Disclaimer: Marvel owns all X-Men related things, thought I own this fic and the general concept for it
Disclaimer: Marvel owns all X-Men related things, thought I own this fic and the general concept for it.
Rating: Rated M for language and mature subject matter.
For ROMY AMV fans: If anyone is interested, go to MySpace videos and search for Rogue Gambit X-Men Evolution videos. Anything by "Care Bear Karen" was made by myself. I have made 3 videos for ROMY. Two are from Evolution, the other is a slideshow of images. Hope you guys check 'em out.
For general X-Men interest: I have recently finished an art project that was X-men related and it is posted on my DeviantART account. You can check it out on: new-moon-night. deviantart. com
On with the story!
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With the urgency of the Professors message, no one had the chance to get dressed into their battle uniforms. All the senior students and teachers were still in casual dress from the evening and did not look nearly as intimidating in comparison to if they were all in uniform. Never the less, they each took up battle positions; Storm, Angel, Jean and Rogue taking to the sky while Wolverine, Beast, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Colossus, Gambit and Iceman creating a somewhat barrier halfway between the gates and the mansion.
"What exactly are we up against?" Cyclops questioned as everyone was still unaware of the enemy.
Beast was the one answer, saying, "Not exactly sure. They apparently have a neural disrupter that is preventing Charles from identifying them, so we're fighting blindly until Cerebro can break through and identify them."
"Hey! Someone's coming this way," Jean called out, the X-Men all turning back to their positions, ready for an attack.
A small, but somewhat menacing, group of soldiers approached from the gates. The group seemed to consist of about seven to ten men, but heavily armed men, nonetheless. Guns, grenades, gas masks, helmets, the works for any man going to war. They looked a lot like the men from Area 51 and as a result, Wolverine and Beast's snarls and growls could be heard over the silent X-Men.
However, just as it seemed as if a war would break out, a woman, dressed far differently then the men surrounding her, emerged from the group and spoke.
"Hold down! We mean no harm. I wish to speak with Charles Xavier," was all she said, fairly strictly, waiting for a reply.
Her appearance was deceiving and was as strong as how she spoke. She had long blonde hair and pale skin. Her eyes were an icy blue shade that popped under the half-mask she wore. Her body type was one of which women strived for and men would stare at in swimsuit issues of Sports Illustrated. She was also wearing an outfit that did not fit the same ideals of a soldier. It was a black leotard that covered her neck and had a lightening bolt across it. A red sash was tied securely to her waist and she had black long gloves and thigh high boots to match. She looked like she had just come out of a comic book.
"What's your beef with him? And ho are you, anyways?" Wolverine demanded, taking up the role of the leader, though neither he nor any of the X-Men standing down.
"My codename is Ms. Marvel and there is an incident I must speak about with him regarding a mutant terrorist group," she replied sternly, not losing control over the situation.
Beast moved up to Wolverine, Storm joining them as the three briefly counseled.
The students moved down from their stances and regrouped with one another, not losing focus however of the intruders. Cyclops turned to Jean, hovering a few feet from him, she looking just as lost as he did.
After a minute or two, Wolverine, Storm and Beast turned back to the woman and gave her their answer.
"Alright. We will take you to him, but only if those men do not follow and you answer us as to why you blocked yourselves from being detected by us if you truly mean no harm," Storm answered, matching the woman in stern speech.
"The men are my bodyguards. As long as they can remain on the grounds, I have no disagreements with the request of them not entering. As for blocking our detection, it has to do with why I must speak with Xavier," she said plainly.
"Very well," Storm replied.
Ms. Marvel turned back to the men and said, "Go back to chopper. I'll contact you when we are finished." And with that, the men retreated from the grounds and to a hidden area behind the trees out of sight.
She turned back to the X-Men and Storm lead her into the mansion, Beast and Angel not far behind.
"Stand down, guys. Head back inside and no one goes anywhere for the rest of the night," Wolverine announced to the rest of the X-Men as they all began to file back into the mansion.
"Well that was a lot of wasted tahme," Rogue commented aloud.
"Don't be so sure about that, Stripes. It may not be over yet," Logan replied as he closed the doors behind him and watched the students head to their rooms.
