A/N: Howdy. Well we're back at the mansion...
P.s. Thanks L'Ange! mwah x
At the mansion, another clear day was dawning and Rogue was still in the med-bay, still out cold
At the mansion, another clear day was dawning and Rogue was still in the med-bay, still out cold.
Logan sat at her bedside, he looked at her, she was lying so still and looked so fragile, Logan frowned, she was just a kid and he had hurt her, he had always thought of himself as honorable, now he wasn't so sure.
The door to the med-bay swooshed open and Remy walked in.
"Petite popular." Remy said quietly and took a seat next to his best friend.
"Y' not still feelin' guilty are y'?" Remy asked, fully aware of the answer to that question.
Logan didn't say anything.
"Look Mon Ami, y' trusted y' instincts and y' were right, she was dangerous, but she was being controlled, y' did th' right thing, but now we jus' got t' make it up t' her." Remy said seriously.
"What the hell is the world comin' to when you start making sense?" Logan joked feebly and the 2 friends sat in companionable silence.
After 20 minutes of silence Rogue started stirring, Logan didn't want to scare her with his presence and so he quickly left the room.
Remy leaned forward and took her bare hand with his gloved one, and smiled warmly.
Rogue groggily opened her eyes and blinked owlishly.
"Hey petite." Remy said softly with a nice warm smile on his handsome features.
"Hey." Rogue said wearily, she looked down and saw Remy holding her hand and she smiled.
"How y' feeling?" Remy asked.
"A lot better, the Professor helped me get my memories back." Rogue smiled looking relieved.
"That's great chere!" Remy said earnestly.
"And Remy, he owes y' a big apology, Charles, he told us everything." Remy said.
"No apology needed Remy, I didn't even realize I was being manipulated, how could anyone else know?" Rogue said earnestly.
"Y' are a very special person m' petite." Remy said thoughtfully and kissed her hair covered head.
"Remy could y' do me a favor? Could y' help me out of this place? I jus' wanna go back t' my room." Rogue said softly.
"O' course mon cherie, Remy would love t' take y' t' y' room." Remy said with a joking leer, taking delight at Rogue's soft chuckle.
Remy escorted Rogue up to her room; they didn't run in to anyone else on the way.
"Remy leave y' be f' now petite, but I'll come back later." Remy smiled softly and Rogue blushed slightly.
Rogue walked into her room, since getting her memories back she realized just how lucky she was to be here.
Rogue sat on her bed and let the memories wash over her.
She had lived in Meridian Mississippi all of her life with her mother a local waitress and her drunken abusive father who worked in a factory.
Her childhood had, had its ups and downs; her mother adored Anna who was her only child.
Anna had to work hard to keep her father happy so that the random beatings would stop.
When Anna turned fifteen, she started to go steady with Cody Robbins, who was the star quarterback, Anna's popularity had skyrocketed and her father had never been prouder, her home life had finally become stable.
Cody and Anna had been going out for six months when they took a stroll next to the beautiful Mississippi River in the moonlight. Cody gently cupped her head in his hand and leaned forward, brushing his lips softly against hers.
Anna felt butterflies in her tummy, they evaporated at the first touch of his lips and all she felt was warmth that spread through her with the firm, yet soft pressure of Cody's lips.
The gentle warmth soon became an unbearable scalding, prickly heat. Anna pulled away and Cody dropped to the grass twitching.
Anna could only stare at him in horror as is memories and thoughts rapidly shot through her head.
Anna didn't remember anything more about that night, only that help had come because Anna had screamed continuously until she had lost her voice.
The help had come from two college students who had also been on a romantic walk.
Anna had been delivered home, Cody had been taken to the hospital, and he was in a coma. Everyone had believed that he had, had an epileptic fit.
Anna had spent the next couple of days in her room; her parents had assumed it was due to the shock of her boyfriend collapsing.
When Cody hadn't regained consciousness after a week, people began to talk, what if he didn't have epilepsy? The word mutant was soon banded about.
Anna's dad had taken her out to their barn so that they could have a 'private' chat.
He had looked her in the face, so earnestly and asked softly.
"What happened?"
Anna had opened her heart to her father, telling him exactly what had happened, and watched her father's open face twist into an ugly snarl.
"Mutie freak!" He had screamed in her face and then he had beaten her.
Once he was done, Anna just lay sobbing.
"Get out of my house, my daughter is dead!" He had spat, and walked out of the barn, and out of her life.
Anna had limped away from her house, fear driving her pained movements, her hip was dislocated and every step was agony.
Eventually her hip popped back into place and she fell down sobbing.
She had no money, no possessions, just the clothes on her back and a few broken ribs, without a plan and in agony, Anna went on her way, not knowing where to go, she decided to head to the railway station, at least when she was there she could make a plan on where to go.
Anna made it to the railway station after a long and painful journey.
