Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or basic storylines from the X-Men. I do, however, own Matthew. And yet, still I am poor beyond belief.
Authors Note: People breathe! THIS IS NOT A ONE SHOT! As cruel as I am, I'm not that cruel. I'm so happy you guys like it and I must thank those who reviewed. Especially Ishandahalf. Thank you for sharing my Bobby hatred. Sorry little wanna be Scott punk bastard! I'm sorry but I just had to get that off my chest. Oh and to those of you who expressed concern on whether or not Remy will be making an actually physical appearance in this story, all I can say to you is this. Don't doubt my Romy love. Now on to the story.
Matthew
Chapter Two: Working Overtime
Rogue hated press conferences. Especially when it was impossible for her to avoid the press. Now she had taken her place behind Xavier and the Presidents chairs as they addressed the nation together. She knew she needed to be there, in case some insane activist with the Friends of Humanity or some other anti-mutant group decided to take a shot. At least her invulnerable skin could withstand the bullets, and if need be, she could fly both men out of there in no time. But the cameras still made her nervous. She felt like they were all staring at her, singling her out, and that just added to her nerves more than the voices in her head did. Which, at the moment, were beginning to get loud again.
She glanced over at the secret service woman next to her and offered the woman a small smile before turning her eyes back to the front where the Professor and the President were outlining their new plan for a National Mutant Policy. Again Rogue's mind began to wander as she shifted slightly to the right, placing her weight on her right foot and looking down at the outfit she wore, a pinstriped gray suit with a sleeveless red silk shirt, covered in outlined black flowers, matching pinstriped tapered blazer, black silk gloves and a simple emerald hanging from a silver chain with matching earrings. Remy had given them to her.
'Ah wonder if he's gonna watch this?' she thought, but quickly scolded herself internally. Now was not the time to start down that road again. Besides, if he watched it he probably wouldn't recognize her. She looked so different now, with her hair and the way she'd grown up and changed, mostly due to circumstances and some due to nature. She let out an inaudible sigh and focused her eyes straight ahead, boring them into the camera. When he'd given her the emeralds, for her sixteenth birthday, he told her that they were the closest things he could find to her eyes, and nowhere near as lovely. If he was watching, she wanted to make sure he saw those eyes he clamed to have fallen in love with down by the swamp twelve years earlier.
When the conference ended, and everyone was busy snapping photographs of the President and Xavier shaking hands and whatnot, Rogue snuck off to the bathroom, splashing some cool water on her face, hoping to quiet the voices, which had steadily grown louder as the conference continued. When she exited the bathroom Xavier was sitting nearby with the President and motioned her over.
"Hello Mr. President," Rogue smiled at the man and offered him her hand. "How are ya doin' this mornin'?"
"Fine Rogue thank you," the President smiled and shook her hand. "And how are you today?"
"Jus' fahne thank ya," she smiled cordially at him before looking at the Professor. "Are ya about ready ta go Professah? We told Scott we'd be back by three."
"Yes of course my dear. Mr. President, it's always a pleasure, and give my regards to your wife and daughter for me," Charles said, shaking the man's hand once more, before Rogue moved behind him and rolled him towards the exit. They walked in silence out to the limo and Rogue helped Xavier in before telling the driver to head to the airport and climbing in besides the Professor.
Once in the back and on the way to the airport, where the jet was waiting for them, Charles turned to Rogue and spoke. "How are you really my dear?"
"Fahne," Rogue replied, her eyes glued out the window, watching the scenery pass them by as they speed down the interstate towards the airport.
"Ah," Charles said looking out his own window. "I just thought you were projecting last night after Mr. Drake and the others left," he trailed off and turned to look at her, noticing the sadness on her face.
"Ah'm sorry," she muttered and looked down at her gloved hands.
Charles reached out and took the girls hand, giving it a squeeze. "You have nothing to be sorry about." They sat like that for a few moments before Charles spoke again. "You were thinking of them again?"
"Yeah," she reached up and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "Always do around mah birthday, and the holidays, and everyday," she offered him a small smile. "Can't help that."
"It's a fine quality and there's nothing about it that needs helped," Charles assured her and studied her closely. He'd quickly began to look at the girl as a daughter and hated to see her in any type of pain. "Does it still help with the voices? To think of your family?"
"Yeah, but Ah don't know how much. Ah mean, its lahke sometahmes one pain is jus' replacin' another," she threw her hands up in exasperation and sighed, her accent thickening with her emotions. "Cause no mattah how hard Ah try and jus' think about the good, the bad sneaks in there."
"You could go and see him," Charles offered, not for the first time. "You said you were pretty sure he was an empath when you knew him. Offer him a place on the team if you like. I'm sure Ororo or Logan would be happy to go with you if you needed the support."
