Warren circled high above the X-Mansion, holding Rogue tightly in his arms. The wind blew his blonde hair back as his wings pumped powerfully. He smiled at the beauty all around him and particularly, in his grip. Flying meant everything to him. The sky was his domain and he was its King. He looked down at Rogue who nervously clung to him.
"Warren…ah never saw the mansion like this before." Rogue gasped. It was true. The only time she had ever seen the X-mansion up high was in the jet and it faded away too quickly for her to appreciate it. "It's so beautiful."
"Yes, the view is quite beautiful." Warren answered, grinning even wider at her.
Rogue grinned sheepishly and playfully smacked his arm. "Just make sure we don't crash." She felt the adrenaline rush throughout her body and grinned as she felt the kiss of the wind upon her face. Rogue would have enjoyed a kiss from Warren much more, but she was content for now. She pointed to a shed near the mansion where a lot of the outdoor sports equipment was stored. Warren nodded and swooped downward. With a few more powerful wing beats, Warren landed softly a few feet away from the shed.
Rogue was surprised at how smooth the landing had been. "Wow Warren, ah think yah must be an angel. Yah fly like one."
Warren folded his wings behind his back and grinned. "You just didn't see me when I first tried. Don't think that tree will ever be the same again."
Rogue laughed as she went inside the shed and brought out a sled. It was big enough for two but not that big. "Now what was that yah said about pullin me?" She grinned.
"Lie down on your stomach and hold on to the edges." Warren instructed. He stood in front of the sled and began fashioning the pull rope around his ankles. "And Rogue, remember how I told you to hold on tight while we were flying?"
"Yah." Rogue answered, getting herself in the position Warren told her to.
"Well, hold on even tighter now. Because I'll have absolutely no control over where the sled leans." Warren chuckled, began beating his wings.
Rogue didn't like the way that sounded. "Maybe this isn't such a good…" Rogue didn't have time to finish before Warren took off, pulling the sled behind him. "Whoooooa!" Rogue cried as she gripped the sled for her life. It depended on which way she leaned, to the left, and to the right as Warren flew on ahead, pulling the sled at breakneck speed. Rogue didn't even want to think about the word breakneck right about now.
Scott and Jean, who had gone inside happened to glance outside the window and watch as Angel and Rogue made their way into the woods. "Wow, that looks like a neat idea." Jean commented as she stirred her hot chocolate.
"Looks like a dangerous idea." Scott replied, staring in concern out the window. "What's his deal with Rogue anyway."
"I think he likes her Scott." Jean answered. "I kind of sensed that he had some affection for her."
"Affection for Rogue? What is he nuts?" Cyclops scoffed. "I mean come on. One little touch and your knocked out cold. Not to mention ever getting on her bad side."
"Yeah, that girl can hold a serious grudge." Jean agreed. "I think they'll both end up getting hurt if this continues."
"I'll talk to him when they get back." Scott replied. "I'll see if I can straighten things out before they get out of hand."
"Yeah and I'll talk to Rogue Scott. Can you imagine what would happen if they kissed. I don't think Warren has any idea of how dangerous it is to be around her. A tragedy might happen. Did you hear what Logan said? They slept on the couch together. What if Rogue had killed him?"
"That could have definitely happened, they should have been more responsible." Scott answered. Scott sighed as Jean wrapped her arms around his waist. He was the voice of reason in this crazy mansion they called home. Scott had always taken on the responsibility of keeping the others in line and knew this issue wouldn't be resolved easily.
Rogue felt a surge of relief as Warren slowed down in front of an enormous hill. Going through the forest hadn't exactly been a picnic. It had been exhilarating but Rogue had had enough for one day. Well, at least the view was good. She had spent almost the entire time holding on for dear life…and checking out Warren's nice…firm…ss.
"Ah what a good work out." Warren sighed satisfied. He began untying the string from around his ankles.
"Ah think ah left my stomach back at that tree yah almost hit." Rogue said, woozily trying to stand up. Rogue spun about, trying to gain her equilibrium back. She lurched forward and Warren caught her in his arms just in time.
"My dear Rogue, I do believe you did that on purpose." Warren chuckled as he held her.
"And what if ah did?" Rogue teased.
"I'm not complaining one bit." Warren smiled at her. He looked into her face and noticed too late the mischievous look in her eyes.
Rogue had a snowball hidden behind her back and she had smooshed it all over the top of Warren's head. "Gotcha!" She squealed and began running.
Warren smoothed the snow out of his hair, bent down, grabbed some snow of his own, made a snowball and hit her right in the back. "Don't think I'm going to go easy on you after that trick!"
"Ah won't don't worry!" Rogue replied, throwing another one that hit him square in the chest.
Warren ducked behind a tree and Rogue did the same. They threw snowballs at each other, dodging and hiding until Warren flew into the air and swooped down upon Rogue, tackling her to the ground. The two wrestled playfully until Warren had Rogue pinned underneath him.
