Disclaimer: I don't own this stuff.
35-Foreshadowing
When Rogue walked into the kitchen the next morning she dutifully ignored Logan's eyes. She hadn't slept well. Her mind had been too busy thinking and rethinking many things over again. Rogue needed to get Logan to see her as part of the team. She would have to try harder now to prove she was an X-Man. Even if it was temporary.
Of course, with her planning Rogue was not prepared for what she saw in the kitchen. Warren was sitting in the spot generally reserved for Kurt. The rich teen glanced up when Rogue halted in her tracks and offered her a large grin.
"Hey, Rogue. I was wondering when you were going to be coming down for breakfast."
Rogue nodded speechlessly. "What…what are you doin' here?" she asked slowly resuming her movement towards her seat.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately…and I made a few major decisions about my life. I finally told my dad that I'm a mutant—and then he promptly disowned me. So I'm here until I can get a hold of a new path in life," replied Warren with a small shrug.
Rogue was silent as she took the empty seat beside him. She wasn't sure she could deal with this. On her other side Bobby was stabbing his sausage with a fork and scowling at Warren.
"Can we talk?" murmured Warren in Rogue's ear. Rogue nodded silently and stood up to follow him out the back door. She could hear the whispers from the rest of the table as the door shut behind her.
"Ah'm sorry things didn't work out with your father," said Rogue softly as she and Warren aimlessly wandered the back yard.
"I shouldn't say that I'm surprised he acted the way that he did. Especially since the death of Senator Kelly—he hasn't been the same since. But getting kicked out is only part of why I'm back, Rogue. I've missed you."
"Warren…Ah don't know if Ah wanna talk 'bout us. Ah've got a lot ohn mah plate right now."
"Maximoff?"
Rogue shook her head. "Ah haven't been workin' ohn that one," she admitted. "Ah don't think Ah will. He's a great friend, just like you. Ah don't know if Ah'm ready for a relationship anymore. It's too complicated with mah powers ahn all."
Warren sighed. "Rogue, I wish you wouldn't push me away like this. I have a feeling that's what ended you and Lance. You shouldn't be afraid to care for someone."
"But what's the point of carin' if Ah cahn't be with that person? Warren, look at meh! Ah'm a walkin' curse! Ah'll never be able ta touch without hurting someone!" snapped Rogue as she halted in her tracks.
"Love can conquer everything."
"Love is a little over the top, don't ya think? Ah don't want love. Ah want a normal life. Ah want ta go back to the way things were before Ah was a mutant. Ah don't want this—any of this!" Rogue turned on her heels and headed back towards the kitchen. She flung the back door open and breezed by her housemates without a word. Behind her she could hear Warren calling her name, but Rogue kept walking.
She took the stairs two at a time and entered her room, locking the door behind her. Rogue paced in front of the door, her forehead creased deep in thought. She had already ended things with Warren—and now she needed to end them with Pietro. She knew that relationship wasn't going anywhere, especially not after Pietro and Scott's little fight in the cafeteria earlier that week. And Warren…she didn't deserve him.
With a deep breath Rogue headed out onto the balcony and glanced down at the ground below. She eyed the large tree branch that reached towards the balcony. Rogue didn't allow herself to think things through as she swung her legs over the balcony edge and stood on the other side. With one hand still clutching the balcony Rogue extended her other hand towards the branch. She could barely reach it.
Rogue extended herself a little further towards the tree and felt her other hand losing grip on the balcony. Just as she thought she was going to fall Rogue felt a strong hand grab her arm and pull her up onto the branch. Blinking in surprise Rogue came face to face with none other than the mutant known as Gambit.
"What are you doin' here?" she demanded acerbically.
"Savin' your life apparently," replied Remy smoothly.
Rogue made a face. "Ah was doin' perfectly fine, thank-ya very much."
"'Course y'were, chère. You was only gettin' ready ta learn how ta fly, non?"
