Oi, my fingers hurt from writing this chapter. I refused to let this be a short one again!
Disclaimer: I do own any of the characters in here, if I did they would all stop DYING in the comics.
Storm and Nightcrawler walked side by side through the mansion as they headed for the front door. Colossus, Angel, Psylocke, ShadowCat, and Jubilee were in charge of making sure the kids stayed in their room and did not come outside.
At the moment, Jean was also in charge of watching the kids, until they were sure she would be ready for battle. She still had laps in her memory and it was unsafe to send her out on the battle field.
"Are you alright, Liebe?" Nightcrawler asked Storm as he rested a hand on her shoulder. She nodded her head.
"I will be fine. The Professor said as soon as he joins us he will deal with the Shadow King. Hopefully, he will be able to lock that vile creature away for good." She answered as her hand began to shake. She didn't want to tell Kurt that she was terrified about going out there, but didn't want to be left behind. She knew she had to help get Rogue as for away from the Shadow King as possible. Storm shuddered as she started to remember her horrible encounter with the Shadow King.
"You do not need to worry. I vill not let him near you." Nightcrawler smiled at her. Cyclops, Wolverine, and Gambit were already at the front door and exited the mansion. They were followed by the Scarlet Witch, Pyro, Iceman, Polaris, and Quicksilver. Beast remained in the Med. Lab settling up equipment in case of an emergency.
On the grounds of the mansion, they saw a man that had to be in his late teens standing next to Rogue, who was glaring at all of them. The man smirked as he watched Storm exit the mansion. "Why hello, Storm. Long time no see."
Ororo took a step back as Nightcrawler stood in front of her protectively. 'I can do this.' She reminded herself. "You have a lot of nerve showing your face here and taking Rogue." Storm called to the Shadow King as she took a step forward next to Kurt.
The Shadow King began to laugh at her. "It is so cute how you are trying to act tough when you are so frightened you can barely breathe. I had thought about reclaiming you." He spoke as he took Rogue's hand in his. Gambit pulled out his bo staff and extended it. Sparks of pink kinetic energy flew off the tip.
"But I have claimed I much better prize." He told the group as he spun Rogue in front of him and kissed her passionately. Wolverine snarled as he saw the act and unsheathed his claws. The group looked in disgust as he broke away from the kiss. None of their anger combined, however could compare to Gambit's.
"Why don' y' leave de femme alone, y' perverted old son of a-" Remy was cut off by Wolverine who finished his sentence as he charged at the Shadow King.
"Bitch!" Wolverine yelled as he leapt at the Shadow King, but was held in midair by a gloved hand around his neck. He looked down and saw Rogue had stopped his attack and then threw him back at the group.
The team stared in shock as Rogue stood defensively in front of the Shadow King. Her pitch-black eyes watching their every single move and waiting for them to attack.
"Wow, Rogue's been working out." Iceman commented as Polaris helped Wolverine up.
"You can't stop us, you fools. Once we have destroyed you and your mentor, the world will be ours." The Shadow King laughed at them.
"Wow, that was lame." The Scarlet Witch rolled her eyes.
"He's a bad guy, so he is allowed to get away with the lame quotes." Pyro whispered to her.
"Don't forget the long speeches about their plans while the hero goes to defeat them." Lorna added.
Inside the Mansion-Upper Level Hallway
All the X-Men in charge of making sure that the children stayed safe stood in the hallway guarding the rooms. Angel and Jean stood at the window watching the people outside. "Okay, like, everyone is in their rooms." ShadowCat told Psylocke, Colossus, and Jubilee.
"Well, our parts over. Maybe we could join them?" Jubilee looked over at Psylocke.
"We were told to make sure nothing happens to the children, luv. If something happens outside, we'll help then." The British woman told the younger girl.
"It looks like they are doing fine." Angel stated to the others while watching the battle unfold.
"They'll win and get Rogue back in no time, I bet." ShadowCat said as she walked over to the window and peered outside to watch the battle.
What the bloody hell is going on? They heard a voice say from behind them. Jubilee smiled as she turned to see Jono coming down the hallway.
"It's alright, hun. There is just a battle going on outside and we are making sure the kids stay safe." She answered as she went to hug him.
What? Does this happen a lot here? He asked her as she took a step back.
"Oh, you get uses to it after a while. Here people get kidnaped, captured, crazy people appear out of no where and want to destroy the world, you know all the fun stuff." ShadowCat answered for her friend.
Oi, how do yer handle it? Chamber asked as he turned back to Jubilee.
"Like she said, it takes time, but you get use to it after a while." Jubilee said as they went over to the window to look out.
"When did Rogue learn to fly?" Colossus asked.
"Maybe it has something to do with that Shadow Freak." ShadowCat suggested just as Angel moved away from the window and walked over to Psylocke.
"How are you doing?" He asked his girlfriend as he kissed her on the cheek.
"I am doing well. I must admit this is very odd situation." She responded to Angel. "I was talking to Storm yesterday and she told me about a few things like this happened around here before."
"Yeah, I've heard a few things also. The guy that is responsible for me losing my wings is here and they actually defended that murderer." Angel said bitterly as Betsy ran a hand across his cheek.