It was there that she met an attractive older blonde lady named Lara Drokenmevh, she was married to a Russian millionaire and she had immediately taken Anna to get medical attention.
Lara had shown Anna friendship and support and love. Eventually Lara asked Anna if she could adopt her, Anna agreed, happy that she finally had someone who genuinely cared for her and wasn't scared of her mutation. Lara was a mutant too; she could become a 'mermaid' once in water.
Lara didn't want Anna to meet her husband; he was apparently a tyrant who spent time with less than reputable men who would be tempted to hurt Anna.
So Lara had put Anna in an apartment of her very own and she had tried to visit whenever she could.
The one day two years later Anna had come home to find a strange man in her apartment. She remembered being scared and then nothing else, until she woke up with the F.O.H.
Rogue was jolted back to the room when someone knocked on her bedroom door.
Rogue slowly got to her feet and walked to her bedroom door.
Logan stood on the threshold, looking as nervous as she had ever seen him.
"Hey." Rogue said softly, and a little unsurely.
"Um, hey kid." Logan replied, coughing and fidgeting.
"Hey. Do you, um, do you want to come in?" Rouge asked nervously.
"Yeah, sure thanks." Logan said and followed her into her room.
Rogue motioned towards the room's only chair and Logan sat down, Rogue sat opposite him on her bed.
The pair sat in an awkward silence for a long while until Logan finally started talking.
"Look kid, I've got a lot of apologizing to do." Logan said sincerely.
"No Logan, you don't." Rogue said seriously.
"Look Logan, I'm not gonna lie – you treated me really badly, you bullied me, threatened me and hurt me, but saying that, I know why. I've got your memories in my head, I know how much you feared getting caught by the government after that near-miss fifteen years ago, and I know how badly they treated you. I also know that you are a good man and I want you to know that I'm a good woman and we can hopefully start again." Rogue said honestly.
"I believe that you're a good woman, and I'd like to start fresh." Logan said truthfully.
"Deal. Hi I'm Anna-Marie – but keep that quiet." Rogue said with a small smile, she wanted to keep her name secret, she wasn't sure why.
"James Logan – but keep that quiet." Logan said and Rogue saw him smile for the first time.
Meanwhile Charles, Jean and Hank were trying to think of ways that they could stop an attack. Charles had deducted that the only time the Shadow King could stage a takeover attack, it was likely he would go after Jean but Hank didn't want to take any chances, he immediately went to create a psy-blocking helmet. Thankfully Charles had the prototype for the one her already had in Cerebro.
When Hank left, Charles turned to Jean.
"Do not be scared Jean. I will protect you. I promise you this." Charles stated earnestly.
"I believe you Professor. I'm just very scared, there madmen turned Rogue into a murderer, killed Carol. I don't want them to make me kill someone." Jean said sniffling.
"He will not get to us again Jean, this I promise you." Charles said his voice steely.
"Now let us go through the exercises I showed you." Charles said, determined.
Jean smiled and gathered her strength, she would make Charles proud.
Rogue walked downstairs with Logan, she smiled warmly at him and the two parted ways. Logan went out to the garage and Rogue walked to the kitchen, famished.
Scott was sitting at the table eating.
"Hey." Rogue said warmly.
"Rogue. I am so sorry that I blasted you!" Scott blurted out, apparently not one to beat around the bush.
"Let it go Scott, you did what you needed to do." Rogue said openly and gave him a soft smile.
"But…I…" Scott stuttered, only to be gently interrupted by Rogue.
"Seriously Scott. Let it go." Rogue smiled and fixed herself a cheese sandwich.
When her snack was made, she winked at Scott.
"Catch y' later." Rogue smiled and made her way back up to her room.
Scott just sat in bewildered shock; he had never encountered someone like her in his 19, nearly 20 years.
"Rogue, she special non?" Remy said, leaning on the doorframe.
"She really is." Scott said, still looking bewildered.
"Don' let it make y' head explode." Remy joked and waltzed out to the garage to see Logan.
Logan was working on his motorbike when Remy waltzed in.
"Y' ok man?" Remy asked.
"Yeah, that kid. She's somethin' special." Logan said gruffly wiping the grease off his hands on a rag.
"That she is mon ami, what Remy been tellin' y' all this time?" Remy smirked.
"You know I never listen to you Gumbo." Logan joked.
"True, so mon ami, what we gon' do 'bout this Mesmero?" Remy said, all hints of his jokey demeanor gone.
"Wondering when you'd cut to the chase. I say we go after that fucker now." Logan said, feral grin in place.
"Jus' need t' find a good private detective." Remy grinned.
"Wonder where we'll find one?" Logan smirked and the two immediately went to pack a bag.
A/N: SO how do you like it darlings? Please let me know - it's really gonna start heating up soon on the action front xx