All characters owned by Marvel Comics.
Author's note: Big old red flag on this chapter for sexual content. And Romy fans, maybe just shut your eyes for the next couple chapters...
Sam
"Come in, Sam. I've done all I can today."
Rachel's voice in my mind coincided with the swish of Cerebro's doors opening, or Cerebra, or whatever the hell they called this version of Xavier's telepathy enhancing technological monstrosity. I stepped in as she was taking off the machine's helmet and she smiled wearily at me.
"Anything?" She shook her head in frustration and bit her lip. I knelt beside her and rubbed her back. She sighed gratefully and hunched forward.
"I don't know why I thought this might work, Sam. It's utterly ridiculous. I've just been wasting my time." She shook her head again, her voice bitter.
"It ain't a waste of time. You reached out to the X-Men telepathically when you, Alex and Lorna were stuck in deep space." She snorted and scrubbed her eyes with her hands.
"Yeah, but I knew where you guys were. I wasn't just throwing my mind out there looking for the microscopic needle in an infinite haystack. I just thought that maybe, with my…background…combined with my rapport with Anna and Logan, that maybe I could hone in on them…" She hung her head in defeat. "This would have been so much easier if I still had the power of the Phoenix." Her lips cracked into a rueful smile. Her background. She sure didn't bring that up very often. Raised in an alternate future, she had witnessed the slaughter of her reality's X-Men, been kidnapped and imprisoned, tortured and trained as a 'hound', forced to hunt mutants with her telepathic gifts. She had escaped to our time and reality, a future where she cruelly would never exist. Using her powers like she had been brainwashed to do in her world was still hard for her even after all these years. She had later served as the human focus for the cosmic might and infinite power of the Phoenix, one of the few sentient beings to be able to claim that feat successfully.
I changed the subject to something that had been bothering me. "You wouldn't need the power of the Phoenix if Haller could help us." Despite the weariness in her eyes, stiff anger ran through her body.
"Yeah. Too much to expect, I guess." I wasn't sure if that comment was being fair to David Haller and didn't say it out loud, but still earned myself a dirty look from the redheaded telepath. I sighed. David and Lila. These were the people who should have been able to reach our friends easily, but both were too broken to make it happen. David Haller, the tremendously powerful and tremendously shattered son of our deceased mentor Charles Xavier, had more mutant powers at his disposal than a whole squad of X-Men. Each of his powers were controlled by a separate personality, and one of his personalities, name of Compass Rose, had the ability to teleport to a specific person no matter where they were in the universe. Rogue had previously borrowed the ability and rescued Rachel, Alex Summers, and Lorna Dane from where they had been stranded on the other side of the galaxy. If he would help us…but it was more accurate to say if he could help us. Too dangerous to control, David had taken it upon himself to rid the world of his chaotic powers. The irony was, if it had been any other X-Man lost in space, Rogue could have borrowed David's powers again, bypassed his crazy, and saved the day herself. Rachel had wanted to hunt Haller down and pit her telepathy against the legions in his head, take enough control to use the powers of Compass Rose, but she was overruled by the rest of the X-Men.
"He's too dangerous, Rachel." She stilled under my hand, held her breath. "Even if he could use his powers, how could we trust him to take us where we needed to go? He could strand us wherever his crazy ass wanted and we'd never get home." She sighed and nodded. "I want to find them too, but we can't take that kind of risk." She sat up and I helped her stand.
"I'm fine, Sam," she smiled and gently pushed my hands away. I smiled back and offered my elbow.
"I know, girl. I'm the one that needs help walking a straight line these days." She laughed and slipped her hand through the crook of my arm as we exited Cerebro.
"No kidding? Here I thought…" she stopped mid-sentence, her green eyes wide in shock. She dropped my arm as if it had burned her.
"Rachel?" I reached for her, alarmed.
"You have got to be kidding me," she hissed and picked us both up off the metallic floor with her telekinesis, her pretty face contorted into an ugly rage. She stopped us in front of the door to the War Room and flung the thick metal apart with her powers.
"What the hell is going on here?" she telepathically yelled. Inside the War Room a startled Storm jumped from Gambit's lap where the two had been locked a second ago in a pretty steamy embrace. My jaw fell to the floor.
"Rachel…Samuel…" The usually composed Storm stammered, nervous hands smoothing her rumpled uniform. Rachel shook the room with crackling energy. Gambit stood and faced us, not a feather out of place.
