I do not own X-Men: Evolution or Marvel in any way, shape, or form. All I own is my idea. Please do not sue me, for it will just be a waste of time and money in trying to find a suitable legal representative. Thank you.
Merry
A singsong voice echoed throughout the halls of the Xavier Institute, calling, "Rogue! Are you, like, hiding or something? Where are you?"
"Will all ya'll shut up!" was the immediate response.
Shadowcat rolled her eyes. 'So moody. I can't, like, wait until this pregnancy thing is over.' She phased her head through her friend's door and wasn't surprised to discover all the windows shut and covered by curtains. Lately, Rogue had been having severe migraines and mostly stayed in her room, locked away from the rest of the world. Not a single ray of sunshine or light could be found in the eerie darkness surrounding the both of them. She looked over to Rogue and shook her head at the sight.
Sprawled out across the messy, unmade bed laid Rogue. She buried her head deep into the pillow. Kitty laughed. 'She looks like an ostrich.'
The southerner turned over onto her side, head throbbing harder and harder, and mumbled something into her soft, linen sheets.
"I can't, like, understand you," Kitty told her. The petite girl moved over to Rogue's side and sat down on the edge of the mattress. "What did you just, like, say?"
"Ah asked if ya needed somethin'," Rogue answered bitterly. She lifted up her head and scowled. "Otherwise, Ah'd advise ya ta leave mah presence before Ah hurt ya. Accidentally, of course." She pressed the back of her hand up to her eyes. Kitty's neon pink sweater was beginning to make her nauseous.
Scrunching her face in mock terror, Kitty teased, "Rogue's having mood swings! Ooh, I better, like, watch out... I just wanted to, like, as if you, like, wanted to go shopping?" The tone of her voice raised in excitement as she continued, "There's this giant sale going on at the mall and I still have to buy Scott a Christmas present."
Rogue sat up and groaned. "And Ah forgot ta buy Mistuh McCoy somethin'," she said. She really hadn't wanted to leave the house that day.
"Well, I guess you're, like, coming with. Let's go," Kitty announced happily, grabbing Rogue's arm and dragging her out to the garage. She added, "I already got Jean's keys," before reaching into her pocket and jingling them. "I promise I'll drive better than last time."
'Ah'm gonna die.'
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The Bayville Shopping Centre was incredibly crowded with everyone trying to finish up their last minute Christmas shopping. For a moment, Rogue felt a bit claustrophobic, as if she was shut inside a small box with little air left to breathe.
"Ah can't believe ya talked meh inta comin' here," she said quite breathily. Her body tilted from side to side; she couldn't seem to balance herself. She grabbed onto a wall and braced herself. Why was it that she was having such a hard time just getting through the mall?
"Are you, like, okay? Because we can totally go home if you're not up for the trip," Kitty offered, sympathizing for her pregnant teammate.
Rogue shook her head and continued walking, but at a slower pace than before.
Soon, they found themselves in a department store.
"What would Beast want?" Rogue wondered aloud, looking through everything in the men's section. "He doesn't ever really talk 'bout anythin'."
Kitty pointed towards a tie rack. "He once mentioned something about how he needs more ties for special occasions. It would be, like, the perfect gift." She continued picking out sweaters for the X-Men's teenage leader.
'Ah can't be that cheap,' Rogue thought, taking a look at the ugly ties. 'Although, Ah am a little tight on money.' She pulled out her wallet and counted the amount in bills. 'Forty-five dollars. Enough for three.' She picked out the ones she thought her instructor might like best and walked up to the cashier.
"Hi Roguey. Hi Kitty!"
The valley girl squealed upon seeing her boyfriend behind the register. She ran over and planted a loving kiss on his cheek. "I didn't know you worked here," she said. Her hands wandered up to her hips. An eyebrow arched up in suspicion. "What happened to the pet store?"
"A cat scratched me."
"And?" she prompted.
"And I kicked it. They fired me."
Kitty shook her head in disapproval of her boyfriend's thoughtless behavior. "What am I going to do with you, Lance Alvers?" she questioned, stroking the recently shaved stubble on his chin.
The boy's eyes sparkled with a devilish glint. "Spank me and send me up to be without supper?" He returned the kiss she had given him earlier and averted his eyes to Rogue who was practically gagging at the amount of mushiness going on around her. "So, what are you here for?" he said, directing the conversation to his ex-teammate. "To buy those tacky ties?"