"What makes you that, Logan?" Scott asked him halfway up the stairs.
"Just sayin' we may have a new mission if this Ms. Marvel is talkin' to Charles about mutant terrorists."
"Ugh, that's just what Ah want on a nice, quiet night in," Rogue said, feeling a bit frustrated by the situation as she walked right up the stairs and past some of the other students. Everyone gave her a confused look as she walked by because of the comment and Remy was a bit concerned by her attitude. He soon followed her upstairs, Logan not stopping him because, he had to agree, Rogue seemed odd by that last statement.
Just as Rogue turned the corner to the girls dorm, Remy had caught up with her and asked, in a calming tone as to not frustrate her more, "You doin' okay, cherie?"
Rogue turned back to him and even though his empathy did calm her stress slightly, she was still edgy, "Ah'm just getting' so sick o' this, Remy. The missions, the fights, the mutant rights. Ah just want tah control my powers, not use 'em tah fight other mutants, especially when it's cuttin' into my personal life."
"You sayin' you don't wanna be an X-Man anymore?" Remy replied, still calm.
Rogue sighed and shook her head, moving closer to Remy as he embraced her, "Bein' here has given me my sanity back. Ah owe the Professor everything for what he's done for meh. And if Ah wasn't an X-Man, Ah never would have met ya, Remy. But… Ah don't know how long Ah'm goin' tah want tah stay here after Ah get control over my powers."
Remy felt a deep depression for Rogue. He understood why she would want to leave the Institute and get away from the fighting… from being reminded everyday about a world that now fears and despises who she is. But he had just agreed to teach there. If she were to leave, he'd gladly go with her, but he wanted to help the next generation of mutants as well. He was beginning to feel torn.
"Dere is always teachin' oth'a mutants how to control dere powers, chere. Aft'a all, de Professor offered you to be a teacher here, too. And you're in a place dat will always love you for who you are," Remy didn't want to force Rogue to stay if she didn't want to, but he just wanted her to keep her options open, and keep her with him more importantly.
Rogue shook off her stress and moved out of Remy's arms, relaxing against the wall and rubbing the temples on her head. She looked up at Remy, saying, "Yeah… Ah know. Maybe Ah just need a vacation or somethin'. Clear mah head an' all," She saw how Remy's face had dropped to almost a puppy dog face, only more serious. Rogue knew immediately why; she felt terrible for making him think she'd leave him and everyone behind, "But don't worry, Remy. Ah've still got a long way tah go befo' Ah'm done learnin' all Ah can from this place. And Ah certainly ain't done with ya yet."
All Remy could do was chuckle at the statement, his face lighting up again before kissing the top of Rogue's head, so happy to hear her say that, "Glad to hear it, Anna. Can't leave when dis Cajun just got here, non?"
"Aww, was the Swamp Rat afraid of bein' left alone?" Rogue asked in a very cute and playful tone, crossing her arms just under her chest, pursing her lips ever so lightly, and looking up at him with hooded eyes; every detail she knew he couldn't resist.
Remy picked up on it very fast. He rested an arm against the wall just above Rogue's head and leaned his own much closer to her, a smirk crossing his features. It was almost as if Rogue was a stranger on the street and Remy had walked up to her and would pull the cheesiest line a man could think of, "Non, course not, chere… Just worried 'bout how you'd get on in de world wit'out me is all."
"Oh, you're SO askin' fo…" before she could finish her sentence, Remy moved in and kissed her quite forcefully, but it was so full of passion and so romantically hot that Rogue really couldn't careless. Remy moved his arms down and around Rogue's body as Rogue moved hers to his neck and shoulders. He released her lips to kiss along her jaw and down the slim column of her neck, hearing Rogue whimper under him. Remy brushed his hands across her stomach as she pulled him up to kiss him again, pushing her back flat against the wall behind her. Both of them knew where this was going.
They broke apart briefly, their breaths beginning to get gaspy, and Remy asked, "Your room?"