"Stupid Cajun. Why don't ya tell meh why you're really here."
Remy raised an eyebrow in mock surprise. "Don't tell me da petite don't remember our lil date with the military compound?"
"We never set a time."
"It's a Saturday. I didn't s'pose ya had anythin' better t'do with your day."
"You're makin' it real hard for meh ta not just smack ya outta this tree," said Rogue glaring at Remy. The Cajun shrugged and turned to climb down.
"Come on den, chère, we've got a long journey ahead o' us."
"Mags owes meh one," muttered Rogue as she too began to climb down the tree. "How come the sensors haven't noticed ya ohn the grounds yet?" she questioned suspiciously.
"Prolly 'cause I took de liberty o' takin' a vital piece of de outside sensors away." Remy pulled a small chip out of his coat pocket and flashed it at Rogue.
"Forget Ah even asked." Rogue shook her head and followed Remy as he led her to the far wall on the mansion grounds. He nimbly lifted himself up to the top of the stone wall and reached a hand down to Rogue. She allowed herself to be pulled up to the top, and together the two mutants leapt down to the other side.
Parked beside the wall was Sabertooth's vehicle. Rogue darted another suspicious look at Remy. "Whiskers actually let you borrow his vehicle?"
"I'm sure he would 'ave had he known we was goin' on de mission today," was Remy's offhand remark.
"Ah'm gonna get mahself killed by pure stupidity. Mystique's right, there's no way we're gonna be able ta accomplish our mission without killin' each other. You're a damn fool!"
"Sticks an' stones, chère. Remember dat."
Rogue bit back her remark as she got into the SUV. She didn't have time to argue. Sooner or later someone would notice that she was gone, and Rogue really didn't want to be seen taking off with Gambit. Not only would Logan kill her, but it would probably ruin her reputation. Or whatever was left of it anyway.
"Lets just get this damn thing over with, Swamp Rat. Ah don't wanna spend mah whole day with you."
"Whatever y'say, chère."
"Ahn stop callin' meh that!"
Back Inside the Mansion:
Scott cleared his throat nervously as he entered the living room of the mansion. Sitting on the couch, fully engrossed in a book, was Jean. Scott took a tentative step forward, and then another until he was standing beside the couch. Jean glanced up with a twinkle in her eye.
"Um, well you see, I was um…well, I was…that is…would you like to go out some time…like on a, uh, date?" stammered Scott.
Jean stifled a giggle. "I would love to."
"Really?"
"Really."
Scott looked ready to say more when Nightcrawler teleported into the room. The German teen had a forlorn look on his face as he dropped onto the couch beside Jean.
Jean offered Kurt a small smile as she spoke. "What's wrong, Kurt?"
"Everything. Amanda and I still can't talk to each other, and she doesn't want to leave the house this weekend. I think we're over for good," sighed Kurt.
"I think you and Amanda have a long way to go before you're over. Scott thinks so too, don't you, Scott?"
Scott rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah," he murmured.
Kurt gave another sigh. "Thanks for trying, guys. I was really looking for Rogue, but I can't find her anywhere, and then I tried looking for Kitty, but she's gone too." With that Kurt was gone in puff of smoke.
Jean made a face at Scott. "You could have been a little more cheerful with your reply," she pointed out.
"But I kind of think that Kurt and Amanda are over—she hasn't been trying to connect with him since her parents found out he's a mutant. Sure Amanda doesn't mind mutants, but you can't really expect a teen girl to drop everyone and everything she knows for some boy, can you?" replied Scott.
"No, but it's not a good idea to let Kurt mope around dwelling on that fact. He needs some encouragement. This is a big deal to him. He really likes Amanda."
Scott threw his arms up in the air. "Yeah, but I thought he had really liked Kitty too—and they broke up!"
Jean giggled. "You're horrible at this, you know that?" she asked.
