Disclaimer: Still not mine.
32-Animalistics
"Excuse me, but are you paying any attention today?"
Rogue looked up in surprise to see the kind face of Dr. McCoy looking down at her. She offered him a small smile and slumped in her seat as he walked away, resuming his lecture on unstable molecules.
No, Rogue wasn't paying attention. She was still reliving the incident from only an hour earlier. She had punched Kurt. And what bothered her was the fact that she was starting to feel guilty about it. Sure he had deserved it, but that was only because the kid was confused when it came to Mystique. Kurt no longer saw the shape shifter as just a mutant terrorist, he saw her as a mother as well.
Rogue sighed as she propped her chin in her hands. Life could never be simple.
Lance studied Rogue with a frown on his face. "What's wrong?" he finally asked.
"What isn't wrong?" returned Rogue ruefully.
"That bad, huh? You know what you need? A vacation."
"Gawd, wouldn't that be nice." Rogue chuckled at the thought. "But Ah think people would notice if Ah decided ta just take off."
Lance shrugged. "You can't blame them for being so damn nosy, can you? Not after the other day."
Rogue grimaced. Her little freak out had gained her more unwanted attention from the X-Men. "So what did Ah miss in Dr. McCoy's lecture?"
"Something about molecules. Don't see the big deal about it though. It's not like anyone's listening today. Rumor has it there's a beast prowling around Bayville at night. A big, hairy, monster type of beast."
"You're kiddin' right? Are we talkin' like a mutant or some kinda sick joke?" asked Rogue focusing all her attention on Lance.
"Just tellin' you what I've been hearing this week. No one knows, Roguey. Bayville's full of chickens—no one in their right mind is gonna try to get up close and personal with the thing."
"Is it dangerous?"
"What did I just get through telling you? No one knows," repeated Lance darkly.
Rogue's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't bite mah head off 'cause you ahn Kitty are startin' ta have problems."
Lance groaned. "Man, what am I gonna do, Roguey? I like Kitty, I really do…but she thinks things would be better if I were on…you know, her side."
"Ah don't know what ta tell ya, Lance. Ah'm not exactly the best one ta go to for advice 'bout somethin' like this. It all depends ohn whether or not ya think you're ohn the right side or not."
"That's the thing, Roguey. When will any of us ever know whether or not we're on the right side?"
Before Rogue could come up with a reply the lunch bell rang. Rogue took a deep breath and waited until everyone was well on their way out of class before following. She still hated being around so many people. Rogue was worried she could lose control again.
The cafeteria was busy as usual by the time Rogue entered it. She made her way over to the table where Tabitha, Pietro, and St. John were already sitting.
"Hey, Rogue," greeted Tabitha with a wide grin. "Heard you knocked Kurt back into his place."
Rogue gave Tabitha a quizzical look as she sat beside Pietro. "What are ya talkin' about?"
Tabitha rolled her eyes and pointed across the cafeteria. Rogue looked and frowned. Kurt was sitting by himself at a table in the far corner of the cafeteria staring down at the plastic surface moodily. She was half ready to get out of her seat when she noticed Amanda making her way over to Kurt.
"Can I sit here?" asked Amanda indicating the spot across from Kurt.
Kurt glanced up with a mixture of fear and surprise in his eyes. "Amanda?"
"What happened to your eye?" Amanda reached across to gently finger the yellow bruise.
"Rogue," he murmured softly.
"She's not that bad."
"I know…I know."
"Then what's the problem? I thought you always wanted to find your real family…and now that you have…I guess I just don't understand." Amanda leaned her elbows on the table as Kurt took a deep breath.
"When I imagined finding my real family I imagined tears and hugs…Rogue's not like that. I don't think she can ever be like that, you know? And I guess I was jealous. She got to spend time with our mother…I know it wasn't under the right circumstances, but she still got to live with her and talk with her. I want that chance too."
