Disclaimer: Still not mine.
41-Secrets
A light spring breeze blew through the air, ruffling Rogue's hair. The southern teen glanced up towards the bright blue sky with a small frown. She was itching to fly. Rogue shook her head with a deeper frown. She hated flying. Rubbing her forehead gingerly, Rogue nimbly dodged pedestrians as she made her way down the sidewalk. She ignored the dark looks she was given as she maneuvered through the throngs. She still wasn't used to Westchester yet.
The suburb was too big for one thing. There were too many nooks and crannies for the Brotherhood to be hiding out it. And those were the very people Rogue wanted to look in on. They hadn't made a peep since the play—and that had been over a month ago. The X-Men had settled into a new routine at their new mansion…but Rogue was already feeling cabin fever. She hated being cooped up with the same people day after day. And Tabitha was beginning to get on her nerves. The blonde couldn't stop talking about David…and when she wasn't talking about him she was moping about Lance.
So Rogue had taken it upon herself to skip classes and take a day off. She deserved one. Well, that and she was having trouble concentrating on everything and anything lately. Her mind kept wandering to the strangest thoughts, memories, and sensations. It was as though several past lives were waking up within her. And Rogue knew for a fact that those lives didn't belong to her.
At the corner of the street Rogue paused to glance around at her surroundings. Nothing seemed familiar—not that it was supposed to, but something recognizable would be nice. Hell, even some kind of sign of the Brotherhood would be nice.
They couldn't have just vanished, thought Rogue as she studied the brick buildings and all the people milling about. And they're never this quiet.
"Something's up, ahn Ah don't like it one bit," muttered the southern belle to herself. She took a deep breath and was about to turn the corner when she noticed a familiar figure in a trench coat striding down the sidewalk across the street. With a smirk Rogue quickly dashed across the street and half walked, half jogged after the cocky Cajun.
About a block down however, Rogue lost sight of Gambit. Her eyes narrowed as she slowed her pace and eventually came to a halt. She vowed to drain the jerk the next time she got a chance to learn how his mind worked. Rogue rubbed her forehead again, this time vowing to never use her powers again. She didn't want a repeat of her last freak out. Blowing out a frustrated breath of air Rogue took a few tentative steps forward down the sidewalk. Maybe she would get lucky again and catch another glimpse. All she wanted were a few answers.
Suddenly Rogue felt herself pulled down the mouth of a shadowy alley and pushed up against a wall. She blinked her eyes a few times to adjust them to the dark and found herself staring into the red irises of one Remy Lebeau.
"Were ya followin' me, chère?" asked the Cajun casually.
"Don't flatter your self," scoffed Rogue crossing her arms in front of her chest. Inside, her mind was screaming at the close proximity between them, but Rogue refused to let Remy see her uncomfortable. Her irked her enough as it was.
"Uh huh…that's why y'were lookin' 'round like y'were lost."
"Look, Swamp Rat, Ah just want some answers." Rogue pushed Remy away from her and moved away from the wall, brushing herself off. She couldn't handle it anymore. He was too close. Remy smirked as though he knew what was making her so jumpy. "Y'all have been hard ta find," continued Rogue, "where have ya been makin' home?"
"Accordin' ta the boss—you're the enemy now."
Rogue snorted. "Did Mags come up with that one all by himself?"
Remy shrugged. "I didn't ask."
"Whatever. That's not the point here, sugah. The point is Ah'm just a little curious as ta why y'all have been so quiet lately. Ah didn't think the boys could handle playin' by the rules."
"Y' ain't givin' 'em much credit, chère. They aren't da same boys ya once knew. T'ings have changed," said Remy pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up. Rogue watched the flame longingly, before shaking her head yet again. She turned away from Remy and placed a gloved hand on her forehead. Remy watched carefully, but puffed away at his cigarette without a word.
"What's Mags plannin'?"
"Dunno."
"What do ya know?" demanded Rogue turning back to face the Cajun.
