Part I
Chapter One-
Charles Xavier had suffered his share of restless nights before. He had been through it all. Mind probes, visions of a future where mutants were exterminated as soon as they were sighted, attacks from his inner darker self, and even a few appearances by the Shadow King.
But he had never felt anything like this before. His face was slick with heavy sweat and his body was shaking, pain pounding in his head. He couldn't close his eyes but through his mind flashed horrifying images of power beyond all power, and a river of blood engulfing him. He felt a presence beside him, but no one was there. He felt a hand on his cheek, but he was alone. Though his sight was blurred by the crimson currents of blood cursing out of his temples, he could see Logan's silhouette, draped in shadows, shaking and sobbing.
Charles managed to shut his eyes and block out the visions. He pinched himself a few times and leaned over to grab a glass of water on his nightstand. He slowly inched his tired legs into his wheelchair. He wheeled himself expertly through the spacious hallways of the mansion, listening to the sound of heavy breathing and trying to forget his nightmares.
Ororo Munroe sank into a chai r and stretched, setting her coffee down on the oak table. She picked up the morning paper and quickly scanned it for any reports of mutant uprisings or new governmental suggestions for mutant control. She sipped her coffee and waited for everyone to wake up. It was still dark outside, so she reached up a slender hand to push aside a few stray clouds so she could see the gleaming moon better.
"Morning, Storm." A petite form appeared in the doorway, rubbing sleep from her eyes and moving towards the refrigerator. Ororo smiled at the way Rogue managed to look graceful even while wearing fuzzy pink slippers and one of Remy's shirts.
"Morning Rogue. Seems like nothing mutant-related is going on today." Rogue shrugged as if Ororo was talking about the latest teen fad or the weather. Ororo poured another cup of coffee and set it down next to Rogue. Rogue sighed and pushed away a lock of dark hair that was hanging in her face.
"Where's the professor?" Scott Summers demanded, pulling a shirt over his head and looking around the room. Rogue glanced over at him.
"Well, good mornin' to ya too."
"Sorry, Rogue, but I've been anxious to discuss some recently created anti-mutant organizations with him." Rogue smirked.
"Oh no! People who hate mutants! Grab the blackbird! This has never happened before!"
"That's not funny, Rogue. Every situation is important and must be dealt with sooner rather than later." Rogue suppressed a remark about how wonderful a boy scout Scott would have made while Ororo hide her smile behind her coffee. Scott waited eagerly by the door, his face lighting up briefly when he heard footsteps, but it was only Jubilation Lee.
"Morning, Cyclops!" she exclaimed, hopping into a chair and grinning at each person in the room. Scott smiled back at her. Though Jubilee was young, she was an important member of the X-Men.
The rest of the team slowly started to assemble in the dining room. Hank McCoy's reading glasses were already perched on his blue stubby nose and Remy LeBeau barely concealed himself in a pair of small boxer shorts. Xavier came in last, looking like he hadn't slept in weeks, but Scott immediately seized his attention and talked a mile a minute about recent mutant activities.
"Hank, have you worked any more on that telepathic gun lately?" Jean Grey asked, excited about the newest development in telepathy technology. Hank smiled.
"No, not so much lately. But I plan to work on it today."
"Telepathy gun?" Jubilee asked, between mouthfuls of a cinnamon bun. "What's that."
"A gun made to stun enemies, telepathically, freezing their minds and making them unable to think. It should be quite useful when fighting enemies who are all physical strength like Juggernaut. And Jean won't have to tire herself out so much." At the mention of his wife's name, Scott abandoned his discussion with a relieved Xavier, to plant a kiss on the top of her head. Remy rolled his eyes and dropped an arm around Rogue, careful not to let his fingers graze her face.
"Dat's not my kind of weapon, chere," he said in his thick Cajun accent. "Besides Gambit can already stun any lady's mind." He lovingly brushed tendrils of her hair back from her face. Rogue shrugged him off and smacked his chest with a gloved hand.
"Get some clothes on, swamp rat."
"Hey," Ororo said suddenly. "Where's Logan?"
"I don't know," Rogue answered. Jean looked down at her plate, her ruby hair shielding the pained expression on her face.
"He's been kinda agitated lately," Jubilee remarked.
"Lately? Logan is always in a foul mood about something. I'm not gonna worry about him til there's something to worry about." Scott stood up abruptly, and strode off. Ororo's eyes focused on Jean's pale face. It didn't take a telepath to know that something was wrong.
Logan had been in the same bar for over five hours. It was one of the more seedier ones around, one that stayed open all night and had boarded-up windows. He took another gulp of his stale beer, waiting for the bartender to throw him another disgusted look.
