Chapter Six
Oh my soul! Stink, I can't believe how late I am!! My sincerest apologies, guys! Here you all are, being so terrific and reviewing, and what happens? I am over a month late!! How lame am I???? I suppose with school, things got all wonky and I forgot! Man! I am so sorry guys. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it all. I am very, very sorry guys! Please forgive me!!
Reviewers: If I want to get this out, I can't name you all by name, so just mucho thanks to everybody who reviewed, and super super sorry for the delay. Please enjoy this long anticipated update!
P.S. Since I wanted to get this up fast, it has not been beta-ed. So please excuse any mistakes.
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The sun creeped over the horizen, the first rays of day illuminating the figure standing in the window. Logan took a long drag on his cigar, his eyes taking in the sight of another beautiful sunrise. 'I wonder if Rogue can see the sunrise,' he thought. Sighing, he looked at his watch. 6:23. They'd be leaving for this "Middle-Earth" in less than an hour. And with each passing second, he became more anxious to leave-- and more worried that they wouldn't find Rogue.
'Logan, there is no need to think negative,' the Professor's voice said in his head. 'We will find her. Now, come to the lower levels. It is best to prepare to leave.'
Logan sighed and nodded. "Whatever you say, Chuck," he said as he took another drag on his cigar before putting it out on the ashtray that sat on the windowsill. Looking to the rising sun once more, he shoved his hands in his pockets and turned from the window. "Go time," he murmured as he walked out of the room.
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"Jasmine has said that she cannot guarantee how long this will take," the Professor stated as his "children" suited up. "She doesn't know precisely where Rogue awakened in Middle-Earth."
"Just that it was somewhere safe," the mutant teen-ager chimed in, emphasis on the word "safe." She knew that she was in hot water already with the X-Men, and she didn't want to make things worse by having them think she delivered their friend into a dangeroua area.
The Professor nodded and continued. "She can, however, guarantee that your mutations will work. Use them only when you must. No need to draw more attention to yourselves than I can imagine you already will. The thing to be most concerned about is staying together and finding Rogue."
Logan looked up at him as he zipped up his leather X-Men uniform. "How exactly is she going to find Rogue?," he asked, motioning with his head to Jasmine.
The raven-haired girl looked over at him. "I know Middle-Earth, and I know the people there. I don't know exactly where she is, just that she's in one of the Elvish cities. We can just ask them if they've seen her."
Scott looked over at her. "And if they haven't?"
Jasmine stayed silent. None of them wanted to think about what would happen if no one had seen Rogue, and if they wouldn't find her. The crushing reality that she may be lost and alone or dead in a strange world was enough to suck the life out of them all. 'But she can't be any of them,' Scott thought. 'I swore not to lose another. And I'll die before I let Rogue go.'
"Scott, let's be optimistic. We owe Rogue that," Storm said as she walked over to him. "We'll find her."
"Storm's right. We mustn't lose hope. Now, you best get going. Stay together....and for God's sake....be careful. There's not telling what all evil dwell in this world," the Professor said. He looked over at Jasmine. "Alright, Jasmine...proceed."
The teen nodded, and looked at the others. She held out both her hands, one to Storm, one to Bobby. "I've got to make some kind of physical contact to take someone. So...I guess we've all gotta hold hands," she said.
The Professor watched as they all formed a circle, grasping each other's hands tightly. Jasmine looked at them all before closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. He watched as a light purple smoke surrounded them....and then they were gone. He sighed, dropping his head into his hand. "God....keep them safe," he whispered softly to the empty room. He only prayed that his plea was answered.
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"Watch it, that's my hair!"
"Somebody's on my hand!"
"Who the hell just touched me? Get off!"
"Zat hurts! I cannot breathe!"
"Hey! That's an important body part! Get the hell off!"
"Get off my leg!!"
The pile of entangled body limbs struggled to disentangle, each one of them muttering curses as they went along. Groans and moans were heard loudly as they all climbed to their feet. "What the hell kind of landing was that?," Logan growled as he cracked his neck.
Jasmine glared at him. "Excuse me, I haven't ever transported more than two people before. How was I supposed to know how we'd land?," she asked, rubbing her sore leg where someone had landed on it rather hard.
"Alright, let's not argue," Scott announced. "Is everyone okay?" At the murmur of yesses, he nodded. "Alright. Good. Jasmine...do you recognize this place?"
Jasmine looked around, running a hand through her hair. "Uh...yeah. We're not far from Rivendell. A day or two away."
"A day or two?," Storm asked as she tied her white hair back.
Jasmine nodded, then swayed on her feet, flailing blindly as her knees buckled underneath her. Scott and Bobby rushed over, catching her before she hit the ground. She grabbed onto their arms, steading herself. "Whoa....Transporting all of us must have taken more out of me than I thought it would. I can barely stand up." She leaned against Scott for support.