"Thanks for pointing that out to me." Scott shook his head with a trace of a smile on his face. "Are you doing anything tonight?"
Meanwhile at the Park:
Kitty paced in front of the swing set, waiting for Lance to arrive. She had done a lot of thinking since her conversation with Rogue the other day. And she had finally arrived at a major decision.
"You wanted to meet?" asked Lance joining Kitty.
The brunette glanced up and offered Lance a small smile. "Yeah."
"It's about us, isn't it?"
"Yeah. I don't think it's going to work. We're too different, Lance. I believe in everything that Professor Xavier has taught me…and you believe in what Magneto has taught you. Rogue pointed out to me that you and I are always going to be on opposite sides. I didn't want to believe her, but I guess I don't have much of a choice anymore."
Lance sighed and plopped down in a swing. "Things are changing, Kitty. The world is changing, and not for the better. Humans are never going to accept us."
"But I think one day they will," murmured Kitty as she sat in a swing as well.
Lance chuckled dryly. "I guess we really are different. So it's over now."
"Yeah, it is." Kitty took a deep breath as she got to her feet. "You do know that you guys are always welcome to join the X-Men don't you?"
"I'll keep that in mind," said Lance with a nod. Kitty smiled and began walking back towards the mansion. Lance stood up and headed back to where he had parked his jeep. He grinned at Tabitha who was playing with the stereo.
"How'd the break up go?" questioned Tabitha without bothering to look up at Lance as he got into the jeep.
"Fine—how'd you know she was gonna dump me?"
Tabitha snorted. "She finally came to terms with the fact that you weren't gonna switch sides for her sake. Well that and I think she still has a thing for the fuzzy elf."
"Fuzzy elf?" repeated Lance.
"Kurt. Kitty totally stopped talking to Piotr after Amanda and Kurt broke up again."
"My competition was that little fur ball—and not the giant?"
Tabitha laughed at the look on Lance's face. "Cheer up, Lance. I'll let you buy me a late breakfast."
Lance shook his head, but started up the jeep. "Well if you're gonna be like that I know a nice little café downtown."
Westchester Military Compound:
Rogue was deathly silent as she and Remy hid behind the side of a building, waiting for a pair of soldiers to pass by. The second the soldiers were past them Remy made his way over to the back door and pulled it open before it could shut so Rogue to slip through. Rogue glanced both ways down the hall and then motioned for Remy to follow her.
"What is it we're lookin' for?" whispered Remy as they passed by several closed doors.
"Ah'm not sure." The pair continued walking down the hallway when footsteps could be heard heading their way. Rogue glanced around wildly, but there was nowhere to hide. Remy quickly opened the nearest door and breathed in relief when all he found was a janitor's closet. He pulled Rogue inside the closet with him and then closedthe door so that there was only a crack to peer out of.
A woman in a dark grey pants suit passed the doorway, her heels clicking against the polished linoleum floor. She didn't look anywhere but straight ahead, her bright brown eyes shining from behind a pair of eyeglasses, and her dark black hair coiled up in a bun. As the woman passed by Remy slid the door open a bit wider so he and Rogue could see which door the woman disappeared into. Rogue mentally noted the door as Remy shut it closed.
It was almost an hour later when they heard the woman's heels clicking as she passed the doorway again. Remy silently opened the door and peered around it before ushering Rogue out of the closet. With soft steps the two made their way over to the door that the woman had gone into an hour earlier.
Inside was a small office. There was a computer humming away on the desk, and various stacks of paper piled up beside the computer. Rogue made her way over to the desk and slipped into the seat as she moved the mouse.
"Hurry up," said Remy as he leaned against the door.
"Ah just got here, Swamp Rat."
"All the same, hurry up, chère. I don' wanna be here when Heels gets back. She don' look like someone t' mess wit."
"Keep talkin', sugah, ahn Ah'll make sure ya don't leave this place alive." Rogue eye's darted back to the computer screen as she clicked on a file sitting on the desktop. What opened up made her eyes widen in pure surprise.
