Chapter Seventy-Six:


Remy's face paled about ten shades in less than three seconds, and he nearly dropped her at the sight of Logan coming his way with claws extended.

"Logan, no," Rogue cried, holding up her hands as she pushed to her feet. "It's okay!"

"Okay?" Logan growled incredulously, giving Remy a murderous look. "Gumbo here knocked you up and yer sayin' that's okay?"

"Logan, please," Rogue begged, desperate to somehow gain some control over the situation before it turned into a bloodbath right there in the living room. "Could ya at least let me explain b'fo' ya go slicin' an' dicin' Remy t' pieces?"

"Oh, t'anks, chere," Remy muttered sarcastically.

Ignoring him, Rogue focused on Logan, her newly discovered father, and gave him the most wide-eyed look she could manage, knowing all too well that he had never been able to resist that expression coming from her.

"Fine," Logan growled finally, letting his claws slide back into his skin. "But I'm tellin' you right now, me and Gumbo over there are goin' to have us a nice little chat in the Danger Room this afternoon, regardless of what explanations you come up with."

Remy shifted nervously, still staring at Logan's hands as if he expected the claws to jump back out at him at any moment, but Rogue nodded. "Ah figured as much," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. And to be honest, that was better than the alternative. She hadn't really expected Logan to listen to her, but he had, and she wasn't going to waste time wondering why.

Right now she had to figure out a way to keep him from killing her husband.

"Remy an' Ah have been t'gether fo' years," she explained gently. "Ever since he an' the other Acolytes rescued me from Area 51. An' now we're gonna have a baby, but it's okay, because we're married!"

"Vhat?" Kurt's voice filled her eyes, and she whirled around to find her half-brother staring at her in disbelief, yellow eyes wide. She'd been so focused on Logan and those claws that she had completely missed the fact that Kurt and Mystique were standing next to Jean. "You married zis creep?"

"He's not a creep, furball," Rogue shot back indignantly. "He's mah husband."

"Nein," Kurt shook his head empathically. "Nein, nein! Zis is mein worst nightmare!"

"Ha," Rogue retorted smugly, unable to resist smirking at him. "Yo' worst nightmare was that dream 'bout accidentally teleportin' into Principal Darkholme's office naked! An' that was be'fo' ya found out she was yo' mother!"

The two of them glared at one another, and then, like an epiphany, they both seemed to realize what was going on, that they had not seen each other in four years, and they were both alive and standing in the same room.

They stared at one another for a long moment of exquisitely painful joy, and Rogue's heart wrenched in relief at the sight of him. He was taller now, and had gained a wiry muscularity that suited him flexibility, but the change that amused her the most was the fact that he had cut his hair.

"Rogue!" Kurt cried, and disappeared in a cloud of brimstone and smoke.

Instinctively, Rogue opened her arms, and a second later her brother was there, latched on to her with a powerful embrace born out of four long years of grief and desperation. "Mein Gott," she heard him whisper, a raspy hitch to his voice as he laughed in delirious relief. "Dich sind lebendig!"

Rogue laughed, tears stinging her eyes, and clung to him desperately, breathing in the scent of him, savoring the soft feel of his fur against her cheek as she buried her face in his shoulder. Her heart was bursting with a relief that she could never put into words.

Holding her little brother in her arms at long last took her breath away.

"Oh God, Kurt," she whispered tearfully, lifting her hands to caress his furry cheeks lovingly. "Ah..."

"Ja," Kurt agreed huskily, his voice thick with emotion as tears matted his fur. "I know, liebchen. I know."

And he did know, she could tell, just by the silent shaking of his shoulders, by the fierceness with which he held her. These past few years had been every bit as painful for him as they had been for her, and finding each other again was an extraordinary sensation.

"Gott, dich sind schön," Kurt marveled, flashing a grin that showed off his fanged canines.

"Dich sind beeinflusst, kleiner Bruder," Rogue snorted, the language rolling off her tongue as if she had always spoken it. "Aber danke."