"There's no way we can travel with her this weak," he said. He looked around the forest they were in, reluctance on his face. "I guess we should find somewhere we can all rest for awhile." The others nodded, except Bobby.
"Rest? We can't rest. Rogue's still out here somewhere!," he exclaimed.
Logan glared at him. "Look, kid, none of us are in condition to search for her at the moment. We're all tired out. Jasmine can barely stand. We waited a week, a few more hours can't hurt."
Bobby scoffed at him. "Oh yeah? What is she's killed in a few more hours? What then?"
"Bobby, that's enough," Storm said sternly. "We all want to find her. But Logan and Scott are correct: we have to rest for just awhile. She will be fine."
Bobby smirked. "Whatever," he muttered and turned, walking over to a tree and sinking to the ground, pulling his knees up to his chest. He watched as Logan and Scott helped Jasmine over to a tree she could lean against. They all sat down, relaxing against trees as they recovered from the journey. Bobby sighed and looked at the sky. He knew Rogue was out there, and he wanted desperately to find her. Sure, he knew she had pretty much broken things off between them....but everything could be repaired. The first step was to find her...then convince her that they were meant to be. 'Rogue, where are you?,' he wondered. He closed his eyes. He could only imagine how scared she must be.
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Rogue giggled softly at the sight before her.
Boromir spared with Merry and Pippin, gently tapping swords with each of them in turn. The hobbits smiled merrily as they fought, Merry munching on an apple as he went along. Rogue shook her head. 'Whoever thought I'd be watching a man teach two hobbits to sword fight,' she thought. She reached over and took a piece of bacon from Frodo's plate, smiling at the hobbit when he glared at her. "Share, share, that's fair, Frodo," she told him, laughing.
The blue-eyed hobbit glared at her a moment before smiling. "I suppose it is," he said, and turned back to his plate.
Rogue smiled again, then turned her head at the sound of Gimli's voice. "If anyone asks my opinion--which I note their NOT-- I'd say we were taking the long way round." The dwarf stopped before Gandalf. "Gandalf, we could pass through the mines of Moria. My cousin, Balin, would give us a ROYAL welcome."
"No Gimli," Gandalf said gravely. "I would not go through those mines unless I had no other choice."
Rogue frowned. The wizard seemed frightened to go through the mines.....what could be so bad about them to strike fear in Gandalf the Grey's heart? She snapped her head around when she heard one of the hobbits yelp. She turned just in time to see the two small creature's tackle Boromir to the ground, all three of them laughing as they went. She smiled herself. 'They act just like kids.' She followed Aragorn with her eyes as the Ranger made his way over to them.
"Gentlemen, that's enough!," he stated, grabbing ahold of Merry and Pippin by the collar. Before anyone could blink, the hobbits grabbed the man's legs, yanking him off his feet. Rogue let out a bark of laughter when he fell to the ground, a look of surprise on his face. They all wrestled together on the ground, prompting Rogue and the other hobbits to laugh harder. 'Who knew another world was so fun.'
"What's that?," Sam asked out of nowhere.
They all stopped laughing and looked in the direction the hobbit was. Rogue furrowed her brow at the large black whisp in the sky coming towards them. 'What in the world is that?,' she wondered.
"Nothing, it's just a whisp of cloud," Gimli stated in his rough tone of voice.
"It's moving fast....against the wind," Boromir said, climbing to his feet and staring at the black mass.
From where Legolas stood watching the horizen, his panicked voice was heard. "Crebain, from Dunland!," he yelled.
"Hide!," Aragorn replied. They all scattered, each of them gathering their belongings and rushing to hide themselves. Rogue darted under some brush, her gloved hand brushing against Legolas', and her heart sped up. 'Why does that always happen when I even THINK about him?,' she thought, looking over at him quickly before turning her gaze to the black creatures flying over them quickly. As soon as they passed, they all emerged, looking to where they had disappeared. Rogue pushed herself to her feet, gratefully taking the hand Legolas extended for help. Their eyes held for a moment, before they both looked away, confused at the feelings they had.
Gandalf looked at them. "Spies of Saruman.The passage South is being watched. We must take the pass of Caradhras." Everyone looked to the snowy mountains, and Rogue swallowed the lump in her throat. 'Oh, boy....this is going to be fun,' she thought sarcastically.
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Rogue clutched the cloak she wore more tightly around her shoulders, shivering against the cold. 'I hate snow,' she thought bitterly as she trudged through the ankle deep snow. Gandalf insisted that this was the only safe route to Mordor, what with the South being watched. But even so....it didn't make her any warmer. She watched as Legolas walked by her--on top of the snow. Aragorn had explained that Elves were so graceful they could walk without making any sound or even leaving any footprints. The fact that they didn't feel temperature changes either was also explained.
It made her hate the snow even more.
At the sound of a yelp, she turned. She watched with wide eyes as Frodo slipped and began to roll down the hill. She moved her feet to go to him, but Aragorn was already racing up the hill to him.