"You've gotta be shittin' meh," she murmured. Instantly Remy was at her side peering over her shoulder at the screen. It was a list of names. Names of mutants from all across the world.
"I don' like it when people 'ave my name," muttered Remy pointing at his name on the screen. Rogue nodded apprehensively. She quickly clicked on the print button, and listened to the whir of the printer as it warmed up. Then she clicked on another file. One titled Cerebro.
"Oh boy…this ain't good." Rogue visibly slumped in her seat as blueprints of Xavier's mansion filtered onto the screen.
"Who the hell has info'mation like this?" breathed Remy making a face.
"Someone who wants a war Ah s'pose. Look ahn see if ya cahn figure out whose office this is." Rogue clicked on the print button for the second file as well as Remy began to rifle through the contents of the room.
"Y' know a man named Stryker?" asked Remy after a minute.
"No."
"My guess is this is his office. Ahn that woman in heels—I t'ink she's a mutant."
"What makes ya say that?" questioned Rogue with a frown.
"Only da fact dat a man named Stryker has a whole file 'ere 'bout someone named Yuriko Oyama—an' she sounds an awful lot like a female version of Wolverine." Remy held out the file to Rogue who quickly scanned the contents.
"Take it," she said. "If there's another Logan walkin' around it'd be in our best interests ta know 'bout her. No one will notice the file's missin' until we're long gone."
"I hope not, chère, 'cause our lady in heels is headed back this way." Remy turned and looked around the office as Rogue grabbed all the paperwork she had printed off the computer. "An' I know jus' the way out o' here."
Rogue watched as Remy knelt down beside a large vent in the wall and popped off the cover. Rogue groaned as she knelt down beside him. This wasn't the way out she had wanted. With a grumble Rogue crawled far enough into the vent so that Remy could fit as well. The Cajun nimbly pulled the cover shut just as the door to the office swung open. The two mutants held their breaths as the woman, Yuriko, took a seat at the desk.
Two hours passed, and Rogue felt as though she was losing her mind. Her legs were cramped from their tight quarters, and her head was spinning. All she could smell was Remy, who seemed to smell like a mixture of whiskey and cigarettes at the moment. Remy wasn't fairing any better either. He had spent the last two hours quietly cutting a deck of cards over and over again. And he was starting to hate the smell of vanilla.
Another hour passed and found the two mutants playing a silent game of War with the cards. Then, all of a sudden, Yuriko stood up and left the office. Remy gathered his cards together and pushed the vent open again. He crawled out and waited for Rogue to get out as well. Both were sore.
"Next time we go on a mission, chère, remind me t' bring a book," mumbled Remy as he shut the vent closed.
"Next time? There ain't gonna be a next time. Ah ain't goin' ohn any more missions with you, Swamp Rat," replied Rogue as she stretched lazily. Remy narrowed his eyes at the southern girl but kept his mouth shut as he followed Rogue out of the office, stuffing the papers they had found in the pockets of his trench coat. They turned to head back to the door they had entered the compound through when they heard a shout.
Turning around Remy took out his bo-staff and whirled it in his hands. "Looks like we got comp'ny, chère."
"Then Ah hope ya cahn handle 'em 'cause we got company ohn the other side as well," replied Rogue with tight lips.
"I always up for a challenge." With that Remy headed forward towards the advancing soldiers at a brisk walk. "Hope y' boys came pr'pared," he muttered with a lazy grin. The Cajun set himself into motion using his bo-staff and legs to knock the soldiers around.
"Show-off," muttered Rogue to herself. She turned her attention in the other direction where four soldiers were eyeing her suspiciously.
"Stop where you are! You're trespassing on government property!" called out one of the soldiers boldly.
