Disclaimer: Does not belong to me.
Chapter 3—A Second Chance
Rogue gave a shriek of surprise as she came tumbling out of mid air and onto the ground. She looked around in confusion, and only let out a sigh of relief when she didn't see anyone nearby. Finally she would be able to get out of town in one piece. It didn't matter that she didn't know where she was, that was only a minor detail. All that mattered was that she had managed to leave Scott, Jean, the feral felines, and the other two teens behind. Closing her eyes Rogue tried to calm her racing heart before piecing together another plan—one that would keep her alive and free from touching other people.
"God," she moaned in ragged breaths, "why can't I just be left alone?"
"Maybe if you weren't such a screw up things would be different," was the sharp reply. Rogue sucked in her breath as she caught sight of Jean once more. The red head looked the same as she had in the park, but now there was an unmistakable void of anger evident in the other girl's face.
"Look, just leave me alone. I didn't mean to hurt him. I told y'all to go away," protested Rogue as Jean stood above her with her hands on her hips.
"It's a little too late for that now, isn't it? I tried to help you…I offered you a place, a future. But you are so fucking high on your horse that you won't let me. Well, I'm tired of being nice."
"Oh shit!" Rogue scrambled to her feet just in time to block one of Jean's punches. The red head tried another swing, but was stopped once again by Rogue. She said a mental prayer of thanks to Cody for taking all those martial arts classes because they were finally coming in handy.
"I never told you what powers I possess, did I?" asked Jean taking a step back. Rogue was silent. New as she was to being a mutant she knew from reading in the papers that some mutants had powers that could destroy a person's life, or their self, in a matter of seconds.
"I'm a telepath. I could read your mind right now…and I could erase it. How would you like that?"
Rogue clamped her jaw shut and quickly sprinted away from Jean. Behind her she could hear the once sweet Jean laughing at her fear. Rogue continued running until she saw a hiding place. There ahead of her was an open tomb. She didn't think twice as she ran inside, hoping against hope that no one would dare follow her inside.
"Are you running from them too?" asked a quiet voice from the shadows of the tomb. Rogue paused and searched for the speaker. She took a step back when a woman with dark hair and eyes came to stand before her.
"Who are you? Are you one of them…the ones after me?"
"No. I've been hiding from them for years. They're the X-Men, you know."
"The X-what? I honestly don't care who they are. I just want to be left alone," replied Rogue wearily. She leaned against the wall of the tomb and slid to the ground in defeat. Her body was sore from the many nights spent sleeping on park benches, and now this constant running at the drop of a hat. She wasn't sure how much of it she would be able to handle. "I'm so tired of running."
"You shouldn't have to run, dear. Mutants shouldn't have to live in fear of their lives." The woman eyed Rogue carefully before sitting a few feet away from her.
"What would you know, huh? Are you a mutant too?"
"Yes."
"Let me guess, you can help me too…you want to give me a chance just like this Xavier fellow, right?"
The woman shook her head. "Xavier and I have differing views on how mutants should live. All I want you to do is listen to what I have to say."
"Might as well, I've listened to everyone else talk."
"The X-Men stand for peace…Xavier believes that mutants and humans can live together in harmony. No violence, no war, no hate."
"Hate's impossible. It's the oldest sin in the book; you can't get rid of it that easily. Look at all the hate groups still around today." Rogue frowned as she recalled the history lessons she had listened to in school. Hate was something everyone was born with—she could vaguely remember a bible story talking about original sin or something. The teen hadn't paid very much attention when she had attended church with her family.
"Exactly, but Xavier thinks it's possible."
"It's a nice dream, but I doubt it's going to happen anytime soon. Obviously you don't agree with this Professor. So what's your story?"
"Mutants shouldn't have to hide who they are from the world. Equality won't happen unless mutants take action. I work for the Brotherhood of Mutants. Our mission is to get results. You know about the Mutant Registration Act going through Congress?"