"Frodo!," Aragorn yelled. He ran up the hill and caught the hobbit. Frodo jumped up and grasped his neck, panicking when he didn't find the ring. They all watched as Boromir leaned down and retrieved the chain and ring from the snow. "Boromir...," Aragorn warned. The bearded man simply looked at the ring. "It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing...Such a little thing...," he trailed off, entranced by the ring. Rogue felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Something about this man threw her off and made her frightened, especially the way he was gazing at the ring at that moment. Her fingers trailed to the top of her elbow gloves, grasping the material, prepared to use her mutation if it was called for.
"Boromir! Give the ring to Frodo," Aragorn said, his hand resting upon his sword. Boromir shook his head, as if breaking the trance, and smiled, walking towards them.
"As you wish," he said, holding out the chain. Frodo grabbed it. "I care not." His smile wavored a moment before he chuckled and ruffled Frodo's hair. Aragorn relaxed as he walked away and took his hand off his sword.
Frodo looked up at him before walking on. Rogue's brown eyes followed Boromir as he walked past her, and she felt his glare at her in return. He needn't say it, but it was obvious that he had an intense dislike of mutants. That added to the wariness she felt when near him added to her mistrust of the Gondorian. She looked up at Aragorn when he touched her sleeve.
"Do not worry yourself, Rogue," he said to her softly. "All eyes are on Boromir." His hand traveled to her fingers, and he pulled them away from the top of her glove. "There is no need for your mutation.....yet." He smiled at her then, and she returned it, her nerves settling. He motioned for her to go before him and she did, all the time not taking her eyes off the man she was uneasy of.
The trip up the mountain was brutal. As soon as they ascended the large mountain, a harsh storm raged around them, as if trying to delay them. Rogue pulled her hood up farther, squinting against the onslaught of snow and wind. She followed behind Aragorn, her head bowed to protect her face. Squinting, she could easily see that the hobbits were much worse than she. Their faces were pale, their lips quickly turning blue. 'They aren't going to make this trip,' Rogue thought, mournfully. 'Not if we continue on this route.'
'And what can you do about it, Rogue? You couldn't do anything but hurt them,' Magneto's voice taunted her.
Rogue with held a groan. 'Leave me be, Magneto,' she snarled in her head. The mutant's laughter echoed through her mind, and she shook him off.
She looked up when Legolas passed her. She could tell that he was concentrating. Did he hear something? "There is a fell voice on the air!," he yelled over the wind. Gandalf looked at them.
"It's Saruman!"
Suddenly, rocks began to plummet towards them and everyone pushed themselves up against the side of the mountain. The rocks crashed down upon the edge of the mountain. Rogue watched as they plummeted down the side of the mountain, her eyes wide as she realized that they could also fall just as quickly.
"He's trying to bring down the mountain!," Aragorn yelled, clutching Sam and Frodo to him. "Gandalf, we must turn back!"
Gandalf looked at him and shook his head. "No!" He went to the edge of the mountain and began to chant in Elvish, attempting with all his might to overpower Saruman's own chants. It was to no avail. Lightning struck the tip of the mountain, causing an avalanche of snow to fall. Legolas darted out and grabbed Gandalf, pulling him away from the edge. Rogue looked up, gasping as the snow fell, covering them all.
The snow settled for a long moment, then suddenly, Legolas' blonde head emereged, shaking the snow off his head. He looked around, searching for the others. Gandalf and Boromir emerged, the man pulling Merry and Pippin out quickly. Rogue pulled herself from the snowy earth, gasping for breath, eyes wide as she looked around. Aragorn undug himself quickly, then pulled out Sam and Frodo. Gimil grunted as he wiggled his way out. Rogue reached over, brushing the snow off the hobbits. Even through her gloves, she could feel how cold their flesh was.
"We must get off the mountain!," Boromir yelled. "Make for the Gap of Rohan! Or take the West Road to my city!"
Aragorn shook his head. "The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!"
Gimli looked at the wizard. "If we cannot pass over the mountain, let us go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria." Gandalf stared at the dwarf, a feeling of dread rising up at the thought of the passage.
"Let the ringbearer decide," he said, looking to Frodo.
The young hobbit stared at him, unsure of what to answer. "We cannot stay here!," Boromir yelled. "It will be the death of the hobbits!"
Rogue looked at the four small creatures, and she knew that Boromir spoke the truth. The poor hobbits didn't look like they'd last another hour. It will be their death, she thought. She looked to Frodo. "Frodo?," Gandalf asked. Frodo looked to his kin, then back at the wizard.
"We will go through the mines," he stated.
Rogue watched as dread spread across Gandalf's face, and she felt her heart sink. "So be it," the wizard said.
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'Where's the Professor when you need him, huh, kid?'