"Sugah, you have no idea who you're talkin' to." Rogue was moving before the men could even blink. She brought a leg up and performed a round house kick to one of the men's heads, knocking him to the ground. Another man reached to grab Rogue by the shoulders, but the teen girl easily dodged his arms and punched him in the gut. As he doubled over in pain Rogue hit the back of his head with an elbow, knocking him down as well. One of the other men threw a punch her way but Rogue blocked it and punched him in the jaw. He fell back stunned just as Rogue grabbed his rifle and hit him over the head with it.
"Stop or I'll shoot," ordered the last man standing. Rogue blew out a frustrated breath and turned to face the soldier who had his rifle pointed at her.
"I t'ink dat be a very bad idea, homme," said Remy. Rogue glanced over the shoulder of the soldier where Remy stood with his hands slung over the staff on his shoulders.
"No body moves or I'll shoot." The soldier took a deep breath as he ignored Remy's warning.
"Dat be your loss den, mon ami." Remy deftly pulled out a playing card from his pocket and held it up in his hands. Rogue watched as the card seemed to light up a red color before it was flicked at the feet of the soldier. The soldier glanced down briefly at the same time that Rogue did. Rogue felt the wind knocked out of her as Remy slammed into her, knocking her to the ground. A small explosion rocked the hallway.
Remy scrambled back to his feet and pulled Rogue up. The soldier who had been pointing a gun at her was now unconscious after being thrown backwards into the air.
"That's why ya play with cards?" demanded Rogue. "So ya cahn just blow 'em up later? Boy, you need a hobby."
"Is dere a reason y' don' like t' t'ank me whenever I save your life?" shot back Remy.
"No one's countin', Swamp Rat."
"Dat was the third time, chère. Y' owe me one."
"Send meh a card. C'mon, let's get outta here." Rogue led the way further down the hall until they came across a large set of doors. Rogue peered through the windows and had to bite her tongue from shouting out in glee. "Ah think Ah found us a getaway, sugah."
Remy peered through the windows as well and frowned. "I don' see nothin', chère. Just some mutant in water."
"That, Swamp Rat, is Juggernaut." Rogue pushed open the double doors and made her way over to the holding cell that Juggernaut was in. She glanced at it carefully and then turned to glance over at the controls on the side of the cell. Rogue studied the three buttons and finally pushed one. Remy watched suspiciously as the water drained out of the cell.
Juggernaut's eyes flew open and locked onto Rogue. The southern teen pressed another button labeled as speaker and began to talk. "Ah'm gonna let ya out, sugah, but ohn two conditions. One, ya don't kill meh like ya tried ta do last time; ahn two, you work for meh."
"Why should I?" snapped Juggernaut darkly.
Rogue shrugged. "Ah don't have a problem leavin' ya here, sugah. Ah'm not the one locked up—you are."
"I don't trust you."
"Fine, stay here for the rest of your life. It's your loss." Rogue turned to leave when she heard Juggernaut calling her name. Rogue turned back and raised an eyebrow at the large mutant.
"You win. I don't wanna spend the rest of my life as a lab rat in this dump."
"That's what Ah thought." Rogue pressed the last button on the panel and watched as the cell door swung open. Juggernaut stepped out and grabbed his helmet out of Remy's hands. The Cajun had found it as he had entered the lab.
"So what do you want me to do? It better not be anything stupid, kid, or I'll kill you. This is the second time you've let me out though. I owe you something." Juggernaut set about putting on his helmet.
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Ah just want ya ta remember that ya owe meh. But Ah don't have anythin' planned at the moment. It'd probably be better if ya left town for a while. Ah think the government's gettin' ready ta attack the X-Men. It's too risky ta stick around Bayville now. Just keep an eye out ohn the news."
"That's it?" asked Remy. "Y' let da big guy out jus' so he can stay in touch? I t'ink you're crazy, chère."
"Shut up, Swamp Rat. Do we have a deal, Juggernaut?" Rogue turned back to the Juggernaut. The large mutant gave a sigh and nodded. He was a man of his word; he wouldn't kill the Rogue—if only because she seemed to have a knack for getting him out of government hands.
