“Oh. Hey, Scott,” Rogue said from the open refrigerator door when she saw him popping his head into the kitchen. Her voice seemed to startle him so she smiled as she carried a large jug of orange juice to the counter top.
“Hey,” he greeted and decided to come in. Rogue was stretching for one of the top cabinets and he moved to her side to get one of the bigger glasses down for her.
“Thanks,” she said as he handed it to her. “How’s ya arm from yestaday?”
He laughed under his breath and rubbed the mentioned limb. “Fine. He didn’t hit me that hard.”
She shook her head as she poured her glass. “He shouldn’t have hit ya at all. Ya probably saved him from me drainin’ more of his life away.”
“I don’t think he sees it that way,” he said grinning as he took the jug from her and put it back in the fridge. “How is the meditating going? Is it actually helping?”
“Hmm,” she sputtered into her orange juice. Rogue smiled and set the glass down. “Look.” She held out her hand flat in the air. “Ah wouldn’t let me shoot an apple offa ya head with a semi-automated rifle, but it ain’t bad.”
“No, it’s great. Ororo has tried to get me into it for years, so there has to be something to it. I just can’t sit that long,” Scott admitted.
“At five o’clock in tha mornin’ ah ain’t real sure ahm meditatin’ so much as sleepin’ sittin’ up right,” Rogue smirked then took a sip of her juice.
“I’m actually really glad I ran into you. I can’t find Logan anywhere.”
“He an’ Storm went with Xavier somewhere.”
“Shit,” Scott swore and lightly hit the counter with his fist. “And Peter, Kurt, and Kitty took some of the kids to the science museum in the city.”
Rogue cocked an eyebrow at him. Mainly because in all the memories he gave her there wasn’t one curse word. “Somethin’ ah can help ya with?”
He stopped the tapping he was doing with his fingers and looked up at her. Scott studied her for a long time. “I don’t know... you’re still not supposed to do any physical activity.” She crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips at him. “But, it’s technically against protocol to go on a mission solo without group consent. And it *is* just a pick up, so I doubt anything ‘physical’ is going to happen---”
“Oh come on, Scott!” She practically whined. “Ah’ve been stuck in here for a week straight! Ah’ll stay by tha damn plane if ya want.”
“Actually, it’s a jet,” he corrected her with a shrug.
“What tha hell eva.”
“Alright,” he grinned and tapped the counter again. “You can come. But you’ll have to wear one of the training suits.”
“Sugah, ah’ll wear ah tutu if ya want,” her glass bounced as she threw it in the sink. “Let’s go.”
***********************************
“That was--” Rogue started as they walked down the platform off the jet.
“Pretty cool, right?” Scott nodded as he zipped up the side of his gloves.
“Pathetic,” she finished and they frowned each other. “None of tha fun of flyin’ with all the excitement of sittin’ an’ starrin’ off inta space for an hour.”
“Well it’s the closest those of us without the power of flight can get to the real thing.”
She looked around them at the empty suburban neighborhood. They had just landed a plane in the middle of these people’s cove and no one so much as came outside. They were just outside of Atlanta and she was looking forward to meeting and talking to people, feel a little bit a home. But no one wanted to say ‘hi’ let alone acknowledge there was life on this planet.
“He’s name is Cole Stockson,” Scott said and began walking towards one of the identical white houses. He walked with quick, long strides that she had to jog to keep up with. “Mr. Cole can breathe under water.”
“Well that ain’t bad, why’s he leavin’ home?”
“He has long gills on the sides of his neck,” Scott answered looking over his shoulder to her. “Evidently he’s been havin’ some problems at school. Violence, the usual. His Parents contacted Xavier so he can go somewhere safe.”
“So he doesn’t want ta go?” She guessed as they got to the front step.
“We’ll see,” Scott sighed and pressed the door bell.