"Mastermind ain't dead."
"What? How could he be alive? He was left behind at Alkali Lake—there's no way in hell he coulda gotten out ohn his own."
"However he managed it, the man's movin' up in de ranks. He's gettin' pretty cozy with de boss man," replied Remy.
Rogue made a face as she thought. She had an idea who had whisked the evil mutant out of the underground base, but she didn't have proof. It was nothing more than a hunch. "Anythin' else ya think ya cahn share with meh?"
"We got new recruits."
"It's 'bout time," murmured Rogue to herself. She chewed on her bottom lip, her mind drifting away to thoughts on how to train these recruits not to screw up like the others. No, that wasn't right.
"Chère, you alright?" questioned Remy with a small frown as Rogue began shaking her head again.
"Huh? Ah'm fine," said Rogue looking up at Remy in surprise. She glanced around the alley as though she didn't remember how she got there. "You know we're not alone, don't ya?"
Remy looked around, his body tensing up. "I don't see anythin'."
"There." Rogue pointed to the ground where a rat was scurrying around. Remy opened his mouth to comment on Rogue's fragile mind when the rat began to grow…and shift. Remy shut his mouth as Mystique crossed her arms in a way that eerily reminded him of the southern girl beside him.
"How's your head?" asked Mystique suspiciously.
"Never felt better," lied Rogue.
Mystique narrowed her eyes at her daughter, but chose to ignore the white lie. Rogue wasn't about to spill out her guts to Mystique anytime soon, and both females knew it. "I see life with the X-Geeks has been treating you well. You look healthier than when I first found you."
"Logan took away mah cigarettes."
"How's Kurt?"
Rogue shrugged uncomfortably, silently saying a prayer to herself in German. "Ah haven't talked ta him lately."
"He's your brother."
Rogue became silent, and almost meek in her manner. Mystique's forehead creased into worry lines, but she didn't dare approach the teen girl. Instead, the shape shifter continued speaking. "I talked to Irene…or Destiny, as you know her. There are two prophecies out there, Rogue."
"What are they?" Rogue's head snapped up, and her eyes glittered with a hint of greed.
Mystique took a step back in surprise, but she quickly found her voice again. "One talks about the coming of the Apocalypse. An evil mutant locked away beneath a seal of some kind. There are four who will work for him, the Four Horsemen. Those Horsemen are Death, Pestilence, War, and Famine. Irene says that they will be mutants—and there are a number of candidates already present today, but we don't know who the four chosen ones will be. As soon as Apocalypse is released it'll be like a scene out of the bible. This guy is all about world domination and destruction.
"The second prophecy revolved around Jean Grey…so it's null and void now. The gist of it was that a fiery entity would take control of Jean's body in her road for vengeance. This entity is almost as powerful as the Apocalypse. At one time they were mortal enemies, but somewhere down the road the entity became a vessel for evil. Rumor was that this entity would try to control the world as well—but it's no use dwelling on it anymore. Jean Grey is dead."
Rogue nodded absently. "Caliban told meh that Ah was important ta lettin' Apocalypse loose. Was he wrong?"
Mystique sighed. "No. You're the only one who can let him out…but that's only if his underlings, whoever they might be, can control you. And we all know for a fact how hard it is to control you. But just in case, keep an eye out for suspicious people following you around—and stay away from Sabertooth. I don't trust him."
"You're one ta talk," muttered Rogue rubbing her forehead out of habit.
"Rogue, there's something else I think you should know."
"What?"
"It's about your father," replied Mystique softly. Rogue eyed the blue shape shifter carefully, indicating that Mystique should keep talking. "I know you hate me, and that you don't trust me. But I think it's time you knew the truth about your parentage now. There's trouble coming, Rogue. It will tear you and your father apart…because I'm not the only one with a secret past. He has one too, and in the coming weeks those secrets will become evident."
"Ah don't understand," said Rogue. "How cahn his secrets tear us apart if Ah don't even know who he is?"
