The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000
Author's Chapter Notes:
I forgot how exhausting a lot of dialogue is! Whew.
Her body registered the softness under her first. It was definitely padding, there was firmness underneath but it wasn’t a cold slab. They put dead bodies on cold slabs, she knew that much. How she wasn’t a dead body, she didn’t know. And as consciousness came a little more to her she wasn’t sure that was a good thing. Immediately pain began flaring up in her leg, preventing her from opening her eyes. She tried to stretch it and wiggle her toes. Nothing moved.
“Shit,” she groaned.
“Well, good morning. Or afternoon as it were.”
She opened her eyes at the greeting. Then screamed and tried to get away from the huge monster leaning over her. She fell off the cot like bed she’d evidently been laying on. Her butt took the brunt of her fall.
“I’m so sorry,” the monster said as he ran around the bed to her. He kneeled down a few feet away from her. Her eyes automatically flicked down to his gloved hands and her fear spike up even more. “Are you alright?”
“Who tha hell are ya?” She quipped, scooting back a little more.
He touched one gloved hand to his chest. “Yes, I’m sorry. I understand this is all very sudden for you. My name is Dr. Hank McCoy. You’re at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngster in New York.”
“New York!” She yelled. She’d been Georgia when the labs captured her. Of course she had no clue where the base was, but…shit, New York.
“Yes, my dear. We raided the military base in Vermont and brought you here for medical attention. You’ve been unconscious for several hours.”
“Vermont!” She interrupted him, aware how wide her mouth must have been hanging open but she couldn’t manage to close it. The pain in her leg began to disseminate as her mind began to freeze and shut down.
His large brown eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses. “Yes…”
She studied his very large, very fuzzy, very blue face. He was a mutant to say the least that fact calmed her down considerably. There were mutants like him in the labs, but none of them ever in any kind of position of authority. His face shifted from cautious confusion back to open gentleness and she relaxed even further. One huge finger came up and she watched it in amazement as it pushed his glasses further back his nose.
“I know this is a lot, my dear. But I can assure you you’re safe now.”
His hand came forward and her eyes followed it as it rested against her leg. Not quite her leg, she noticed for the first time. There was a huge white cast covering it from toe to knee. The doctor’s voice came back again.
“We heard the commotion in the hanger. When we got there you were suffering from symptoms of shock,” he started to explain. “We were able to stabilize you on the jet and stop your blood loss. Now--”
“Wolverine!” She suddenly realized. Getting off the ground and to her feet wasn’t easy, not with the cast locking up most of her leg. The blue doctor came to her aid and offered her a hand. Between his firm grip and the edge of the bed she managed to get to her feet. Her stomach dropped when she saw the big man himself lying on another bed covered in wires. She turned to the doctor, venom dripping in her voice. “He heals. What tha hell is all that crap?”
“Please, sit back down. You’re going to injury yourself more.”
She ignored the doctor’s pleading. “Ah want ta know why he is still out an’ ah wanna know now! He heals!”
“Yes, I became quite aware of that during the his examination. Fascinating.” The doctor smiled faintly. “But it seems as the ordeal you two must have gone through was quite difficult on his mutation. He is healing slower than normal. I assume this because of the metal poisoning.”
“Metal poisoning?” She gawked suddenly feeling light headed. Her face must have turned white as well because the furry man rushed forward and took a hold of her arms. She let him help her back on to the bed, her gaze never left Wolverine’s immobile figure.
“How can he have metal poisoning?” She asked in disbelief. “He’s had it for a while. It neva seemed ta botha him before.”
“I’m sure it’s just because his mutation is overloaded. Given some time to rest I believe it should restore itself and his body into proper working order. He’s on a steroid and nutrient IV drip now to help with the process.”
She nodded, letting the information wash over her. She assumed all those words meant he was going to be okay.
“Ah, marvelous timing,” she heard the doctor say and she turned her head away from Wolverine towards the sound of his voice. Suddenly there were four new people standing there. She hadn’t heard a door open but they were walking closer to her, all of them smiling except the man in the red shades. She wanted to tell him that you weren’t suppose to wear sunglasses indoors but she kept her mouth shut and hoped Wolverine would wake up soon.
“Rogue,” Shades said and her eyes went wide.
“How tha hell do ya know my name?” She really wanted Wolverine awake now. Things were starting at a blue monster and getting more and more unsettling. Shades glanced over at the doctor for a split second then came back to her. Before he could open his mouth the face of the blond man standing behind him placed in her head. “You! Ah remember you! Ya one of Hartman’s lapdogs from tha labs!”
“I, uh--” The blond stuttered, disappearing further behind Shades.
“You’re right, Rogue,” Shades said. “We’ve been watching the GenNest Company for a while, Bobby was our inside man. We were planning a raid for just after you were transported but then Bobby gave us notice that Hartmen ordered your termination. He’s the one who arrange the sell to the military.”
She narrowed her eyes at the hidden blond. If Shades was attempting to defend him he was failing.
“We thought it would buy us some time,” he went on. “We thought we could get you mid-transport but Hartmen made the move without notice. We weren’t able to find out where until after we raided.”
The story was unbelievable. She looked from his face to the two women standing beside him then back to the furry doctor. He was the only one still smiling at her. “Who are you people?” She found herself asking.
“The X-Men, dear,” one of the women said. She had pure white hair that was shocking against her dark skin but her voice was cool and dignified.
She on the other hand snorted. “Tha X-Men? Ya right. Tha X-Men are jus’ somethin’ a bunch of lab muties made up to get themselves through the night.”
“I’m afraid not,” Shades said and actual smiled. It was a nice smile she had to admit. “Professor Xavier will see you later tonight, fill you in on the whole long story. He’s a little busy right now.”
