V.
Rogue collapsed again onto the cot and fell back against the white pillow. "Ohh, mah head," she moaned, closing her eyes in pain. She breathed deeply for several seconds, her hands pressed to her temples. "What…how long have Ah been lyin' here?"
"Three days," the Professor answered. "What do you remember?"
Rogue sat up again, more deliberately this time. "Enough. Ah gotta go. Now." She swung her feet over the edge of the hospital bed and slowly stood. "Either of you comin' with me?"
"Rogue," Professor Xavier protested, "you've been in a coma for three days. You absorbed a power that your own body violently rejected. You should not be going anywhere. You need to rest."
"Ah'm just fine," Rogue answered. "Ah just feel a little feverish. Nothin' Ah can't handle. And if Ah've already been out for days, Ah don't have any time to waste."
"Where are you going?" Logan asked.
"Ah'm gonna find the guy who did this to me."
Logan and Professor Charles stared. "You know who did this?" Wolverine growled.
"Ah know his face. Catalina's memories are in mah head. You just didn't look there, Professor. Yes, Ah know you were in mah head. Logan, you saw it too. I know you did. But we can talk about it later. We're wasting time."
"What do you plan to do?" the Professor urged.
"Ah'm gonna find out what the big idea was, settin' me up with Catalina like that. Ah know there's a reason. Catalina didn't know. If she did, Ah would know, too. She doesn't even know who she was working for, and neither do Ah. All Ah know is it was a man in black. But we have to leave, NOW. Are you comin' with me?" She stood, abruptly, swayed for a moment, then caught her balance.
"You better leave this to us. We'll handle this," Logan answered in a low, dangerous tone. "You can hardly stand. You shouldn't go anywhere." But he knew there was no stopping Rogue when she had made up her mind.
"Ah have to do this, Logan. Don't try and stop me. You know you can't. Ah just…need to catch my breath."
"Rogue," Xavier began, gently but firmly, "you have been through some considerable trauma. The best thing you can do is rest. You have quite a bit of recovering to do."
"He's right, my dear. You need to rest." The strained voice came from the doorway. The trio started and spun to face the dark-haired stranger who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
"You!" Rogue cried, supporting herself on the unused IV pole. "You did this to me!"
"You have some explainin' to do," Wolverine growled, unleashing his claws. "Who are you? How'd you get in here? Start talkin'!"
The man in the doorway held out his hands, palms out, as if to hold back the torrential waters of a flood. "I'm not here to fight," he said quickly. "I'm sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I did not mean for it to go this far." His tone filled with regret. "I did not want to hurt anyone."
"But you did, Bub. Now you've got me to answer to."
"I am not here for you. I wanted to see the girl." The man took a step back, his square, clean-shaven jaw tightened, his brows knit in a frown. Well-built and tanned, he was still no match for Wolverine. And yet he showed no fear. Only a grave concern. His deep, serious eyes traveled to Rogue's face.
"Haven't you done enough?" Rogue hissed, her frame quivering. The effort it took for her to stand showed in her voice.
"My dear child," the man murmured. "I am sorry. Is there nothing—,"
"NO!" Rogue shouted. "Get out! Get out now!"
"But Rogue," he pleaded. "I can help you! Please, let me help you."
"No! Wait—how did you even know…? Yes, you knew it before, and Catalina knew it, too—and my powers, everything about me. Who ARE you?" Something was off. What was it? What was it about this man that was so familiar? The posture, the intonation, the mannerisms—they didn't fit. They were out-of-place, and yet Rogue knew them so well… "No," she gasped. "It can't be…" But of course. That is how he had gotten past security, why the Professor had not sensed his presence, why Wolverine still did not recognize the intruder. Rogue glared up at the man before her. "Mystique," she spat bitterly. "I should have known."
The man's dark figure melted away to reveal Mystique's tall, muscular form. "Yes," Mystique affirmed. "But Rogue, I only wanted to help you! You were so unhappy, so alone. No child deserves that kind of burden."
"I understand, Raven," Charles broke in. "But control is something she must learn on her own."
"With all due respect, Charles," Mystique flung back, turning now to face the Professor, "do you really presume to know better than I what is best for my own daughter?"
"She's in good hands here, Mystique," Logan put forth. He had straightened up now and retracted his claws, folding his arms again across his chest, his chin ducked low so that his eyes glared beneath his dark brow.
"Better than mine? I am her mother! I only wanted what was best for her!"
"Did you?" Rogue cut in. "Haven't Ah suffered enough from your twisted intentions? Ah don't think you even know what's best for yourself."
"But Rogue—,"
"No." Rogue shook her head and glowered up at Mystique. "Ah've already told you—Ah don't want anything from you. Ah don't want your help, Ah don't want you in mah life. Get out."
"But—but I can help you, Rogue!"
"Ah'm gonna be just fine. No thanks to you. Now get out. Ah'm not askin'." Mystique opened her lips once more to protest, but Rogue cut her off with a violent wave of her hand. "Ah want you to leave, Mystique. Now."
For a moment Mystique stood, stunned, a look of sorrow in her eyes. Then it was gone. She straightened, squared her shoulders, and pressed her lips together. "Very well," she said in a flat, dry tone. "I know when I am not wanted."
'Do you really?' Rogue thought sourly. "Goodbye, Mystique."
"Goodbye, Anna. Professor." She gave Logan a curt nod, and stalked through the doors and out of sight. Rogue slumped back.
"Ah'm sorry, Professor," she muttered. "You were right. Ah have to learn this mahself. Ah shouldn't have tried for a miracle. Ah was stupid to even think it." She closed her eyes, resigned, then opened them and looked at her hands. "It was nice while it lasted," she sighed. "But mah fingers are used to gloves anyway."
"Everything is all right now, Rogue." Charles wheeled over to her bedside. "I do not blame you. Yours is no easy burden to bear. Mystique was right about that."
Rogue winced. "DO NOT bring her up again!" She sighed. "Sorry. Ah just…need some rest. Ah'll be fine, Professor. Ah'm just tired, is all."
Xavier smiled. "Get some good rest. Now, I have a couple other patients to attend to. In fact, I have a feeling they'll be coming around any minute." He wheeled out the doors. Nightcrawler and Jean would still need his attention. His work was far from over.
"Ah'm sorry to you, too, Logan," Rogue mumbled as Wolverine walked by.
"Don't worry about it," Logan brushed it off. "But if you want to make it up to me, you can get better nice and quick, K?"
Rogue chuckled. "Ah will. That's a promise." With a sigh she closed her heavy lids and drifted instantly to sleep. Wolverine ducked into the hall to find Professor Charles waiting for him.
"What is it, Chuck?" Logan asked. "More trouble?"
"Mmmm…perhaps. There are still things I can't figure out—for instance, how Mystique knew Rogue was in such a critical state, or why she set her up with Catalyst in the first place."
Wolverine's eyes darkened anew with smoldering anger. "You think there's more to it than so-called motherly love?"
"I don't know. Perhaps. But it is impossible to guess at Mystiques intentions, whatever she does." He sighed and wheeled about, making his way slowly down the hall as Wolverine fell into step beside him. "Whether her actions stemmed from some sort of genuine concern for Rogue or a more sinister purpose, I don't know. There are some things, Logan, that we may never know."
Well there you go! Finally. The anti-climactic ending. I hope it was worth the wait. Sorry it took so painfully long. I changed my mind a few times about the ending. Certainly this was the shortest chapter, but I kept finding there wasn't much worth resolving. But I'm finally finished! Thanks for reading.