"Es ist wahr," Kurt insisted, practically beaming with brotherly pride as he leaned in to kiss her on both cheeks. They held one another for another few heartbeats, then Kurt pulled back and smiled, his yellow eyes shimmering with tears. "Willkommene Heim, Schwester lieb."

"Ich liebe dich," she whispered back.

"Ich liebe dich, auch," Kurt replied, his expression brightening even more, if that was even possible.

"Uh..." Todd finally broke the spell that had fallen over the two siblings, reminding them that they were not alone in the room. "Did anyone else understand a word they just said?"

"Non," Remy said casually, but Rogue didn't miss the amusement in his tone. "Not a t'ing."

"Okay, just checking, yo."

Laughing sheepishly, Rogue pulled away from her brother, but didn't let go of him, and he didn't seem to have any interest in letting go of her, either.

"One family member down and no bloodshed," Bobby joked from the doorway, and she looked over her shoulder to see that the rest of the X-men had come to watch the fireworks. "Only two to go."

"Hush, Robert," Ororo scolded, and Lance snickered under his breath.

Swallowing, Rogue turned to look at Logan, who was watching her with a gruffly affectionate look, but there was something in his eyes that nearly made her cry. A proud, relieved look, the kind that she'd gotten from Xavier upon her arrival, but somehow more poignant and moving.

He hadn't changed, not one bit, and she'd never been so appreciative of the benefits of his healing factor as she was right then. While everyone else had grown up and matured, Logan hadn't aged a day. Still handsome and burly, with that wild hair and sideburns, and a dusting of whiskers across his chin.

And, to her amusement, still wearing the same old jean jacket.

"Logan," she cried breathlessly, and launched herself into his arms without a second thought. "Oh, Logan, Ah missed ya!"

There was a strange sniffling sound as he wrapped his arms around her, almost as if he was trying not to cry, which was ridiculous because Logan did not cry, everyone knew that. She felt him lean his forehead down to rest on the top of her head. "I missed you, too, Stripes," he grunted, his gruff voice thick and husky with emotion.

"Ah was so scared Ah'd never see ya again," she said hoarsely, tears soaking the front of his shirt as she clung to him desperately. "When the Acolytes busted us free an' ya weren't wit' us... Ah thought... Ah thought ya were..."

"You know me better than that, kid," Logan said with a chuckle. "It'll take more than an idiot like Trask and a couple of tin-can robots to do me in."

"It better," Rogue sniffled into his chest. After a few moments, she pulled back to look up at him, her eyes searching his face curiously. He was her father... she was still adjusting to that revelation, but she could admit that while she wasn't necessarily sure that she saw the physical resemblance, there was definitely a lot of things that she must have inherited from him.

Ha, she thought to herself with a silent laugh. All that time he used t' complain 'bout how stubborn Ah am, an' it's his own fault!

Logan gave her an inquisitive look, obviously wondering what was going through her head, and he shifted his weight slightly, a sure sign that he was just as clueless about how to proceed with things as she was.

A sudden wave of love for the man washed over her, and she threw her arms around him again, savoring the familiar pine scent of his after-shave, a smell she had not forgotten over the years.

"Ah love ya," she whispered into the crook of his neck, and she felt his arms tighten around her instinctively.

"I love you, too, kid," he rasped.

"Awwww," Jubilee cried dramatically. "Wolvie's getting all emotional on us, guys!"

Logan growled, shooting the younger girl a dark look, and Rogue chuckled, pulling away from her father to turn and offer Jubilee a bright smile. "Ah was wonderin' when ya were gon' start makin' wise-cracks, Jubes."

"You know me," Jubilee grinned. "I can't pass up a chance to ruffle ol' Wolvie's feathers."

"What have I told you about callin' me that?" Logan demanded.

Jubilee blinked with wide, innocent eyes. "Not to do it?"

"That's right," Logan replied.

"Sorry, Wolvie," Jubilee smirked. "Won't happen again, Wolvie."

Logan groaned, looking at Xavier in exasperation. "Can we do an exchange? You take her off my hands and I'll take Roberto and Sam."

