It would've been a nice day for a white wedding; lines from that damn song keep running through my head. Blue skies, spring sunshine -perfect weather. I thought having the wedding on the anniversary of the day we met would be romantic.
Romantic. Ha. I should've known better.
The dress is a wreck. I'm never going to get the deposit back on these rags. Hope Xavier's insurance covers it. Okay, really, my attitude is just that - an attitude, a cover-up. Underneath - well, I'm beyond words to describe how angry I am. Someone is going to pay for this. They're damn well going to pay.
I can't see Logan in all the confusion, but he's probably in the thick of things. I don't worry too much about him - what's the point? He'll never change, and I've learned to accept the fact that he's pretty much indestructible. I live in the forlorn hope that he'll accept that about me, someday. He still wants to protect me, and I wouldn't admit - even under torture - that I sort of like that about him. The tux'll be a goner, for sure. Aw, crap.
Damn, there goes some more of the dress. You, mister, are going to be drop-kicked from a great height. You're not going to be flame-throwering at any more invulnerable, flying women, now are you? She shoots - she scores. Ha!
Why now? Why today? Why couldn't they have waited, preferably until we were out of the country? A few hours more and we would have been. I don't expect the timing is coincidental: they thought the X-men would be off their guard. Stupid move. We may have been off-guard, but we're mutants, for god's sake - we don't just leave our powers at home. They just walked into the biggest gathering of superheroes since 'Miko's annibirthary. That's what she calls the celebration we have to mark the day we found her - it's not quite a birthday, she has that a couple of months before. It was the day we decided to adopt her. We explained to her as young as we could why she didn't look like mommy or daddy, and she's never seemed to mind. I think she's just pleased that it means she gets another day to celebrate -another day with everyone's attention. Heh. The last one was quite a party. That was when Logan - ow! Concentrate, Rogue, concentrate. You're in a fight. That hurt. The one flaw in my invulnerability? Pain is still painful. Goddammit.
Oh, shit... Scott and Bobby were herding anyone vulnerable into the Mansion - including the kids. But a big section of whoever-the-hell-these-people-are has just headed for 'em. Someone must be directing, but I can't see who. I'd better head over and give 'em a hand. 'Miko and Tommy are in there, and no one's touching my kids, not unless they want to be wearing their balls as earrings.
Wonder who these guys are? I thought they were FoH scum at first, but I'm not so sure anymore. They seem more disciplined, less dregs-of-humanityish - more like an army. But whose army? Mutants, 'specially high-profile ones like us, attract a lot of enemies. Speaking of which... Hey, buddy, just 'cause I'm a girl doesn't mean you can pick on me any easier. That'll teach ya. Scott's spotted me, he's trying to drive them my way, catch 'em in a pincer movement - just me and him. Someone appreciates me for my invulnerability, at least.
Fuck - that was unexpected. Almost hurt me with that. These guys are better that I've given 'em credit for - they're prepared some, at least. Gotta concentrate, girl.
"Mommy?"
"It's okay, sweetheart, I'm here now." Bless her - 'Miko is clinging tightly to her little brother's hand. I knew I could trust her to hang on to him, even in all this confusion. She's so clever, for a six-year-old. Even in all this, I just have to kneel down and hug them both close to me. I'm so lucky to have them. "You stay back from the bad men, okay? You and Tommy get to the house. Can you do that for me?"
"Okay, mommy."
"Dadda come get us?" My poor little baby, he's scared and confused by all this - gone back to sucking his thumb, which he only does when he's frightened.
"Yes, sweetie. Daddy will be here soon, and me. I'm just going to go find daddy, in fact. You'll stick close to your big sister, now, won't you?" Aw, he's so cute - my heart just aches with love for them both at times like this. I feel so guilty for leaving them here, but my best chance to protect them is to get out there and throw these assholes off our home ground. "Love you, 'Miko. Love you, Tommy. Go on, now - get inside." Had to tell them I love 'em both, so, so much. I'll be fine, and they'll be fine, but I just have to tell them. I tell them all the time: I'm sure they know by now. They probably think their mommy is a wee bit overprotective, even. They're in -they've reached the house. Xavier's in there - they'll be safe with him.
"Rogue!" Scott? What's he pointing - oh, shit. Logan's in trouble -too many of them. Crap. I've gotta - get off! Out of my way! Are these bastards getting in my way on purpose, or what? Logan's in trouble; I've got to get to him.
"Hold on, sugar, I'm coming!" Hope he heard me. If I could just -yeah, ice 'em, Bobby. I owe you one. Logan - where's Logan gone? Shit - he's out cold, they're dragging him away, but they're slow. Thank god for those heavy adamantium bones of his. Hang on in there, sugar. Rogue's coming to get you.
No time for finesse, now. I'm just chucking them out of my way, left, right, and centre. Fighting dirty - I don't care if I hurt 'em: they started this. When I reach that bastard with the Uzi, I'm gonna make him wish he'd brought something a *lot* more streamlined.
