Logan slowly opened his eyes. He felt like he'd been hit on the head with a rock.
"Rogue!"
"She's gone Logan."
Logan sat up and looked at the professor.
" How long have I been out?"
"A few hours, not to long. It was lucky Scott and I found you."
"And Kitty?"
" It was to late. There was nothing we could do."
"What's wrong with her?"
"I don't' know, I've never been able to read Rogue's mind successfully. It's liked a tangled wire, there's no easy way of smoothing it out. But it's not the Rogue we knew, it's something dark that's been waiting for a moment to take over Rogue and cause destruction."
"Can you use cerebro to find her?"
"No, I can't seem to concentrate on her, she keeps switching personalities."
Logan lay back. Was this what she wanted to tell him but didn't? The door opened and Scott and Jean walked in. Scott and Logan avoided each other's eyes.
"Professor…"
"Don't follow him, we'll let him find her, and then find him."
Scott turned and left the room. The professor followed him. Logan looked to Jean for an explanation. She lingered at the door for a second. Before leaving she said:
"Pyro's gone."
"Can I help you?"
Rogue looked to her right. A short woman with light brown hair tied into a loose bun was leaning out of a window next door. Her face was hard, but her eyes were soft, her voice gentle. Rogue ignored her and walked towards the house. After awhile she turned towards the women.
"Is it sold?"
"What?"
"The house is it sold."
"No."
The women looked curiously at Rogue. She tried to see her face but her hood kept her well hidden.
"Marie?"
Rogue looked up. That was her name, at least it might be. It was hard to distinguish between her memories and everyone else's.
"Its you isn't it? Wait right there."
Rogue watched as the women disappeared from her window. She looked around. She had to run. But where could she go? She had no one, and this was the only piece of her past she could remember.
"Marie?"
The woman was standing right behind her. Rogue turned around and slowly nodded.
"I wondered why you never came back. We thought you moved there."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you remember?"
Rogue shook her head. The woman was now looking at her sympathetically, Rogue averted her eyes, and she concentrated on a weed as the woman spoke.
"A few years, not sure how long, your mother screams, and next thing there was an ambulance. Something was wrong with your father, he was out of breath and half in a coma. Next few days a strange man come keep coming to the door. He came to my door once to ask about you, I told how sweet you were and how you never seemed to come play outside, very strange, but anyway. Next day, in the morning your parents knock on my door. They gave me the house key and told me to keep it for you"
The women paused. She seemed to be concentrating. She was staring at Rogue, looking for a sign of recognition. But Rogue's face remained neutral.
"Didn't know where they were going, or for how long, but I kept that key. Here you go."
She handed the key over to Rogue. Rogue turned to unlock the door.
"What happened Marie? Where did they take you? Where are your parents? Why did you never come back?"
Rogue walked in the door, as she began to close it, she looked at the woman.
"I'm sorry I don't remember."
Then she closed the door.
She leaned back and closed her eyes. She tried to remember. She heard the women whisper something and then walk away. She tried to block out the sounds outside. But the memories racing through her head did not belong to her. She saw Bobby riding his bike for the first time. Kitty playing in her garden when she was little. Logan meeting Jean for the first time. Pyro, looking at her from his window. A woman hugging her child. She opened her eyes. Slowly she looked around. The house was filled with dust; the furniture was dull and faded. There were cobwebs hanging everywhere, and yet Rogue finally felt at home. As she walked upstairs everything became familiar, but only bits and pieces of memories came back to her. She looked to her left. There was a white door with flowers painted on. Her room. She slowly opened the door and went inside. It was small, and painted a light shade of pinkish purple. There was a white, wooden wardrobe and a single bed. She looked around, examining the wardrobe and under the bed. There were one or two toys, no clothes and a small box. Inside the box was a photo of her and her parents. She sat on the bed and closed her eyes. She had to think. Think, think, think, until she could remember something…
She was scared, so scared. She screamed at the top of her lungs. She felt her heart racing. Her father came rushing out and she ran into his arms.
"It's ok honey, your safe, shhh don't cry don't …"
His body started to stiffen. He began gasping for air. Then he started to shake. Her mother came out and started to scream. Marie let go of her father and ran upstairs to her room. She lay on her bed not daring to move. She lay there, ignoring her mother's cries, ignoring the sound of the ambulance, ignoring the men that came into her room, ignoring the pain as the needle was pushed into her skin.
When she woke up she was still at home but on her parents bed. Her mother was standing by the door. She had a scared expression on her face. She started talking, about a disease, how there wasn't a cure, how she was not to touch anyone until she was cured. After that she spent everyday in her room. Her parents would bring her food and make sure she was asleep. But they never came near her. She remembered there was always a knock on the door downstairs. One day her father came in and started to throw all her clothes in an old bag. He then turned around. He stood there watching her. She was lying on her bed staring at the ceiling. She had long black clothing on with long gloves to cover any exposed skin. Her face was set in a frown. Her eyes bloodstained from all the times she'd cried. Her father could no longer stand to see her like this. She was only a little girl, but here she was wishing to die. He sat next to her and took her hand in his. He stroked her hand hoping she could feel it through the glove.
"I love you, my little angel. We have to go somewhere far away, and I'm not sure what might happen but know that you'll always be my special girl. Now smile for me princess."
She turned and gave him the biggest smile she could. Then…
There was a sound coming from downstairs. Rogue tried to ignore it. She lay back down and closed her eyes again. But once again she saw memories that weren't hers. Slowly she sat up. Her whole body was covered in perspiration. She was tired and out of breath. It took so much energy just to regain a single memory. She walked to the door and listened. She could here a slight knocking. Someone was at the door, but it was probably that woman. It was dark outside, pitch black, meaning it was late at night. She went halfway down the stairs and then sat down and waited. Opening the door would mean more questions but not opening would mean suspicion. After awhile the knocking stopped, and she heard footsteps going away from the house. Quietly she crept down the rest of the stairs. She peeked out of the dusty windows. Strangely it was not a portly woman's figure that she saw but a man's shadowy outline. Her heart began to race. She pulled open the door.
"John!"
The man turned around. As dark as it was she could still make out his facial features perfectly. He slowly walked towards her; she noticed he was swaying a little. When he was right in front of her he whispered:
"Found you."
Rogue stood aside as he entered the house. She closed the door behind her. Before turning around to face him she wiped the tears running down her cheek away.
Pyro sat down as Rogue turned the light on. She sat opposite him and looked down, feeling too ashamed to look at him. He moved next to her, keeping his voice low as he spoke.
"It's ok. I'm here."
She moved slightly away from him.
" You shouldn't have come. It's too dangerous to be near me. How did you find me anyway?"
"Remember when I asked you if you could be anywhere in the world where would you be?"
Rogue nodded.
"Then you told me the one place you could remember, then there was that we weekend we drove past here to help you remember something."
"I remember, but I'm fine you should go now."
"I'm not going anywhere, I promised that when we left the school we'd leave it together. Besides you've finally accepted your power. That's one of the best things that has happened to you. You used to live in fear and doubt but now you've become so strong."
"I never meant to hurt you, Pyro."
Pyro took Rogue's hand in his. Unlike Bobby it never bothered or scared him if Rogue wore gloves. He didn't need physical contact, knowing she was happy was enough.
"I know you didn't. Do you regret the other things you did?"
Rogue looked straight at Pyro. She thought about Kitty, Bobby and Logan. She smiled.
"No, I don't."