Rogue tried to ignore Wolverine's voice in her head as he taunted her. They had arrived outside the mines a time ago, and yet still hadn't entered. Gandalf couldn't find the right words to open the door. She sighed as she leaned against the side of the mine, fiddling with the sword Aragorn had given her before they set off for the mines. "Your mutation cannot be your only defense," he had said. She leaned her head back, turning her gaze to the wizard. Gandalf tossed his staff aside, muttering in frustration. She watched as he sat, and she frowned. 'Is it just me, or does Gandalf look an awful lot like an older and hairier version of Magneto?,' she thought to herself.
'Don't be ridiculous,' Magneto's voice replied, sounding offended. 'I am much more attractive than that old wizard.'
Rogue glared at nothing. For an instant she had forgotten that Magneto was in her head. "Can it," she muttered.
"Did you say something?"
Startled, Rogue looked up to see Legolas standing next to her, his blue eyes searching her face. She smiled, shaking her head. "No...I mean, yeah I did...but I was just talking to myself," she said.
Legolas nodded and smiled. "You do that quite often, don't you?"
Rogue laughed softly. "Keeps me sane."
'Or drives ya insane, whichever way you want to look at it,' John said.
Rogue shook him off, smiling up at the elf. "Don't worry about me. I may be strange, but I'm alright."
Legolas smiled again and leaned down. "Strange is perfectly fine to me," he said softly, pushing a strand of her white hair behind her ear. Rogue's heart flip flopped, and she gulped. 'Man, what the hell is happening here?'
The sound of stone scraping stone drew their attention, and they rose when they saw the stone doors opening. Rogue bent down and retrieved her sword, and followed behind Aragorn as they all entered the dark mine. Gandalf fiddled with his staff, and a crystal held inside of it lit up, illuminating the mine. Gimli was speaking loudly to Legolas about dwarf hospitality when they entered. The hair on Rogue's neck stood up. Something wasn't right about this place.
"And they call it a mine," Gimil said, laughing. "A MINE!"
Boromir shook his head. "This is no mine. It's a tomb."
Gandalf shined the light around the room, and Rogue yelped, jumping back when she saw that her foot was right to a decayed skeleton. They all looked around, panicked.
"No, no..." Gimli said, running over to one of the skeletons. "NOOOO!!"
Legolas ran to one of the bodies, pulling out an arrow from its ribcage. "Goblins," he said in disgust. Tossing it to the ground, he pulled out one of his own arrows, preparing his bow for a battle.
"We should never have come here," Boromir muttered. "Now get out of here, GET OUT!"
Rogue walked backwards as she drew her sword, holding it in her hands the way Aragorn had showed her. She stood at the entrance of the mine, aware that the four hobbits stood right behind her. A sudden rush of movement behind her made her turn, and she gasped when she saw what it was. A large creature from the water had ahold of Frodo's foot, dragging the hobbit quickly towards the water.
"Strider!," Sam yelled, even as Rogue was rushing towards them. She slammed her sword down, slicing off the tentacle that held Frodo's foot. The hobbit struggled to get to his feet, but they both feel back when the creature emerged, dozens of tentacles flailing in the air. This time, tentacles grabbed them both, lifting them high into the air. Rogue struggled against the slimey hold, and her sword fell to the ground. They were lifted even higher, and the creature opened its mouth, reaveling rows of razor sharp teeth. Frodo screamed while Rogue struggled harder to escape its grasp.
'Wow...looks like you're screwed now, Rogue,' John said. Rogue mentally gave him the finger, and she heard his laughter.
Suddenly, the grasp on her foot released, and she felt herself plummetting to the ground. Aragorn's arms wrapped around her tightly when she fell, and he quickly set her back on her feet. He then sliced the tentacle that held Frodo, and the hobbit yelled as he fell into the arms of Boromir. They raced back to the entrance of the mine, Rogue grabbing her sword as they went. "LEGOLAS!," Boromir yelled as they made it to shore. The Elf fired an arrow at the creature, striking it. It roared in pain.
"Into the mines!!," Gandalf yelled, ushering them all in. Legolas pulled back his bow and shot the creature again before turning and running into the mine. The creature pulled itself onto shore, its tentacles grasping onto the sides of the mine entrance. The walls caved in around them, blocking out their exit.
Gandalf quickly made the light from his staff grow brighter. "We have but one choice. We must face the long, dark tunnel," he said. "Keep up your guard. There are older and far fouler things than orcs in the dark places of the world."
Rogue rang out her hair as she followed behind them, and she looked over when she felt a hand on her arm. "Are you alright?," Legolas asked her softly.
She smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Never had that happen before though....but I'm good. Thanks for asking." He smiled at her in return and continued walking. Rogue smiled and shook her head. 'Who knew an elf could have that effect on me.' A chill went down her spine as they ventured deeper into the mine, and Rogue wondered what caused it. 'Maybe its nerves....but I have a gut feeling something awful is going to happen,' she thought. Looking ahead at her companions, she felt her chest constrict. 'God, please don't let me lose anyone else.'
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Ta-Da! An update! Sorry it's so short, but hey, it's better than nothing. Review, and I will try to rush and get the next chapter up!