"No… yours… Logan's nose might get suspicious as to why your smell is in my room so much," Rogue replied just as breathy, but Remy didn't respond to it. He only nodded and kissed her one more time before pulling her with him as the pair ran over to the West wing and to his room, Remy taking the elastic out of his hair and putting it around the doorknob so Piotr would know it was 'occupied'. After all, the two needed something to do before a mission, may as well be spending it alone together.
xxx
"Charles, this is the leader of the group that just arrived," Ororo said, stepping into circular chamber that housed Cerebro, one of the newest versions the Professor and Hank had updated since Apocalypse's destruction. The helmet, now completely detached from any cords or wires, was being removed from the Professors head as he turned to face the newcomers.
"Yes. I was hoping to make contact with you without the need of a struggle. I'm glad to see that that was not your intent in this visit," the Professor replied, more to Ms. Marvel than Ororo.
"I am Carol Danvers, codename Ms. Marvel. I have a most pressing matter to talk about with you, Xavier, regarding mutant terrorists," Carol stated. It was very formal, very strict, very much like an army militant.
"Might I ask how these mutants are related to myself and my students?" Charles replied, rolling his wheelchair down the ramp from the center of the Cerebro chamber to just outside its thick titanium doors, closing securely behind him. Though Hank asked a more precedent question before Carol could answer.
"I think it might be more important to ask in more detail who you are and why you are seeking our assistance."
"I will answer any questions you may have so long as I can secure your aid in this issue," Carol replied, facing the three mutants under scrutiny.
Charles said to her, "We are here to help in any situation in relation to the peace between mutants and humans, Ms. Danvers. You will have our support if the situation calls for it."
"I thank you for your help. Now, what is it that you want to know of me?" Carol asked, her tone seeming to become a lot calmer after the Professor had agreed to help her.
"Can you explain why you and your men were using neural disrupters to prevent us from acknowledging your identities?" Hank asked first and foremost.
"The terrorists that I spoke of have a mutant that has the ability to read and control our thoughts and actions. He has already used his powers against our men and we will not take those risks anymore. We had no other choice but to use them to defend ourselves."
"What organization are you from exactly?" Ororo asked next.
"We are a part of the governments hidden operations to keep peace between all humans, whether they are mutant, human, or super-human, like myself."
"What do you mean super-human? You mean you are not a mutant?" Charles retorted.
Carol looked at the Professor before answering, closing her eyes and breathing deep, "No, I'm not. You see… I am from an alternate plane of reality. In another world very similar to this one, I was only human. I had worked with the US Air Force intelligence and NASA, heavily involved in the government, just as I am now. But I unlike mutants, I was not born with my abilities," Carol paused once more before continuing, remembering the events of her past.
"I was involved with an operation that had exposed myself to a new form of technology known as Kree technology. It is was this exposure that gave be the ability to do this…"
Carol moved up to Hank and lifted him clear over her shoulder with one arm. Hank exclaimed in the sudden jolt, but he, as well as the Professor and Ororo, were astounded by her display of strength after she had placed him back on the ground.
"Amazing," Ororo said plainly.
"That's not all. I was also granted the ability to flight and invincibility. I'm essentially indestructible."
Charles looked on in wonder and asked her, "What lead to you to our world?"
"Well, soon after I gained this power, I was introduced to a group of super-humans known as the Avengers. I became a member once I had seen the work they did at maintaining the peace of the world. In that world, humans praised and thanked those who used their powers for good, and it is how it should be here as well, though I am sad to say, humans are not as welcoming here.
"At one point, there was a man that went by the name Immortas, and though he has no powers of any kind, he has gained technology that allowed him to move throughout different times and that had given him great knowledge of the universe. He had kidnapped me when he came to our world and took me to his domain known as Limbo. I was able to fight my way out, but instead of returning to my world, I came to yours. Since then, I have been working with the US government quietly and been in alliance with other super-humans. Spider-Man is one you might know of."
"I remember. Peter Parker. Jean and I had approached him at one time to help him with his new abilities, even though he was not a mutant. But even those who share the same qualities as us do not want to be associated with us in anyway." Charles replied, recalling his encounter with the young man who had so eagerly refused to be helped by mutants.
"Well, he has helped us in many cases. Though I'm afraid we will require your help now. There is a new mutant terrorist group that has been gathering followers for a cause of some kind. We have tried to track the leader, but their base of operations is mobile and we can't keep track of their numbers," Carol continued, getting down to the main reason she came to the Institute.