Logan wasn't sure how he'd ended up spending the night prowling the streets and drinking himself stupid. What was he trying to accomplish? Why should he care if Jean rejected his advances yet again? It had happened many times before and would happen again. He couldn't get hysterical every time. He had people depending on him to keep it together. Jubilee, for one. The kid depended on him to be her role model and stick up for her when the other X-Men kept her on a short leash.
"You're a wuss," He muttered into his beer foam. "Get it together. She's just a woman." But Logan had a hard time listening to his own words when he thought about Jean Grey. He had a hard time listening to anybody or even breathing when he thought about the red-haired telepath who belonged to someone else.
Drake Armitage, who was known as the Dark Knight to his enemies, smiled at an elegant blonde-haired woman dressed in white fur.
"Miss Frost," He started. "You have no idea of the awe I feel for your abilities. You are the most gifted psychic I have ever encountered." Miss Frost eyed him warily.
"Really, Drake," She answered, stroking the white fur on her arms. "How is it you know so much about my abilities?"
"You know your strength. Maybe I am reading your mind." His eyes swept over her slender body with an impish grin. Miss Frost raised her eyebrows and her cold expression faded.
"This has been very nice," she said. "But what are you here for? What do you want from me?"
"I knew you would see through me." Drake stood up and clasped his hands together, tryinh to crease the lines in his forehead in an attempt to look sincerely worried. "Yes, Miss Frost, as you suspect, I have a favor to ask."
"Involving my powers…."
"Yes. You see, there is a mutant that exists, that is more powerful than anything you could ever imagine. It is written on the walls of the temple in the axis of time, that this person, this mutant, will destroy the balance of all mutant powers and create havoc on humanity. It will have powers beyond all powers, be able to destroy without even moving, create with only a glance."
"Surely, Drake, you don't believe in myths and silly legends." Drake pounded his hand against the table.
"It is not a silly legend! The temple of time is a sacred place and all prophesized there will surely come to be. " He didn't add how he really knew about the mutant. "We must stop this creature before it discovers the true depth of its powers."
"And you need me to find the mutant…."
"Yes. I need you to do a telepathic search. A creature with powers so enormous, will be easily detected, even if it is far away."
"Why me? Why not another psychic?"
"You are the most powerful psychic." Drake hid a smirk. He was afraid some other psychic would see right through him, where as Miss Frost was too smitten with him to realize his true intentions for her and the anonymous mutant. Plus, Miss Frost was a rather gifted psychic.
"I'll try." Miss Frost closed her eyes and brought her hands to her temples. She sat silently, drifting away from the dinner table. Drake watched eagerly. Miss Frost's features contorted in pain and she let out a shrill scream.
"It's coming! Its powers are forming! It will destroy everything!" Miss Frost opened her eyes and grasped her hair with her fingers, yelping in pain. Drake smiled, and grasped her hands.
"Where is it," he demanded, abandoning his smooth voice and ripping her skin with his catlike fingers. Miss Frost's face went pale and she looked up at him with meek, frightened eyes.
"New York City."
"I'm not trying to be nosy," Ororo said, handing Rogue a dishtowel as she scrubbed a pan. "It's just that you and Remy's relationship has always been very turbulent. And things really seem to have settled down lately. And I wondered how things were going."
"I guess we both realized that there is only so much time in the world and its useless for us to spend it fighting."
"That's wonderful, Rogue, " Ororo patted her on the back with her wet hand. "I'm glad things have finally worked themselves out. You two deserve nothing but the best."
"Yeah." But Rogue had trouble agreeing. The best would be if she could touch his face, feel his lips, sleep next to him without a fear of destroying him.
Jean kissed her husband goodbye as he packed his bags to go away for a few days on a mission for Xavier.
"Don't get into any trouble," she said, ruffling his auburn hair.
"That goes for you too," He answered with a somber face. "I hate not being near you. Then all I do is worry if you're safe. It's just a few days, but any one of those days could be a battle with Apocalypse or Magneto."
"I love that you worry about me, Scott. But I can protect myself. I have gifts too. And I also have other X-men looking out for me. I'll be okay, You don't have to worry."
"But I will anyway." He kissed her forehead. "I'll come back the minute you need me."
"I know you will. I love you."
"I love you too." He started for the door then turned around. "One more thing…."
"Logan."
"Yeah. If he…well if you need someone to talk to him or if he says anything-"
"I can handle it, Cyclops."
" You sure?"
"I can handle it."
"Well, goodbye then."
"Goodbye." She watched her husband walk out the door and laid back down on the bed. She felt guilty about the way Scott worried about her and took care of her, when she felt that she did not do enough for him. Yes she resisted Logan's advances, but not easily. She loved Scott. She truly loved him and would never leave him. But a part of her belonged to Logan, her black-haired dark knight that could always save her, but never himself.