"Logan's your father, Rogue."
Rogue opened her mouth to comment, and then closed it speechlessly. After doing this about ten different times, she finally managed to ask. "Are ya sure?"
"Not completely, no…but you're just like him, and he was the last man I can remember being with before I became pregnant. Logan has a lot of secrets—half of which he doesn't even know about. But you two are fairly close already, and I'm afraid that you'll be hurt in the future."
"Then why tell the fille he's her father?" asked Remy with a snort.
"Because it will hurt ten times more when the truth is revealed later on. At least this way Rogue can ready herself for what is to come," answered Mystique smoothly.
"Ahn Ah take it you're not plannin' ohn givin' meh any hints ohn what's comin', huh?" questioned Rogue.
"They call themselves S.H.I.E.L.D., and that's all you need to know."
It was a half hour later that Rogue found herself wandering aimlessly back in the direction of the mansion. Remy and Mystique had been vague about Magneto's new recruits…and then they both claimed they had business elsewhere to take care of. Rogue couldn't quite put her finger on why she didn't believe them. Maybe it was the fact that she felt as though someone had been watching them. Someone close to Magneto—if not the master of metal himself. Whatever it was it was making Rogue feel jumpy again, and she hated that feeling.
Rogue glanced up at the sky again and nodded absently. It was going to rain later. Sticking her hands in her coat pocket Rogue made her way down the sidewalk. Magneto had new recruits. Somehow she had to manipulate these newbies to help her get revenge on her father…Rogue stopped short and glanced around her warily. That wasn't her thinking, it was Wanda. Finally Rogue spotted Wanda standing on the corner of the street, waiting.
"Took you long enough to see me," remarked Wanda as Rogue joined her.
"Ah haven't been payin' much attention ta anythin' lately. What are you doin' out? Ah heard Mags was makin' y'all train with the new recruits."
Wanda snorted derisively. "Oh please, we've been training for over a month now. We're all starting to get on each other's nerves. I've been waiting to get out of that place for days now. I wanted to talk to you."
Rogue bit her lip. She had a feeling she knew why Wanda wanted to talk to her, but frankly, Rogue wasn't sure she was up to scheming today. She had a lot going on in her head again. "Oh yeah?"
"When the hell are you going to finish your plan? I've been living under the same roof as my father…and it's getting harder and harder to restrain myself from not killing him," growled Wanda. "What the hell have you been doing for the last month?"
"Excuse meh?"
"You heard me. I've been waiting for you to make your move—but I don't even know what to look for. What are you planning, Rogue? I thought we were working together—and so far we haven't done shit."
Rogue's eyes narrowed as she felt a spark of anger ignite within her. "Look, Wanda, Ah don't know what you thought, but we aren't workin' together. Ah work with no one, you got that?"
"You promised me I could kill my father as soon as you were gone with him!" argued Wanda.
"Then kill him! Ah don't give a damn what you do anymore! Ah'm movin' ohn ta bigger things than Magneto ahn Mystique! So there's nothin' standin' in your way of gettin' even with your old man, got it? Just leave meh the fuck alone!" snapped Rogue angrily. Wanda took a step back in surprise at the amount of anger spurting out of Rogue.
"I'd watch your back from now on if I were you, Rogue. You cheated me out of my father's demise. Now I have his underlings to deal with before I can kill. I don't forgive easily." With those words Wanda brushed past Rogue and disappeared down the sidewalk. Rogue didn't bother looking to see if Wanda was truly gone or hiding to watch her. Rogue couldn't feel her presence anymore—she couldn't smell Wanda's scent either.
Rogue took a deep breath and struggled to clear her mind. She couldn't return to the mansion in a fragile state of mind. Instead she opted for a pissy mood. Wanda had no right threatening her. No one threatened the Rogue and got away with it. Unless…no, there was no unless. Or was there?
Gawd, what's happenin' ta meh? Rogue groaned and placed a gloved hand back on her forehead, rubbing it absently as she took up the walk back to the mansion.
