around too often.

Logan hung up his jacket and seemed to notice the number of students in the room for the first time. "What's goin' on here? What happened and who do I hafta blame for it?" he asked, obviously not in the mood to play guessing games. Jean shoved Scott forward to meet Logan and gracefully stepped up beside him. Scott nervously ran a hand through his hair as he desperately tried to avoid Logan's eyes.

"Well, sir, what happened was.." he paused and looked miserably at his feet. Looked like Evan was going to have company in the morning. "… We started watching a movie on tv… all of us…" he stressed, looking around and most pointedly at Jean, "… and we sorta forgot about Rogue on the track until about three minutes ago…" Cyclops was cut off there and wheeled on by Wolverine.

"What!! I told you to get her TWO HOURS AGO! You mean to tell me you left a teammate outside running in a storm for two hours?!?!" Logan's face turned an unimaginable shade of red as he glared daggers at the two seniors in front of him. "Is she still out there?" he ground out through clenched teeth. Jean quickly shook her head.

"We're pretty sure Kurt and Kitty went to go get her a minute ago, Logan," she said carefully. Wolverine glared hard at them before turning and heading upstairs towards the girls' dormitory. When he reached the stairs, he turned on one heel and hissed "You two will meet me and the Prof for a TALK as soon as he gets home. You better hope he gets home before I lose my patience and deal with you two myself." And with that, he disappeared upstairs. The younger students finally dispersed, each casting a look over at the two seniors before whispering to one another and disappearing as well. Scott and Jean stood silently in the hallway; silently praying for the professor's swift return.

Upstairs, Logan hastily reached the end of the hall and lightly tapped on the door leading to Rogue and Kitty's room. Almost immediately, Kurt appeared at the door and ushered Wolverine in. The short man made his way to the bed by the window to find Kitty sitting by a chair; staring worriedly at tiny figure buried under several blankets. With a small look to Kitty, Logan kneeled on the floor beside the bed and lay a gentle hand on the covered shoulder of Rogue. Even through the three or four blankets that covered the young girl, he could still feel her shaking uncontrollably. "Hey, Kiddo, why'd you keep running?" he whispered. "Ya should've come in when it started to rain."

Rogue's glazed eyes looked over at Logan as she hoarsely whispered "Ya told me not ta stop 'til ya came to get me…." Her voice trailed off and her eyes slowly drifted closed. Kitty and Kurt simultaneously let out small cries of concern, but Logan cut them off with a raised hand.

"Half-pint, go around and collect some extra blankets from wherever you can find 'em. She's gonna need to be kept warm 'til her body temp's up." Kitty nodded and hurriedly made her way out of the room. Wolverine turned to Kurt. "Kurt, she's gonna develop a fever with a few hours. Could get pretty high. With Hank outta town, it'll be up to us to keep it down, you got that?" Kurt nodded, never taking his eyes off Rogue's shaking form. Logan continued, "When the fever does come, keep a cool cloth on her forehead, alright? We gotta try to keep her awake for now, 'til she warms up. It could be dangerous if she falls asleep. I'll leave that to you. She's gonna be sore after all that running, so don't let her move. I'm gonna go try to contact the professor. Keep an eye on her for me." And with that, Logan left the room.

Kurt quickly took a seat in the chair beside the bed and took Rogue's hand in his gloved one. Gently shaking her shoulder with his free hand, he was rewarded when Rogue opened her jade green eyes and looked at him. He gave her a toothy grin as he pulled his chair in closer. "You must stay away for me, Rogue. You can't sleep just yet, okay?" he said quietly, holding onto her trembling hand. Rogue looked and him and nodded as best she could. Her muscles screamed in protest as she tried to sit up. "No no no, Rogue, you mustn't move just yet."

Rogue blinked and whispered "S.. stay with .. me?"

"Alvays," Kurt answered with a genuine smile. And for the first time in what seemed to be forever, Rogue found herself genuinely smiling back….

Tbc

AUTHOR"S NOTE : Okay okay okay….. so I know this took forever and a day… but I've had the WORST case of writer's block. Hahaha. Thought I forgot all about Mystique, huh? Well, I have plans for her, so sit tight. This is going somewhere…. PROMISE. Heh. No lies. Next chapter will be a happy brother/sister bonding + brotherhood intervention adventure. Hahahaha. Plus, find out more about Rogue's past. Sound good?? Thaaaaaaaanks to EVERYONE who reviewed… and a special thanks to Lady Trunks who has been great with the reviews and support. ^_^ I'll get the next part up as soon as I can. Thanks for reeeeeeeeeading!!!! Hope you don't think it sucks too bad ^^;;.