Rogue threw the ties at him. "Hardy har har. Very funny. For ya information, Ah had ta buy somethin' for Mistuh McCoy. It's the best ya girlfriend and Ah could come up with," she told him.
He rang up the ties. She was about to pay when he pushed her hand away with great force. "It's on me," he said, putting his own money into the register. "That's for my rudeness and Pietro's stupidity."
"How'd ya---"
"Blob told me."
"Well, thanks."
"No prob." He rung up Kitty's stuff and paid for her as well. "Bye Kit-Kat."
"Bye Lance!"
Rogue exited the store with Kitty skipping behind her on Cloud Nine.
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The Mississippian sauntered over to her balcony and opened the glass doors, letting in the cold air and white flakes of snow. She stepped out farther and embraced the beauty that encircled her. Underneath her breath, she whispered the words "A White Christmas" over and over again. She leaned against the railing and sighed. "It's so beautiful." But the cold took a turn for the worse and she was forced to retreat back inside. She was surprised to see a white and red rose and an envelope lying on her pillow. It made a small pift sound from the small explosion that went off. Slowly, it opened itself up.
Something whooshed from behind her. She whirled around to find the doors shut and locked. 'Ah didn't do that.'
Smiling, she took the letter out of the packet. It read:
Dear Rogue,
Come over for dinner tonight.
We'll be expecting you.
Sincerely, Remy and the other Acolytes
P.S. Piotr says bring the petite one.
'Hmm.'
Rogue threw on a black turtle neck sweater that clung to her bulging stomach. She pulled on a pair of black tights and buttoned the side of her dark green skirt before heading down the stairs into the kitchen were all the women and Samuel were busy preparing the traditional Christmas breakfast.
"Is the ham done?" she asked.
Ororo nodded her head and continued to crack eggs, letting the yolks fall into a giant frying pan.
Trying to be helpful, Rogue lifted the heavy platter and headed into the dining room. She grunted, as the combined weight of the bodies growing inside her own and the ham was putting a toll on her aching back.
Sam spotted her from the stove where he was pulling out a tray of fresh muffins. "Rogue!" he yelled, putting the hot container on the counter. "Ya shouldn't be carryin' anything. It isn't good for the babies, or ya, for that matter." He took the platter away and pulled out a chair for her, ordering her to sit down. She refused, telling him she would be fine, but he would have none of it.
'This must be how Jamie feels.'
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"Is it time to open the presents yet?"
Rogue laughed and tousled the young boy's hair. "Ya just can't wait, can ya, Jamie?"
He shook his head and looked over to Storm. "May I be excused, please?" he asked as politely as he could. She nodded her head. He was off in the blink of an eye, diving into the pile of presents beside the Christmas tree Scott and Logan had lugged home. The other New Recruits followed his examples and began ripping the wrapping paper off, tossing it into the air without a care.
"Cool! A dartboard!"
"Don't you dare point that at me!"
"A snowboard! Awesome!"
"Shoes!"
"Corn? What kind of lame present is this?"
"Aw, lighten up, man. It was a joke!"
Logan came up from behind the big armchair Rogue sat in and put his rough hands on her shoulders. She peered over to her left and studied the burly man who was supposedly still mad at her for the 'France Incident'.
"Aren't ya angry at meh?"
"Why would I be mad at you, Stripes?"
"Well, that outburst sure didn't sound a whole lot like, 'Ah care for ya, Stripes, an' Ah just want what's best for ya.' And Ah mean, there was the fact that ya've been avoiding meh for the past couple of weeks."
"Not mad," he answered guiltily. "Just disappointed. And I wasn't avoiding you. I was busy."
"Doing what?"
"Why don't you come and see?" He gestured for her to follow him. She got up from her seat and trailed behind him. He stopped by a vacant room and smiled. "Don't look. I'll be right back."
She closed her eyes and heard the door slam loudly behind him. He was back out in seconds. His hands covered her eyes and led her into the room. "You can look now," he told her.
"Ohmahgosh! Logan, this is amazing!" she shouted. The room around her was painted a soft yellow color, perfect for babies whose sexes had yet to be determined. Soft, beige carpeting covered the floor underneath her bare feet. Sturdy, white wooden cribs sat on the left side of the room, facing the door. A changing table and drawers full of toys and clothes were on the right. A rocking chair sat by the window, overlooking Ororo's garden.
She turned to Logan and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank ya so much, Logan. Ah know this must've cost a fortune."
"Anything for you, darling. Anything."
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"Hello Sheila One and Sheila Two. Welcome to our 'ome."
