Disclaimer: I still don't own this.
21-Snap
Rogue paced back and forth across the porch nervously. Scott had kissed her. And to top things off she had not only let him, she had actually liked it. Now here she was one day later still thinking about it.
Man, this is definitely not mah week. Lance is gonna kill meh.
Speaking of the devil, Lance pulled up in his jeep. He paused upon seeing her, and Rogue swore he looked ready to drive off again. Instead he got out.
"Hey, Roguey," he murmured quietly walking up the porch steps.
"Hey yourself. Ah feel like strangers—you've been busy lately."
Lance shrugged. "I know, and I'm sorry. I've been doing that damn school assignment. I need a good grade so I can pass with the usual D."
"Ah know…Ah just miss you," sighed Rogue wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head in his chest. Lance smiled and put his arms around her. Truth be told, he missed her too.
"I'm almost done with the project. Once it's over with you'll be the first person to know, alright?" He pulled away from Rogue, avoiding her confused look.
"Sure, sugah."
"Okay then, I gotta get workin' on it then. We'll talk later." Lance disappeared into the boarding house, leaving Rogue to stare after him. The southern girl leaned against a porch beam with a frown. Lance hadn't even tried to kiss her. That was strange. It seemed as though he was avoiding her, or worse, blowing her off. With a growl Rogue headed down the steps and towards town. She didn't have time to deal with Lance. She'd talk to him later.
Right now Rogue needed to think. She stopped at the first convenience store and picked up a new pack of cigarettes. She lit one up and continued walking down the sidewalk, her mind awhirl. Mystique was still missing, and there hadn't been a phone call. Of course, if Sabertooth was to be believed, then Mystique was undercover for Magneto.
"It has been confirmed that Senator Edward Kelly is in fact missing. His plane vanished from radar only yesterday, and no word has been received about his whereabouts. Authorities claim there has been no debris found to indicate a plane crash, and that they are at loose ends in this developing case." Rogue paused outside the small shop to listen to the blaring television. The reporter moved on to talk about Senator Kelly and his family and his political aspirations, before returning to the breaking news of his disappearing act. Rogue shook her head and took a few steps away from the shop window. She pushed past a few people in a rush to get away.
"Oh no, no, no," she kept repeating to herself. Rogue ducked into a nearby alley and leaned against the brick wall trying to catch her breath. If Senator Kelly was missing, then Destiny had been right in her little prediction for the future. Rogue pressed the sleeve of her coat against her mouth and muffled her sobs. She dropped to the ground trying to deny the course of events.
Only one person could possibly know where Senator Kelly was: Mystique.
The Other Side of Town:
Scott shook his head as he and Jean listened to the news. They were in the mall with the rest of the X-Men, trying to clear their heads from the latest events linked to Magneto. Senator Kelly was missing—and so was Mystique. The Brotherhood of Mutants couldn't be trusted, and neither could Rogue.
"I don't get it, what use is Senator Kelly?" asked Scott.
Jean pursed her lips in thought. "I'm not sure, but I can guarantee you it won't be for a tea party. There's something sinister at work. Unless they plan on killing Senator Kelly, I don't know why else Magneto would kidnap him."
"Yo, Jean!" a deep voice boomed across the mall. Jean and Scott turned to see Duncan and Taryn waving at them. Jean and Scott waved back and watched as the two humans slowly headed towards them.
"Have you talked to Rogue since yesterday?" hissed Jean under her breath.
"No. And I'm not going to. She has to know what Magneto is up to, that's probably why she was so out of it yesterday," replied Scott. Duncan and Taryn were getting closer.
Jean turned to face her friend accusingly. "You're going to forget what happened? Just act like it didn't matter? Scott, I have a feeling that Rogue is being used. She's just a puppet—I don't think she would ever work for someone like Magneto. Maybe she's working for Mystique…but there is definitely something else going on. Rogue knows what the Brotherhood stands for…there has to be another reason why she's sticking around with them."