Christ, where'd that plane come from? Doesn't Xavier have any kind of proximity alarms? No matter - I can fly, you idiots, you aren't gonna - argh!
Shit! That hurt - what the hell have they - aah! Get this thing off! Logan - gotta... uff.
What the... where the hell... what am I doing in the sickbay? Christ Almighty, I hurt all over - Logan! - OW! Ooh, ow! Agh. Sitting up = bad idea. But where's Logan - and where are the kids? I've got to -
"Rogue, you're awake." Yeah, no shit, Jean, now get out of the way -eep! What the hell...? "Rogue, wait! It's the bracelet - it suppresses your powers."
What? "What?"
"You can't fly. Are you all right?"
"No. Get this thing off me." Stupid fucking bracelet, I haven't got my strength or I'd rip it off. But, more importantly - "The kids?"
"They're fine. They're with Kitty."
Good, but... "Logan?" And that silence says it all. 'They' got him. "Get this bracelet off, Jean! I've got to find him!" If they can suppress powers... get it off, get it off!
"Calm down! You're hurt - the invulnerability was off for a little while, Storm had to get you out of there."
Can't think about it now. Have to find Logan. "Tell me about it later, hon. Just get this bracelet off, right fucking now."
"Rogue, we're not sure if it's safe-"
"NOW, Jean!" Has she suddenly gone deaf? Is she stupid? Can you hear me, Jean? Am I projecting loud enough for you? Get. The. Bracelet. OFF. She's - where's she - oh, she's backing off, doing it with her mind. Shit, does she think it might be booby-trapped? Well, one way to find out...
And it's not. Phew. Jean looks relieved, too, even though she was hiding behind the screen. Some superhero. Ugh, light-headed... I'm not healing - well, I don't really do that, I guess. Nuts. Try a little floating - yeah, powers back online. Well, guess that means I'm invulnerable from here on out. Logan, here I - "Wait, Rogue!"
"What?" You're delaying me now, Jean, and my patience is thin on the ground.
"I noticed." Damn telepaths. I know she wants me to wait around 'til they've gathered the troops and made a plan, but it'll take too long, they can suppress his powers - surely she understands that?
"Two questions. How long was I out?"
Checking her watch. "Just over an hour."
Crap. "Okay. And any idea who or where?"
Jean looks me over, and I can feel her mind touch mine, assessing. "We're not sure. Scott thinks he got in a hit on the plane. He's not certain, though." Well, great. An hour's head start, for a hopefully injured plane...
"Is the Professor looking?"
Jean looks a bit irked. No time to make with the nice, Red. "Of course. But with Logan unconscious..."
Damn. Damn, damn, damn. No time to wait. I've got to get out of here. I've got to start looking. They're only an hour ahead - surely that plane is too damn big to hide easily? "Which way did they go?"
"North-west." A quick picture flashes into my mind - Jean's showing me her memory of the plane taking off. I can feel her frustration along with the picture. Bless her; I know she cares a lot about Logan, too. But I love him. And he needs me. I'm outta here. "Rogue, wait! You're still wearing the dress-!"
Some goddamn wedding day. I was actually planning on flying north today - only, in my plans, I was on a plane, with Logan and the kids. We were going to go to our hideaway, up in the Rockies, to spend the honeymoon someplace quiet. Nobody - not even the X-troops - knows about that place. No one would track us there. But no such luck.
Dammit, I'm not going to be upset. I'm going to find Logan, and I'm going to kick the collective asses of whoever's ruined this day. And then maybe I'll fly us straight to that cabin, and not come out for a good long while; I'm sure Logan wouldn't mind. I've gone right off the whole wedding idea. Of course, that plan of action involves actually working out where in the hell Logan is, and right now, I don't have the foggiest. 'North-west' isn't the narrowest of search areas, and with a plane, and an hour's head start...
Fuck, I can fly faster than this.
~Rogue?~ Ack! I hate it when they do that. Such a goddamn headache. I wish I'd grabbed some Codeine on my way out.
"Yes, Professor?" I usually answer aloud, when I'm alone - I talk to enough people in my head as it is.
~Logan is awake. I'm tracking him on Cerebro.~
"Where is he?" Oh, he's alive, thank god, he's alive. Keep a grip, Rogue.
~About two miles west of your position.~ Uff, mental picture, dumped right in my brain. Wish I had broadband, like the Prof. Know where I'm going, now. ~It appears the plane has had to make an unscheduled stop.~ Translation: Scott did hit it, after all, and they've crash-landed. ~Correct.~ Ack. Telepaths.
"Is he all right?"
~He is hurt, and very angry,~ wry mental grin from Xavier there, ~but seems to be in no immediate danger as far as his injuries go.~ Left unsaid is what danger he might be in from his kidnappers. ~He is, however, manacled, and he cannot free himself. Scott, Storm and Bobby are on their way.~
"E.T.A.?"