Remy snorted. "Fine, can we get outta here now? I don' wanna be hangin' around when more of dem soldier boys decide t' show up."
"How 'bout it, Juggernaut, d'ya think ya cahn get us outta here?" asked Rogue. Juggernaut nodded and walked over to the nearest wall. With a loud cry he brought his foot down onto the wall and outside. Rogue and Remy watched from a few feet away as the overgrown mutant tore a hold though the wall. Juggernaut continued walking through the base with Remy and Rogue right behind him as soldiers began to scramble for their weapons.
As Juggernaut tossed a jeep up over his head and on top of another jeep, Remy turned to Rogue. "Why aren't y' gonna make da big guy work for Magneto?"
"Ya have a lot ta learn, Swamp Rat. Magneto cahn't be trusted. It's as simple as that," stated Rogue.
"Then why are y' workin' for him?"
"It's a little thing Ah like ta call revenge."
Remy shook his head. "Mebbe I was wrong. Y' ain't crazy—jus' too smart for your own damn good."
"You cahn call meh whatever ya want, Swamp Rat, just as long as ya keep it to yourself," replied Rogue smugly.
"An' what's in it for me?"
"A painless death."
"Y' wound me, chère. I'll t'ink 'bout it an' let y' know how y' can pay me back."
"Be still mah beatin' heart."
Mansion:
Rogue breathed in relief as Remy pulled up in front of the mansion gates. She had never been so relieved to see the mansion before in her life. It had been pure hell trying to get out of the compound in one piece. Juggernaut had been a one man army tossing tanks and jeeps left and right, while Remy had done his part throwing around kinetically charged cards.
"Alright, petite. Y' can take your copies an' I'll take mine," said the Cajun handing Rogue her stack of the stolen papers. They had stopped at a local post office and gotten copies of the folders they had found in Stryker's office. Rogue figured she could use them to prove to Logan she really wasn't the enemy.
"D'ya think the president is really gonna give his okay for the attack?" asked Rogue quietly.
Remy shrugged. "I don' know, but if they do den it ain't gonna be safe in Bayville anymore. Y' might wanna t'ink 'bout skipping town."
Rogue nodded absently as she got out of the jeep. She watched Remy drive away before pushing the gates open and walking up the dark walkway. Rogue glimpsed lights seeping out of closed curtains, indicating that despite the late hour people were still awake. As Rogue entered the mansion she heard the sound of a television coming from the living room. She tucked her papers under her arm and slunk towards the sound.
Logan was the only one in the room when Rogue came to stand in the doorway. His eyes were glued to the late evening news showing scenes of the destroyed compound. Rogue steeled herself for the lecture that was bound to come.
Logan didn't disappoint her. "I hope you had fun with your friends today, Stripes. It looks like a fuckin' war zone."
With a closed mouth Rogue walked into the room and plopped down her packet of papers in Logan's lap.
"What's this?" demanded the older mutant gruffly.
"There are reasons why Ah've been workin' with them. They're the only ones willin' ta see the truth for what it really is. D'ya really think you're ohn the right side? D'ya think any of us are safe here anymore? Ah'm only lookin' out for mah best interests, Logan. Maybe the X-Men should do the same thing." With a small shake of her head Rogue turned and walked away, leaving Logan behind in a slightly befuddled state.
Logan glanced back down at the papers in his lap and shifted through them curiously. His face tightened at what he found. Looking back at the television briefly Logan got to his feet and headed down the hallway to Xavier's office.
Everything was changing.
A/N—In the midst of all my scholarship essays this weekend I finally broke away and wrote this chapter out. It didn't turn out quite the way I had expected it to, but it works. I've outlined a lot of the story, so I know exactly where I'm going with this thing. It's just a matter of finding some time to write the chapters out. Thanks for sticking with the story this long.