Title: Reality
Author: Victoria (atlantic_iced_tea@hotmail.com)
Rating: PG-13 to be safe
Summary: a freak happening transports Marie and Scott into an alternate dimension, leading Marie to discover a thing or two about both her fearless leader and also Logan.
Feedback: is my drug of choice, even ahead of chocolate munchies and David Boreanaz. Well, maybe not David.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters - Marvel, Fox and a bunch of lawyers do. But I bet they don't have half as much fun with them as I do.
Author's Note: A little different to my previous Logan/Marie fic's, I hope you like it. It's probably best if you read the preceding three stories first though - "Waiting", "Watching" and "Singular Moments".
***************
Marie was out in the gardens, sitting on a bench still cold from the morning's frost. It was early, and most people were still in bed. She hadn't been able to sleep though, the conversation she had with Professor Xavier the previous afternoon still replaying in her mind.
She had sat silently in the hallway outside his office, her feet restlessly tapping against the wooden chair legs underneath her. Marie could hear the soft lilt of laughter of the other students drifting through the deserted hallways, filling the school with a vibrancy that could only emerge from the enthusiasm of children who, despite their mutations, were filled with hope and contentment.
Settling deep into the armchair, Marie breathed in slowly, closing her eyes for a moment and imagining that she too could feel the same easiness as her peers. They were young and innocent, their exposure to the harsh world limited to say the least. They didn't fully know what life held in store for 'people like them'.
She was different, could never feel that same sort of complacency. Marie lived with the knowledge and fear that no matter how bad life was for mutants at the moment, it would inevitably worsen. Through the memories of Magneto that she still possessed, she felt his pain as a boy in the grey concentration camp, the fear and the persecution he endured. She was in no doubt that she too would endure that same type of living torture soon enough.
Her musing had been abruptly interrupted by a message from the Professor.
"You may come in now, Rogue." She still wasn't used to the way in which the wheelchair-bound Xavier could transmit his thoughts. It was a strange sensation, having another person in her already crowded mind. She was thankful though that he didn't poke around in there, to try to uncover things she would prefer lay undisturbed. She had secrets that belonged to no one but herself, secrets that belonged to David, to Magneto and even to Logan. She was afraid to look inside herself to discover some of those truths. Yes, those things best lay undisturbed.
She pushed herself out of the chair, her gloved fingers curving around the armrest for support. She wanted for a moment to slip the satin gloves off and to touch the dark mahogany, to experience touch, feel the cool polished surface. It was nothing compared to contact with another person, but it was all the small pleasure she was afforded.
Instead though, she shrugged off the foolish notion and walked into the Professor's office, closing the tall wooden door behind her.
For the three years she had been at the mansion, Xavier had tutored her in trying to control her mutation, to find an 'off' switch buried somewhere deep within the troubled confines of her mind. There wasn't one. He had told her as much yesterday. He broke the news gently, kindly even, but it didn't matter. All Marie knew was that the secret hope she had housed for three years had disintegrated. She could never touch another living person the rest of her life. She would never fall in love - who could, with someone that they couldn't even hold? She would never fit into human society. She would never have children. And now she knew beyond a doubt that she would never have Logan. Not that she had ever really thought that she could, but it was a dream she had, one that she wished with all her heart might one day come true. Well, the conversation yesterday in the Professor's study had extinguished the last flicker of hope for that dream.
That hadn't been the only bombshell dropped. She was nearing the end of her time at Xavier's - as a student at least, he had told her. There were a few options for graduating mutants. They could go away to college if they wanted, or out into the real world to earn a living. Well, for Marie, those options were pretty much null and void. She would probably choose to stay on at the school, help out, maybe even become one of the X-Men one day. But that way. it just didn't seem right, not for her.
She felt like she needed to get away from Westchester, if just for a little while, but there was nowhere for her to go. Sighing, she heard the sound of footsteps on the frosted grass approaching from behind. Quickly she rubbed her red eyes with a crumpled tissue and tried to compose herself. Maybe whoever it was would not even stop to speak to her, and she would be safe from prying eyes and minds.
Marie sat still, staring into the clear blue sky as she felt a figure slide down next to her. It wasn't Logan, that was for sure. That man walked like the Wolverine should, predatory and powerful. Not this person though.
"Rogue." The greeting was short but friendly. She turned around to face the leader of the X-Men.
"Morning, Mr Summers."