Not only did ‘Mr. Cole’ not want to go, he took off running into the park behind the house when his parents introduced them to him. They all screamed for him, but the kid was fast and disappeared into the trees before any of them could even move. Scott told her she could look around the property but not to stray too far. And to remember she wasn’t allowed to strain herself. Right before he took off running into the dense tree cover.
She was furious with him, not because of the invalid comments but because he had left her with the kid’s parents who were looking at her like they were waiting for her to give them something. She tried to piece together a speech of how great Xavier’s was and how much learning was valued at the school and all that crap from information the Scott in her head had. But eventually she told them she was going to go help him look. Because trying to figure out what she was supposed to tell these people was definitely straining herself.
The woods were cute, that was all she thought. The trees were pretty much evenly spaced and plenty of sunlight shined through, a prefect man-made wilderness. It was nothing like the heavy, dense marsh land she grew up in.
She alternated between yelling for Scott and Cole, but didn’t hear either one of them. Or anything else moving through the trees either. It would be so much easier if she could just fly over head. Then she’d see both of them. But she learned her lesson the last time. Even though, she was feeling good, she could probably... No. No, Scott said not to and she was trying to be one of the good guys. Which meant following the rules. And wondering around aimlessly for a brat. On foot.
“Cole!” She screamed for the hundredth time into the air. “Come on, sugah! Let’s jus’ go back ta tha house!”
“Rogue?”
Her heart stopped and she whipped around to the familiar deep voice. Behind her was an old lady with a cane. But she knew that voice and it certainly didn’t belong to that old lady.
“What are ya doin’ here?” She said breathlessly.
“My daughter...” The old woman opened her arms and they slowly morphed into long thin blue ones as they reached closer to her. Rogue took a step back as the face of her foster mother replaced the pale, wrinkled one.
“Its true, then,” Mystique sneered looking up and down her. “You went to the X-Men.”
“Ah had ta,” Rogue tried to push the slight tremble out of her voice.
“You had to betray your family? I gave you a home when no one wanted you! I loved you like the daughter your parents wouldn’t! I raised you, gave you every I had!---”
“Ah know!” Rogue shook her head, trying to push back the rush of emotions from all the occupants in her head. “Ah wasn’t tryin’ ta hurt ya. Ah needed help. Ah needed somethin’ ya couldn’t give me. And ahm betta now! Look, ahm not shakin’.” She swallowed and held her hands out.
“Good,” Mystique rushed forward, taking her hands. “Then you can come back home. Destiny and I are lost without you, my child. The others will understand. You belong with your family.”
Rogue pulled her hands away and took a few more steps back. “Ahm so sorry, Mystique. Ah can’t...”
“What?!”
“Ah owe ‘em mah life. They took me in even afta everthin’ an’--”
“I took you in!” Mystique yelled. “I took you in! And how do you repay me? By abandoning me? Betraying mutant kind?!”
“Ahm not betrayin’ mutant kind!” Rogue yelled back. “They hava school for mutants. They give hundreds of lost kids a home an’ a normal life---”
“Normal?!” Mystique snapped. “You want to be *normal*? You aren’t supposed to be normal, Rogue! You’re the greatest weapon mutant kind has! You want to be normal,” she huffed, “I made you unstoppable!”
Rogue’s face went pale. She let her eyelids fall closed and swallowed down the lump in her throat. “Made me...”
“Unstoppable!” Mystique finished with a sneer. “You were nothing, always careful of your skin. I showed you what you’re capable of!”
“Ya...ya...” Rogue shook her head, unable to get the words out as she kept going backwards until a tree stopped her.
“Rogue!” Scott’s voice floated in through the trees. “Rogue, where are you? Rogue!”
“You’d better go, darling,” Mystique hissed in her face. “Your *family* is looking for you.” Mystique arms shot out and grabbed her slamming her back against the tree. Rogue cried out when her head hit it and tried to sink down but Mystique held her up. “I hope third time is a charm for you, my daughter. But just remember every time you fly for them and fight for them, *I* gave you those abilities. I made you what you are.”
“Rogue!” Scott’s voice was louder.