St. John Allerdyce opened the door wider to the two girls, allowing them to enter the Christmas theme decorated abode. He helped them take off their coats and hung them up on a rack near the main entrance. "Piotr asks that Sheila Two meet him in his room. And you, Sheila One, can follow me," he said, leading her into the dark living room.
The lights turned on with the slight clap of his hands. Slow, jingly music played in the background. Someone Rogue couldn't recognize sat in one of the big metal chairs in the middle of the room, dressed as Santa Claus; he even had the fake, curly grey hair and beard that came down to his chest. He walked up to her, picked her up, and brought her back to his chair, placing her in his lap.
She studied his face---and that was when she realized who it was. "Remy!"
Gambit wrapped his arms tight around her small waist before she could run, refusing to let her go for even a second. "Hello chère. Merry Christmas." He ran a hand up her leg, sending chills down her spine. "So, chère, what do y' want fo' Christmas?"
"Ah'd lahke for ya ta let meh go."
She tried to remove his hands from her body and wriggle herself free of the handsome Cajun's grasp, but her attempts were unsuccessful. He chuckled at her pitiful cracks of escaping from him. "Remy's not lettin' y' go, chère," he cooed into her ear.
She pushed him away. "If ya don't let meh go, Ah'll have ta make ya."
"Dis is s'posed t' be a joyous occasion, chère. Y' really gonna mess it up like dat? Besides... Remy's got a gift fo' y'." With one arm, he continued holding onto her. The other lifted a piece of mistletoe above her head.
"No," she said.
"Oui." He leaned in, making sure to keep his shield up, and kissed her lightly on the cheek. At the same time, he pulled a disposable camera from his pocket and snapped a quick picture.
She looked up and grimaced. "That was a dirty trick, Swamp Rat," Rogue said, completely enraged at his behavior. She wiped off her face with the sleeve of her shirt and slid off Remy's lap onto the floor.
"Not dirty, chère. Ingenious. Now, here's Remy's real gift."
He reached into his other pocket. Out came a small, white box.
She opened it and lifted up a pair of small, silver hoop earrings. Rogue smiled. She had never received jewelry from anyone before. In awe, she stuttered, "Ah-Ah don't know w-what ta say. Thank ya. They're beautiful."
"Remy knew y' would like 'em." He planted her back on his lap and grinned as she continued her squirming and shooting evil looks.
"LeBeau!"
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Piotr shut the door behind Kitty and himself, giving her a broad, white smile. "I brought you in here, Katya, to give you this." He handed her a black box.
Hesitantly, Katherine Pryde opened it up, revealing a silver locket with her name engraved on it. She slowly lifted her head to look up at Colossus, who gave her a quick explanation for his actions. "I am sorry, but is all I could afford. Do you like it?"
"But it is..." she corrected. "Yes, I love it. But why?"
He held her hand in his own and beamed. The warmth from his body flowed into her own as he asked, "Will you be my girlfriend, Kitty?"
She slapped her hand over her mouth in shock.
"Is something da matter?"
"I can't, Peter," she told him, using her nickname for him. "I already have a boyfriend. You remember Lance Alvers? Avalanche?"
His brow furrowed. "I see."
"I like you. I really do. But I can't do that to him, or to you. It just, like, wouldn't be fair. I'm so sorry."
She took her hand back and fled from the room.
Piotr held the box she had given him back in his hands and looked down at it in humiliation. 'How could I be so naïve?"
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The dinner table was silent, for the exception or Remy and Rogue arguing back and forth.
"It doesn't taste right."
"It's Creole Gumbo, Remy's specialty."
"But it needs somethin', Swamp Rat."
"Y' sayin' Remy can't cook?"
"Are ya puttin' words in mah mouth?"
"Mebbe."
Kitty rose and banged her fists on the table. "Can we talk about something that's actually something?" she asked. Rogue could tell she was clearly irritated with how her day was going, as no one could understand what she was talking about.
"Sheesh," Rogue said. "What got ya in a bad mood?"
"I don't, like, want to talk about it."
'Great. Ah'm stuck with a moody kitten... three unborn babies... an' an immature husband. Could life get any worse?'
A burning feeling from her stomach surged upwards, into her chest. Heartburn.
'Ah guess so.'
- Yay! This chapter took me three days to write. The longest I've ever written. I hope you liked it. I might have another chapter out this week. It depends on how busy I am. Please review and I'll see you later! Bye! xmengirlzrule -