Amanda sighed. "Kurt, your mom is never going to win the award for mother of the year."
"I know…I just think that there's good in everybody, you know? Every time I go to church with you and your parents they always preach about good and evil. Everyone can be good. I know…my mother has to have good in her somewhere. Just like Rogue does."
"You think Rogue has evil in her too?"
Kurt gave a sheepish smile. "She definitely has a temper, no? I think Rogue is just angry…and I don't know how to deal with her. I was worried after Liberty Island…but she didn't try to open up."
"Would you be willing to trust if you had gone through the things Rogue did? Kurt, I think Rogue has a long way to go before she can be at peace with herself. But, until then don't you think you should try to get to know her? As a friend and then one day as a brother? I know you're a good person, Kurt Wagner, and I also know that if anyone can get through to Rogue it will be you. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but one day you will. Besides, you know the saying. Blood is thicker than water."
Kurt gazed over at Amanda with a thoughtful look. "Rogue was right. You are too good for me," he murmured mournfully.
Amanda giggled with tears in her eyes. "I don't think so. I love you, Kurt, even if you do act silly at times."
"I didn't mean to hurt you earlier, Amanda. I love you. I just…I'm frustrated because I know everyone's siding with Rogue when it comes to my mother. And when you were talking with Rogue I guess I flipped out. I wish I could take it all back."
"Kurt, it never happened. I knew you didn't mean it…it still hurt, but I knew you needed to let it all out. Keeping your anger bottled up is the worst thing you could ever do." Amanda took Kurt's hands in her own and offered him a dazzling smile. "Besides, you're not getting out of dinner with my parents that easily."
"That's tonight?" Kurt groaned aloud. "I think I'll take my chances with Rogue instead."
"Very funny. I've been looking forward to this dinner for weeks. Tonight we're going to tell my parents everything."
Kurt looked up at Amanda and nodded slowly. "Okay. So we're good then? You and I?"
"We always were," whispered Amanda. Kurt brightened up and brought one of Amanda's knuckles up to his lips.
"You really are an angel, liebchen," he whispered back.
From a distance Rogue breathed in relief. It looked like Kurt had worked things out with Amanda, which meant she wouldn't have to deal with him for a while longer. Rogue turned back to her friends who were joking around.
"Why the glum face, yo?" demanded Toad noticing Rogue's faraway look.
"It's been a long day so far," replied Rogue. "Ah could use a nap right about now."
Freddy clapped Rogue on the back gently. "Don't worry; if you pass out in drama I'll carry you home."
"Thanks, sugah. You're a real sweetheart," said Rogue with a wry smile.
The rest of the day passed by relatively slowly. Rogue seemed to be lost in her own thoughts much of that time. She barely comprehended the fact that Pietro had gotten himself after school detention for knocking over a bunch of vials during his chemistry class with Dr. McCoy. Apparently the science teacher and football coach had been very distraught over the entire incident.
"You gonna walk me to detention?" asked Pietro as Rogue stuffed her textbooks back into her locker.
Rogue glanced over at Pietro who was giving her a pleading look. She knew he was trying to spend some time alone with her, especially since she and Warren had finally split. And Rogue also knew she really should spend some time with him if only to finally sort out her feelings for him.
"Ah guess Ah cahn spare the time."
"Oh right, like you have somewhere important to be," replied Pietro with a snort. Rogue shrugged with a teasing grin on her lips. Pietro shook his head and slipped an arm around her shoulders as they headed towards the chemistry classroom. Along the way they came across Kurt and Amanda.
Kurt stopped short. "Rogue…can we talk for a second?"
Rogue made a face but nodded silently. She followed Kurt a few feet away so they wouldn't be overheard. Pietro and Amanda stood as far away from each other as possible, but both kept their eyes on Rogue and Kurt.
"I want…I want to apologize for the way I've been acting," started Kurt shuffling his feet nervously. Rogue stifled a groan. She had a pretty good idea where this was going. "And I think that…um, well…I think we should start over, you know? We are family."
