Chapter XI

There's no way of knowing, but I'll guess, if I may,
When I look up to you, there's only one thing I want to say:
Lay down. Try and talk about it.
Lay down. Don't scream or cry or shout it.
Stay down. Don't deny or doubt it.
No one knows you better than me.
~Start a Family by Texas
…

Lower Manhattan

How did the planet acquire its life-sustaining water? How many millennia passed before land rose from the Pacific? How many fish crawled from the sea only to perish on the shore? How often did asteroids strike, ice ages commence, and sea levels alter? Every mass extinction erased eons of struggle and survival – pushing life back to one tiny organism that might one day be a fish brave enough to leave the sea. And yet, humans feel so secure in their existence. So entitled. Who's ever promised a future?

Rogue knew her future looked bleak, so she wasn't sacrificing the present.

"Hey, where do you want this?" Raven asked, carrying the bed over her head like an ant with a cookie crumb.

"In the corner," Rogue answered, pointing to the master bedroom. "We can move it later."

Finding a place she and Remy both wanted had taken months. It was quite the milestone – leaving their respective lodgings for a shared one. She still hadn't sold her penthouse, and although he hadn't mentioned his old place, she expected he'd keep it. Was it really a commitment if he had other homes? First big fight, he could just walk out and she wouldn't know where he'd gone. But she wouldn't push it. Sometimes relationships were brave fish.

Fence and Darce popped in to install the latest and greatest security system. Following Gambit's lead, they didn't mention their sudden move. They – like so many things – were a part of his life and not hers.

He'd been shockingly supportive about her new 'condition'. When the ugly rash spread, he noticed and reminded her to take her medicine. He made sure her supply was never too low. And when she considered the long-term effects, he confidently spoke of cures. It was too soon to discuss her sterility. Did he even want kids? Did she? Raven, she discovered, also had fertility issues, and she'd joined a support group, where she cried and talked about her feelings. Not for Rogue. When she was ready to talk about it, she wouldn't cry to a bunch of strangers.

Otherwise, the girl had done alright for herself. She was in the process of becoming legal guardian for Marie Bennet and Samuel, the little boy for whom she'd built a protective suit. The orphanage claimed she was taking him for product promotion, although Rogue suspected they took offense to Raven's mutation. (She insisted on hiring a lawyer for her.) Instead of M.I.T., Raven had enrolled at Cornell, which was in-state. She was out of a job since Grey was in Limbo, and Rogue had long-considered giving her the penthouse to compensate. What better time to discuss it?

As Raven set the bed down, Rogue quietly followed and shut the door.

"Got a minute?" She sat on the bed and invited Raven to follow. "Ah wanted to say… Ah hope you stick with school. And Ah wanna support you. Would you like to stay at my old place? You can't keep the kids in a dorm and Ah don't want you to have to choose."

She smiled serenely. "That's so sweet. But I have a place picked out."

"How're you gonna afford it?"

"I've got an internship on campus."

"Goin' to school and workin'? Who's gonna look after Samuel?"

"I'll hire a sitter."

"No-"

"Rogue," her voice carried a hard edge. "I don't need your charity. Trust me, I've thought all this out and I have a plan."

"Okay... Ah have a gift for you." She walked to the closet and pulled out her green and white jacket. "Ah know you love yours, but it's gettin' too tattered. Ah want you to have this."

Her eyes watered. "But… It's yours."

"Not anymore."

Tears spilled over her lashes and her voice cracked. "Rogue, I – thank you."

Her face prickled ominously. "Ah'm sick of seein' your stomach, that's all."

When they opened the door, Fence proudly announced that the system was running. "Safest place you could be! Outside of Avengers Tower, I guess."

"We don't call it that anymore."

But he didn't seem to hear. He turned to Raven. "You girls ready to go?"

"Go where?" Rogue asked.

"Thursday night bowling league," answered Darce. "Flamingos are goin' down!"

Raven put her hands on her hips. "Unlike your pins!"

They left together, squawking loudly. Whatever Rogue might've been feeling was interrupted by Remy's return. He carried two pet boxes, which held his three cats and their items. The closest thing Rogue had to a pet was the orchid given to her by Raven. It had born the note that carried her through so much: 'Bet you can't kill this!' She'd been right, so far.

Remy opened the carriers and let Oliver, Lucifer, and Figaro slowly, cautiously emerge.

"Now it's home," she said.

He smiled. "Got your medicine while I was out."

"That wasn't-"

"I know. But needed t' get your keys, too." He gave her a ring holding five keys, each with a number. "My safe houses… Not for Rogers or Hill."

She gripped the keys in her hand, feeling the steel bite into her palm. No worldly force would compel her to betray his carefully measured trust. "What about the key to your bike?"

"Funny. Where's my plants?"

"Ah set 'm outside."

"Mon Dieu! You didn't touch 'm, did you?"

She crossed her arms. "Ah'll have you know-!"

Whatever information she wanted to impart was lost when her work phone screamed with an incoming call. It was Rogers, of course; he needed her right away.

"Sorry, sugah, duty calls."

"Gives me time t' revitalize my basil."

With a kiss for luck, she shot into the sky. The citizens below scurried to their appointments: dinners, shows, dates, and at least one bowling league. No doubt they gave as little thought to her as she once gave to them. They resembled ants and she looked like a bird to them. But the space between was merely distance and could not separate their lives. She'd learned to accept the limitations of her species. The first wave of mutants may be the last, too. But how many M-Poxes had she survived? How many Dr. Ishii's had been apprehended? How many Ravens – the final organism of their universe – crawled ashore to begin again? Sick or healthy, Rogue wasn't lying down to die yet.

…

The End.

…

Author's Notes: I enjoyed this story for a number of reasons. One, I like how it started as one thing and became something completely different. When I realized Ishii had kidnapped Raven and Rogue was her only hope, I thought 'there are plenty of stories like this already!' But it gave Rogue a chance to prove how loyal and clever she really is. Placing this story-line in the middle instead of the beginning gave Rogue's mission more credence. Also, I really enjoyed seeing all my X-Men together again. When Ishii got his ends, I felt satisfied, but didn't want to glorify his death or make Rogue appear blood-thirsty. Otherwise, she would've been no better. But probably my favorite aspect was how strong the female characters were. That was completely unintentional.

My biggest problem with this story is how weak Gambit's story-line came across. He's just as pivotal and complex, but got completely side-lined for Rogue and Raven. I promise to try and compensate with my next installment.

If you've gotten this far, please take a few moments to review and let me know what you enjoyed or didn't. Thanks to everyone!