Scott sighed and turned to Jean one last time. "I'm tired of running around in a circle with Rogue. I think it's time I moved on." With those words Scott turned to greet Taryn and Duncan as they joined the pair.
"Scott, I'm so glad we bumped into you. I need some help shopping. Christmas is coming, and I just don't know what to get my brother. You're kind of like him, do you think you could help me pick out a gift?" cooed Taryn latching onto Scott's arm. The tall teen gave Taryn a small smile. This was one way of moving on.
Jean narrowed her eyes at her best friend and Scott. Of all the people to choose to use to get over another girl, Taryn was the last one Jean would have suspected. With a shake of her head, Jean blew up. "I can't believe you, Scott! I can't believe any of you for that matter. I'm out of here." Jean grabbed Scott's car keys out of his coat pocket and stormed away from her friends.
"Dude," started Duncan running a hand through his hair, "is it that time of the month already?"
Scott was silent as he watched Jean disappear. He knew where she was headed. Jean was going to find Rogue.
Back to the Other Side of Town:
Rogue was numb as she slowly trudged down the sidewalk. The winter breeze cut through her coat, hitting her body like a ton of bricks. But all she could think about was Senator Kelly, Mystique, Magneto, Lance, and Scott. Rogue wanted out. Out of everything.
Maybe Ah should go back to Louisiana. Ah bet it ain't as cold in the winter.
She gave a bitter chuckle at the thought. Rogue passed a pay phone, and jumped when it began to ring. Looking around there wasn't another soul in the area. With a cautious air Rogue walked over to the phone and picked it up. She stared at it for a few minutes before lifting the receiver to her ear.
"Hello?" she asked.
Destiny's voice hit Rogue like a bucket of cold water. "Marie! You have to get out of Bayville! It isn't safe for you anymore! You must run! Your fate is changing even as we speak. I beg of you, get out of Bayville if you value your life!"
"Huh? Destiny? What's goin' on? Does this have to do with Senator Kelly bein' missin'?" demanded Rogue suspiciously.
"Senator Kelly means nothing anymore, Marie. He has a different fate, as do you. No, there is something even darker coming for you. Run! Run!" The line was cut off, and Rogue dropped the phone. She didn't know what Destiny had been babbling about, but she sure as hell wasn't going to stick around to find out.
Rogue half walked, half jogged down the sidewalk, and came to a complete halt as she came across Jean and Logan. The two X-Men seemed relieved and surprised to find Rogue, but neither showed it.
"Rogue, thank-god!" exclaimed Jean. "We've been looking for you everywhere."
"Red here thinks you're in some kind of trouble. Are ya?" growled Logan. Rogue looked back and forth between the X-Men and then glanced back down the sidewalk. In the distance she could still see the payphone.
"Ah…Ah…Ah don't know. Ah…" Rogue trailed off and wiped at the tears that had begun to fall down her face.
"Rogue, what's wrong? You've been acting so strange lately. Does it have to do with the disappearance of Senator Kelly?" asked Jean wishing she could just read Rogue's mind.
The brunette shook her head. "No! No, no, no. Why is this happenin' ta meh? What did Ah do to deserve this?" Rogue's words weren't directed to either Jean or Logan. She seemed to be talking to herself.
"What's going on, kid?" snapped Logan getting ready to shake the petite girl. Rogue looked up as if seeing him for the first time.
"Fate, Destiny. Ah dunno. Ah just don't know."
"Rogue!" The trio turned around to see Pietro, Fred and Toad headed for Rogue.
"What are ya doin' with these….oh, big chump." Toad lapsed into silence as Logan glared at the green boy.
"Ah don't know," murmured Rogue, her eyes filling with tears. Pietro instantly became over protective as he pulled Rogue into a hug.
"Hey now, don't let the nasty beastie make you cry. He can't help it if he's ugly."
"You wanna say that again, punk?" hissed Logan, his metal claws shooting out of his knuckles. Jean quickly stepped in between the two mutants.
"This isn't the time or place. Rogue needs help. Something's wrong."