"Something we can help you with?" he asked coldly. I was embarrassed, sick to my stomach walking in on something that was none of my business. I knew they had been working real closely with one another since this whole mess started, but what the hell? Score one for Bobby Drake, I thought. All that smooth talk about lovin' Anna, and I had swallowed it hook, line and sinker, but Rachel? She wasn't having any of it. A claw made of pure telekinetic fire grabbed ahold of Gambit by the throat and slammed him hard against a bank of monitors.
"You slimy son of a bitch! She loved you! She loves you!" Rachel screamed in our minds. I staggered to the floor when she dropped me from her telekinetic bubble, reached out for her and tried to stand.
"Rachel, calm down," I pleaded, hoping to diffuse the situation before it got any more out of hand, but she ignored me, shoving me and Ororo away.
"Calm down?!" she shrieked out loud, her green eyes wild. Gambit bellowed, but she squeezed him tighter. "He comes in here, puts on this big show for us, for what? So we feel sorry for him? Poor Gambit, he loves Rogue so much…you're disgusting! Couldn't you even keep it in your pants for six months?" She poured on the power and Gambit roared in pain. "Is this what you think love is? Is this all she was worth to you?"
"Rachel, please, it is not like that," Ororo tried to infuse a little regal steel into her voice, but right then, to me, she sounded pathetic. I thought I knew her, but right then I didn't even want to look at her.
"Shut up, Ororo," Rachel spat and kept her at bay with her powers. "Anna and Logan are lost. Lost, not dead! Would it have eased your conscience if they were gone, or would you have even waited for their corpses to cool before you started ripping each other's clothes off?"
"Just like…daddy, eh, chere?" Gambit hissed painfully. Damn. Low blow from the Cajun, real low blow. Rachel's dad cheated on her mom right before she was murdered, or a 'past alternate version' of her dad cheated on a 'past alternate version' of her mom. Rachel's face twisted in revulsion and she dropped him like he wasn't even there, shoved past me and left the room. Released from her hold, Ororo sprang to Gambit. Checking him for injuries she helped him to his feet. I stood, numb with a sick anger and moved for the door.
"Sam…" Gambit's voice stopped me and I turned back to them. "What I told you 'bout Anna, my feelings for her, that was the truth. I love her. I will always love her. We didn't mean for this to happen…"
I sighed and rubbed my hand roughly along my jaw. "What do you want me to say? That it's okay? That I understand? Do you want my approval?" I glared at them. "I've been a leader enough times in my life that I'm able to see both sides of the story. Believe me, I get it. I get how it could have happened. You're lonely, you're worried, you reach out for each other…Like I said, I understand, but that doesn't mean I think what you two are doing is right. But that's something you all have to live with, not me." I stalked off after Rachel.
Logan
I almost didn't find her; the rain hid her from me. Another of this planet's flamin' storms, the water emptied from the sky in blinding, cold torrents. Crippling my senses, it slowed my search.
I had woken up in some cave, confused as hell, smothered and sweatin' in a huge fur blanket. I was alone next to a dying fire, Rogue's scent cold. I shrugged out of the blanket and stood painfully. I was naked. My torso hurt and the pain caused the memories to crash over me, sending my heart hammering into my throat. I moved my hand along my stomach and sides, relief flooding through me. It felt like everything from top to tail had grown back. Wasn't every day a monster tried to eat you for breakfast, not a day I was looking to repeat anytime soon. I had gotten real lucky, and, except for the newly healed flesh being a little bit sensitive, it all seemed normal. I stretched tentatively, testing my movements. Hurt, but I had expected that. How long had I been out?
I poked around the cave for any sign of Rogue, trying to keep calm, not letting myself panic. My first thought was she had probably gone for food or water or something. I wasn't real happy she had gone by herself, but I clearly hadn't been in any shape to help her, and she'd probably chew me out if I checked up on her. Told myself she'd be back real soon. Explored the cave for a few minutes and, in my shaky state, stumbled over a small wood pile and threw a couple logs on. Even with my enhanced senses, I figured it wouldn't hurt to shed a little light on my situation. It didn't take long to stoke the flames back up. Found my pants draped over a rock, along with my other clothes. She must have recovered my shirt and jacket, looked like she had washed the blood out the best she could. How had she gotten us out of there? After a certain point my memory was a little hazy, I knew I would need her to fill in the blanks. I sat down in a huff on the surprisingly soft fur blanket and dressed myself slowly, wincing at the twists required to pull on my pants. Where had she managed to find a big piece of pelt? I smelled it and smiled when I realized where it had come from, my heart swelling with pride. Atta girl, she had taken that mother fucking monster out!