~Twenty minutes.~
Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. "I can be there in two, Professor."
~Rogue...~ I know, I know - don't be so impetuous, Rogue. Don't take unnecessary risks. Logan can take care of himself. Fight with the team. I've been hearing it all my life. But that means eighteen more minutes in which they have him - eighteen minutes in which he's vulnerable - eighteen minutes with Logan injured, manacled to the wall of a downed plane, with no healing factor, and no one to help him. I can't wait. I just - can't. ~I understand. Take care of yourself.~
He's gone, and I shouldn't be so surprised. But we all spend so much time thinking of Xavier as omniscient, omnipotent, that we forget he's also got a human side. He's one of the most caring people I know. "I'm gonna name my next child after you, professor." I don't know if he heard that, but I think I caught a whisper of startled laughter on the wind.
First things first, though. I'd better go rescue the prospective father.
Bastard goddamn asswipe fuckwits! "Ow!"
"Quit moaning."
Logan knows that, as potential father to my unborn children, I'm unlikely to kick him in the nuts, so he feels he can make that sort of remark with relative impunity. "Fuck you."
"Later, babe." It's that grin. I can't help it - I completely fold, every time he does the grin. You'd think, after all this time, and all the shit he's put me through, that I'd have immunity, but I'm still so in love it's pathetic. Oh, who the hell cares? Not me. Jeez -that really stings. "Sorry. Nearly done."
The cavalry, when they finally arrive, should be able to find us easily - big black jet, crash marks across half a mile of countryside, unconscious bad guys strewn all around - it's kinda hard to miss. I'd feel smug, if only my head didn't hurt so much. Stress headache. "It's bad luck for you to see me in my dress before the ceremony, you know."
He's standing back and looking at me critically - critically? "I ain't marryin' you in those rags."
What? Bastard! Of all the nerve... "Like you're so spiffy, Mr. Bound-and-gagged-'till-I-rescued-your-ass!"
Neither of us turns, or even glances, when the X-Jet makes a perfect 3-point landing. But that's 'cause we're so damn cool. "I'm scruffy. It's my look."
"Oh, so I'm not allowed to look scruffy - is that it? You male chauvinist pig! Still, whaddya expect from an old man."
"Less of the 'old'." Grabbing my chin. Gonna kiss him.
"Old man..." Can't resist sneaking my hands under his jacket to touch his sides, where he's ticklish.
"Scruffy..."
"Hey, guys."
"Mff..."
"Uhhh... Storm, you and Bobby go check the injured. I'll check the plane."
I laugh into Logan's mouth, and feel his answering smile as our teeth clash. "I think we embarrass Scott," I mumble.
"Nah. He's gotta be used to us by now."
"Scott never gets used to us." And why am I talking about the fearless leader at a time like this? "Shut the hell up."
It would've been a nice day for a white wedding. But that's just not how our lives turn out. However, it also turned out to be a nice day for sitting on the steps of the plane and being kissed. It was a nice day for holding each other tight on the X-Jet, all the way back, even though I knew he was safe, and he knew I was safe. It was a nice day for the kids, despite the beginnings, because they got lots of fuss and attention directed their way, and they always like that. It was a nice day to let go, leave everything in the capable hands of the other X-Men, and not trying to solve everything myself for once. It was a nice day for the preacher, 'cause Xavier gave him an exorbitant donation to stick around for take two. It was a nice day (although my mother didn't think so) for wearing my second choice for a wedding gown: jeans and a T-shirt, Logan in his beat-up leather jacket. It was a nice day for a not-so-white wedding, even if the guests were twitchier than a treeful of squirrels. It was a nice day for a swift getaway, bags already packed, kids sleepy, new diamond catching the sunset, my husband's hand shaking just the teeniest bit, with only me to notice because I was holding it so tightly in mine.
It was a nice day - my wedding day. It was a nice day *because* it was my wedding day, and because I got to ride off into the sunset with my man and my kids.
And really, what more could you ask?
THE END.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
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Story Notes:
This is written to (sort of) go with my stories 'Tender' and 'Sensitive', but you don't have to read those first - the action is pretty much unrelated. If you *do* want to read them, they can be found on the Dolphin Haven, or the WRFA, or on my own website (spaceprincess.co.uk) once I get it back up and running again. Which probably won't be for a while, as I'm busy and stony broke. P.S. I'm useless at writing action. I wimped out completely, this time, and skipped it. Sod it - it's a Valentine's Day fic, that's my excuse. P.P.S. A teeny bit of this was in response to a challenge to use the word 'annibirthary' in a fic, but that was so long ago it isn't funny, and I can't find the challenge notes, so I don't count this as an entry for that. Suffice to say that yours truly didn't coin the word. Anyone want to lay claim to it, let me know, and I'll put a credit in for you. P.P.P.S. There's no plot to this one. Really - none at all. :)