Toad scratched his head as Rogue cried into Pietro's shirt. "Yo, Roguey, maybe we should head home. Freddy here can make some hot cocoa and brownies. That'll cheer ya right up."
Rogue looked up hopefully, wiping away her tears. "Really?" she murmured. Pietro and Toad quickly nodded. Anything to keep Rogue from crying.
"We can't go home now," said Fred with a frown. "Lance has a study date over."
Pietro's eyes widened just as Toad's jaw dropped. They had forgotten Kitty was over and that their job was to keep Rogue as far away from the boarding house as possible. Rogue's tears froze on her cheek as Fred's words sunk in.
"So that's his game," she muttered bitterly, pushing Pietro away.
"What the hell are you brats talkin' about?" insisted Logan gruffly.
Jean let out a small gasp as Rogue tore off her gloves. "Kitty!"
Rogue placed a hand on Pietro's face, draining him long enough to make the white haired boy stumble backwards. Then without another word she was gone like the speed of light.
"Red, you better get talkin'," ordered Logan.
"Kitty is Lance's study date."
"Shit."
Toad gulped as he watched Fred sling Pietro over a large shoulder. "Roguey's gonna kill Lance and Kitty. I've never seen her so pissed before."
Logan ran a hand over his face. "Come one, we better do damage control."
Jean looked at Fred, Toad, and Pietro before motioning them to get in Scott's car as Logan got back on his bike. There wasn't time to be picky about whom the enemy was. They were in a race to rescue Lance and Kitty from Rogue's fury.
The Boarding House:
Rogue flung the front door open as she stepped inside the house. On the couch, Lance quickly pushed Kitty off of him and to the ground as he caught sight of Rogue. Kitty scrambled to her feet, trying to smooth out her hair and keep as much distance between her and Rogue as was possible.
"Get out," said Rogue quietly.
"Huh?" asked Kitty.
"I said get out!" repeated Rogue raising her voice sharply. Kitty blinked twice before running out the still open front door. Lance cleared his voice nervously.
"Rogue…I can explain."
"Of course you cahn. You've been cheatin' on meh. For how long, Lance? How long?"
"I…uh…about a month now."
Rogue nodded her head. "Ah see. You think Ah'm stupid don't ya? Is that why you decided to cheat on meh?"
"No! Rogue, you're an amazing girl. I love you—"
"No! You cahn't say ya love meh when ya don't even know what love is! Lance, ya cheated on meh! Ah thought we were happy! What happened?"
Lance stood up, anger evident on his face as well. "Goddamn it, Rogue! You're the one always going off for hours at a time! What the hell am I supposed to think? You've been keeping secrets from me since the start! And you were the one always jawing on and on about truth and honesty!"
Rogue snorted. "Apparently it wouldn't have mattered. By the looks of it you're better off with Kitty. Does she make ya happy, Lance? Does she tell ya everything goin' ohn in that little head of hers? Ah'm sure you two will be happy together…it's not like she's the enemy or anythin'."
"And what the hell does that mean?" snapped Lance.
"Well, considerin' the fact that you had a conniption fit when Ah was with Scott Ah'm a little surprised you cahn stand bein' with Kitty. She's part of the X-Men. She's the enemy, Lance. Or did you forget all that because of a few kisses?" shot back Rogue acerbically.
"I don't get you, Rogue. You've shut me out ever since you went to the damn rally! You never let me in!"
"You want in, Lance? Ah'll let ya in! Mystique is up ta no good! Senator Kelly is missin'! The X-Men think Ah have somethin' to do with all of it! Ah've got some crazy mutant called Destiny callin' meh wherever Ah go ta warn meh about somethin' called fate! Ah trusted you with all mah heart, Lance, ahn now Ah don't know who ta trust! Not the X-Men, not the Brotherhood—Ah've got no one. Ah thought you were always gonna be there for meh, but Ah was wrong."