After she had first arrived at the school she had absorbed Logan's healing powers twice. In addition to this she had acquired some of his more 'charming' personality traits for a brief, yet memorable, time. Apart from an insatiable craving for cigars, liquor and Jean, this had included an incredible and unfounded dislike for Scott Summers. Something about the man rubbed Logan the wrong way, and though Marie had been unable to understand it, she had ended up glaring at the man in the halls and swearing under her breath. It had all culminated in a rather unfortunate incident that she preferred not to think about. As a result, she had barely spoken to him since the last remnants of Logan's personality had dissipated, even though Scott seemed to be very understanding about the whole thing.
He was pretty much the last person she wanted to see that morning, her eyes puffy from crying and skin sallow. She wasn't in the mood to see anyone. That's the reason she was sitting in an isolated patch of grounds at six in the morning, but he obviously didn't get that.
They sat for a few minutes in silence, and Marie was just about to make her excuses and leave when he turned to her, serious.
"The Professor told me about your conversation yesterday."
Marie didn't say a word; instead she just sat there. She cursed herself in her mind as she felt a tear well up in one of her eyes and slide its way down her cheek.
"The reason he told me. its because he thought maybe I could help."
She turned to him, uncertainty written on her face. He continued.
"I remember he had the same conversation with me - about my power. You and me, we're the same that way. Our mutations aren't like the others. We can't just forget about them - can't turn them off."
Marie watched as the fearless leader opened his heart to her, not stopping for breath as he poured out his story.
"I can never take these glasses off. And to begin with, I was so angry, so sad. But I got through it. I can still have a life, get on with things, but I have to be careful. We both do. I've seen you around the school - the way you carry yourself. You never let your guard down, your always thinking about other people, and what you could do to them if you stopped concentrating for even just a second."
"I just don't want anyone to get hurt."
"Rogue."
Rogue. To the others at the school, the students and teachers, that was her name. At home it had been Marie, and so it was in her mind, but to no one else. Except Logan. He called her Marie. She had seen it in his mind that night on the Statue of Liberty. He called her Marie.
"Rogue?" Scott was looking at her.
"A'm sorry, what?" she asked in her sweet Southern accent, softened over time but still discernable.
"I asked you if you wanted to talk?" she smiled gently at him.
"Ah thought we already were."
Scott smiled back.
"Have you eaten breakfast yet?"
"I don't really eat breakfast."
Scott stared at her, a mixture of shock and disgust on his face.
"You don't eat breakfast? Its the most important meal of the day!" Now Marie remembered one of the main reasons Logan disliked this man. His eternal Boy-Scout-ness. And she knew that wasn't a real word, but she didn't care. It described the boy wonder, as Logan might call him, perfectly. But it was nice in a way. That he cared.
"Come on, let's head back and I can make sure you eat some eggs or something." Marie smiled.
"Ok"
Together they stood and started to head back to the mansion when a sudden snapping noise startled them. Scott froze for a moment, and then motioned for Marie to stay where she stood as he crept into the tangled thicket of tree's behind them. He had cause to be alarmed. Support behind the Mutant Registration Act was at its highest ever, and attacks on mutants by vigilante humans were becoming more and more frequent. In addition to that, the Brotherhood was becoming increasingly confident, and though none had managed to make it onto the school grounds yet, it was only a matter of time.
As he disappeared into the throng of branches, Marie gripped the top of the bench tightly. For a moment there was nothingness. No sound, no movement, no nothing. She waited for a minute, scared. Tentatively she called out.
"Mr Summers?" No answer. She moved forward slowly. She tried again. "Mr Summers?" Still nothing. She knew she should run to the mansion and tell them something was wrong, but she was drawn towards the thicket. Stepping into the woods she peered through the darkness trying to catch a glimpse of the leader of the X-Men. The thicket was empty. Making her way through the brush she could see the faint glow of blue in among a pile of leaves. She walked towards it, her heart beating fast. The darkness of the woods was claustrophobic, and a cool breeze ran through her auburn hair. She was drawn to the light, unable to stop her feet that seemed intent on taking her to it. It was as if the light was hypnotic, its power over her unquestionable.
As she reached the spot she crouched down and pulled off her glove. Reaching down to touch the thing, she heard Scott call out to her loudly. As she jumped from the shock, her fingertips brushed the blue light.
A flash of blinding blue caught Marie unaware, causing her to fall backwards, and as she fell, a pair of arms reached out to grab her. As she felt the fingers tighten on her arm, she realised that she couldn't see anything, couldn't feel anything - even the ground underfoot, except the strong hands encasing her. Time seemed to slow as she turned, squinting through the brightness. Blinking, she could vaguely make out the face of Scott Summers before everything went black.