The Mansion:
Rogue stuck her head into the laboratory and glanced around cautiously. It had been a miracle returning to the mansion undetected. No one had noticed her sneaking back in and down to the underground level of the mansion. Well, part of it had to do with the fact that Logan was out with Ororo at some fancy restaurant.
"Can I help you?" asked a female voice, momentarily startling Rogue. The teen moved out of the doorway to glance at the woman who was standing directly behind her.
"Um, Ah was wonderin' if ya could do an experiment for meh," replied Rogue hesitantly.
Moira frowned as she motioned for Rogue to follow her into the lab. "What kind of experiment? Nothing illegal I hope."
"No…Ah just want ya ta…compare blood types for meh."
"Yours and who else's?"
"Logan's."
Moira studied Rogue thoughtfully. "Is there something I should know?"
He might be mah birth father…but Ah only have Mystique's word to go ohn," murmured Rogue.
"I see. You think you can trust her?"
"That's why Ah want a blood test."
"Alright. You're lucky I have a vial of Logan's blood already. Roll up your sleeve and let me get some from you," said Moira with a small sigh. Rogue quickly complied and watched as Moira pulled on some gloves. Rogue didn't even feel the needle as Moira drew some blood. As the woman busied herself with the blood samples Rogue took the time to inspect the lab.
It was a plain grey-white color, and it made Rogue uneasy. Her eyes fell on the table, and her mind flashed back to a room of similar color. In this flashback there were men in long white lab coats standing around a shallow tank. Then Rogue popped out of the tank—no, that was Logan.
Shaking her head, Rogue turned back to Moira who was watching her warily. "Are you alright?" asked the doctor with a worried tone.
"Ah'm just tired. It's been a long day," said Rogue forcing herself to smile. Moira frowned, but luckily a small machine behind her beeped, turning her attention away from the southern teen. When Moira turned to face Rogue again she held a piece of paper in her hands. There was an astonished look on her face.
"This is remarkable…Mystique was right. Logan is your father, Rogue."
Rogue let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Logan was her father. She didn't know how to feel about this. They were on rocky terms still since before Alkali Lake.
"Are you sure?" questioned Rogue softly.
Moira nodded. "There's no mistaking it. You're Logan's biological daughter. He won't believe this."
"No!" cried out Rogue, startling both herself and Moira. "We can't tell him. Not yet. Ah…Ah need some time ta think. He's not gonna appreciate meh tellin' him Mystique had his child without him knowin'. Please, Moira, you've gotta keep quiet 'bout this for a bit—at least 'til Ah figure out how ta tell him."
The brunette doctor-scientist was quiet for a moment and then nodded in agreement. Rogue had every right to tell Logan herself. "Fine, but you better let him know before it's too late, you understand me?"
Rogue nodded gratefully and then turned on her heel and left the lab. Moira gazed at the doorway before glancing back down at the solid proof in her hands. With pursed lips she walked over to a small filing cabinet in the corner and pulled it open. She flipped through a few files until she found Rogue's and slipped the paper inside. Moira shut the cabinet and returned to her lab space to clean up.
Thoughtfully, Moira fingered the vial of blood that belonged to Rogue. She took a deep breath before labeling it. Just as she was about to put it away however, an idea formed in her head. Before she could think it through carefully, Moira uncorked the vial and took out a drop of blood, placing it in a small dish. She put the vial away and placed the dish beneath a microscope, focusing it until she could see clearly.
What she saw took her breath away.
A/N—I figured to make up for its shortness I would turn it into a cliffhanger. I know, it's a horrible thing to do, but I wasn't sure what else to place in this chapter. Now, before anyone starts complaining, yes Rogue is out of character. Hopefully after reading this chapter you have an idea why. Anyway, I apologize for how long I took in getting this one out. I had a hard time picking up the story after the previous chapter. Hopefully it was worth the wait, and if not, well, I promise the next one will be better. New characters will be appearing.