Disclaimer: Don't own the X-Men. Do own both Blaze and Raven.
12
Epilogue
Eight months later…The sun shone lazily down on the little house with its long front porch and its freshly painted white picket fence, wrapping it in golden honeydew. It was the only house on this country lane, out beyond Westchester and the school known as Xavier's. Secluded, private and safe, a world all of its own. The lawn was mowed in careful stripes, the name of the cottage painted carefully on the white gate. They'd named it 'Haven'.
The woman knelt on the grass wore gloves for one reason alone. The roses she pruned were savage ones; she already had the stab marks to prove it. Singing to herself Rogue dropped the shears to the grass besides her and brushed her hair out of her face with the back of one glove. It was getting late; they'd all be here soon…
"Damn it! I'm just not cut out for starting fires." Bobby was laughing despite himself, rubbing charcoal from his fingers over his forehead as he scratched his brow in perplexity. Rogue laughed too. He'd been messing with that barbeque all afternoon, stacking and restacking the coals, pouring on fuel. Still he'd had no luck getting the thing going. At this rate nothing would be ready.
The roar of a car engine dragged Rogue's eyes down the lane to see who was coming, as absently she tugged off her gloves and ran a finger over her power-negating collar. A small stampede surged out of the house and past her onto the lane and Bobby called out to be careful.
"Who'd you reckon it is?" She asked, raising a hand to block out the setting sun as she looked at him.
"Driving like that, its Blaze or Logan." He replied, stretching languishingly. "Either will do, both can get this thing started better than I can. Kids will you watch out, that car's dangerous…"
Two of the three children turned and glanced back at their mentor in acknowledgement. The third, a teenage boy called Leon, was too busy jumping up and down on the spot as he recognised his friend Jessica in the approaching car. They were three special cases, three mutant children so disturbed by a combination of their radical powers and their pasts that they just couldn't fit in, even at the Xavier School.
There had been plans going back decades now to when Xavier first opened his doors, to have somewhere like this. A sanctuary, a secret retreat for a small number of children who needed more individual attention. There had never been too much call for it before, or anyone to run it. Now there were both and Rogue had never been busier. A month after she and Bobby had moved in, as many of her friends as could be spared at the school were on their way for a housewarming barbeque. The children were happy, had made progress in leaps and bounds. And finally she and Bobby were actually engaged.
"Eugh! I'm carsick! Seriously!" Jessica lurched out of her mother's convertible clutching her stomach comically, clearly acting. "Mom, you drive like a maniac!"
"Thought you'd be used to it by now." Blaze responded with a smile, ruffling Jessie's hair. "Need a hand with that fire Bobby?" Iceman didn't even get chance to nod as the charcoal burst into exuberant flames a foot and a half high.
"Very funny Laura…" Bobby chipped, "If my eyebrows are singed…"
"It'll be an improvement!" Blaze replied, going to Bobby's side at the barbeque to take over the cooking.
"Nah didn't get to bring Scruffy. Dad reckoned he'd probably go straight inside and poop on the new carpet." Jessica shrugged as Leon laughed silently. He couldn't speak; part of his serpent-like mutation that gave him hinged fangs and venom that could kill a man. The younger kids at Haven Cottage very much followed his lead, and he adored the attention almost as much as he adored Jessica. Gambit shot his daughter a grin, wedging his hands in his jeans pockets as Rogue turned to him.
"You like it?" She asked shyly, wondering why she cared so much about getting the approval of the X-Men for Haven. Gambit nodded sincerely, before he replied. "It too quiet though. An' how you gonna manage wit' no basketball court?"
"Oh I think we'll get by." Rogue giggled. "Not tempted you and Blaze to follow our example?"
"Non, merci." Gambit rolled his eyes. "Not our scene. Besides, don't go telling Wolverine but we kinda like the live-in babysitters…"
"Ain't Jess gettin' a bit old for needin' a sitter? Especially up at the school, doesn't she dorm with the other girls?" Rogue met Gambit's eyes with mild confusion, bewildered by the sly smile on his face. "Remy, what aren't you tellin' me?"
"Nothin'…" He shrugged, looking over to meet Blaze's eyes. The redhead shook her pretty head at him and smiled. "What's to eat, I'm starved…" The Cajun wandered off, leaving Rogue no less bewildered. Unless…
"Hey Raven, do you know what's up with your folks?" Rogue asked the child conspiratively, as Leon and Rogue's other young charges went running off to collect his new bike to show.
"Yep," Jessica nodded definitely, "But I'm sworn to secrecy."
"Why?" Rogue wanted to know, acknowledging Bobby beckoning her over to the adults with a wave of her hand. Gambit was dishing up three beers, whilst Bobby iced them and Blaze, with lemonade, examined what needed cooking.
"'Cause its your big day, yours and Bobby's." Jessica shrugged. "Showin' the cottage off and everythin'. Dad didn't wanna upstage you."
"Upstage me?" She'd gotten a house, gotten engaged, practically adopted three kids and finally worked out a way around her powers. How could Gambit possibly upstage her? But Jessie was gone, cooing jealously over Leon's pedal bike just a little too loudly, prompting her parents to make a joint pre-emptive "No." in her direction. At their combined effort, Blaze and Gambit met each other's eyes laughing. Bobby left them to their less than appropriate kiss and came down to Rogue's side.
"I know something you don't know…" Bobby whispered in her ear, warm breath tickling her skin before he kissed it. Rogue wrapped his arms around her possessively, craning her neck to encourage the soft touch of his lips as she asked "What?"
"That I love you." Bobby teased, giggling as she rolled her eyes. "I knew that, stupid!" Marie insisted. "What's up with them? Jessie said they wont say 'cause Gambit doesn't want to upstage me or something?"
"Ah well, it's a good job Blaze isn't bothered then, though I think Gambit would let her get away with anything about now…" Bobby knew he was winding Rogue up by being cryptic, and he was enjoying every second.
"That's nothin' new." Rogue countered, "Tell me Bobby, or you're sleepin' on the porch tonight…" He raised an eyebrow at her, just a small reminder to amend her threat. "Alone, Bobby Drake. Out here alone."
"Okay." Bobby kissed her, blue eyes still sparkling. "But you gotta keep it a secret. Blaze is pregnant again…"
"Oh." Rogue gasped, meeting Gambit's eyes without meaning to and letting on instantly that she knew. Remy said something hastily to Laura, who shrugged and smiled sweetly.
"Rogue?" Bobby asked huskily, dragging her eyes away from the Cajun and back to his. "Do you ever want kids? Not right now I mean, obviously, but perhaps someday?"
Rogue just gaped at him. What a question! Eight months ago she hadn't been able to even remember what it was like to touch someone and not have them afraid… But then again a lot had happened in the last eight months. And she would be lying if she said she'd never dreamed about it…
The Southern belle shook her head playfully, pushing Bobby back towards their friends. "Hey I got enough problems around here lookin' after you, Bobby Drake. Ask me again when I got you housetrained, okay love?" Bobby only laughed with her, and agreed to that deal.
Not long after more cars arrived, and the extended family sat on the lawn or on deck chairs under the subtle sunset. Laughter was the music they created, from the giggles of the children that molested Rogue's prized roses, to the paternal chortles of Logan, Remy and Scott. With Bobby's arm draped around her bare shoulders, in front of the little house she'd always dreamed of, Rogue was contented. What was there left that she could ever want from life? She couldn't think of anything as Gambit winked suggestively at her from across the table and Bobby kissed her cheek. She was home.
#The End#