Mystique turned her head at his yelling to listen where he was coming from. She released her grip and quickly ran off, becoming a small school girl with blond ponytails as she disappeared into the trees.
Rogue slid down the tree, barely feeling the rough bark dig into the uniform. Her butt landed on one of the protruding roots and she began to topple over but a hand reached out and grabbed her arm.
“Rogue?” Scott kneeled down beside her, carefully moving her dangling hair away so he could see her face. “Rogue, are you alright? What’s wrong?”
Her face was vacant and he looked behind him where she stared off but saw nothing. He turned back to her and begged in a strained voice, “Rogue, talk to me.”
Finally something sparked in her head eyes and he breathed a mental sigh of relief when it felt she was actually looking at him and not through him. He slowly pulled her to her feet, keeping his eyes on her face.
“Ahm fine,” she said quietly.
“Are you sure?---”
“Yeah,” she nodded and stepped out of his hands. “Didya find Cole?”
He watched her for a second. “Yeah. He talked to his parents and they decided they were going to try to move first. Try to stay together as a family.” His eyebrows pinched together as her face all of a sudden fell again. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
She shook her head and turned around and started walking back.
********************************
For the second time today he was running all over the mansion. He made sure to first change out of his uniform so the students wouldn’t get scared, but after that he went straight to try and find him. Again. He finally found him in the garage, all the way at the other side of the mansion.
“Logan, man I’ve been looking all over for you,” Scott huffed slightly out of breath.
Logan looked up from behind his bike, cocking an eyebrow at him, then digging back into his tool box. “That’s real sweet, Scooter; but I ain’t braiding your hair. Ask Kitty, I think they just got back.”
“No, you ass.” Scott mentally counted to ten. “I think you need to go check on Rogue.”
Logan’s wench clattered loudly as it was dropped. He stood to his feet, glaring at Scott. “And why is that?”
“We went on a pick-up today---”
“You took Rogue?” Logan asked surprised.
“Yes, I took Rogue. No one else was here,” Scott answered. “Anyway, I went---”
“I thought she wasn’t allowed on missions?”
“Would you shut up and let me talk, you big Neanderthal,” Scott snapped.
“Why?” Logan huffed. “So you can tell me you don’t trust her and she isn’t ‘X-Man material’? Fuck you, One-Eye.”
“No, Rogue is fine. The only one I’m not sure about is you.”
“Then what the hell is this about?”
Scott rubbed his forehead. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you! Something’s wrong---”
“What?”
“God damnit, if you’d just let me finish---”
“I ain’t got all day, Scooter, what the hell is wrong?”
Scott roared, fighting to keep his hand off his visor. He counted to ten again, shaking his head. “Okay. The kid took off and Rogue and I separated to try and find him. I don’t know what, but something happened because when I found her she---”
“She what? Is she hurt?” Logan stalked over to him. “Fuck, Scott, what the hell are you wasting time for if she’s hurt!?”
“She’s not hurt!” Scott yelled, pushing him back. “Damn it, just shut up! I don’t know what’s wrong with her; she’s just upset or something. She went straight to her room. It was weird, she was real distant the whole ride home, didn’t say two words to me---”
“Well who the hell can blame her, move,” Logan growled and shoved him out of the way, stomping out of the garage.
******************************
He tried the knob first again this time but it refused to turn. Sighing, he knocked on the door a couple of times. “Rogue, it’s me, open the door.”
A muffled ‘no’ came through the wood to him that he even he could barely hear. “I wasn’t askin’. Open the damn door.”
Now the ‘fuck ya’ he heard pretty clearly. He grabbed the knob and shook it more forcefully but it still wouldn’t give. “Don’t make me fuckin’ break this door down, I’m the one that has to fix them!”
But still he didn’t hear any moment towards him on the other side. He swore again. “Last chance, darlin’.” Nothing. A ringing ‘snikt’ echoed through the hall as the claws shot out of his right hand. The adamantum slide into the wood like butter as he cut around the door knob. Once the door popped open he pulled the claws back home and pushed the door the rest of the way.