"Kurt, Ah appreciate the thought ahn all, but Ah don't want anything ta do with ya." Rogue hurried on upon seeing the look on Kurt's face. "At least not right now. Ah'm not ready, ahn Ah don't know when Ah will be. You're a great guy, Kurt, but Ah'm never gonna be the person ya want meh ta be."
"Rogue, I just want you to be my sister…because that's who you are. I know Mystique screwed up…but I also think she's changed. We should at least try to get to know one another…try to forge a family."
Rogue sighed with a tinge of regret. "Kurt, Ah don't really believe in families. Ah've never had a real one. Ah was abandoned, and then adopted, then abandoned, adopted again, ahn now Ah'm tryin' ta take control of mah life. Ahn the thing is, Ah'm not always gonna be in control. You saw what happened the other day. Ah'm not stable…Ah'm not trustworthy. Ah need time."
"How much time?" asked Kurt with a softer tone of voice. He knew he was asking a lot of Rogue to just forgive and forget the way he had been acting…and the fact that Mystique had chosen him over Rogue, but he had hoped for something more than a brush off.
Rogue opened her mouth to answer when the sound of breaking glass came from the chemistry lab. Kurt and Rogue quickly set off towards the lab with Pietro and Amanda, stopping in the doorway to see what the commotion had been. What they saw nearly took their breaths away.
Dr. McCoy was shaking as he clutched a countertop to stay on his feet. A low, guttural sound was coming from his throat as he hunched over the counter. There was a ripping sound as his shirt tore across his back to reveal blue fur. The four teens watched in horror as their science teacher transformed into the Beast of Bayville.
Kurt gulped and was the first to break the tense silence. "That doesn't look good."
Rogue turned around and grabbed Kurt by the collar of his shirt. Her green eyes had a wild look in them. "Kurt, ya need ta take Amanda ahn teleport to the mansion. Get the professor ahn Logan—gawd, get anyone ta help out Dr. McCoy."
"What about you?" shot back the German teen.
"Speedy ahn Ah will try ahn keep him outta trouble." Rogue growled as Kurt started to shake his head. "Dammit, Kurt, this is no time to grow a backbone! Ya need ta protect Amanda ahn get help! Ah cahn take care of mahself. Besides, Ah won't be alone. Ah've got Speedy—ahn together we'll round up the rest of the Brotherhood, got it?"
"G-got it," replied Kurt as Rogue let him go. He grabbed Amanda's hand and quickly teleported out of danger.
"Alright, Roguey, now it's just you and me and…oh boy." Pietro quickly turned away from the doorway and began running down the hall, pulling Rogue along with him by the hand. "You sure you want to distract Big Blue?" he hissed as the Beast came after them.
Rogue's eyes widened as she glanced back at the foaming mouth of the Beast. "Okay, not one of mah brightest ideas, but really, it's not like we had a choice. Ah just hope Lance ahn them haven't left yet."
Luck was on their side as the two skidded out the front doors of the school. Lance was still in the parking lot with Tabitha, Fred, and Toad. "What the hell is going on?" demanded Lance sourly. He jumped in surprise as the Beast burst out the front doors. "Never mind."
Lance quickly hopped in his jeep with Tabitha right behind him, Fred and Toad scrambled in as well. Pietro sighed and scooped Rogue in his arms as Lance fired up the jeep. Soon the jeep was speeding away from the school with Pietro keeping up with it, and the Beast not far behind.
They were nearing the amphitheatre when Lance's jeep began to sputter. Pietro slowed his pace just as the jeep died.
"What the hell is this?" screeched Tabitha standing up to peer over the dash at the hood of the jeep.
"Man, I should have gotten gas yesterday," grumbled Lance hopping out of the jeep.