She looked at all of them again their faces watching her just as closely as she was watching them. “Y’all are really serious, aren’t ya? All this isn’t a joke?”
“Of course not,” the blue doctor came forward. He laid a gloved hand on her shoulder.
“I’m gonna go tell the Prof she’s up,” the other much smaller girl said then practically skipped away. She flinched as she watched her walk through the door.
“Holy crap,” she breathed out. “Y’all are the X-Men!”
The doctor laughed and patted her shoulder.
“Come, Bobby,” the white haired woman said. “Let us get a couple of rooms ready for our new guests.”
The watched the two turn around and leave. It was little wonder why she didn’t hear them come in. The door slid open silently and closed just as quietly behind them. Shades took her attention away as he approached. It was a little unnerving but the doctor was still right beside her and he some how made her feel better.
“So how’s the leg feeling?” Shades asked. He was trying to be friendly, she could tell. And she felt bad for him because it sounded forced and a little painful. He wasn’t a very chit-chatty social man, she could tell. The thought made her look back over to Wolverine. He still hadn’t moved. Lazy, even in freedom, it seemed.
“Hurts like hell,” she answered honestly with a faint smirk to match his forced smile. That made his strung tight muscles relax slightly. But just slightly.
“Ah, yes, your leg,” the doctor started then looked to Shades. She didn’t like the sound of that and found one of her eyebrows arching on its own. “We need to discuss that.”
“Is she alright?” “Am Ah alright?” Her and Shades asked simultaneously.
The doctor took a step back from both of them. “The bullet shattered your tibia but unfortunately did not exit cleanly. I had to go in a remove it surgically. There was quite a big of muscle damage, you see---”
“Woah!” She wanted him to stop talking and stop talking immediately. Only bad things were coming out of his mouth. “Ya tryin’ ta tell me ah ain’t gonna be able to walk?”
“No, my dear,” the blue doctor tried to assure her and patted her shoulder again. It didn’t work; she glared at him with wide eyes. “There is no nerve damage that I could tell that would prevent such a thing as walking. Worst case you might have a slight limp. But we’ll worry about that in six or seven weeks.”
“Ah’m worryin’ about it now, Doc!” She yelled, looking down at her leg and the huge cast covering it.
“It’s going to be alright, Rogue,” Shades said. But he didn’t know. What the hell did he know? She tried to remind herself that beggars can’t be chooser and a few hours ago she thought she was good as dead on the floor of a hanger in a military base. She’d been stabbed and cut and mentally raped and had chemicals pumped in and out of her and her body used as a lab rat for years. Now she was free, by the fabled X-Men no less, and she was going to whine about a little limp? Yes, God damn it, yes she was!
“There is no need to get worked up,” the doctor said. “With appropriate physical therapy it is just as likely there will be no ill effects.”
She watched his eyes for any kind of bull he was trying to sell her. He seemed genuine in his statement and she found herself relaxing again. It must have been his warm and fuzzy teddy bear appearance that had that effect on her. It was a shame he wasn’t in the labs. They could have used someone like him.
“How long do ya think before Wolverine wakes up?” She asked in a quiet voice. His skin looked a lot better than the last time she saw him but see him wrapped up in wires and medical tools broke her heart a little bit.
“Who?” Shades asked. Her and the doctor both ignored him.
“I can not answer that,” Doc said, looking over to him as well. “I have no previous experience with his mutant abilities. The only way I could determine such a thing is by taking periodic blood tests and testing the amount of metal leaking into his bloodstream. And since he is obviously healing, that feels unnecessary.”
She nodded. That made sense; she didn’t want him to get poked by a needle any more than he had to be either. At least that is what she assumed the doctor was trying to say to her.
“Do ya think…” She bit her lips, watching the rise and fall of Wolverine’s chest. “Ah heard that lady say somethin’ about rooms. Do ya think we can move him up ta one of them now? Before he wakes up?”
The two X-Men, she still couldn’t believe it but X-Men, looked at each other. They had a quick, silent discussion amongst themselves. Finally the doctor was the one to speak up. “I’m uncomfortable with that. He should really stay on the IV drip until he awakes and his healing is more active.”
She looked down at the IV pole. It was on wheels. “Ya can take it with him, can’t ya?” The exchanged reluctant looks again and she sighed in frustration. “Listen, guys. He ain’t gonna like wakin’ up down here, ah’m jus’ gonna tell ya that now. He ain’t a big fan of medical facilitates if ya will.”
A third look at each other and she rolled her eyes. Shades elbowed the Doc.
“He’s quite heavy,” the Doc finally reluctantly said.
She glared at them, the both of them. Familiar anger was bubbling up in her chest. “He’s heavy?” She huffed. That was the best excuse he could come up with?
The doctor’s face fell and he looked down, fumbling with the sheet on her bed. “I mean no offence. It’s just that I had to help carry him onto the jet. And I understand it’s the adamantium, but---”
“It’s alright, Hank.” Shades saved him from his mumbling. “Of course we will go ahead and move him. You both have been through a lot. We just want to help. We’ll get Pete, Hank; you’ve done more than enough for today.”
The teddy bear doctor nodded, visibly relaxing. She suddenly regretted that she made him feel bad, especially after how much he’d done for not only her but Wolverine. And he didn’t even know them.
“Thank you, Doc,” she said and took his furry wrist above his glove. “For everythin’. Really.”
He smiled wide, flashing sharp canines that were far more impressive than Wolverine’s slight ones. “You are most welcome, my dear Rogue.”
Chapter End Notes:
Next chapter is the acutal end. Its mostly done so I should post it later today. There will be an epilogue, me thinks. A short epilogue just for those who have to have their happy endings delievered by bunnies on rainbows.