"Who hasn't? It's only in the papers like every day. It's like the Holocaust all over again. Mutants will have to register their names on a list and be sent to some internment camp for life. No one wants to believe that the camps are going to be nothing more than the concentration camps that Jews were sent to. But it doesn't really matter yet, the bill hasn't passed."
"But someday it may. I won't lie to you. The Brotherhood takes drastic measures against all those who stand in our way. Like the X-Men. If we must, we fight them." The woman looked directly at Rogue to gauge her reactions.
The teen snorted. "Vigilantes? That's rich. Y'all just can't get along so you fight it out? I'm not joining anyone's cause, lady. I don't give a shit about peace or equality. As far as I'm concerned, no one—no mutant, no human—is ever going to accept me for my curse."
"I'm not asking you to join me. I'm only offering a small chance at normalcy. If you come with me I'll give you a place to stay, food, clothing. Xavier would have you join his students to fight those against this vision he has of the future. If you don't want to fight, then don't. But you shouldn't have to run forever, my dear. What kind of life is that?"
Rogue shook her head. She wasn't willing to give in just like that, but she had to admit having a place to stay without question would be nice…she knew she couldn't run forever. Yet, giving in would be asking a lot of Rogue. It would require trusting this complete stranger in front of her, and the teen wasn't ready to trust anyone. "Look, the offer's nice and all, but I think I'll pass. I'm a lot safer on my own." Rogue slowly got to her feet and turned towards the open door of the tomb. The woman also stood and placed a gentle hand on Rogue's shoulder.
"I know what it's like to run. I ran for my whole life."
Rogue turned around and let out a tiny gasp at what she saw. The woman's hair went from brown to red, her eyes became yellow, and her skin…the peach colored flesh slowly turned blue. Rogue shook her head in a daze as she slowly came to terms with what had just happened. This woman was like her. She was a mutant as well, though there had been very little doubt about that. To see her as she truly was Rogue finally saw a glimmer of hope that perhaps someone out there truly did understand her and what she was going through.
"You see, my dear, I don't always look human. For a long time I couldn't control my powers. I'm a shape shifter. I can't teach you how to control yours, I won't deny that. I can't offer you a cure either, but I can offer you protection. If you come with me I will keep all who want you as far away as I can."
Rogue was silent for a moment. The offer was too good to be true. "Why me? Why am I so popular all of a sudden?"
"You possess great powers. You could change the tides of a battle with a single touch. You'll be a great asset to any team you join. I hope you'll one day join mine, but I won't push it. You need someplace to stay, or you'll end up in some lab. So, what do you say? Will you come with me?"
The blue woman held out a hand and Rogue studied it, deep in thought. If she did this she would be putting her life in the hands of a complete stranger. She would be doing what she knew would probably be a bad idea, but what choice was left to her? She didn't want to fight any battles—she didn't believe there was a place for her on either side of the mutant debate. Her powers were proof enough of that. After a minute Rogue placed her own gloved hand in the woman's and shook it. "You got a deal, lady."
"Call me Mystique."
"I'm Rogue."
The X-Jet:
"She seemed to have just vanished into thin air. I couldn't find her anywhere. But I did find traces of Mystique," said Jean as they settled into their seats. Behind her she could hear Kurt groan groggily. He was finally beginning to wake up from his encounter with Rogue.
Xavier let out a deep sigh as he looked over at his brightest student. "Rogue is very vulnerable. I'm afraid Mystique got her before we did. I don't know what means she used, but I believe Rogue has gone with her for protection."
"Mystique ain't nothing but a lying bitch," muttered Logan as he and Ororo prepared the jet for flight. "Sabretooth scared the kid out of her mind on purpose. I can only imagine what tricks Mystique used to connive the Rogue to her side."
"So she, like, works for the Brotherhood now? How wrong is that?" groaned Kitty from her seat next to Kurt.
"Well," started Kurt, "she has one mean punch, ja?"