"You know you love me," Jubilee informed him, sticking out her tongue at him, before promptly spinning on her heel and embracing Rogue tightly. "It is so good to have you back, girl. Come back with us- I need you to save me from these morons I live with."

Rogue smiled, touching the short strands of Jubilee's hair. "Ah'll see what Ah can do. Ya cut yo' hair, Ah see."

"And you grew yours out," Jubilee observed. "Kind of like we switched hair styles or something, huh?"

"Looks that way," Rogue agreed.

"Four years apart and all they have to talk about is hair?" Ray snorted, rolling his eyes at the ceiling. "I thought Rogue was better than that."

"Zap him," Jubilee groaned pleadingly. "Just a little bit, please!"

"Sorry," Rogue laughed, gesturing to her bracelet. "Ah only turn this thing off fo' emergencies."

"Is that the power negating bracelet?" Forge asked, his eyes widening eagerly. "Can I-"

"No!" Rogue cut him off quickly, backing away. "Ah love ya, Forge, but ya ain't touchin' this bracelet, ya hear me?"

"Okay, okay," Forge sighed, giving her a rueful smile. "You know, I always intended to try and build something like that for you, to make it so you could touch, but I never got it perfected before the whole mess with the Sentinel and Trask happened."

"That's okay," Rogue replied, tapping her fingers on her bracelet absently. "Magneto knew what he was doin', this has worked wonders."

"And you can still use your other powers?" the dark-haired boy standing near Forge asked curiously.

"Yeah," Rogue answered, then paused. "Who are ya, sugah?"

"Oh, sorry," the boy flushed, and held out his hand. "I'm Thunderbird, but you can call me Neal."

"You can also call him 'moron', like I do," Jubilee piped up.

"Nice t' meet ya, Neal," Rogue said, shaking his hand before he could throw a nasty comment back in Jubilee's direction.

"Don't I even get a hello here?" Ray demanded.

Rogue rolled her eyes before marching over to him and reaching out to hug him, which she immediately regretted when a stab of electricity shot through her fingertips and up her spine. Yanking back her hand, she cursed under her breath, shaking her fingers in irritation.

"Fo'got about that part," she muttered.

"Sorry," Ray said with a small smirk, clearly trying not to laugh. "Static shock and all."

"Yeah, Ah know," Rogue sighed, then straightened determinedly. "Let's try this again, yeah? It's good t' see ya, Ray."

"Good to see you, too, Rogue," Ray responded, leaning down to hug her, and this time there was no shock. "Kurt was practically bouncing out of his seat the whole way here, he was so excited."

"I vas not," Kurt said indignantly.

"Yes, dear," Amanda said, patting his arm. "You were."

"Hi, Amanda," Rogue said, giving her brother's longtime girlfriend a warm smile. "Ah was kinda surprised t' hear ya had thrown in wit' this lot."

"It was kind of a surprise for me, too," Amanda admitted sheepishly. "It's a bit of a shock to learn that your mother never bothered to tell you that you were a sorceress."

"Ah bet," Rogue murmured, more than capable of imagining how that must have felt. After all, she could write a book on maternal betrayal and deceit, now couldn't she?

And speaking of...

Taking a deep breath and willing herself to remember that she had long since let go her anger towards the woman, or at least she hoped she had, she turned to face Mystique.

Her shifting powers had an effect on her aging process similar to Logan's healing powers, which Rogue found highly unfair now. Her parents would probably still look thirty when she was forty, was there no justice in the universe?

At least she got rid o' those ridiculous outfits she used t' wear in Bayville, Rogue noticed, thankful that the blue-skinned woman seemed to have finally toned down her taste in clothing. A pair of designer jeans and a blood red sweater, to match her hair perfectly, now replaced the black leather look she'd been sporting the last time Rogue saw her.

"Rogue..." her mother began in a husky voice, then trailed off, swallowing hard. Her yellow eyes were tearful and pleading as she clenched her hands at her side helplessly.