"Gas? Gas?" Tabitha scrambled out of the jeep with Toad and Fred right behind her. Pietro groaned and let Rogue back onto her feet.
Rogue rubbed her temples as she tried to come up with a plan. "Okay, we cahn work with this. Hopefully Blue will get help in time."
"In time for what?" questioned Fred scratching his head.
"Our deaths!" moaned Toad pointing behind them. The teens turned in time to see the Beast jump onto the jeep.
"Hey! Don't scratch up my ride!" cried out Lance angrily. The Beast let out a roar and looked ready to leap towards Lance.
"Yeah, I don't think that was the right thing to say to him," muttered Tabitha. Lance shrugged with a concerned look on his face as the Beast jumped to the ground.
"Yo, d'ya think he knows we were the ones who egged his house last year?" asked Toad curiously.
"If not, he knows now," replied Pietro. The Beast swiveled his head to glare at the white haired teen. Pietro gulped nervously and took a step backwards as the Beast began to advance towards him. Tabitha made a face and formed two fire balls to toss at the feet of the Beast. There was a mild explosion, giving Pietro enough time to head towards the amphitheatre after his comrades.
"Ah think he remembers that you're the one who broke his vials in chemistry. Ah'm startin' ta think that those vials were pretty damn important," pointed out Rogue. The Beast jumped up onto the stage, startling the teens. Lance and Tabitha tried to flatten themselves against the wall as Fred and Toad cowered in the orchestra box. Pietro quickly pushed Rogue out of the way as the Beast leapt, feet first into Pietro, knocking the teen out cold.
Rogue scrambled off the stage and onto the grass hoping to make a run for it when the Beast jumped in front of her, blocking her exit. Rogue bit her lip and tried to keep calm as she stared into the Beast's eyes. There was a flash of recognition, but just as suddenly it was gone again.
Lance jumped down to the grass and put a fist into the ground, making it shake just as Rogue felt someone grab her in a protective embrace before they fell to the ground. She clutched her rescuer tightly, keeping her eyes shut as her ears finally picked up the noise of an on going hand to hand battle.
Opening her eyes slowly Rogue frowned in alarm at the strange face gazing down at her calmly with red eyes. "Hello, chère," he said in a clear Cajun accent.
"Get off." Rogue quickly shoved the man off her and got back to her feet with a rush of anger. The man was tall with a slender build, wearing form fitting black pants, shirt, fingerless gloves, and headdress, knee high silver-gray boots, and a long brown trench coat.
"What, no t'ank-you?" he teased. Rogue simply glared at him before glancing over to where the Beast was busy fighting with Sabertooth. Glancing back at the man who had rescued her, Rogue had a sinking feeling he was the acolyte from New Orleans.
"Yo, Rogue, I think it's time to bounce!" called out Toad. Rogue looked to where he was pointing and breathed in relief upon seeing the X-Men pull to a halt in their black SUV.
"Where's Pietro?" replied Rogue as Toad bounced over to her and the stranger.
"Freddy's gettin' him. Now c'mon before the Beast decides to save us for dessert." Toad tugged on Rogue's coat sleeve, pulling her in the direction that the rest of the Brotherhood was headed. Rogue followed with the stranger and Sabertooth hot on her heels. They would have to walk back to the boarding house now that Lance's jeep was out of commission.
Rogue slowed her pace to match Sabertooth's. "When did ya get back?" she demanded in a quiet tone of voice.
"'Bout an hour ago. We were on the way to the school to grab ya when I sniffed out your scent comin' from the amphitheatre." Sabertooth shot Rogue a sideways glance as they walked. "How are you holding up? Pietro mentioned you had a little incident the other day."
Rogue felt herself stiffen at the memory. "Ah'm fine. Ya took your sweet time gettin' back here, sugah. Have a little problem in the Big Easy?"
Sabertooth snorted. "Goddamn asshole is full of himself, that's for sure."