Scott frowned. "I swear she was gonna let us help her when I talked to her. She sounded so tired of running, and scared. You should've seen her face when she accidentally touched Kurt, Professor. She was frightened."
"Rogue has a great power, but at a terrible cost. Every time she touches someone, a part of that person lives on in her mind. I don't believe Rogue has joined the Brotherhood to fight. I think she joined for a different reason altogether," replied the Professor.
"Like what?" questioned Ororo. "Magneto will want her to join his trainees eventually."
"And given some time, Rogue may do just that. No, she went with Mystique because she was given the truth."
"The truth?" Scott shook his head as Jean glanced over at the Professor.
"Professor, I hardly think Rogue would go with Mystique if she knew what kind of plans they might have for her," murmured the red head.
"I think Mystique offered Rogue a chance at a semi-normal life…and future. The Brotherhood firmly believes that they will triumph in this war between humans and mutants. To someone like Rogue, their vision seems more likely than one of peace and hope. Rogue is trying to protect herself from her greatest fear. Her powers are dangerous. If the Mutant Registration Act were to pass, Rogue would be one of the first mutants whisked away because of her powers. She's a bright girl. Given some time she may leave the Brotherhood, she may come to us, or she may go off on her own. We must simply wait and see."
"You sound like a damn optimist, Chuck," muttered Logan. "The old Tin-Can isn't going let her go that easily. She's too damn important to lose."
The Brotherhood of Mutants:
Rogue and Mystique stood outside of the doorway of the boarding house in silence. Mystique had returned to human form and was busy searching for her keys to the locked front door. Rogue studied the dreary house and gave a small smile. It may have been a little rundown, but after the events of the last few days it was whole lot better than sleeping on another bench.
"It ain't exactly a four star place, huh?" she teased Mystique as the older mutant finally pulled out her keys.
Mystique snorted in amusement. "The occupants aren't much better. They're boys, and the messiest ones I have ever come across."
Rogue grinned as Mystique stuck the key into the lock. During the drive back from New Orleans, Rogue had grown close to her new guardian. Mystique was brutally honest and caring. Something Rogue had never truly experienced from her adopted parents back in Mississippi. Mystique had begun to teach her martial arts to protect herself rather than forcing the teen to use the powers she hated. Rogue was slowly beginning to trust the shape shifter, which was a nice change. It was as though she had found someone she could rely on if only because the older woman didn't pressure her to do anything or be who she wasn't. Rogue felt freer than she had in an awfully long time.
Mystique pushed the door open and froze with Rogue behind her. The house was still a mess. "Apparently the clean up crew gave up long before they ever started," muttered Mystique as Rogue closed the door behind her.
"What's that smell?" Rogue wrinkled her nose in disgust.
A male voice answered from the top of the stairs. "It's probably Toad, he hasn't bothered to take a shower for the past few days."
"I thought I told you boys to clean up this sty before I came back," snapped Mystique edgily. Rogue felt a wry smile appear on her face as the teen boy scowled. It was obvious he didn't fear Mystique, and it was more than obvious he wasn't someone to take lightly.
"Gee Mystique, why don't you clean it up? We couldn't find the cleaning materials anywhere. Pietro didn't wanna go buy any, and neither Toad nor I are allowed at the grocery store anymore, so we were screwed."
"Great roomies you got me, Mystique," whispered Rogue slipping past her guardian. Mystique gave a small growl as she locked eyes with her defiant charge on the stairway. Rogue walked through the living room and rolled her eyes at the mess she saw. Everything seemed to be in a haphazard condition. The southerner had seen junk yards cleaner than this. She entered the kitchen and came across a rather amusing scene.
A white haired boy was zipping back and forth from the fridge to the counter making a sandwich faster than Rogue could blink. Perched on the ceiling fan was another boy with green tinted hair and skin. He was entertaining himself by catching flies with a flick of his tongue. Rogue pursed her lips as she considered the boys in front of her. Mystique had mentioned the other charges living at the boarding house on the drive here, but these weren't at all quite like she had imagined them to be. It was actually rather nice to come across people who felt as she did, that the world would always be against them.