Oh my soul! Stink, I can't believe how late I am!! My sincerest apologies, guys! Here you all are, being so terrific and reviewing, and what happens? I am over a month late!! How lame am I???? I suppose with school, things got all wonky and I forgot! Man! I am so sorry guys. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it all. I am very, very sorry guys! Please forgive me!!
Reviewers: If I want to get this out, I can't name you all by name, so just mucho thanks to everybody who reviewed, and super super sorry for the delay. Please enjoy this long anticipated update!
P.S. Since I wanted to get this up fast, it has not been beta-ed. So please excuse any mistakes.
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The sun creeped over the horizen, the first rays of day illuminating the figure standing in the window. Logan took a long drag on his cigar, his eyes taking in the sight of another beautiful sunrise. 'I wonder if Rogue can see the sunrise,' he thought. Sighing, he looked at his watch. 6:23. They'd be leaving for this "Middle-Earth" in less than an hour. And with each passing second, he became more anxious to leave-- and more worried that they wouldn't find Rogue.
'Logan, there is no need to think negative,' the Professor's voice said in his head. 'We will find her. Now, come to the lower levels. It is best to prepare to leave.'
Logan sighed and nodded. "Whatever you say, Chuck," he said as he took another drag on his cigar before putting it out on the ashtray that sat on the windowsill. Looking to the rising sun once more, he shoved his hands in his pockets and turned from the window. "Go time," he murmured as he walked out of the room.
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"Jasmine has said that she cannot guarantee how long this will take," the Professor stated as his "children" suited up. "She doesn't know precisely where Rogue awakened in Middle-Earth."
"Just that it was somewhere safe," the mutant teen-ager chimed in, emphasis on the word "safe." She knew that she was in hot water already with the X-Men, and she didn't want to make things worse by having them think she delivered their friend into a dangeroua area.
The Professor nodded and continued. "She can, however, guarantee that your mutations will work. Use them only when you must. No need to draw more attention to yourselves than I can imagine you already will. The thing to be most concerned about is staying together and finding Rogue."
Logan looked up at him as he zipped up his leather X-Men uniform. "How exactly is she going to find Rogue?," he asked, motioning with his head to Jasmine.
The raven-haired girl looked over at him. "I know Middle-Earth, and I know the people there. I don't know exactly where she is, just that she's in one of the Elvish cities. We can just ask them if they've seen her."
Scott looked over at her. "And if they haven't?"
Jasmine stayed silent. None of them wanted to think about what would happen if no one had seen Rogue, and if they wouldn't find her. The crushing reality that she may be lost and alone or dead in a strange world was enough to suck the life out of them all. 'But she can't be any of them,' Scott thought. 'I swore not to lose another. And I'll die before I let Rogue go.'
"Scott, let's be optimistic. We owe Rogue that," Storm said as she walked over to him. "We'll find her."
"Storm's right. We mustn't lose hope. Now, you best get going. Stay together....and for God's sake....be careful. There's not telling what all evil dwell in this world," the Professor said. He looked over at Jasmine. "Alright, Jasmine...proceed."
The teen nodded, and looked at the others. She held out both her hands, one to Storm, one to Bobby. "I've got to make some kind of physical contact to take someone. So...I guess we've all gotta hold hands," she said.
The Professor watched as they all formed a circle, grasping each other's hands tightly. Jasmine looked at them all before closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. He watched as a light purple smoke surrounded them....and then they were gone. He sighed, dropping his head into his hand. "God....keep them safe," he whispered softly to the empty room. He only prayed that his plea was answered.
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"Watch it, that's my hair!"
"Somebody's on my hand!"
"Who the hell just touched me? Get off!"
"Zat hurts! I cannot breathe!"
"Hey! That's an important body part! Get the hell off!"
"Get off my leg!!"
The pile of entangled body limbs struggled to disentangle, each one of them muttering curses as they went along. Groans and moans were heard loudly as they all climbed to their feet. "What the hell kind of landing was that?," Logan growled as he cracked his neck.
Jasmine glared at him. "Excuse me, I haven't ever transported more than two people before. How was I supposed to know how we'd land?," she asked, rubbing her sore leg where someone had landed on it rather hard.
"Alright, let's not argue," Scott announced. "Is everyone okay?" At the murmur of yesses, he nodded. "Alright. Good. Jasmine...do you recognize this place?"
Jasmine looked around, running a hand through her hair. "Uh...yeah. We're not far from Rivendell. A day or two away."
"A day or two?," Storm asked as she tied her white hair back.
Jasmine nodded, then swayed on her feet, flailing blindly as her knees buckled underneath her. Scott and Bobby rushed over, catching her before she hit the ground. She grabbed onto their arms, steading herself. "Whoa....Transporting all of us must have taken more out of me than I thought it would. I can barely stand up." She leaned against Scott for support.
"There's no way we can travel with her this weak," he said. He looked around the forest they were in, reluctance on his face. "I guess we should find somewhere we can all rest for awhile." The others nodded, except Bobby.