"No fair." Rogue said laughing and half-heartedly struggling.
"Tell me if you object." Warren answered, brushing strands of white hair out of her face.
"Ah don't…" Rogue replied as Warren closed his eyes and leaned closer to her. Rogue shuddered and closed her eyes too, lost in the moment. Every feeling she had in her body and mind wanted to kiss Warren. But something inside her screamed a warning. She remembered the night she had touched Cody, how he reeled in pain and the look on his face. She would never forget that look; it was one of torture and agony. She broke out of the trance and turned her head so that Warren kissed her hair instead of her lips. "Please don't do this Warren. Ah don't want ta hurt you." Rogue pleaded, tears forming in her eyes.
Warren snapped out of his own trance and stared deeply in her eyes. She looked so sad, so tormented.
"Rogue, if you don't want this…" Warren said, fear filling his heart. She seemed like she felt the same way about him that he felt about her. Was he wrong?
"It's not that ah don't want ta Warren, ah just don't want ta hurt yah." Rogue said as Warren helped her up. "Ah don't want yah ta kiss me Warren. Ah couldn't handle it if ah…"
Warren took her by the shoulders and made her look him in the face. "Rogue, I know what your powers can do, but would you if you didn't have them?"
"God there are so many thing's ahd do if ah didn't havem." Rogue said dreamily as she sat with Warren.
Warren raised an eyebrow and grinned.
"But kissen yah would be the first thing Warren." Rogue smiled. "No one's eva made me feel like yah do. No one's eva tried. Yah treat me like normal, not like ahm poisen. Ah felt for a long time like no one would ever want me, and ahd always be alone."
"Oh Rogue." Warren whispered, wrapping an arm around her. "I don't know why you always insist on being normal, when it's obvious to me that you were born to stand out. You shine with a radiance that puts the sun to shame. I didn't think I'd ever find someone quite like you. I thought I'd be alone too, or be surrounded by fakes who didn't like me for my money and not for who I am. But then you found me, and like an idiot angel, I fell for you. Relationships are more than just physical touching Rogue. I'm willing to try being with you if you're ready."
"Oh Warren, yah mean it?" Rogue asked, hope filling her eyes as well as tears of joy. She hadn't thought this to be real. She hadn't thought someone like Warren could ever care for someone like her.
Warren nodded. "I couldn't stop thinking about you. Tell me you thought of me as well?"
"Ah did Warren, but ah nevah thought you'd eva come back. Nevah thought yah would feel that way fa me. Ah mean, ah can't touch yah, we can't even kiss."
"Why don't we take things slow?" Warren suggested. "Let me take you out to dinner tonight. I'll show you that I'm serious about us."
"Ahd like that." Rogue answered. She wished more than ever that she could give Warren a kiss that wouldn't hurt, that wouldn't drain his life away. Rogue placed her gloved hand across his lips once again, and kissed the back of her hand. "Thank yah Warren, no one's eva been that kind ta me."
Warren gave her shoulder a tender squeeze. "Well, I'm here for you now." Warren whispered. "Both of us don't need to feel alone anymore."
"Are those two for real?" Boom Boom sighed in disgust, looking through the binoculars. "Tell me again, why we're spying on those two instead of chowing down?"
Quicksilver had carried Boom Boom and ran to the Xavier mansion to see if they could find any clues to form a plan. They had followed Rogue and Angel through the woods and were hiding behind a group of trees, using binoculars to spy on the two. Quicksilver grabbed the binoculars from Boom Boom and looked into them himself. "Because my father wants us to plan and you don't want to mess with him. Especially when he expects something to happen." He watched as Rogue and Angel began sledding together. "Your right though, any more of this mushy stuff and I'm likely to barf."
"There going out tonight right?" Boom Boom pointed out annoyed. "We follow them, I distract that handsome rich hunk, you grab Rogue, and we head out, planning done."
"Do all women just care about money and power?" Quicksilver rolled his eyes. "Or is it just you?"
Boom Boom smirked and shrugged. "I'm just a girl who knows what she wants. And I want some food before we put operation sabotage Rogue's date into action." She smiled as she kissed Quicksilver lightly on the nose."
He blushed, scooped her up in his arms and began super speeding away.
Logan meanwhile, had been thinking about what he had said to Rogue. He felt bad that he'd hurt her feelings and was trying to put his macho maleness aside to go apologize to her. He had been a bit overprotective. Logan was going to tell Rogue that it was up to her to make her own decisions and that he just wanted to make sure she didn't get hurt. Logan made his way to Rogues room and knocked on the door. There was no answer so Logan was just about to walk away when he picked up another scent. It was that scent he had picked up this morning, from that guy Angel. He growled and cursed himself for being so soft as to apologize when she was clearly doing what he warned her not to do. Logan opened the door and went inside her room. Logan snarled in disgust as he discovered the white feathers lying all over her bed. He smelled the bed and realized it didn't smell like sex, it only smelt like they had both gotten hot and bothered. "If he hurts her, I'll tear him a new windpipe." Wolverine snarled to himself as he left the room and closed the door. Logan smirked, remembering that he had said the same thing about that Avalanche kid and hurting Kitty.