Author: Victoria (atlantic_iced_tea@hotmail.com)
Rating: PG-13 to be safe
Summary: a freak happening transports Marie and Scott into an alternate dimension, leading Marie to discover a thing or two about both her fearless leader and also Logan.
Feedback: is my drug of choice, even ahead of chocolate munchies and David Boreanaz. Well, maybe not David.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters - Marvel, Fox and a bunch of lawyers do. But I bet they don't have half as much fun with them as I do.
Author's Note: A little different to my previous Logan/Marie fic's, I hope you like it. It's probably best if you read the preceding three stories first though - "Waiting", "Watching" and "Singular Moments".
***************
Marie was out in the gardens, sitting on a bench still cold from the morning's frost. It was early, and most people were still in bed. She hadn't been able to sleep though, the conversation she had with Professor Xavier the previous afternoon still replaying in her mind.
She had sat silently in the hallway outside his office, her feet restlessly tapping against the wooden chair legs underneath her. Marie could hear the soft lilt of laughter of the other students drifting through the deserted hallways, filling the school with a vibrancy that could only emerge from the enthusiasm of children who, despite their mutations, were filled with hope and contentment.
Settling deep into the armchair, Marie breathed in slowly, closing her eyes for a moment and imagining that she too could feel the same easiness as her peers. They were young and innocent, their exposure to the harsh world limited to say the least. They didn't fully know what life held in store for 'people like them'.
She was different, could never feel that same sort of complacency. Marie lived with the knowledge and fear that no matter how bad life was for mutants at the moment, it would inevitably worsen. Through the memories of Magneto that she still possessed, she felt his pain as a boy in the grey concentration camp, the fear and the persecution he endured. She was in no doubt that she too would endure that same type of living torture soon enough.
Her musing had been abruptly interrupted by a message from the Professor.
"You may come in now, Rogue." She still wasn't used to the way in which the wheelchair-bound Xavier could transmit his thoughts. It was a strange sensation, having another person in her already crowded mind. She was thankful though that he didn't poke around in there, to try to uncover things she would prefer lay undisturbed. She had secrets that belonged to no one but herself, secrets that belonged to David, to Magneto and even to Logan. She was afraid to look inside herself to discover some of those truths. Yes, those things best lay undisturbed.
She pushed herself out of the chair, her gloved fingers curving around the armrest for support. She wanted for a moment to slip the satin gloves off and to touch the dark mahogany, to experience touch, feel the cool polished surface. It was nothing compared to contact with another person, but it was all the small pleasure she was afforded.
Instead though, she shrugged off the foolish notion and walked into the Professor's office, closing the tall wooden door behind her.
For the three years she had been at the mansion, Xavier had tutored her in trying to control her mutation, to find an 'off' switch buried somewhere deep within the troubled confines of her mind. There wasn't one. He had told her as much yesterday. He broke the news gently, kindly even, but it didn't matter. All Marie knew was that the secret hope she had housed for three years had disintegrated. She could never touch another living person the rest of her life. She would never fall in love - who could, with someone that they couldn't even hold? She would never fit into human society. She would never have children. And now she knew beyond a doubt that she would never have Logan. Not that she had ever really thought that she could, but it was a dream she had, one that she wished with all her heart might one day come true. Well, the conversation yesterday in the Professor's study had extinguished the last flicker of hope for that dream.
That hadn't been the only bombshell dropped. She was nearing the end of her time at Xavier's - as a student at least, he had told her. There were a few options for graduating mutants. They could go away to college if they wanted, or out into the real world to earn a living. Well, for Marie, those options were pretty much null and void. She would probably choose to stay on at the school, help out, maybe even become one of the X-Men one day. But that way. it just didn't seem right, not for her.
She felt like she needed to get away from Westchester, if just for a little while, but there was nowhere for her to go. Sighing, she heard the sound of footsteps on the frosted grass approaching from behind. Quickly she rubbed her red eyes with a crumpled tissue and tried to compose herself. Maybe whoever it was would not even stop to speak to her, and she would be safe from prying eyes and minds.
Marie sat still, staring into the clear blue sky as she felt a figure slide down next to her. It wasn't Logan, that was for sure. That man walked like the Wolverine should, predatory and powerful. Not this person though.
"Rogue." The greeting was short but friendly. She turned around to face the leader of the X-Men.
"Morning, Mr Summers."