"Rest? We can't rest. Rogue's still out here somewhere!," he exclaimed.
Logan glared at him. "Look, kid, none of us are in condition to search for her at the moment. We're all tired out. Jasmine can barely stand. We waited a week, a few more hours can't hurt."
Bobby scoffed at him. "Oh yeah? What is she's killed in a few more hours? What then?"
"Bobby, that's enough," Storm said sternly. "We all want to find her. But Logan and Scott are correct: we have to rest for just awhile. She will be fine."
Bobby smirked. "Whatever," he muttered and turned, walking over to a tree and sinking to the ground, pulling his knees up to his chest. He watched as Logan and Scott helped Jasmine over to a tree she could lean against. They all sat down, relaxing against trees as they recovered from the journey. Bobby sighed and looked at the sky. He knew Rogue was out there, and he wanted desperately to find her. Sure, he knew she had pretty much broken things off between them....but everything could be repaired. The first step was to find her...then convince her that they were meant to be. 'Rogue, where are you?,' he wondered. He closed his eyes. He could only imagine how scared she must be.
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Rogue giggled softly at the sight before her.
Boromir spared with Merry and Pippin, gently tapping swords with each of them in turn. The hobbits smiled merrily as they fought, Merry munching on an apple as he went along. Rogue shook her head. 'Whoever thought I'd be watching a man teach two hobbits to sword fight,' she thought. She reached over and took a piece of bacon from Frodo's plate, smiling at the hobbit when he glared at her. "Share, share, that's fair, Frodo," she told him, laughing.
The blue-eyed hobbit glared at her a moment before smiling. "I suppose it is," he said, and turned back to his plate.
Rogue smiled again, then turned her head at the sound of Gimli's voice. "If anyone asks my opinion--which I note their NOT-- I'd say we were taking the long way round." The dwarf stopped before Gandalf. "Gandalf, we could pass through the mines of Moria. My cousin, Balin, would give us a ROYAL welcome."
"No Gimli," Gandalf said gravely. "I would not go through those mines unless I had no other choice."
Rogue frowned. The wizard seemed frightened to go through the mines.....what could be so bad about them to strike fear in Gandalf the Grey's heart? She snapped her head around when she heard one of the hobbits yelp. She turned just in time to see the two small creature's tackle Boromir to the ground, all three of them laughing as they went. She smiled herself. 'They act just like kids.' She followed Aragorn with her eyes as the Ranger made his way over to them.
"Gentlemen, that's enough!," he stated, grabbing ahold of Merry and Pippin by the collar. Before anyone could blink, the hobbits grabbed the man's legs, yanking him off his feet. Rogue let out a bark of laughter when he fell to the ground, a look of surprise on his face. They all wrestled together on the ground, prompting Rogue and the other hobbits to laugh harder. 'Who knew another world was so fun.'
"What's that?," Sam asked out of nowhere.
They all stopped laughing and looked in the direction the hobbit was. Rogue furrowed her brow at the large black whisp in the sky coming towards them. 'What in the world is that?,' she wondered.
"Nothing, it's just a whisp of cloud," Gimli stated in his rough tone of voice.
"It's moving fast....against the wind," Boromir said, climbing to his feet and staring at the black mass.
From where Legolas stood watching the horizen, his panicked voice was heard. "Crebain, from Dunland!," he yelled.
"Hide!," Aragorn replied. They all scattered, each of them gathering their belongings and rushing to hide themselves. Rogue darted under some brush, her gloved hand brushing against Legolas', and her heart sped up. 'Why does that always happen when I even THINK about him?,' she thought, looking over at him quickly before turning her gaze to the black creatures flying over them quickly. As soon as they passed, they all emerged, looking to where they had disappeared. Rogue pushed herself to her feet, gratefully taking the hand Legolas extended for help. Their eyes held for a moment, before they both looked away, confused at the feelings they had.
Gandalf looked at them. "Spies of Saruman.The passage South is being watched. We must take the pass of Caradhras." Everyone looked to the snowy mountains, and Rogue swallowed the lump in her throat. 'Oh, boy....this is going to be fun,' she thought sarcastically.
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Rogue clutched the cloak she wore more tightly around her shoulders, shivering against the cold. 'I hate snow,' she thought bitterly as she trudged through the ankle deep snow. Gandalf insisted that this was the only safe route to Mordor, what with the South being watched. But even so....it didn't make her any warmer. She watched as Legolas walked by her--on top of the snow. Aragorn had explained that Elves were so graceful they could walk without making any sound or even leaving any footprints. The fact that they didn't feel temperature changes either was also explained.
It made her hate the snow even more.
At the sound of a yelp, she turned. She watched with wide eyes as Frodo slipped and began to roll down the hill. She moved her feet to go to him, but Aragorn was already racing up the hill to him.