For a long moment Rogue just stood there, looking at the shape-shifter. This was the woman who had lied to her, manipulated her, used her. The woman who had caused her so much pain and suffering, who had broken her trust at every corner. The woman who, for the past four years, she had believed was responsible for murdering the people she loved most.

But she was also the woman who gave her life, whose heart had been ripped into pieces when she'd had to give up her child. Rogue knew that pain, knew it as if it were her own, taken from the memories she had absorbed from the shape-shifter during their various encounters during her time as an X-man. True the woman would never win any Parent of the Year awards, but for all her faults, Mystique did love her.

There was no denying that, not even to herself.

Mystique looked down and turned away silently, causing Rogue to shake off her reverie.

"Mama," she rasped, the word catching in her throat as tears welled up in her own eyes, as well, and the next thing she knew she was hugging the blue-skinned woman tight around the waist.

"Rogue," Mystique murmured, lifting a hand to stroke her hair. "Oh darling, my precious little girl."

They didn't say anything else, just clung to one another for a long, long time. When they finally separated, Rogue felt a bit shy about what she'd just done, but the relieved look in Mystique's eyes made her certain it had been the right thing to do. There would be time for them to sit down and hash things out later, in private, and maybe then she could get some answers, but for the first time in her life Rogue found she didn't want to cause Mystique unnecessary pain.

What is it ya tol' me, Irenie? Rogue thought, recalling the one and only letter she had gotten from her foster mother after joining the X-men. That Ah'd understand her when Ah grew up?

Funny how Irene was always right like that, maybe it was because she could see the future.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Mystique murmured softly, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I... I had the most horrible thoughts about what might have happened to you..."

"Like ya said, Ah'm okay," Rogue said with a reassuring smile. "Remy's taken real good care o' me these past few years."

Mystique glanced past her at the aforementioned Cajun thief and gave him a nod of acknowledgment. "Thank you," she said, and she sounded like she truly meant it.

"C'était mon plaisir," Remy replied quietly. "She be de love o' Remy's life."

"She better be," Mystique warned coolly, leaving the unspoken threat hanging in the air.

"That's it?" Logan demanded incredulously, looking at Mystique in disbelief. "This punk knocked up our daughter and all you have to say it 'she better be'?"

"What do want me to do, Logan?" Mystique retorted. "Morph into a tiger and maul him to death?"

"Yes!" Logan cried.

"Logan!" Rogue protested.

"What?" he asked shortly.

"Remy is mah husband," Rogue said softly. "An' Ah love him, an' he loves me. We've been married fo' years, Logan, an' now we're gonna have a baby... Ah'm gonna be a mother, an' that's somethin' that Ah never dreamed possible. Don' ya know how much this means t' me?"

"Of course I do, darlin'," Logan said, his expression softening. "And I'm happy for you, I am, it's just..."

Rogue swallowed hard and nodded, blinking back her tears. "Yeah, Ah know. But Ah need mah husband right now, an' Ah think ya know that. Do ya want t' explain t' yo' grandchild why he-"

"She," Remy couldn't resist interrupting.

"-doesn't have a father?" Rogue continued, pointedly ignoring him.

Logan had a stunned look on his face, and she frowned, not sure what exactly she had said to put that expression on his face. "Grandchild?" he echoed, his voice oddly strangled.

"Yes, Logan, grandchild," Mystique said with a dry sneer. "You're going to be a grandfather, get used to it."

"But I'm too young to be a grandfather," Logan insisted.

"How do you know?" Mystique drawled. "For all you know you could be well over a hundred, old man."

Snickers and barely stifled laughter came from all corners of the room, and Logan scowled at Mystique. "Yer one to talk, Raven. Yer a lot older than you look, too."

"A lady never discloses her age," Mystique sniffed.

"You sure as hell ain't no lady," Logan muttered.

"Are they always like this?" Rogue asked Kurt, wrinkling her nose in amusement.

"Nein," Kurt sighed. "Usually zey are worse."

Both parents glared at them, clearly not finding it nearly as funny as Rogue and Kurt did. "Watch it, elf," Logan warned.