"Hmm… could Magneto be leading this charge? He has always been keen on mutant superiority," Hank commented.
"No. Magneto, though a strong mutant, is not the leader we have been tracking. In fact, Magneto has remained off our radars for quite sometime now," Carol countered in a matter of fact tone, "We do know the identity of the leader of this group. He goes by the codename Mister Sinister. We think he may be onto our tracking him and that is why I have those men outside as my bodyguards. He may very well pose a threat to anyone who tries to stand against him."
"Do you know what their target might be when they make themselves known?" Charles asked, not knowing as to who Mister Sinister was and deciding to move on to what his objective might be.
"We think that they might be targeting a small group of mutants that are hiding under the New York City sewers. Our reconnaissance has noted that a few of the well-known members of this terrorist group were spotted many times in the area in and around the sewers that are home to those mutants."
"The Morlocks? Professor, Evan is down there with them! Why would they want to attack their own kind?" Ororo asked, confused by the group's motives.
"We aren't sure. It could be that he feels certain mutants are better than others and that there is even superiority between mutants."
"That could very well be the case… Ms. Danvers, if my students were to get involved in this, will they be at risk?" Charles asked, his voice full of concern for his students. He was beginning to question whether or not he should allow any of them to be of aid to Ms. Marvel.
"I don't want all of your students, Xavier, only a few. As of right now, I would like your permission to have no more than eight of your most powerful students. We have one location that seems to be most popular for the group and if we get lucky, we are hoping to arrest or eliminate a huge amount of their numbers tonight."
"Charles, if there is anyway we can help to prevent a massacre, I will gladly be one to help Ms. Marvel." Ororo stated very strongly, turning to her mentor, who at the moment had his brow furrowed and looked very deep in thought on what to do.
"I concur with Ororo. We must do something," Hank replied, agreeing with Ororo.
The Professor was on the fence on what to do; he knew that these were the types of situations he had trained his students for since he started the school. But his fatherly instincts to keep them out of danger were gnawing away at him.
In the end, he knew there was only one option…
xxx
Rogue breathed with heavy exhaustion as Remy rolled onto the other side of her, just as exhausted, if not more so from his power usage. They were both sweat-covered as Rogue pulled the sheets up over Remy and herself. When she was sure he had recovered, Rogue moved closer to him, placing her head on his shoulder, an arm draped over his waist and one leg thrown over his to rest between them. In reply, Remy used the arm she was resting on to wrap around her shoulders and hold her fast to him, giving a kiss on the top of her head. Their harsh breathing slowed, becoming softer and more normal as they drifted when Remy finally lifted, a tender smile on his face. Raising his head and looking down at the angel beside him, he whispered, as if afraid to break the spell, "You okay, chere?"
"Mmm hmmm," she drawled, her eyes half open, hair curled and frantic, and a satisfied smile on her lips. She was an image to behold.
Remy was getting used to the whole sticking around for the aftermath thing. It certainly beat going out to get assaulted by numerous women, getting one of them back to her place, waiting until after she was asleep and then sneaking out while still feeling exhausted. Plus, the company wasn't even great to begin with. With Rogue though, it was all opposite. He didn't wait around for her; he went after her. He didn't wait for her to fall asleep; he usually tried to keep her awake. And he felt no need to leave her when she did sleep. Remy thought it was a sign from the Almighty himself. He simply couldn't resist the girl… woman.
"Remy?" Rogue asked, snapped the Cajun from his stupor.
"Sorry. Was just thinkin' how belle you look, cherie. What was dat?" he replied.
"Hehe, smooth talk'a. Ah said how long do ya think it'll be until we get called out again tonahght?"
"Dunno. Knowin' de Professor's timin' though," Remy paused and looked over at the clock, holding up 3 fingers and folding them as he said, "should be in… 3… 2… 1…" he laughed out as Rogue lightly hit him in the chest and giggled.
Though Rogue's face changed to a bit of seriousness for a moment looking up at Remy, "What do ya think this… 'Ms. Marvel' is askin' the Professor about though? Seemed lahke somethin' big is goin' on in the mutant world."