"Does this asshole have a name? Or is he plannin' ohn goin' by the codename of asshole?" replied Rogue smoothly. She glanced over at the man walking on her other side and narrowed her eyes as he stared back with his red irises.
"The name, chère, is Remy LeBeau. I also go by da name of Gambit."
"Charming." Rogue turned back to Sabertooth. "Are ya sure ya got the right guy? This one don't seem like Acolyte material ta meh."
"I followed your orders and listened to Pale-face, and he was pretty damn sure this kid was the one we wanted."
Rogue frowned. She wasn't sure what Magneto would say when he found out that his Acolytes were barely older than herself.
Remy on the other hand chose to speak up, voicing a concern that had been bothering him since his arrival in Bayville. "I t'ink it's time someone cleared somet'in up for me. Who's in charge here?"
"Officially?" grumbled Sabertooth. "Magneto's in jail for the time being. Rogue's callin' the shots when it comes to the Brotherhood now that Mystique is playin' hooky."
"She's only playin' hooky 'cause she knows Ah'm out ta get her," growled Rogue darkly.
"Den da fille is in charge?" asked Remy with a tinge of disbelief. "Ya want me to follow de orders of her?"
Rogue's eyes flashed dangerously as she stopped mid-stride. Sabertooth and Remy stopped with her. "Ya got a problem with that, Swamp Rat?"
"I don' like followin' orders from someone who ain't capable of handin' dem out," shot back Remy. Rogue balled her hand into a fist and would have punched the Cajun had Sabertooth not quickly intervened by stepping in between them.
"Now ain't the time," stated the older mutant gruffly. He looked at Rogue. "You've got yourself a mission, girl. So you better complete it before the boss gets out." Then he looked at Gambit. "And you aren't gonna be following her orders. You're gonna be following mine until Magneto gets out of jail. Got it?"
"Got it," muttered Gambit evenly. Rogue kept quiet as she pushed past the two men to catch up with her friends. When the group arrived at the boarding house they were silent and worn out.
Fred dropped Pietro in the porch swing, as the rest of the teens collapsed on the porch steps. Rogue studied them for a minute and gave a small sigh of regret. She walked up the steps and over to Pietro.
"You alright?" she murmured.
Pietro smiled weakly. "I'll be fine. How 'bout you?"
Rogue shrugged as she sat beside him. "Whiskers did his part of the job," she whispered. Pietro nodded absently. Rogue took a deep breath. "Ah'm gonna go back to the X-Men for a while. It's the only way Ah cahn get St. John ahn Piotr ohn our side."
"St. John's practically in the bag. 'Sides, isn't Piotr staying with Dr. McCoy?" returned Pietro with a frown.
"Ah'm gonna take a wild guess ahn assume he'll move in with the X-Men afta the doc does. We need them, Speedy. Ah ain't gonna get ta kill Mystique 'til Ah keep mah end of the bargain. Ah'll be fine."
"I don't like it when you're with the geek squad, Rogue."
Rogue smiled as she leaned over to give Pietro a soft kiss on the lips. "Save meh a spot for lunch." She winked and got up to head down the porch steps.
"Hey, where ya headed?" called out Tabitha as Rogue headed towards the sidewalk.
"Back ta the mansion for a while. I ain't gonna make mahself sick stayin' in the same place as a Swamp Rat. Ah'll see y'all later." Rogue gave them a lazy wave as she headed in the direction of the mansion. She quickly pulled out a cigarette and lit it up. She breathed gratefully as she felt the tension and stress from earlier leave her body.
By the time she made it back to the mansion it was dark. Rogue had made a few much needed pit stops to replenish her cigarettes and eat a quick meal. It wasn't like she was particularly looking forward to joining up with the X-Men again.
Rogue made her way through the mansion gates and up the driveway. The mansion was flooded with lights. Sitting outside the front door was Logan smoking a cigar.
"I was wonderin' when you'd be back," he said nonchalantly.
