Concealed within the shadows, Rogue watched as Logan was propelled through the air after being thrown by Colossus, his lethal claws gleaming dully in the firelight.
Magneto sensed him coming just like they knew he would, and though this was part of the plan to distract the master of magnetism, Rogue couldn't help but cringe as she watched him manipulate Logan's bones cruelly while he thrashed in the dust at Magneto's feet.
He'll never hurt him again, Rogue promised herself. This ends tonight.
With that, she sprung into action. She vaulted from her hiding place and grabbed onto a nearby lamp post, swinging around it to thrust her body through the air to close the distance between her and Erik. Landing softly behind him, her feet struck the ground with hardly a sound and Rogue unconciously held her breath in anticipation.
Grabbing his shoulder tightly, she spun him around to face her, deciding at the last moment that she wanted him to see her, to know how was the one who brought him down.
Magneto's face was filled with surprise when his eyes met hers, and as she rammed the handful of needles into his body, the surprise gave way to horror.
Rogue stepped back, unable to look away from his disbelieving eyes. For the first time, there was no sardonic smile on her lips, no cocky swagger to her body language; only the fury burning in her green eyes as she watched Magneto clutch senselessly at the needles protruding from his chest.
"What, no wise remarks about mah hair now?" Rogue asked coldly as he finally crumpled to the ground, suddenly looking like just a weak old man. A part of her cried out in sympathy for him, but she squelched that voice instantly, remembering how she had begged for her life and pleaded with him not to put her in that horrid machine of his. All the while his face had positively glowed with happiness and excitement as he reached to put his bare hands on her tear streaked face. No, he hadn't wasted any sympathy for her that night, and now he deserved none from her. This was his just reward.
Exhaling the breath she hadn't known she was holding, Rogue turned away from the frail body on the ground and smiled softly at Logan as he moved towards her, looking completely recovered from Magneto's sadistic torture.
"You OK?" he asked as he grazed a gloved hand tenderly across her cheek while the rest of the X-Men converged around them.
"Excellent job Rogue!" Beast boomed heartily, rushing over to give her an enthusiastic clap on the back as he he bared his fangs in a wide grin. "I must say, you-"
A sudden explosion that rocked the island cut Hank off in mid-sentence, causing them all to sway precariously on their feet as the earth roiled uneasily beneath them.
"What-" Storm began, but Rogue already saw what the commotion was and cut her short.
"We forgot 'bout Jean." She spoke mostly to herself, but everyone heard her words and as one the small group turned to see Jean, her face nearly unrecognizable under the guise of the Phoenix. Military personnel surrounded her from all sides, firing at her in desperation only to have their ammo disintegrate as it hit an invisible shield around her still form. The more they shot at her, the angrier Jean seemed to become, until suddenly the air itself became filled with a tangible tension that only promised more trouble to come.
"She's going to destroy the entire island," Storm said as various objects around them began to turn to dust.
"And that's only the beginning," Beast added solemnly, grimacing when several men wearing army fatigues disappeared into a cloud of ashes.
Colossus gaped at the growing destruction, clearly jolted by what his eyes saw. "She must be stopped," he yelled, raising his voice to be heard over the multitude of sounds encompassing them. A still flaming tire from a truck whizzed by, narrowly missing him by inches, reminding them all of the danger they were in just by standing still.
Logan stepped forward, his lips drawn into a grim line. "I'm the only one who can do it. All of you get the hell outta here now."
No one denied his statement. They all knew that with his healing factor, Logan truly was the sole one amongst them who had the slightest chance to end Jean's rampage.
"Logan..."
Rogue's voice was barely above a whisper, yet still he heard her. He turned to face her, ready to cut off the protests he knew she would make. What he didn't expect was for her to kiss him.
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Ah'm sorry Logan, Rogue thought as she pressed her lips hungrily against his. But you're not the only one who can stop her. Remorse ate at her for doing this to him, but it was the only way. She may very well die trying, but she couldn't willingly stand by and watch as Logan went through the agony of killing the one woman he truly loved. Rogue knew that if he did it, he would never be the same again, and she loved him too much to see him in pain. If it was within her power to do so, she would spare him from whatever anguish she could.
Logan struggled weakly against her embrace, and Rogue quickly filtered his thoughts safely away, not wanting to see what he was feeling or thinking. Blood seeped from wounds that re-opened on his body as Rogue drained him of his powers, making her fearful that she would accidently kill him, but still she held on, trusting herself to know when it was enough, and if these were indeed her last moments alive, she wanted to savour the feel of Logan's lips on hers.
Finally as his knees buckled beneath him, Rogue tenderly lowered him to the ground, still pressing her mouth against his for several long moments before vaguely becoming aware that she was no longer absorbing him. She pulled back from him and brushed a hand gently across his brow as a sad smile appeared on her face. How 'bout that, she thought with a touch of bitter irony, Ah finally learned complete control over mah skin, an' now ah'm likely gonna be vaporized in five minutes.
Logan was still cradled possesively in her arms as the rest of the team stood over them, anxiety written on every face. Looking up, Rogue addressed Colossus. "Keep him safe. Please?"
The gentle giant nodded and bent down to kindly remove Logan from her arms, wrapping them protectively in his own before loping off for the remains of the bridge. Watching them fade in the darkness, Rogue rose fluidly to her feet to meet Beast and Storm's fretful expressions. Seeing the unspoken dissent in the eyes of the weather goddess, Rogue said quietly, "Don't try to stop me Ororo. This is the work that we hafta do, right?"
"Right," Storm agreed, wiping a tear from her cheek with a trembling hand. "Charles would be so proud of you, child."
Another explosion assaulted the island, and Rogue jerked her chin towards the relative safety of the remains of the Golden Gate Bridge. "Get on outta here, the both of ya. Time's up."
Beast's eloquent blue eyes shone wetly with unshed tears as he and Storm turned to leave, and Rogue tried to reassure her old friend. "It'll be alright," she said, knowing it was an empty promise. Two women remained on the island now, and only one of them would be leaving it. Either way, someone had to fall and despite all the carnage she had wrought, Jean was still someone they all loved. Unfortunately the only way to stop Phoenix would destroy Jean in the process.
Steeling herself, Rogue felt the power of Wolverine, Juggernaut and countless others coursing through her and a hard smile came to her lips. She may kill me, but ah'll make damn sure she knows she's been in a fight.
With that final resolution, six bone claws shot from her knuckles as she drew in a deep breath.
And turned to face the Phoenix.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
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So, I've been reading over my previous chapter and i gotta say, i'm very unhappy with it. it was loaded with typos and run on sentences, so i apologize for subjecting you all to that. come to think of it, i'm none too pleased with this chapter either, but it's 3AM and i gotta sleep. Reviews are hoped for (pretty please?) and the next chapter is on the way.
So, I've been reading over my previous chapter and i gotta say, i'm very unhappy with it. it was loaded with typos and run on sentences, so i apologize for subjecting you all to that. come to think of it, i'm none too pleased with this chapter either, but it's 3AM and i gotta sleep. Reviews are hoped for (pretty please?) and the next chapter is on the way.