"Thank ya jus' the same Professah, but Ah told ya why Ah can't do that before. The temptation, would jus' be ta much fer the both a us. 'Sides, when Ah went ta see him he looked happy enough. And Ah don't want ta be his burden," Rogue looked back out the window, wishing she could listen to the Professor, but she knew it would never work. Remy had obligations that she'd never told Charles about, including an arranged marriage that she was sure had taken place by now, since her and Matthew were no longer around to stop it. He'd leave with her she had no doubt about that, but the price of that deflection could be to great for either of them to handle.
"Very well," Charles gave her hand another squeeze. "But the offer stands."
"Well Ah'm much obliged Professah," Rogue turned and looked at him. "Ah'll be fahne. Ah always am. She looked back out the window as the car came to a stop. "We're here."
"Ah yes, very good," Charles replied as Rogue got out and brought his wheel chair, helping him in and took their briefcases and rolled him into the building and towards the private jet docking area. "Radio Scott when we get to the plane and tell him we will be there within the hour," Charles commented as he noticed Rogue smile at a small boy who was being dragged by his mother towards the ticket counter.
"Of course," she replied looking away and towards the docking area. "Am Ah flyin' us back, or do ya wanna be pilot today?" she asked as they exited thru a pair of glass doors and headed towards the X-Jet, which stood proudly on the runway.
"I believe I'll leave the flying up to you today my dear. I have some paperwork to look over before my class this afternoon."
"Sounds good," Rogue replied, disengaging the alarm safety device before lowering the ramp and boarding, sending the elevator down for Charles and then sealing everything up and starting the take off procedure. Since the incident with the jet up in Canada, they had repaired it and made some specific modifications. Also, Rogue had been given strict flight instructions ever since, and was now a licensed pilot thru the state of New York.
After radioing in her flight plan and letting Scott know they were on their way back, she put the jet in the air and headed home, wishing she was on the outside of the jet instead of in the cockpit. They'd be home much faster that way.
After they arrived home, Rogue confirmed with the Professor that she was no longer needed before rushing off to the locker rooms to change and heading down to the danger room. She knew the next class wasn't scheduled until after five and she wanted to get in there and have a quick work out before Logan or Henry McCoy, a large blue ape like man who was the new doctor and latest addition to the X-Men team, beat her to it. It wasn't that she didn't like to train with them, on the contrary, Logan's sessions were usually more of a workout than her own could ever be. But today she had different plans, and it required her own personal session.
She rushed up to the control room and hit the occupied button on the control panel, locking the main doors from the inside and proceeded to pull up her program. She had written it herself after Kurt had shown her how, and would probably get into major trouble if anyone really knew what was going on in it. At least if any of the younger kids managed to get in there and hack her password. After setting up the parameters she rushed down the stairs and entered the large circular room. Standing in the center she said, "Activate Rogue 296." Around her the room transformed into the streets of New Orleans at night as holographic images sprang to life. As she looked around she found herself standing in the middle of the graveyard, the LeBeau family plots to her right. She looked around slowly, becoming attuned to her environment before she started walking towards the small section of the cemetery and entering thru the black iron-gate. It was just how she remembered it the last time she was there. The small headstone stood off by itself, with two empty plots to it's right. Jean Luc LeBeau, Remy's father, had promised her that no matter what took place between them all, her and Remy both would be buried together next to their son. It was a small condolence considering she was rushed away and he was pushed into a loveless marriage soon after that, but she still appreciated the thought nonetheless.
Rogue knelt down and pulled off her glove, running her bare fingers over the stone, tracing her baby's name. Up in the control room, Logan stood staring down at her from the glass, wondering what program this was. He'd stepped in a minute too late to catch her before she called out the program and now, she looked so intense, and so good in the tight little black leather uniform she wore, that he hated to disturb her.
He still hadn't figured out the exact moment he started looking at Marie differently, although she cringed every time she heard the name anymore. All he knew is that now, especially since she'd grown up, he couldn't stop himself from looking or any of the feelings and emotions that rose when he did. He leaned over farther as a new figure began to walk across the graveyard towards her.
Rogue heard the leaves crunch behind her but made no move to rise. She knew who it was. After all, she had programmed it that way.
"Bonjour cherie," a sugary sweet Cajun voice all but whispered a mere three feet behind her.
Rogue rose straight up and turned to face the blonde haired heiress of the Assassin legacy. "Bonjour Belle," she replied, her voice cold and vacant as her blood began to boil.
"What be de matter chere? Non hug f' an old ami?" Belladonna asked as she smiled over at Rogue, hatred and vengeance in her eyes, just the way the X-Man had remembered it.
"Since when were ya a friend a mine ya baby killin' bitch," Rogue all but growled, moving away from her son's headstone. In the last simulation it had been crushed and she'd cried for three hours, despite the fact that she knew it wasn't real.
"Now now chere, Ah weren't de one tryin' t' take somethin' dat non belong t' her," Belle replied, pulling off the blue cape she insisted on wearing and revealing a silver and blue fighting uniform. "Y' got what be commin' t' y'."