"Frodo!," Aragorn yelled. He ran up the hill and caught the hobbit. Frodo jumped up and grasped his neck, panicking when he didn't find the ring. They all watched as Boromir leaned down and retrieved the chain and ring from the snow. "Boromir...," Aragorn warned. The bearded man simply looked at the ring. "It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing...Such a little thing...," he trailed off, entranced by the ring. Rogue felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Something about this man threw her off and made her frightened, especially the way he was gazing at the ring at that moment. Her fingers trailed to the top of her elbow gloves, grasping the material, prepared to use her mutation if it was called for.
"Boromir! Give the ring to Frodo," Aragorn said, his hand resting upon his sword. Boromir shook his head, as if breaking the trance, and smiled, walking towards them.
"As you wish," he said, holding out the chain. Frodo grabbed it. "I care not." His smile wavored a moment before he chuckled and ruffled Frodo's hair. Aragorn relaxed as he walked away and took his hand off his sword.
Frodo looked up at him before walking on. Rogue's brown eyes followed Boromir as he walked past her, and she felt his glare at her in return. He needn't say it, but it was obvious that he had an intense dislike of mutants. That added to the wariness she felt when near him added to her mistrust of the Gondorian. She looked up at Aragorn when he touched her sleeve.
"Do not worry yourself, Rogue," he said to her softly. "All eyes are on Boromir." His hand traveled to her fingers, and he pulled them away from the top of her glove. "There is no need for your mutation.....yet." He smiled at her then, and she returned it, her nerves settling. He motioned for her to go before him and she did, all the time not taking her eyes off the man she was uneasy of.
The trip up the mountain was brutal. As soon as they ascended the large mountain, a harsh storm raged around them, as if trying to delay them. Rogue pulled her hood up farther, squinting against the onslaught of snow and wind. She followed behind Aragorn, her head bowed to protect her face. Squinting, she could easily see that the hobbits were much worse than she. Their faces were pale, their lips quickly turning blue. 'They aren't going to make this trip,' Rogue thought, mournfully. 'Not if we continue on this route.'
'And what can you do about it, Rogue? You couldn't do anything but hurt them,' Magneto's voice taunted her.
Rogue with held a groan. 'Leave me be, Magneto,' she snarled in her head. The mutant's laughter echoed through her mind, and she shook him off.
She looked up when Legolas passed her. She could tell that he was concentrating. Did he hear something? "There is a fell voice on the air!," he yelled over the wind. Gandalf looked at them.
"It's Saruman!"
Suddenly, rocks began to plummet towards them and everyone pushed themselves up against the side of the mountain. The rocks crashed down upon the edge of the mountain. Rogue watched as they plummeted down the side of the mountain, her eyes wide as she realized that they could also fall just as quickly.
"He's trying to bring down the mountain!," Aragorn yelled, clutching Sam and Frodo to him. "Gandalf, we must turn back!"
Gandalf looked at him and shook his head. "No!" He went to the edge of the mountain and began to chant in Elvish, attempting with all his might to overpower Saruman's own chants. It was to no avail. Lightning struck the tip of the mountain, causing an avalanche of snow to fall. Legolas darted out and grabbed Gandalf, pulling him away from the edge. Rogue looked up, gasping as the snow fell, covering them all.
The snow settled for a long moment, then suddenly, Legolas' blonde head emereged, shaking the snow off his head. He looked around, searching for the others. Gandalf and Boromir emerged, the man pulling Merry and Pippin out quickly. Rogue pulled herself from the snowy earth, gasping for breath, eyes wide as she looked around. Aragorn undug himself quickly, then pulled out Sam and Frodo. Gimil grunted as he wiggled his way out. Rogue reached over, brushing the snow off the hobbits. Even through her gloves, she could feel how cold their flesh was.
"We must get off the mountain!," Boromir yelled. "Make for the Gap of Rohan! Or take the West Road to my city!"
Aragorn shook his head. "The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!"
Gimli looked at the wizard. "If we cannot pass over the mountain, let us go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria." Gandalf stared at the dwarf, a feeling of dread rising up at the thought of the passage.
"Let the ringbearer decide," he said, looking to Frodo.
The young hobbit stared at him, unsure of what to answer. "We cannot stay here!," Boromir yelled. "It will be the death of the hobbits!"
Rogue looked at the four small creatures, and she knew that Boromir spoke the truth. The poor hobbits didn't look like they'd last another hour. It will be their death, she thought. She looked to Frodo. "Frodo?," Gandalf asked. Frodo looked to his kin, then back at the wizard.
"We will go through the mines," he stated.
Rogue watched as dread spread across Gandalf's face, and she felt her heart sink. "So be it," the wizard said.
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'Where's the Professor when you need him, huh, kid?'