Magneto entered the abandoned apartment cautiously. Magneto was in a bad neighborhood and even though he was a powerful mutant, he didn't want any surprises. The apartment building was rundown and rat infested. Magneto frowned as he stepped over debris of all sorts. Broken glass from windows, beer bottles, soiled clothing and rat droppings littered the floor, but Magneto ignored it and proceeded on. His friend had hidden himself very well, but the smell of incense was a big clue to the fact that someone was still living there and trying to make the abandoned apartment livable. It smelled extremely strongly and all Magneto had to do was follow his nose. He came to a locked door where the incense smell was the strongest. Magneto didn't even bother to knock; he just opened the door and entered the small room.
A man who looked a lot like a chimp was sitting at an empty wooden cable spool eating ramen noodles. His long dark untidy hair and tattered clothes fit his surroundings. "Magnus!" He cried out in alarm, knocking over the ramen and splattering it all over the freshly swept floor. There was an old mattress in the corner and candles were burning, making the room very dim. The man stood up and began brushing himself off.
"No need for formalities Mastermind." Magneto told him. Looking for somewhere to sit, Magneto decided to be content with just hovering in the air. "I've come for your assistance."
Mastermind shifted around nervously. "For what?" He asked.
"I need you to alter the memories of the mutant named Rogue." Magneto said, fishing into his pocket and holding out a picture of her.
Mastermind took the picture and studied it carefully. "What exactly do you want me to make her remember?"
"Make her a member of my brotherhood, loyal only to me." Magneto told him. "And I need you to do it today." Magneto looked around the room. "Tell me if you have a more pressing engagement to attend to."
Mastermind shook his head in a cowardly fashion. "No Magnus, I'll do as you ask. But perhaps you'll let me alone after I do this for you?"
Magneto began walking out of the room, followed closely by Mastermind. "My dear old friend, your free to refuse this request at any time." All of a sudden the building began to creak as the metal strained from where it was in the building.
"No no Magnus, I'll do as you ask." Mastermind replied hastily. The creaking noises of the metal instantly stopped. "Just alter the girls memories and then I can leave right?"
"Of course Mastermind." Magneto said grinning as they left the apartment building. "Until the next time I have use for your talents." Mastermind winced in fear but followed closely behind Magneto.
Unbeknownst to the plots of separating them on both good and bad sides, Rogue and Warren were having a wonderful time. After sledding for a while, they decided to head back, as they were both soaked and getting colder. "I could use a cup of your delicious hot chocolate Rogue." Warren smiled and took her hand, hauling the sled behind him with his other hand.
"Brrrr me too." Rogue shivered. Warren tenderly wrapped a wing around her to make her warmer. "Thanks Warren, ah wish ah had wings sometimes."
"You won't need them, I'll be your wings." He answered softly. Then, Warren did a bold and dangerous thing. He pulled Rogue closer and very quickly kissed her cheek.
Rogue blushed from the contact and placed her hand on the part of the cheek where Warren's lips had touched her. The pain was only momentary and Warren was good at hiding pain.
"Yah so sweet Warren." Rogue told him and stopped. "Ah know that hurt. Ah know you knew it was gonna, but yah did it anyway. Thank yah."
"Yeah well, it was worth it." Warren answered and meant it. He pulled her closer and enfolded his wings around her in a gentle hug. "Your worth it." Warren whispered in her ear. Rogue sighed with content and hugged Warren back. No one had ever treated her like this. Like she was normal. Like she was indeed worth the effort.
Warren, who had been seeing stars and had felt a bit weak, regained his composure as they stopped and embraced.
Rogue could feel Warren shaking a bit, and not holding her as strongly as he usually did. She knew it was because of her power, and she felt very guilty about it. Rogue felt a part of Warren's strength add to her own and she took the sled rope from Warren. "Let me pull yah back Warren, it's only fair." She pointed out.
"You don't have to Rogue, it's alright." Warren told her. "We can just walk back, I'm afraid I'm a little tired or I'd just fly us back."
Rogue shrugged. "All right, guess yah won't be able ta enjoy the view like ah did when yah pulled me." She winked and began walking away; swaying her hips in the seductive way she had seen Jean do.
Warren raised an eyebrow. "On second thought, I'll take you up on that sled ride Rogue."
Hey guys, that's it for chapter three, stay tuned for chapter four! Rogue and Angel make such a cute couple (sigh)
Icarian Angel Wings.