"Gambit?" She asked him.
"Yeah, how did you-" Angel began to ask her, but she placed a finger over his lips.
"Ororo told me about his involvement with the massacre. She also said that he was mislead and manipulated into doing it and when he found out what was happening he tried to stop it. The man really responsible for the massacre is a man named, Mr. Sinister. She said that when Gambit stayed here months ago, she could hear him get up in the middle of the night from the nightmares." Psylocke told him.
Angel looked at her surprised. He had thought Gambit had gone down there with the Marauders to kill the Morlocks on purpose. The others had told him that it wasn't Gambit's fault for the massacre, but he had ignored them. Hearing Betsy say it made him finally realize what Lorna, Bobby, and Sarah had said earlier was true. "I think I'll apologize when this is over." He said quietly. They had not notice Jean walk past them.
Outside the Mansion
"Enough-talk-lets-just-fight!" Quicksilver yelled as he raced Rogue and the Shadow King. Rogue stood her group and waited for the right moment to strike. She had a hard time keeping track of his movement. When he stopped in front of her to try to drag her away from the Shadow King, she punched him in the face and sent him flying back. Luckily, Storm's wind eased his fall.
The Shadow King smirked as he watched the scene. Her friends were afraid to harm her, which gave him an advantage over them. In the end, he would have her kill them and she would do as commanded. He was so wrapped up in watching her as she charged her friends, he did not see Gambit stand in front of him, until an explosive card knocked him off his feet.
"Why don' y' find somethin' else to do, besides stalkin' young filles?" Gambit said in a low angry voice. It was bad enough that Malice had taken over her mind, but now Rogue had to suffer because of this monster.
"And who is going to stop me? You? I could take you down with a blink of an eye." The Shadow King snarled as he sent a psyche blast at Gambit, but the blast was blocked by a stronger force.
"You will leave my family and home now." Xavier said to the Shadow King as he wheeled closer to his enemy.
Just a few feet away, Iceman dodged out of Rogue's way and she swooped down to attack him. "Rogue is not supposed to be flying. Someone make her stop." Iceman called to one of his team mates.
"She must have absorbed someone with flight and strength." Polaris commented as she flew down to stand next to her boyfriend. She had taken apart the metal gate and wrapped it around Rogue to hold the young southern girl in place, but Rogue broke out of it.
"There has ta be a way ta get her down and stop attackin'." Wolverine growled as he came near Rogue cautiously. "Rogue, darlin. It's me, Logan. Ya remember me, right?" He asked as Rogue turned to look at him. She stared at him for a second, before flying at him and sending him into the mansion. Gambit came back to the group and was shocked that Rogue had actually thrown Logan into the wall. Out of everyone in the mansion she trusted, she trusted him the most.
"How-do-we-stop-her-without-getting-our-asses-kicked?" Pietro asked Cyclops, who shook his head.
"I could use my optic blast on her, but that might hurt her. The thing we can do is try to hold her off until the Professor has defeated the Shadow King." The leader of the X-Men answered. He glanced over at the other battle and saw the Professor had a hand on his forehead and the Shadow King was trying to run at him, but a light-blue force field was in his way. While he had been watching the other battle, he did not notice Rogue coming right at him. The southern girl was about to knock him off his feet until she stopped in midair.
"Vhat happened?" Nightcrawler asked as he bamfed next to Cyclops. He was going to teleport Scott away from Rogue when he lost his reason to.
"Ms. Grey?" Iceman whispered as he looked at the door and saw Jean holding her hand out. She had been able to stop Rogue from attacking Cyclops at the right moment.
The Shadow King was not having any luck against Xavier. The quick glance at Rogue told him that she had finally been stopped. The other mutant had been able to match his power and more. "Fine, if I can't beat you here. I will take the girl and boy with me to stay on the Astral Plane for all eternity and let you live with your guilt!" He shouted as the body he was using fell limp to the ground. A few seconds later, Rogue's body did the same.
Jean gently lowered Rogue into Gambit's awaiting arms. "Gambit'll take her to de Med Lab." He said to no one in particular. The only thing on his mind was getting Rogue back to her normal self. Seeing her like this tore him up inside.
"Professor, what are we going to do?" Storm asked as she walked over to her mentor. She felt ashamed that she didn't do anything during the battle. She couldn't use her lightening on Rogue in fear of hurting the girl.
"We must go into the Astral Plane and get Rogue and his young man's minds back." He answered her. "We must get this gentlemen to the Med Lab, tell Cyclops to have everyone meet in the War Room, I will be needing all the telepaths here to help me on the Astral Plane." Xavier told her as Kurt bamfed near them and picked up the young and teleported him to the Med Lab.
"Professor, I have a question." Storm stopped him as he began to wheel toward the mansion.
"Yes, what is it?" He asked as she walked beside him.
"Can Empaths enter the Astral Plane?" She asked him. Everyone was already inside the mansion and most likely either in the Med Lab or went to find the others.
"Empaths are not common. But from what I've read they are able to connect with people's emotions. If one were to connect with a telepath I do believe he or she could enter the Astral Plane." He responded to her question. "Why do you ask?"