I waited for her, pacing an angry, worried path inside that cold cave for what seemed like hours. I officially ran out of patience when I heard the swirling, familiar sound of a coming storm and she still hadn't come back yet. I tore into the gathering dark to find her.
"Rogue!" I screamed her name, flinching at the frightening energy crashing around me, soaked to the bone before I had barely gone fifty feet. The lightning sizzled in the trees above me and my tender guts clenched, hoping the massive bolts would find taller targets than me. The flashing turned my surroundings to daylight for a heartbeat, and I saw fresh boot tracks in the mud trailing before me, filling too quickly with rain. My insides froze. I stumbled forward, still woozy, my nostrils flaring desperately for her scent, getting nothing for my trouble but the smell of ozone and thick, wet dirt. I followed her tracks and my heart skipped a beat when I saw a long skid that ended at the edge of the bluff. Fuck. I had to have been healing for days, and if I knew her like I thought I did, she wouldn't have absorbed my powers. I started down the rocky bluff, swearing, slipping in the mud and water. I smelled the thick saltiness of her blood despite the driving rain, and in another flash caught sight of her broken cell phone on the rocks, dark and glistening and different. Below me, the churning river. If she had fallen in, I would never find her. I had to stop myself from jumping straight down as I scrambled down the slick side of the bluff.
"Rogue!" I choked back a sob and shivered. "ANNA!" I howled until my voice broke and tore in my throat, moving along the bank in a panicked frenzy. After what seemed like an eternity, my ears heard a low, broken moan over the rain and rushing river. I whirled and crashed into the edge of the water, hissing at the temperature just shy of frozen. Her white stripe stood out like a flare on the next beat of lightning and I swam towards her, manic. We had gotten too fucking lucky. Again.
The water was deep, but I reached her quickly in the strong current and steadied myself on the rocks near her. Jesus, she must have slipped and fallen down the bluff and into the water. The current had drug her in, but somehow she had gotten tangled in a bed of those damn river reeds she was always messing with. I grasped her desperately with one arm. She was a fucking block of ice, but I was the one shivering in relief. I shook her and her eyes rolled open, green slits in the flashing light. I couldn't tell if she actually saw me before her head lolled back and she passed out again. Her forehead had a huge gash on it, still bleeding, but it looked partially healed, the flow slowed in the icy chill of the water. She was breathing, but I could barely feel her heartbeat. I steadied us and used the claws on my other hand to cut her loose from those flamin' reeds. I slung her arm over my shoulder, trying not to think of how cold and dead she felt in my arms, of how close it had been. Painfully, slowly, I swam us towards the bank. My mind was frantic, wild and furious. I knew I had to get her warmed up, get her awake so she could take my powers again, but GOD DAMMIT! This was what I had wanted to avoid, why I had made her take my powers every goddamned day, so nothing bad would happen to her! I could almost hear her stubborn ass reasoning in my head, but so fucking what? So what if I was hurt, she shouldn't have stopped borrowing my power! She could have drained me dry if it meant she would have stayed safe! Didn't she get that I would gladly die to keep her alive?
I hauled her limp form out of the water, my still recovering body quivering from the effort, the storm still raging. What if she hadn't caught those stupid reeds? I bit back another sob and secured her over my shoulders best I could. I began the agonizing, gut-wrenching climb, picking my way painstakingly back up the slippery bluff, the rain cascading down the rocks like a waterfall all around me. With each scrabbling, scraping handhold upwards, I tried not to think about what would happen if I slipped or if she fell. I finally dug one hand into the oozing muck at the top of the bluff and, grabbing hold of her arm with my free hand, wrenched her nearly lifeless form off of me and onto the mud. I grunted and, with too much effort, hauled my own shaking ass up. I lay, draped over her, trying to catch my breath. I swung her up and stumbled my way back to our shelter carrying her icy body in my arms. I barely found the cave. The rain had scoured my scent away, but I followed the smell of smoke from my fire snaking its way through the forest.
The storm began to finally rain itself out. I drug her up the rocks that served as the steps and laid her gently on the blanket, stoked the fire again, and threw enough logs on it to get it blazing. I moved over her and started pulling off her wet clothes. In the growing firelight my heart sank. Her lips were blue and her skin matched. I stripped her fast, pausing at her bra and panties, but shimmied her out of those, too. I pulled off my clothes and climbed in next to her, drew her down onto my bare chest and wrapped the fur around us like a sleeping bag, my arms and legs hugging her tightly.