"Y' know what?" Remy said suddenly, starting to backpedal towards the door. "Dis looks like a famille moment, so Remy, he jus' gon' step outside an'-"

"Not so fast, bub," Logan growled. "You and me have a little appointment with the Danger Room."

Remy winced, obviously understanding that it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience. "Didn' t'ink dat y' would be fo'gettin' dat."

"Logan, promise me ya won't hurt him," Rogue pleaded.

"I won't hurt him," Logan grunted. "Badly."

Rogue sighed, rubbing her temples in frustration, but Kurt placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Zis is something zat zey both need to do," he murmured. "Don't vorry, I vill watch from ze control tower. If things zey get out of hand, ve'll just spray zem with hoses, ja?"

Despite herself, Rogue smiled, leaning against him. "Thanks, Fuzzball," she said, gently ruffling his fur, much to his chagrin. "Ah appreciate that."

"You know what?" Roberto spoke up. "You stay here and spend time with Rogue, Kurt. Sam, Piotr and I will keep an eye on them. Our powers are better suited to handle this situation anyway."

"Danke," Kurt nodded gratefully, draping his arm around Rogue's shoulders. "Ve do have a lot to catch up on, ja?"

"Ja," Rogue agreed with a smile, then turned to give Logan a stern look. "He better be in one piece when ya'll are done."

"He'll be fine," Logan promised gruffly. "Ya got my word."

"Thanks," Rogue said softly. "Remy?"

"Oui, chere?"

"Je suis desole pour ceci," she murmured giving him a pitying look.

"Pas de probleme, chere," Remy shrugged with a faint trace of his cocky smirk. "Vous le valez."

"Okay, enough of the lovey-dovey crap," Logan scowled, shoving him towards the doorway. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you can go to the med-bay."

"Marie, chere?" Remy whimpered over his shoulder. "Y' still got Harmony's powers cataloged, oui?"

"Oui," Rogue assured him, trying not wince as she thought about how useful that power would probably be by the time Logan got through with him. Hopefully Logan didn't know that Harmony had been a healer, or else he was likely to do even more damage to Remy than she'd originally feared.

"Don't worry," Mystique said quietly, and Rogue glanced over at her mother in surprise. "Logan knows that you love him, so he'll go easy on him."

"Logan's version of 'easy' is severely different from the rest of the world's, though," Bobby snickered.

"That's exactly what Ah'm afraid o', sugah," Rogue groaned.

"Cheer up, Sis," Kurt grinned, his fanged teeth clacking together. "At least ve're all together again, ja?"

"Ja," Rogue smiled, stroking his fur with her bare hand and savoring the silky feel of it. It really does feel jus' like a cat's fur, she observed gleefully. Kitty had always claimed that it did, but Rogue had never gotten the chance to really experience it herself before, due to the ominous nature of her powers.

"Uh, Rogue?" she heard Kitty asked.

"Hmmm?" she murmured absently.

"Are you, like, petting Kurt?" Kitty asked with a barely suppressed giggle.

Startled, Rogue jerked her hand back in embarrassment, but Kurt only chuckled. "Zat's okay, Sis," he told her with a grin. "Like I always say, ze chicks dig ze fuzzy dude."


Translations:

Mein Gott- My God (German)
Dich sind lebendig- You are alive (German)
Ja- yes (German)
Dich sind schön- You are beautiful (German)
Dich sind beeinflusst- You are biased (German)
kleiner Bruder- little brother (German)
Aber danke- But thanks (German)
Es ist wahr- It is true (German)
Willkommene Heim- Welcome home (German)
Schwester lieb- sister dear (German)
Ich liebe dich- I love you (German)
Danke- thanks (German)
Je suis desole pour ceci- I'm sorry for this
Vous le valez- You're worth it.
C'était mon plaisir- It was my pleasure.


A/N: Sorry, I know this one was kind of short, but the chapters will get longer now that the reunions are out of the way. Look for another post later this week, most likely on Saturday! Oh, and forgive me any mistakes with the German- I know a little, but I mostly had to get some help for those parts, so I don't how accurate some of them are.