With a smirk Rogue cleared her throat, "Ahem."
Both boys stopped what they were doing to look towards the doorway. The white haired boy stopped in between the fridge and counter and eyed Rogue with narrowed eyes. While she was easy on the eyes he was suspicious. Pretty girls didn't just come to the boarding house unless they were with him…and he doubted Lance had managed to find himself a girl, so obviously this girl was unwelcome company.
"Who're you?" he demanded, ignoring the blobs of ketchup that dripped down his black shirt.
"Yeah, and how'd you get in, yo? I locked the door," said the other boy dropping in front of Rogue.
Mystique answered as she breezed into the room. "She's boarding with us for a while. I'm her new guardian."
"Uh-huh, who are you, girl?" asked the dark haired boy coming to stand beside the new mutant. He gave Rogue a once over that made the southerner frown darkly.
Stepping away from him a tiny step she shot him a look that clearly said to stay out of her personal space. She may trust Mystique, but she wasn't going to open up to anyone else that easily until she knew them better. "Rogue. Who are you? Grouchy?" she returned waspishly.
"They call me Avalanche. That's Quicksilver and Toad." He indicated Pietro and Toad with a point of his finger that Rogue followed with the smallest of glances. The names were odd, though she supposed hers was just as odd as any of them. Nodding she asked, "Did your mother give you that name?"
"Lance Alvers." Lance stuck out his hand, but Rogue barely glanced at it, causing the male to frown. Normally he didn't try for the friendly approach, but considering Rogue was the first female member of their little crew he had figured that going the polite route would enable him to get to know her a little better…or at least keep Pietro from calling dibs like he normally did at school.
"Not very friendly, are we?" observed the green boy staring up at Rogue with awe. He hadn't met very many people who didn't try to make good with Lance before, at least not outside the X-Men. Normally people were afraid of the other boy and didn't like to draw attention to themselves by blowing him off like Rogue had just done. She was quickly moving up several notches in Toad's book of cool people.
"Should I be?" questioned Rogue turning to glance at the green teen.
"Probably not. The name's Todd Tolensky, but you can call me Toad. Everyone else does."
"And I'm Pietro Maximoff, at your service." The white haired boy had Rogue's gloved hand to his lips before she could say a word. She pulled her hand out of his grasp and moved to stand by the counter. Being too close to other people still made her queasy, and surprise attacks like that weren't exactly acceptable in Rogue's eyes.
"It'd be best if y'all didn't touch me. I might accidentally hurt you."
Pietro frowned. "That's no fun. Strip poker's out, huh?"
"Not unless you want to die, Speedy." Rogue shot him a glare, bringing a grin to Lance's face.
"You're all right, Rogue. I think you're gonna fit in just fine." Lance grinned even wider at Rogue's small blush. The southern mutant turned away from her new roommates and looked around the kitchen. She didn't like the way his smile made her feel. It reminded her too much of Cody, and that was a wound Rogue wasn't ready to open back up just yet. Instead she looked for something else to occupy her mind.
"First things first, boys, if I'm going to live here I don't want to live in a pig sty. We need to clean house," announced Rogue. Mystique gave a satisfied smile of approval and went over to the kitchen sink. She pulled out a bucket, scrubbers, and a bottle of Lysol.
"I'll leave you kids to get better acquainted," said Mystique handing the materials to Rogue. On her way out of the kitchen she gave her three male charges a sharp look before disappearing. Lance, Pietro, and Toad all turned to Rogue awaiting her orders. While none of them were particularly keen to be told what to do, they were willing to make a small sacrifice for Rogue's sake. There was something about her that put them at ease, possibly because she was a girl, and all three of them tended to try and be a little more charming around girls.
Rogue handed Lance the bucket and Lysol, and Pietro the scrubbers. "Lance, fill the bucket with warm water, and," she studied the yellow cleaner carefully, alternating glances at the floor, "better do that whole bottle of Lysol to be on the safe side. Pietro, tie these to your hands and feet, you're the fastest one so you'll be able to get the place shining in no time."