Remy sat up against the headboard, heaving a sigh as he did so, Rogue moving off of him and holding the sheets to her tight. He didn't know what to say to calm her.
"I'm sure if it was somet'in' really bad, de Professor wouldn't put the students in danger. It's probably somet'in' we can handle," he answered, gently rubbing Rogue's arm in comfort. Though Remy was relieved when she wasn't so tensed up.
"Ya probably rahght. Mah head's just playin' with meh," Rogue replied, relaxing against Remy's chest.
Though as fate would have it, at that moment, the Professor sent out the second telepathic message of the night, "Attention everyone. We need all staff and senior students to report to the Situation Room within 15 minutes. Suit up and be ready."
"Ugh… speak o' de devil, non?"
"Got that rahght," Rogue grunted in reply.
"Rogue…" Remy started as Rogue moved to get out of the bed. She turned back to look at him, waiting for him to continue, letting him know she was listening, "You sure you wanna do this t'night? Maybe you should stay here."
"What? Why would Ah? Ah'm perfectly fine ta go on a mission, Remy," she answered, facing him with determination, "Besides, the Professor said all senior students."
"I know you are, but wit' how serious dis sounds, you haven't developed yo' new powers enough."
"Ya sayin' Ah ain't strong enough?" she countered.
Remy only placed a hand on Rogue's right cheek, warming her from the touch and spoke very calmly, "Jus' trust me on dis, Rogue. I don' wan' you heading into to somet'in' you ain't ready for. I don't wan' to see you get hurt."
Rogue looked at Remy for a long few minutes, considering what he had said. He was right in saying she wasn't truly ready for something that sounded this bad. As to this day, she still rarely went on missions to get used to her new abilities. In her training session that morning, Logan had made a point in saying it would be at least a few more weeks before she saw full-blown action again. He'd stop her from going if she did go down to the Situation Room. And just looking and Remy's face… she saw his worry for that. He had seen what happens when someone isn't ready for battle. She decided it was better to agree with him on this than argue over it.
She sighed heavily, nodding her head and looking down. Remy moved forward, kissed her forehead and hugged her, "I'll tell dem you ain't goin'. I'm sure de Wolverine will back me up on it."
"Okay," was all she said as Remy pulled back from her and got dressed.
Just as he was about to walk out of the door, sliding his cards and Bo staff into his hidden pockets, he looked over his shoulder to Rogue, barely covered by his sheets as she held it up to herself; she truly was breath-taking, "Je t'aime, ma cherie."
"Be safe… mon amour," She replied to his shaded figure, almost as if he was being sent off to war as he walked out, closing the door behind him. Remy left soon after, but not before he suddenly had a chill run down his back. He assumed it was Rogue's depressed look when he said she shouldn't go, but something about earlier with Ms. Marvel... it hung in the air and began to make him feel uneasy. He ignored it and headed to the lower levels.
Rogue laid back onto his bed and curled up on her side, hugging the pillow that was already lain in with his scent of tobacco and cologne as she tried to get some sleep. She already missed his touch. If she couldn't be a part of the battle, may as well try to catch up on her sleep deprivation.
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Kitty had been the last to arrive in the Situation Room, no doubt from some last minute make-up touches. Though she had wondered why everyone was waiting on her when Rogue was still unaccounted for.
"Rogue isn't coming tonight. Comrade Gambit and Logan both agreed she still needed time to adapt to her new powers," Piotr explained to her as everyone became attentive for the briefing. Kitty only nodded that she understood him.
The Professor faced the students in front of the control center, Beast and Storm by the computers and Ms. Marvel leaning against the panel across from the students.
"Alright everyone," the Professor started, "Ms. Marvel has given me details that a mutant terrorist group known as the Marauders has been growing a base of alliances of several mutants and she believes one of their target locations is going to be attacked rather soon."
Beast, working at the main computer, loaded the halo-grammed image of the tunnels underneath New York, plotting out the routes needed to be taken following Ms. Marvel's prior instructions as to where the Marauders' main locations were set up. He also loaded the profiles and stats of ten of the military known members of the Marauders. Cerebro was switched on and named each profile out.