Remy LeBeau came home, his clothes tattered, and his hair wild, at three am. He walked slowly down the hallway, not wanting to wake anyone, especially not Rogue. He fumbled with the key to his room and heard someone breathing behind him. He whirled around to come face to face with the professor.
"Professor!" He exclaimed. "What are you doin' up so late?"
"Forgive me, Gambit, I didn't mean to startle you." Xavier's eyelids drooped and his face was marred with worry. "It's just…well, it's been a long night."
"I'll say." Remy grinned. "But what made ya look so tired? "
"A dream." Xavier wrinkled his nose. "More like a nightmare."
"Bout what?" After sitting alone in a bar drinking tequila for two hours, he craved conversation.
"About…the end of the world. A person who could end the world with just the snap of her fingers."
"No one is dat powerful, prof."
"Maybe there is someone. Someone who just hasn't been discovered yet."
"Gambit would tink a person wit dat much power wouldn't wait till someone discovered her. She would make some trouble herself."
"What makes you think it is a girl."
"You said it yaself, prof. A person who could end da world wit just de snap of her fingers."
"You're right, I did. Though I don't remember it being a girl. Just a source of extreme power."
"Well, if some girl ends da world tomorrow, then we'll know if your dream was telling da future or not."
"I suppose." Xavier had to crack a smile.
"I would go searchin' for some ultra-mutant girl maself if I didn't have this beauty right here who needs me ta escort her places." Xavier laughed again, but the haggard shadows on his face remained.
"I hope you're right, Gambit. I hope it was just a dream. "
"It was, prof. You'll see."
"Thank you, Gambit, for the talk. Goodnight."
"Night, prof." Remy opened the door to his room and collapsed on his bed, clothes still on, to dream about the only mutant girl he cared about.
The Dark Knight slowly scanned the private files of mutant cases in New York City. They all seemed alike, powers that were not altogether extraordinary. Shapeshifting, for example. had become a common form of mutation.
"Where are you," he muttered to himself, his fingers lighting up with energy as he spoke. "I will find you." He leaned back in his leather chair and clicked the computer off. He heard heavy footsteps and turned around.
"Drake! Drake!" Skylark exclaimed breathlessly. "The mutant has been discovered."
"Here we are." Jean smiled brightly. She laid down a few plates containing noodles, salad, potatoes, and a dish of salmon.
"This looks wonderful, Jean," Ororo said and Jubilee nodded in agreement.
"Well I know I'm not the greatest cook. But we haven't all had a meal together in ages."
"No, we haven't." Xavier scratched his chin. "We've all been busy."
"I'll say." Jubilee helped herself to a huge helping of potatoes and a not so huge quantity of salad. "Between that run-in we had with Apocalypse and that mutant murder trial on Genosha."
"But…Jubilee, you weren't with us when we fought Apocalypse…or the murder trial."
"I know." Jubilee grinned. "But I suffered too! Do you know what its like to play six games of twenty questions with cerebro?" The group laughed and Jean passed around a bottle of red wine.
"I hope things settle down," Jean said. "I'd like to have some time to think." Rogue stayed silent, but jealously watched as Ororo passed the wine bottle to Remy. Their fingers grazed as she passed it. Rogue wondered how warm his skin was. What the tip of his nose felt like. Sometimes she regretted that one night in the cave. It had been the most beautiful thing she had ever experienced. And she would never have it again. Now she had to live with the pain of the memory. At least before the night in the cave, she had no idea of what she was missing.
Rogue studied the lines across his face and wondered if her inability to have physical contact was the reason their relationship was so rocky. Would she have left him in Antarctica if she had been able to touch him a million times before then? Would she have had any feelings for Piotr at all if she she could have married Remy?
It was tormenting to think like this. And no matter how many times he told her that he didn't care, it was tormenting to think of her putting him in a cage where he could not have a normal, healthy physical relationship. And despite what she told Ororo, she really didn't know if their relationship would be able to survive the tests that were sure to come sooner or later.
A sound over the intercom announcing a visitor interrupted her melancholy thoughts. Rogue stood up.
"I'll get it."
"No!" The professor lurched his wheelchair forward so suddenly he nearly fell out of it.
"What's wrong, professor?" Jean asked.
"I..don't know…I just feel…a presence. I must go see this visitor." Naturally, now all of their curiosity was piqued and they followed him to the door. Xavier paused and took a deep breath and then opened the door.
The girl leaning unsteadily against the door frame looked no older than sixteen. There was dirt streaked across her pale, gaunt face. Her hair seemed to be falling everywhere, and though it was dark brown, there were streaks of satiny silver. Her long catlike fingernails clutched the hard metal of the door and as she stood there, Xavier sat stunned while Jean grimaced in pain.
"Who in tarnation are you?" Rogue heard her own voice speak. The girl gasped for air and collapsed on the floor.
"I'm Lillian Romania."