Rogue tried to ignore Wolverine's voice in her head as he taunted her. They had arrived outside the mines a time ago, and yet still hadn't entered. Gandalf couldn't find the right words to open the door. She sighed as she leaned against the side of the mine, fiddling with the sword Aragorn had given her before they set off for the mines. "Your mutation cannot be your only defense," he had said. She leaned her head back, turning her gaze to the wizard. Gandalf tossed his staff aside, muttering in frustration. She watched as he sat, and she frowned. 'Is it just me, or does Gandalf look an awful lot like an older and hairier version of Magneto?,' she thought to herself.
'Don't be ridiculous,' Magneto's voice replied, sounding offended. 'I am much more attractive than that old wizard.'
Rogue glared at nothing. For an instant she had forgotten that Magneto was in her head. "Can it," she muttered.
"Did you say something?"
Startled, Rogue looked up to see Legolas standing next to her, his blue eyes searching her face. She smiled, shaking her head. "No...I mean, yeah I did...but I was just talking to myself," she said.
Legolas nodded and smiled. "You do that quite often, don't you?"
Rogue laughed softly. "Keeps me sane."
'Or drives ya insane, whichever way you want to look at it,' John said.
Rogue shook him off, smiling up at the elf. "Don't worry about me. I may be strange, but I'm alright."
Legolas smiled again and leaned down. "Strange is perfectly fine to me," he said softly, pushing a strand of her white hair behind her ear. Rogue's heart flip flopped, and she gulped. 'Man, what the hell is happening here?'
The sound of stone scraping stone drew their attention, and they rose when they saw the stone doors opening. Rogue bent down and retrieved her sword, and followed behind Aragorn as they all entered the dark mine. Gandalf fiddled with his staff, and a crystal held inside of it lit up, illuminating the mine. Gimli was speaking loudly to Legolas about dwarf hospitality when they entered. The hair on Rogue's neck stood up. Something wasn't right about this place.
"And they call it a mine," Gimil said, laughing. "A MINE!"
Boromir shook his head. "This is no mine. It's a tomb."
Gandalf shined the light around the room, and Rogue yelped, jumping back when she saw that her foot was right to a decayed skeleton. They all looked around, panicked.
"No, no..." Gimli said, running over to one of the skeletons. "NOOOO!!"
Legolas ran to one of the bodies, pulling out an arrow from its ribcage. "Goblins," he said in disgust. Tossing it to the ground, he pulled out one of his own arrows, preparing his bow for a battle.
"We should never have come here," Boromir muttered. "Now get out of here, GET OUT!"
Rogue walked backwards as she drew her sword, holding it in her hands the way Aragorn had showed her. She stood at the entrance of the mine, aware that the four hobbits stood right behind her. A sudden rush of movement behind her made her turn, and she gasped when she saw what it was. A large creature from the water had ahold of Frodo's foot, dragging the hobbit quickly towards the water.
"Strider!," Sam yelled, even as Rogue was rushing towards them. She slammed her sword down, slicing off the tentacle that held Frodo's foot. The hobbit struggled to get to his feet, but they both feel back when the creature emerged, dozens of tentacles flailing in the air. This time, tentacles grabbed them both, lifting them high into the air. Rogue struggled against the slimey hold, and her sword fell to the ground. They were lifted even higher, and the creature opened its mouth, reaveling rows of razor sharp teeth. Frodo screamed while Rogue struggled harder to escape its grasp.
'Wow...looks like you're screwed now, Rogue,' John said. Rogue mentally gave him the finger, and she heard his laughter.
Suddenly, the grasp on her foot released, and she felt herself plummetting to the ground. Aragorn's arms wrapped around her tightly when she fell, and he quickly set her back on her feet. He then sliced the tentacle that held Frodo, and the hobbit yelled as he fell into the arms of Boromir. They raced back to the entrance of the mine, Rogue grabbing her sword as they went. "LEGOLAS!," Boromir yelled as they made it to shore. The Elf fired an arrow at the creature, striking it. It roared in pain.
"Into the mines!!," Gandalf yelled, ushering them all in. Legolas pulled back his bow and shot the creature again before turning and running into the mine. The creature pulled itself onto shore, its tentacles grasping onto the sides of the mine entrance. The walls caved in around them, blocking out their exit.
Gandalf quickly made the light from his staff grow brighter. "We have but one choice. We must face the long, dark tunnel," he said. "Keep up your guard. There are older and far fouler things than orcs in the dark places of the world."
Rogue rang out her hair as she followed behind them, and she looked over when she felt a hand on her arm. "Are you alright?," Legolas asked her softly.
She smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. Never had that happen before though....but I'm good. Thanks for asking." He smiled at her in return and continued walking. Rogue smiled and shook her head. 'Who knew an elf could have that effect on me.' A chill went down her spine as they ventured deeper into the mine, and Rogue wondered what caused it. 'Maybe its nerves....but I have a gut feeling something awful is going to happen,' she thought. Looking ahead at her companions, she felt her chest constrict. 'God, please don't let me lose anyone else.'
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Ta-Da! An update! Sorry it's so short, but hey, it's better than nothing. Review, and I will try to rush and get the next chapter up!