Codename: Mister Sinister
Name: Nathaniel Essex
Rank: Leader/Founder
Base: Mobile
Abilities: Enhanced strength and durability; Knowledge of cloning and genetics; Some telepathy.
.
Codename: Malice
Name: Unknown
Rank: Member
Base: Mobile
Abilities: Incorporeal; Possesses the bodies of others.
.
Codename: Riptide
Name: Janos Quested
Rank: Member
Base: Mobile
Abilities: Generating high wind speeds to catch and sling shot objects or people; a 'mutant whirlwind'.
.
Codename: Harpoon
Name: Kodiak Noatak
Rank: Member
Base: Mobile
Abilities: Creates bio-energetic projectiles.
.
Codename: Vertigo
Name: Unknown
Rank: Member
Base: Mobile
Abilities: Induce extreme disorientation and unconsciousness.
.
Codename: Scrambler
Name: Kim Il Sung
Rank: Member
Base: Mobile
Abilities: Power and system negation, enhancement or disruption.
.
Codename: Scalphunter
Name: John Greycrow
Rank: Member
Base: Mobile
Abilities: Manipulation of mechanical components; Healing factor.
.
Codename: Lady Mastermind
Name: Regan Wyngarde
Rank: Member
Base: Mobile
Abilities: Create elaborate psionic illusions; Minor telepathy.
.
Codename: Arclight
Name: Philippa Sontag
Rank: Member
Base: Mobile
Abilities: Superhuman strength, endurance, and durability; Creates seismic energy through her hands.
Beast continued to explain the routes after the Professor, "We are going to head out to the Morlock tunnels, along with a given amount of military personnel and attempt to capture the terrorists and/or stop an attack. Ms. Marvel asked for only eight of us, but we feel that this may require more help if the situation is more difficult than we predict. We will keep everyone, who is not in the main eight group, on the X-Jet at a safe location 2 miles East of where out main entrance will be, just in case back up is needed. Any initial volunteers?"
Storm, Beast, Angel and Wolverine were obviously going to be a part of it. Cyclops, Jean, and Colossus were the only three to volunteer, moving over the control center.
"Okay, Gambit, you'll be a part of this too" Everyone looked back to Gambit who seemed to be in his own thoughts. His eyes seemed glazed over with shock. No one seemed to really notice.
"Are you alright, Gambit?" The Professor asked cautiously.
"Oui, I'm okay," was all he said, and all that was said. The Professor turned back to the collective.
"Now, since Ms. Marvel has made it apparent that there is a mutant or mutants among the Marauders that can manipulate thoughts, most likely Malice and Lady Mastermind, I will place blocks within each of you, even those of you who will remain on the X-Jet, as a precaution. We cannot afford to have any of you used against us and, of course, for your own mental and physical safety."
"Professor," Cyclops had started, uneasy about what was going on, asking what he thought everyone else was thinking, "How… how strong are these guys? They obviously can't be pushovers if you're getting everyone to be on this mission."
Storm, Beast and Ms. Marvel's heads all shifted and looked to the Professor; he looked straight to the students, at each of their faces, seeing they all thought the same thing, some fear of the situation in each of them. He leaned forward in his wheelchair, interlocking his fingers and covering his mouth for a moment or two before he relaxed back into the chair and spoke.
"I… would not put any of you… into a situation I felt was going to be beyond your training or too dangerous for you to handle. You have all been trained for these missions. We have assessed each member's stats and have determined that with a great deal of effort… from each of you… we can and will be victorious against the Marauders.
"However, I do not want you all going in and thinking it will be easy. We still have no idea if and how many of the members are present at the tunnels. But if we can even prevent something from happening in the future to those who are of innocence… it will all be worth it."
The students seemed to brighten at the positive nature of Xavier. His belief in his students had always steered them in the right direction and they had no reason to think he was inflating their egos. Every one of them had skeletons in their closets; pasts that wouldn't allow them to move forward, remaining in their delusion that they were a mistake in the human chain of evolution; doing something that was unseen or unheard of, not only for humans, but for mutants as well. Xavier had seen past that, allowing each of them to make fresh and new starts, leaving behind a part of themselves and taking on a new stand in the world. Taking on a new part of their lives, as humans, as people… as the X-Men.