“Now, wouldn’t it have been easier---” he stopped when he saw her. She was wrapped up in a blanket and lifted her head as he came in. Her face was bright red and tear stained from the tears still flowing down in.
“Get out,” she choked out as she wiped one glove hand across her face.
“Sorry, darlin’” he signed and pushed the near by armoire in front of the door to keep it closed. “I can’t do that.”
He kicked his boots off before crawling onto the bed and leaning back against the headboard. “Come here,” he reached his hand out for her.
She looked down at it and rubbed her face again. Then she swore and crawled over to him, curling up between his legs and laid her head on his chest. Logan pulled the blanket tighter around her before wrapping his arms around her.
“I gotta say, as far as first missions go that one was pretty easy,” he said into her hair looking down at the top of her head. He sighed and laid his chin on her head. “What happened, Rogue?” She didn’t say anything for a long time so he just rubbed his hand over her blanket covered arm and tried to wait patiently.
“Mystique was there,” she finally whispered, her voice rough and scratchy. Three words and a million thoughts ran through his head. First and foremost his was pissed at Scott; he never mentioned anything about Mystique. Then he had to keep himself from saying ‘that bitch’ or something because she was Rogue’s foster mother and Rogue loved her. So he bit his lip and waited for her to explain more.
“She did it on purpose.”
It came out with another sob and he tightened his grip on her. “Did what on purpose?”
“Carol. She wanted it ta be permanent...” Rogue buried her face into his chest and it quickly became wet. He ‘shushed her as best he could and he moved his hand, rubbing it up and down her back.
“God!” She suddenly pulled back to look at his face. “Ah thought she loved me! Ah was justa weapon for her. ‘Tha perfect weapon against humanity’ or some shit like that. She didn’t give a shit what it did ta me, as long as ah was ‘unstoppable’!”
“Baby,” his voice stuck in his throat and he quickly wiped her cheeks with his thumbs before her mutation could drain him.
Flooded green eyes searched his before they narrowed. “Is that why ahm here? Why they put up with me? Is it, Logan? Ya’ll jus’ want tha perfect weapon for you?”
“No,” he took her face in his hands, her hair between their skins. “Fuck, no, darlin’. I know how you feel....I know...”
When he couldn’t make his mouth come up with the right words to tell her so he pulled her to him, pressing his lips to hers. For the first time she kissed him back immediately, her hands clutching his shirt, desperately moving her lips on his. Pain seized his brain but he could taste the salt of her tears on her lips and he wanted more, more of her. With his thumb he pulled her chin down, pushing his tongue into her mouth, tasting her. She pulled back, ripping her mouth from his, and he slumped limply down against the headboard.
“Logan--” Her voice quivered as she ran her hand through is hair. His eyes were closed and she began to panic. “Logan, sugah--”
“I’m fine,” he groaned even though his eyes remained closed. He stilled her patting hand on his chest with by taking it in his. “I’m fine, just give me a second.”
She nodded frantically, wiping the fresh tears off her face with her free hand. She closed her own eyes and let all the feelings he gave her rush over her. The nightmares, the pain, the anger, they all sunk deep into her. She forced her eyes back open to find him watching her.
“Tha bastards,” she growled. “Suddenly ahm okay with bein’ tha perfect weapon against humanity. For what they did ta ya, ah’d be glad---”
He stopped her from finishing by lightly kissing her again. “And I’m glad they made me the perfect weapon against mutants. ‘Cuz I know a blue bitch that would look good on the end of my claws.”
She smiled despite herself and moved back to curl against his chest. “Ah guess tha X-Men make a good middle ground.”
He wrapped his arms back around her and hugged her tightly to him. “Darlin’, I don’t give a shit if you fight for the team. If you don’t want-”
“No,” she looked up, clear emeralds meeting him. “Ah wanna fight.”
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Yes, the title is an Amy Winehouse pun. I just couldn’t help myself.