Storm hesitated for a moment. 'I promised I would not tell anyone, but I'm sure he won't mind.' She thought to herself. "I do know of someone that does that have skill that would help us. But he uses it some of the time and doesn't tell anyone about it really." She answered.
Xavier raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling he knew whom Storm was talking about. "Hopefully we can convince him to help us." He told her as they entered the mansion.
Thirty Minutes Later in the War Room
Everyone sat in the War Room waiting for the Professor to arrive. Hank had temporally kicked everyone out of the Med Lab due to it being over crowded with people. Gambit had not said a word to anyone, the only thing he wanted to do was go back into the Med Lab and watch over Rogue.
"Thank you all for coming." Xavier greeted them as he entered the room. He noticed that Jubilee had brought Chamber along with her. "As you all know we have to go into the Astral Plane and get Rogue and the young man the Shadow King possessed back. I can not do this alone. I will be needing help." He stated.
"I will go with." Jean spoke up. Scott looked at her with a concerned look.
"I don't know if that is such a good idea. I mean you-" He began to say when she cut him off.
"-She won't be alone, I'm going with her. I'll make sure nothing happens, luv." Psylocke told Scott, who still looked hesitant.
"Thank you both." The Professor smiled at the two women.
"Hey, you're part telepath, you could go." Jubilee whispered to Jono, who looked at her.
I only know a little about me telepathy. I ain't that good at it yet He responded to her. Truthfully, he was afraid to go.
"Jono, please. They need your help. Rogue is my best friend and I don't want to lose her. I've heard the Astral Plane is a bit scary, but the Professor, Jean, and Psylocke will be there to help. They won't abandon you there." She said to him, giving him her best sad puppy dog look. "Please, for me." She whispered.
Count me in, Professor. Chamber said as he leaned back into his chair. There was something about Jubilee that made him cave in everytime she asked him something.
"Thank you." She smiled as she hugged him.
"Thank you, Chamber. You are all dismissed, except for Gambit. I wish to speak with you." Charles told the group.
The group of X-Men, except for Storm who stayed behind, quickly left the War Room and most of them headed for the Med Lab to see if they could finally enter.
"What is it y' wanted to speak to moi about, Professor?" Gambit asked quietly. He was wondering why Storm hadn't left yet.
"Remy, I am sorry, but I told him one of your secrets." Storm apologized to him as she bowed her head. Gambit's eyes widened as he looked at her and began to wonder what exactly she told him.
"She told me you are an Empath, am I correct?" Xavier asked him as he folded his hands together on the table.
'Stormy, y' blabber mouth. Gambit never tellin' y' nothin' ever again.' Remy thought to himself as he turned to the Professor. "Oui, but use it every now and den. Most of de time I got my shields blockin' it off." He told the Professor.
"From what I believe, you maybe able to help us get Rogue back." Xavier saw the younger man's red eyes light up. "If you could let down your shields and connect with one of the telepaths when we enter the Astral Plane, you could join us." The Professor explained to him.
Gambit hated the thought of someone being able to enter his head while his shields were down. 'Mais, if it gets Rogue back, it's worth it.' He thought to himself. "Gambit'll do it." He nodded to the Professor.
"Very good. I will see you in Cerebro in ten minutes." He smiled at the younger man as he exited the War Room.
"Remy, I am sorry I told him. But this at least gives you a chance to help Rogue." Storm apologized to him.
"It's alright, Stormy. And like y' said, at least now Gambit can help her instead of sittin' dere helpless." He smiled at her as she walked over to stand next to him. He stood up and hugged her. "Merci for dat. Though could y' do moi a favor while I'm in dat Astral Place?" He asked her.
"Of course." She told him as she took a step back from him. A smirk appeared on her face. "As long as you stop calling me Stormy."
"But dat name fits y' so well, Stormy." He teased her.
"I swear I'll send you to the Astral Plane without the Professor's help if you call me that one more time." She tried to threaten him, but was having a hard time holding back a smile. "What is it you want me to do?" She asked him as he began to explain to her.
Outside of Cerebro
"Jean, I don't think it is such a good idea for you to go." Scott told her as he rested a hand on her shoulder. He had already lost her once and was afraid of losing her again because of something going wrong in the Astral Plane.
Jean smiled at him as she placed a hand on his cheek. "I will be fine, Scott. You don't need to worry." She told him as she leaned in to kiss him. He was surprised by her actions. He knew parts of her memory were coming back, but he wondered if she knew exactly what she was doing. 'Unless she remembers about us.' He thought to herself as she pulled away.
"I remember I had loved you before, and now I am remembering why. You are so caring and concerned about me." She told him as she leaned her forehead against his chest as he held her close.
"I love you, Jean. I always have and always will." He told her.
End of Chapter 13
Special Thanks to: bored247, loneraven, WolvGambit Le Diable Blanc, Miss Elisa Tenant, Roguechere (actually Gabrielle Haller is Legions mother, though I wouldn't be surprised if he did have a child with Lilandra), Chica De Los Ojos Café, sakura5tar, enchantedlight, dawn1, and firestorm13 (hugs you all) thank you so much for reviewing the last chapter :)