"Rogue…I'm sorry. Things have changed though. You've changed—I've changed! I'm tired of playing ring-a-round the rosy with you." Lance dropped his hands helplessly to his side as he and Rogue stared at one another.
"Ah hate you," she whispered with a choked sob. Lance reached out his hands to pull Rogue into a hug, but the southern mutant took a few steps away from him. "Ah want nothin' ta do with you anymore. Ah cahn't stay here," continued Rogue hoarsely.
"Rogue—" Lance's words were cut off the second Mystique stepped through the open doorway. She took one glance at Rogue's tearstained face before turning to Lance.
"What the hell did you do, Alvers? I trusted you to take care of her!" hissed Mystique. Rogue looked over at Mystique, her eyes wide with surprise. Then, without warning, Rogue threw herself into Mystique's arms, crying her heart out.
Mystique was startled, but she wrapped her arms around the girl in an attempt to calm her down. "Shush, it's okay. It will all be okay."
"He lied to meh. They all lied ta meh," murmured Rogue sniffing.
Lance clenched his hands into fists. "It was a mistake. I'm sorry, Mystique. I screwed up, I know that. But—"
"No buts, Lance. I asked you to watch over Rogue, to keep her safe. And part of keeping her safe is keeping her content. You failed in what I thought would be a simple job. I should have known better than to let her date you. You've been nothing but a failure since you got here. Don't think I didn't hear about the Thanksgiving fiasco! Dammit, Lance! What the hell is your problem?" demanded Mystique.
"Fuck you! You haven't even been here for last few weeks. What the hell do you know? If you were so worried about Rogue then why didn't you take her with you?" retorted Lance darkly.
"You're right—that was my mistake leaving her here. And I'm going to fix it right now. Rogue, we're leaving."
"What?" questioned Rogue letting go of Mystique to study her mother carefully.
The blue shape shifter pursed her lips together. "We're leaving. Me and you, we're getting out of Bayville for a while. Apparently I can't leave you here with Bozo the clown, so I'll watch over you myself."
"Really?" Rogue looked hopeful as she considered Mystique's words. Lance narrowed his eyes.
"I don't think that's such a good idea," he muttered after a minute. Mystique never gave up that easily in a fight. And she never took the blame for something.
Rogue glared at Lance. "Fuck you. Ah didn't think you cared," she spat out. Lance grabbed Rogue's gloved hand.
"I know I've screwed up pretty bad, but do you honestly think you can trust Mystique right now? There's something going on, I don't know what, but I bet you it ain't good," insisted Lance with a quiet voice. Mystique made a face but kept her mouth shut. Rogue looked back and forth between her mother and ex-boyfriend, weighing both potential outcomes. She knew deep in her heart that Mystique was probably up to no good and that somehow Rogue would get caught up in it just like she had been as Magneto's lackey. But the other part of her heart had trusted Lance once upon a time and had been stomped into the ground as a result. As much as Rogue wanted to think clearly, she desperately wanted to believe that perhaps her mother really did care about her well being. And besides, didn't Destiny say her old premonition was irrelevant now?
"Go ta hell," said Rogue pulling away from Lance. "Ah'm getting out of here."
"Good, lets go," agreed Mystique with a small smile. She led Rogue out of the house and over to her car parked in the street. Rogue got in as Lance stood out on the porch.
"You're making a big mistake, Rogue," he called out.
"Cahn't be as bad as the one Ah made about you," returned Rogue as she shut the car door. Mystique got in behind the wheel and started the car. Lance watched as the vehicle disappeared from sight just as Logan pulled up on his bike. Lance warily watched as the older mutant got off the bike and marched over to him.
"Now what the—" Lance didn't finish his sentence as Logan grabbed him by the collar of the shirt.
"Where is she?" growled the X-Man just as Jean pulled up with Scott's car. Fred, Toad, and a weakened Pietro bounded out of the car with the red head hot on their heels.
"Where's Rogue?" asked Pietro.
"She left!" answered Lance gasping for air. "She just took off with Mystique."