After she had first arrived at the school she had absorbed Logan's healing powers twice. In addition to this she had acquired some of his more 'charming' personality traits for a brief, yet memorable, time. Apart from an insatiable craving for cigars, liquor and Jean, this had included an incredible and unfounded dislike for Scott Summers. Something about the man rubbed Logan the wrong way, and though Marie had been unable to understand it, she had ended up glaring at the man in the halls and swearing under her breath. It had all culminated in a rather unfortunate incident that she preferred not to think about. As a result, she had barely spoken to him since the last remnants of Logan's personality had dissipated, even though Scott seemed to be very understanding about the whole thing.
He was pretty much the last person she wanted to see that morning, her eyes puffy from crying and skin sallow. She wasn't in the mood to see anyone. That's the reason she was sitting in an isolated patch of grounds at six in the morning, but he obviously didn't get that.
They sat for a few minutes in silence, and Marie was just about to make her excuses and leave when he turned to her, serious.
"The Professor told me about your conversation yesterday."
Marie didn't say a word; instead she just sat there. She cursed herself in her mind as she felt a tear well up in one of her eyes and slide its way down her cheek.
"The reason he told me. its because he thought maybe I could help."
She turned to him, uncertainty written on her face. He continued.
"I remember he had the same conversation with me - about my power. You and me, we're the same that way. Our mutations aren't like the others. We can't just forget about them - can't turn them off."
Marie watched as the fearless leader opened his heart to her, not stopping for breath as he poured out his story.
"I can never take these glasses off. And to begin with, I was so angry, so sad. But I got through it. I can still have a life, get on with things, but I have to be careful. We both do. I've seen you around the school - the way you carry yourself. You never let your guard down, your always thinking about other people, and what you could do to them if you stopped concentrating for even just a second."
"I just don't want anyone to get hurt."
"Rogue."
Rogue. To the others at the school, the students and teachers, that was her name. At home it had been Marie, and so it was in her mind, but to no one else. Except Logan. He called her Marie. She had seen it in his mind that night on the Statue of Liberty. He called her Marie.
"Rogue?" Scott was looking at her.
"A'm sorry, what?" she asked in her sweet Southern accent, softened over time but still discernable.
"I asked you if you wanted to talk?" she smiled gently at him.
"Ah thought we already were."
Scott smiled back.
"Have you eaten breakfast yet?"
"I don't really eat breakfast."
Scott stared at her, a mixture of shock and disgust on his face.
"You don't eat breakfast? Its the most important meal of the day!" Now Marie remembered one of the main reasons Logan disliked this man. His eternal Boy-Scout-ness. And she knew that wasn't a real word, but she didn't care. It described the boy wonder, as Logan might call him, perfectly. But it was nice in a way. That he cared.
"Come on, let's head back and I can make sure you eat some eggs or something." Marie smiled.
"Ok"
Together they stood and started to head back to the mansion when a sudden snapping noise startled them. Scott froze for a moment, and then motioned for Marie to stay where she stood as he crept into the tangled thicket of tree's behind them. He had cause to be alarmed. Support behind the Mutant Registration Act was at its highest ever, and attacks on mutants by vigilante humans were becoming more and more frequent. In addition to that, the Brotherhood was becoming increasingly confident, and though none had managed to make it onto the school grounds yet, it was only a matter of time.
As he disappeared into the throng of branches, Marie gripped the top of the bench tightly. For a moment there was nothingness. No sound, no movement, no nothing. She waited for a minute, scared. Tentatively she called out.
"Mr Summers?" No answer. She moved forward slowly. She tried again. "Mr Summers?" Still nothing. She knew she should run to the mansion and tell them something was wrong, but she was drawn towards the thicket. Stepping into the woods she peered through the darkness trying to catch a glimpse of the leader of the X-Men. The thicket was empty. Making her way through the brush she could see the faint glow of blue in among a pile of leaves. She walked towards it, her heart beating fast. The darkness of the woods was claustrophobic, and a cool breeze ran through her auburn hair. She was drawn to the light, unable to stop her feet that seemed intent on taking her to it. It was as if the light was hypnotic, its power over her unquestionable.
As she reached the spot she crouched down and pulled off her glove. Reaching down to touch the thing, she heard Scott call out to her loudly. As she jumped from the shock, her fingertips brushed the blue light.
A flash of blinding blue caught Marie unaware, causing her to fall backwards, and as she fell, a pair of arms reached out to grab her. As she felt the fingers tighten on her arm, she realised that she couldn't see anything, couldn't feel anything - even the ground underfoot, except the strong hands encasing her. Time seemed to slow as she turned, squinting through the brightness. Blinking, she could vaguely make out the face of Scott Summers before everything went black.