Rogue all but exploded, but managed to keep herself from attacking her adversary this time. The other woman was a trained assassin and Rogue had programmed her as such, knowing that if she ever again faced the real Belladonna, and she planned on facing her again one day, she needed to keep her cool if she were going to kill the other woman. "But Belle, ya did take somethin' that didn't belong ta ya. Mahne and Remy's son."
It was a simple statement and spoken in a normal tone, but it made it up to Logan's sensitive ears in the control room and for a moment his heart stopped. "Her what?" he muttered but kept his eyes on the scene playing out before him.
"Dat babe shoulda been mon! Y' stole him and his pere from meh!" Belle seethed, as Rogue knew she always would and lunged forward, a knife appearing in her hand.
Rogue faked right and rolled left, the knife missing her by inches before she placed her hands above her head, flipping herself to her feet and sent a round house into Belle's abdomen, sending the other woman flying back into a tree. "Ah ain't as weak as Ah used ta be," Rogue growled and stood to face her again, her fists clenched in front of her face.
Bella quickly regained her footing and was after Rogue again, with a series of punches and kicks, only half of them connecting and those causing very little damage. Inside Rogue's mind Carol quieted and even joined in Rogue's effort to kill the blonde assassin, which was always something that surprised Rogue to no end. She sent a strong right hook into Belle's face, sending her head hard to the side.
Belle stumbled back and Rogue followed thru with an upper cut to the other girls abdomen before sweeping her feet right out from under her and sending the girl to the ground. Rogue was on her in an instant, punching until her own hands went numb, and holographic blood stained her hands, face and uniform. It wasn't until Belle gasped for breath and her head lolled to the side that Rogue stopped, her breathing labored and allowed herself a moment to stare at what she'd done, knowing that she could do it in reality if the opportunity ever presented itself.
She didn't have long though before the sweet voice could be heard again behind her, "Bonjour cherie," and the process began again.
An hour later, soaked in sweat and sore as hell, Rogue climbed the stairs to the control room and shut down the program, enacting her passwords once again. As she leaned over the keyboard she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and she shot up straight as Logan began to speak.
"You know, vengeance isn't always the best answer kid."
She spun around and glared at him, her hair disheveled and her eyes flashing in anger. "How long have ya been in here?" she demanded, her voice low and angry.
"Long enough," he replied taking a puff off the cigar, removing it from his mouth and staring at the glowing end. "Why didn't you tell me?" he finally asked, his voice low and hurt.
"Bout what?" Rogue asked turning back to the monitor, helping he'd know enough to stop where he was.
He didn't.
"About your son."
Rogue bristled and turned to glare at him, closing the program with her right hand. "Because he's none of yer business Wolverine," she all but growled back angered by the fact that he had the audacity to feel hurt because she hadn't shared something from her life with him when there was a ocean full of his past he'd never shared with her.
"Of course it's my business," he growled rising, angry she'd used his code name.
"Really? Care ta tell meh how?" she challenged, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring him down, something most were terrified to do.
"Cause I'm your friend," he answered.
"Really? Is it cause you're mah friend, or cause ya wish ya were somethin' more?" Rogue asked, her eyes colder than Bobby in winter.
Logan was taken aback and looked at her in shock. For several minutes they both just stood there in silence. Finally he opened his mouth and went to speak again. "Marie…" he was quickly cut off.
"Ah ain't Marie no more Logan," she stated glaring at him. "Wasn't fer a long tahme before Ah evah came here so would ya stop callin' meh that?"
"Fine," he mumbled back at her, unsure what to say next, he was about to speak again when she beat him to it.
"Look it's alright. Jus' drop it okay? And Ah'd appreciate it if ya didn't go spreadin' it around the school. As of right now only ya and the Professah know and Ah'd lahke ta keep it that way okay?" she asked, a pleading look in her eyes.
"Fair enough," Logan replied and noticed the wave of relief wash over her face.
"Thanks Logan," she said and turned towards the door. She had her hand on the knob before he spoke again, stopping her in her tracks.
"What happened to him?"
Rogue paused, feeling the tears come to her eyes. "She killed him." It was barley over a whisper and she was gone and heading towards the showers long before it reached the Wolverine's ears, but he heard it, and all the pain behind it.
Authors Note: Admit it, you guys thought she was going to see Remy in the graveyard at first. Anyway, again let me emphasize how much of a one-shot this is not. I wouldn't do that to you all. And I was thinking, yeah this is depressing, but not nearly as bad as Mutant Stories From the Field was. And I know that cause I just re-read it a minute ago and yeah, even now I still cry like a newborn. Which is pretty bad since I wrote it, but I digress. Are you guys liking these quick updates? Let's see how long I can keep it going. Please R&R (this means you specifically Ishandahalf!)