Rogue shrugged. "Whiskers is back. He ain't the best house mate…clogs up the drains with all his hair."
"Funny. How ya feeling?"
"If you talkin' 'bout the whole Mystique ahn Kurt deal forget it. Ah ain't in the mood."
"It was just a general question, kid."
"Sure it was. Cahn Ah go now? Did Ah pass the inspection?"
Logan jerked his hand at the doorway, indicating that Rogue was free to go. As she placed her hand on the doorknob Logan spoke up, freezing her in her tracks. "Kurt went over for dinner with Amanda and her parents. Turned into a real mess. Kurt's image inducer went haywire…and Amanda's parents freaked out. She's not allowed to see him anymore. Kurt locked himself in his room."
"What d'ya want meh ta do about it?"
"Nothin'. Just thought you'd like to know."
Rogue lapsed into silence and pushed the door open. She ignored the looks that some of the newer recruits gave her as she made her way up stairs. She went over to the room she shared with Kitty and entered.
"Rogue?" Kitty sat up from her bed in surprise. "Like what are you doin' here?"
"What does it look like?" murmured Rogue.
Kitty hopped off the bed and wrung her hands nervously. "I totally didn't touch any of your stuff while you were gone—everything's just the way you left it! This is still your room."
"Which is why Ah came in." Rogue gave Kitty a small smile to show her she wasn't angry, setting the younger girl at ease.
"Yeah…so, um…did Mr. Logan like tell you about Kurt?"
Rogue nodded. Kitty continued. "Do you think he'll be alright? He really loves Amanda…and I like totally hate seeing him so down like this."
"Ah wouldn't know."
"I guess not." Kitty sighed. "I'm gonna go get some ice cream, you want some?"
"No thanks. Ah just ate," replied Rogue. She watched as Kitty phased through the bedroom door before searching her drawers for her pajamas. But as she pulled them out she glanced up with a crease in her forehead. Rogue knew she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Instead she left the room and headed down the hallway.
The other mutants that were upstairs all paused upon seeing Rogue walking down the hallway. Everyone held their breaths as she knocked on one door in particular.
"Go away!" called out Kurt's forlornly. Rogue rolled her eyes and pushed the door open, closing it shut behind her. Kurt looked up ready to yell at the intruder, but no words came out as he caught sight of Rogue.
"This ain't meh comin' ta try ahn make up with ya or bond or whatever, alright? Ah just came to…see how you're doin'. Ah heard ya had a little problem at Amanda's place. Don't let it get you down, Ah'm pretty sure you ahn Amanda cahn find another way ta be together. Parents don't always need ta know everything."
"But—"
Rogue quickly cut him off. "Look, if Ah was you Ah'd try ahn prove ta Amanda's parents that ya really aren't a bad guy. You go to church, don't ya? Keep it up. They'll take notice…mutants cahn't be bad if they actually go ta church. Whatever you do, don't let them get to you."
"Thank-you," said Kurt simply. Rogue nodded sharply as she turned to leave. "And no matter what you think, Rogue, you are my big sister."
Rogue swallowed a small lump in her throat before opening the door and closing it shut behind her again. She ignored the curious looks sent her way as she returned to her bedroom. She shut her door and leaned back against it as a few stray tears trickled down her cheeks. With a suppressed sob Rogue slumped to the floor, not budging from her spot.
She didn't deserve to be welcomed back so easily. She didn't deserve to have Kurt as her brother. She didn't deserve the trust the X-Men had in her. Because she knew she was going to disappoint everyone someday soon.
A/N: Alright, so I decided to bring Gambit in a little earlier than planned. I know he might seem a little out of character, but bear with me. Oh, and forgive me if his accent totally sucks. This is why I don't bother with Kurt's half the time. they're too hard to do. Anyway, I'm not sure how this chapter turned out. Personally I don't think it's very good. But I didn't know how else to represent the events. So hopefully it's not too bad.