No one seemed to feel that more so than three of Xavier's students; Wolverine, Rogue, and Gambit. Xavier knew what was held behind their walls, their barriers. Wolverine had, on more than one occasion, came forward about what he had done and how the Institute had changed him. Weapon X would have done the same to any mutant. Likewise, Rogue had every so often exposed bits of the past she remembers and the lives she had taken from. Her troubled past was no secret to anyone, though she tried her best to hide it and keep it out of the talk of others. Gambit, however, Xavier had a harder time reading. Though his low level empathy was strong enough to block telepaths, Gambit's poker face wasn't always enough to prevent his emotions from slipping. Like just then, when he had that stunned look, Xavier saw something, maybe even heard something through his telepathy. Maybe Gambit slipped, he didn't know. But he did see something about Gambit that was troubled by the Marauders… maybe more than he was letting on.
Maybe it was their grief and misery of their former lives that these three were so close. Wolverine had always kept a father like figure over Rogue, keeping her safe and aware.
And Rogue seemed to try and find another that understood why she secluded herself. It may have been the reason she had feelings for Cyclops; he grew up, much like her, without knowing his real family. However, he lacked the knowledge of lashing out from that seclusion. He was one of the few who only had a few house damages to worry about. Lost memories, fits of anger, the movement towards the prospect of a life alone… That seemed to be the attachment Rogue had to Gambit. His shared experience and understanding of what it's like for people to avoid him because of what he could do, or how he looked. His eyes, empathy, and energy… it led to his life into a family that did love him, but very rarely expressed it. Only through their exploitations did they reveal his value to them. Much like Mystique's exploitations of Rogue. It was why they both ran, as far as they could, hitting numerous bumps that filled their lives with even more guilt. But… even as the extreme cases, they too came to Xavier, finding repentance, finding a place, and finding each other… the other who understood.
Xavier could only wonder… what else was in Gambit's closet that caused him such fright just then?
"Okay, let's go load up," Wolverine called out as everyone raced to gather and prepare on the X-Jet.
Gambit moved with them, sliding out a pack of cards and shuffling them nervously. His face wouldn't show it again like it did before… it was the first time he slipped.
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The dreamscape would not be any kinder to Rogue tonight than it would any other. She tossed in her sleep and moaned out a name, barely recognizable by the human ear. Images had flashed of people and places that she didn't know, times she wasn't even alive in. It didn't make sense to here… it never did.
She only heard the soft creak of the bed when she became conscious of she was doing. Rogue was standing, on the bed and now fully awake. She looked around frantically, not recognizing her surroundings as her own bedroom, not even remembering how she got there.
She felt an image tug at her mind as if she were still dreaming, her head hanging back as her eyes tightened. Her groans seemed distant from her own body and the images of a face… a woman, came into her mind. She didn't know the woman, she never did. But it refused to fade away as Rogue's eyes opened again. It was as if the woman she kept seeing was staring right at her physically, almost hanging over her from above. Rogue could have sworn she saw the woman float to stand before her.
Her face was neutral and stagnant. Her hair was long and flourishing. Her body seemed to fade into nothingness, as if she were an angel. But Rogue knew better… she was not of Heaven and it when she realized it that she had been taken control of. She could hear everything… she could see everything… but that was all she could do… nothing as she witnessed the events that she wished never happened.
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WOW! That took such a long time to write! I promise next chapter will come sooner. College has been a nightmare. And now that it's Christmas and I'm on vacation in the USA, I have time to finish this chapter and start/finish the next one.
I hope you guys like this one. I thought… why not introduce two main people that have a huge impact on our star-crossed lovers?
For those of you who don't know, I'll let you wonder how Ms. Marvel and Mister Sinister affect Remy and Rogue. Though I'm sure anyone reading this fic knows already.
BTW: The names I used for the Marauders are members or former members. None were OC'd by me. They are all Property of Marvel
Hope you all enjoyed my more… mythotical writing style nearer to the end. I kinda just started writing and didn't stop. I liked how I wrote it without giving away too many of the details.
Anyways, read, comment, review, but please don't bash!
Until Next Time…