"Come on darlin', come back to me," I whispered to her motionless form. It was too long before I got a response, but she finally stirred.
"Logan…" she breathed. I squeezed her and rocked her back and forth.
"Yeah, it's me. You're safe." I kissed the top of her head and blinked away the tears of relief that burned my eyes. "You need to absorb my healing factor, okay?" I whispered, my lips against her ear. She tensed and tried to pull away from me, but she was still too weak. She collapsed back onto me and I felt her head shake against my chest.
"No, you've gotta…heal still…" she moved her head awkwardly, but I held her tighter. "You're hurt…" I moved my hand to grasp hers where it was curled between us.
"All better, darlin'. Don't need my powers right now. Here, feel…" I moved her hand back and forth across my stomach. She scowled against my chest, and lifted slightly to look down. The effort was too much, and her head dropped back onto me.
"All better?" she asked, her voice thick. I squeezed her hard again.
"Take my powers, Anna. Don't be stubborn." Thought for a second she was gonna fight me again, girl never seemed to be able to just do what I told her to do without mouthing off about it, but soon enough I felt the slow trickle of her absorption power flow down the length of me. She thawed instantly in my arms, and I let myself relax for a while, letting my powers heal us both. I knew it was probably wrong, but it felt real good having her warming body pressed against mine. She just felt like she belonged in my arms. I absently stroked her hair, and she began to breathe normally, her heartbeat steadying. She sighed and melted against me, her long fingers running feather light touches across the sensitive skin of my newly healed abdomen.
I should have rolled her off of me right then and there, would have been the right thing to do, what a guy who was just her friend would have done. Having her naked body draped across mine definitely crossed some lines, stirred up a few things inside me, but I selfishly kept her close to me. On one of her passes back and forth across my stomach, her hand dipped a little lower than I expected, causing me to suddenly harden and press into her. I swallowed and tried to shift away from her, to apologize, but she moved with me. Her skin was abruptly flushed and warm and she kept herself pressed against me. The air had become thick with the smell of her unexpected arousal and I started losing control. Her light touch moved down again and I groaned. She grasped me in her hand and started stroking me, and I should have stopped her, but I wanted her and I let her keep going. She kissed my chest and worked a burning trail down my body. I was fucking helpless. Her tongue ran the length of me, taking my breath away. Her smoldering green eyes looked up from what she was doing to me and she smiled.
"Stop…please…" I choked out deliriously before I lost it. She pulled back like I had slapped her, and her scent shifted to angry, confused. She backed away, her eyes wide, and I realized my mistake. She thought I was pushing her away, when what I wanted was to take her, to make her scream my name and writhe underneath me. "No, Anna, wait…" I stood up on my knees and reached for her, but she slapped my hand away. Her eyes fierce, she tried to untangle herself from me and the fur and stand. I caught her around the waist and pulled her roughly back to me, held her tightly and crushed her lips with mine. I ran my hands up and down her back and pulled her hips against me, bit and kissed my way down her neck and into the hollow of her throat. She moaned and gave in to the heat between us, parted her legs for me, and I rocked my hips forward and slid my length along her wetness, moved a hand to her breast and brought my mouth down to tease her hardened nipple. Her breath was ragged and I leaned us back onto the fur, her over me. If she was ready, then so was I. I fucking needed it, needed her. I didn't want to fight whatever this was anymore, couldn't fight her, not after I had almost lost her. All thoughts of home and the people we had left behind disintegrated. All that mattered was her. She straddled me and I ran my hands up and over her breasts and stomach, my fingertips soaking up every inch of her. We locked eyes and she brought herself down over me, her eyes daring me to stop, calling my bluff. I folded first, grabbed her hips and pushed into her, hardly believing what was happening. Being in her, it felt like coming home. I let her set the pace and she moved slowly at first, her lips parted, eyes dreamy as she enjoyed herself. I moved my hand under her where our bodies were joined and ran my thumb against her, made her moan low and roll her eyes back into her head. She was so wet, so hot, the smell of her…I dug my fingers into her hips and took over, pounded into her wildly, watching her breasts bounce furiously with our rhythm. We were both groaning and breathless, moving against each other but together, hands and lips and teeth searing scars of passion across our skin. I smelled the change in her, felt her start to tighten around me in an overpowering need. I bucked my hips up to meet hers at a blinding pace, begging to make it last longer, but unable to hold out anymore.
"Oh…Logan…." she moaned, breathless. "Oh…" She came hard in a shuddering spasm and I followed right after her, screaming her name.