Toad was hopping up and down in anticipation. "Ooo. Ooo. What about me?"
Rogue looked over at the overfilled trash can by the sink and wrinkled her nose once again. "Take out the trash and then take a shower. There's a such thing as personal hygiene, you know?"
"Huh? You tryin' to tell me I stink?" Toad became very still.
"Uh-huh. You don't clean up, then I'll have to force you, and you won't like it very much."
Both Lance and Pietro chuckled as they set to work with their chores. As Lance was filling the bucket with hot water he called over to Rogue, "So what are your powers?"
"You'll just have to wait and see, now won't you?" returned Rogue. She gave Lance a small smile before heading back into the living room. She listened to the boys as they began to argue amongst themselves about their chores, causing Rogue to grin. Living here didn't seem so bad after all. The boys were turning out to be a little easier to handle than she had anticipated, and they weren't pressing her to spill out everything about herself. It was nice to come somewhere and be able to keep things to herself…to start over.
She turned to head upstairs in search of her guardian when she caught sight of an envelope on the floor beneath the door. Rogue picked up the envelope, and tore it open after seeing her name written across it. Inside was a letter.
Rogue,
Welcome to the Brotherhood. I know Mystique has told you about some of the activities we participate in, but I would like to talk with you personally. Meet me at the park tonight at midnight—but don't tell anyone else where you are going. I have my reasons for keeping this secretive, but I am sure that you would like to hear what I have to say. It is about your birth parents, the ones who gave you up. My best wishes on your new home. I hope you enjoy your stay.
--Erik Magnus Lensherr
Rogue folded the letter up and tucked it into her pants pocket. She knew this Erik fellow was in fact the leader of the Brotherhood—Mystique had mentioned him a few times, and each time she spoke with genuine warmth and respect. But to actually go and meet with him in secret. Rogue shuddered. She hadn't expected that. Rogue had thought she would be left to her own devices as Mystique had said she would…
"Rogue, are you alright?" questioned Mystique appearing at the top of the stairs.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. I just want to thank you for bringing me here. I'm starting to feel safer than I have for weeks now." Rogue looked up at her guardian and gave her a teary eyed smile. It was true she felt safe now. All the running and moving from place to place had taken its toll on the teen, so it was a relief to know that perhaps she wouldn't have to do that anymore.
"I'm glad you're adjusting well. I know the past few weeks have been hectic. I prepared a room for you. Tomorrow we can go shopping and get you settled as a new member of our…dysfunctional family. Then we need to get paperwork set up for you. You're going to need a last name if you're to enroll at school."
"School? But won't the kids know I'm a mutant?"
Mystique shook her head. "The X-Men and Brotherhood share the mutual decision to keep our identities as mutants a secret from the public. If you stick close to Alvers and his gang then the other kids will leave you alone."
"I don't need protection, I can take care of myself."
"But in case the X-Men try to harass you…stick close to Lance. He'll take care of them for you."
Rogue opened her mouth to protest but quickly shut it as she remembered the look on Jean Grey's face in their last encounter. Maybe for once she'd do as she was told. She followed Mystique to her new room and thanked her once again before being left alone to her thoughts.
"I wonder what you really want," murmured Rogue to the letter from Erik Lensherr as she pulled it out of her pocket. She had a gut feeling that if she went she'd be stuck in this new life she had chosen. Rogue plopped herself down on her bed and glanced out the window, she had a few hours to decide whether or not to hear the mighty leader out or flat out ignore him.
Either way, I bet this guy won't just leave me alone. And while the thought was hardly a comforting one, Rogue didn't want to start running again. Uncertainty clouded her mind, and as she struggled to decide whether or not to go meet the man or not, Rogue finally drifted off to sleep.
A/N—As of June 2, 2007, Chapter 3: A Second Chance has been revised.