"I'm going to kill you!" screeched Toad tackling the other teen to the ground the second Logan let go of him.
"Get off me!"
Jean glanced at Logan, noticing the look of concern on his face. "Do you think she's walking into a trap?"
Logan nodded. "There's nothing else to it. Mystique doesn't play nice. I have a hunch she and Magneto have some big plans for Rogue and the Senator."
"What?" Lance threw Toad off him and got back on his feet, rounding on the two X-Men. "What's going on?"
"We don't know," replied Jean truthfully. "But Rogue was babbling about the mutant Destiny earlier. I think Rogue knows what's going on, even if she doesn't want to believe it. But she's not thinking straight right now either."
"Mystique wouldn't hurt Rogue, would she?" asked Lance his voice softening as he realized what he had done, hurting Rogue enough to make her run away.
"Depends on what the old tin can wants with Rogue," muttered Logan.
Hours Later:
Rogue wasn't sure exactly where she was. All she remembered was Mystique driving them to a helicopter, and after that, well, Rogue had slept the entire trip. She was emotionally drained from the day's events. But she had woken up again as the helicopter finally landed.
"Where are we?" called out Rogue.
"Headquarters. Just for a few days. We'll be moving somewhere else later."
"Headquarters?"
"Yeah, Magneto is here. Just some work I have to finish up. You don't have to do anything, don't worry," chuckled Mystique as she helped Rogue out of the helicopter. Rogue nodded, but she still had a sick feeling in her gut. She had a bad feeling about everything now. Mystique led Rogue inside a stone building and down several hallways before coming into what appeared to be Magneto's office.
"Aw, Rogue," murmured the leader with a soothing voice. "I'm so glad you came to join us. Come, let me show you around."
Rogue was silent as Magneto placed a hand on her shoulders and led back into the hallway. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Sabertooth prowling back and forth. He seemed on edge. Mystique also seemed unusually jittery. She kept wringing her hands as she and Sabertooth followed Rogue and Magneto. If Rogue had felt nervous before, she was flat out scared now.
The small group walked down a set of stairs leading towards the very bowels of the headquarters. Magneto opened up a small doorway and ushered Rogue inside. Looking around she could feel her heart beat faster. They seemed to be in what could be considered the dungeons. A small whimper broke Rogue's thoughts. She glanced around and found the source locked up in one of the cells with a barred window overlooking the ocean.
"Senator Kelly?" gasped Rogue kneeling down on the ground, her hands gripping the bars tightly. The Senator looked up from his corner, but didn't move. His eyes were wide with fear, and his face and body were dripping wet. It seemed Magneto was the source behind the Senator's disappearance. But why?
Rogue felt a pair of strong hands lift her up off the ground. Looking up she caught sight of Sabertooth with a pained expression on his face. His grip was iron clad as he pushed her into the barred cell right beside the Senator's. Rogue was speechless as Mystique shut the cell door and locked it. Everything was starting to make sense now.
"This is why Ah was so important in the Big Easy," whispered Rogue as she wrapped her gloved hands around the bars separating her from the three other mutants.
"You were always important, Rogue," answered Magneto softly. "That's why I kept you so close. Please, don't be upset. Think of it as a chance to help your fellow mutants move out of the shadows."
Rogue followed Magneto's gaze over to the trembling Senator, her mind recalling Destiny's words. You will become a vessel to wipe out the human population.
"You turned him into a mutant," she murmured with understanding.
"He is the first of many, Rogue. And you will help the rest of the world become like us." With those words Magneto swept out of the dungeons with Sabertooth and Mystique right behind him. Rogue barely noticed them go as she knelt down by the bars between her and the Senator.
"Ah'm so sorry, Senator. Ah'm so sorry." Rogue broke into a fresh set of tears as she leaned her head against the bars. She walked directly into Magneto's web.
Rogue was now a prisoner.
A/N: I know this took way longer than it should have. Midterms appeared out of nowhere, and I couldn't seem to find time to write. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long. Sorry.