ONLY HOPE

Rogue walked forward confidently searching for her prescence. She watched the black turn into light as the fiery being came closer toward her in wait of their final confrontation. They stood there staring at one another, both of their visions fixed on one another.

"Quit hauntin' meh." Rogue told her sternly.

"Now, why would I do that? You are everything that I ever wanted." her stare was piercing, but Rogue stood unwavering.

"Ya have nothin' left. Leave meh. There is nothin' left that ya can prove. Ah win, one way or another."

"Are you really willing to die, rather then give up." Rogue didn't even blink. She merely stood there, preparing herself for the first blow. Her red on black eyes merely kept the stare of the fiery bird.

"Ah know what ya want, what ya think ya need. Ah aint' gonna give it ta ya. Just leave us in peace. Isn't that who ya are, a protector?"

"I am what I want to be."

"Ah am too and Ah will protect everythin' Ah hold dear, from ya." Just as soon as Rogue spoke this, the scenery of her mind changed. It looked just as it would have outside her mind, except that it was just the two of them.

"You can't defeat me." Rogue smiled for a moment, then a sudden surge of emotion befell upon the Pheonix. She merely laughed.

"You think you can pull that trick twice. It merely makes me hunger for more."

Rogue then projected an intense pain, not only of each of her personna's, but of everyone, everything that she could using Remy's empathy. The bird's fire died down, dropping a mere woman on the ground of Rogue's mind. It was Jean. She screamed and cried in agony. Rogue walked towards her and whispered to her, "But this is what ya wanted. Everythin' ya evah wanted. Ya want ta experience the hardships of humanity, what it's lahke ta lose everythin' ya evah cared for. Go right ahead." She stepped back.

"You need me." She called out to her.

"Ah nevah needed ya." The scenery started to shake, almost convulsively. Rogue tried hard to keep concentrating on the pain. She was becoming weaker. It was her body, something was wrong, but she had to fight it. She had to, if she let this thing have her body, who knows what it would do to everything, everyone she ever cared for. She would be unstoppable. So she opened her mind, searching for anything, feeling, thoughts, everything she could muster with what strength she had.

This personna of Jean stood up and laughed as Rogue fell to her knees clutching her head.

"I know you." Rogue's eyes turned back to her own green. She looked up for a moment, feeling herself fade into the darkness, when she felt it, she felt him. Remy. He was pushing her to get up, to fight. His hand was clutching her shoulder. His voice whispered, "Mon amour." she nearly cried as a wave of emotion hit her hard. She looked at her shoulder only to see that he wasn't there. It was in the real world, outside her mind, he was trying to help her. Rogue struggled to stand up, but was strong once she was on her feet. Jean was still laughing at her.

"Stop hauntin' meh!" she screamed, as the flood of personna's flooded the image. Both her and Rogue were caught up in this sea of faceless people, once again. Rogue fell down to her knees once again, trying to concentrate.

"Ya can't have meh, not anymore!"

All she could hear were the screams of the Pheonix, amongst the angry crowd of her mind.