They stood quietly, watching the sun rise over the cliffs. She kept her arms crossed over her breasts as he held her from behind, his arms snaked around her waist. She could feel his warm breath against the sensitive skin just behind her right ear, and she knew that he was thinking the same thing she was. How long?
She had been sure that they were going to attack last night, had been almost positive, but nothing. No one came. Something was holding them back just now, something important. She just wished she knew what it was.
Her head jerked as she saw something move in her peripheral vision. She should have known better, though. They wouldn’t want to risk any investigations or leave any witnesses behind. John came strolling out of the bushes, a little worse for ware and a few leaves in his hair, but otherwise fine. He nodded to them, and she felt Logan nod back from behind her.
“Logan,” she said softly as she turned to look at him. John was still too far away, but she needed to get this over with now. “Why don’t you go in the house and get some breakfast? I need a moment to speak with John.”
Logan cocked an eyebrow at her, unsure of what to do. But what could he do? So he turned around and went to the house, his shoulders hunched. He still wasn’t sure where he and Rogue stood with each other. Only time would tell.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Rogue turned back just as John reached her. They hadn’t talked much in the last couple of months, only a few words here and there when she found herself sitting with the group. And there were no private words. No, both parties had gone well out of their way to keep away from each other.
But they couldn’t put it all behind them until they spoke, and Rogue had a feeling that now would be better than later.
“You and Logan?” John asked as he stood next to her. If she had been looking at him, she would have seen the sarcastic smile that kissed his lips and the sadness that darkened his eyes.
“I don’t know,” Rogue replied with a shrug. She felt her legs begin to weaken, and, telling herself that it was due to the lack of sleep, she gracefully sat down in the tall grass. John sat next to her, and, for a moment, she was reminded of the way they once were before corruption destroyed their world.
She watched him play with the grass, pulling on it while he watched the sun. “Why not?”
“Because he doesn’t know, yet. Not everything,” she replied pointedly. He stopped abruptly, catching her meaning. It was why they avoided each other, why they couldn’t look at each other.
John sighed, leaning back against his elbows and stretching his feet before him. “Why haven’t you told him? You haven’t told anybody, have you?”
“Nope. Not something that I wish to dwell on.”
“But you can’t help but to dwell on it?”
“Why haven’t you mentioned anything?” She asked angrily, throwing the question back. He had no right to question her decision when he had made the exact same one. “You didn’t even tell Xavier.”
“I’m not in love with the man. Are you going to tell him?”
“Yes,” she hissed between her teeth. “When this is all over, and then I’ll see what comes out of it.”
“I’m sorry, Rogue,” John said suddenly. It startled her to hear those words from him. She hadn’t been expecting it, and didn’t feel it was necessary. “I wish that I could take it back.”
“It wasn’t your fault, John." She shrugged gently. "What happened… If anything, it helped us endure everything else. It let us remember that we’re human, even if that wasn’t the effect they were looking for.”
She looked at him then, and saw all of the pain and hurt in his eyes. She wished that she could reach over and hug him, comfort him, but that was too much for her to consider. Touching him right now would be too painful, and would remind her of too many memories she wanted to block out.
“Tell him,” John said suddenly, leaping to his feet. “Don’t let him come to you blindly. Make sure he knows what we did, and that it was what we had to do to stay alive.”
“Even when we didn’t want to live.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was around midnight the next night when they got the signal. A small bird made of pure fire flew into the window above the kitchen sink, exploding across the glass in bright flames. No one could mistake the warning.
Rogue sat the cup of tea she had been drinking down before standing calmly and looking at each person under her command. She knew what they were capable of, and knew that they could handle themselves. With Shadow Cat and Colossus in town, she wouldn’t have to worry about the people that had accepted her into their community openly and free. “I’m going to go out alone first. Jean will not bring anyone close enough to startle me yet. She’ll want to keep this as quiet as possible. She still doesn’t know that the rest of you are here, and, if anyone comes out, we’ll loose our advantage of surprise. Wolverine will wait in she shadows until the first sign of an attack. Once the battle begins, the rest of you know what to do.”
She turned and walked away before anyone could object. She knew that Logan wasn’t happy about the last minute change of plans, but she hadn’t wanted to say anything sooner. It wouldn’t have sat well with her if she had spent the entire time arguing with him. As if was, he stalking behind her, waiting for her to turn around. She refused to.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Jean was standing outside of her yard, looking mildly surprised when the front door opened and Rogue stepped out without having to be summoned. Rogue walked out quietly, trying to look calm and unassuming as she did. She knew she had thrown the telepath off, but it was necessary, and, besides, she could always sat say she had seen her on her way up from the kitchen. Rogue left the front door wide open, leaving no barriers between herself and her people waiting patiently inside.
“Rogue. I didn’t think you would be awake,” Jean said with a nervous little laugh. “How are you?”
“I’m good. I was on my way up when I thought I saw someone outside,” Rogue replied brightly, forcing a friendly smile. “I don’t mean to be rude, but, well, what are you doing here, Jean? Is everything alright?”
As she spoke, Rogue made her way down the porch and through her yard, getting as close as possible.
“Actually, Charles sent me to fetch you. There’s been an accident, and we need your help,” Jean said quickly, a worried expression setting into her eyes. “We need to leave immediately. We can come back for your things later. I’m just glad you’re still dressed. It will save us some time.”
“I wonder why Charles didn’t send Scott?” Rogue asked as stopped just inches in front of the other woman. For a second, Rogue wondered why Jean had yet to use her abilities. Why hadn’t she scanned the area when they landed? It dawned on her just then, the true reason, and Rogue couldn’t help but relish in the irony of it. “Was it Charles who sent you, Jean? Or was it the people you sold us to the first time?”
Jean paused, shocked by the question, and Rogue knew that there was no more element of surprise. At least not for her. Jean reached for something attached to her belt, her fingers fumbling in surprise, but Rogue was faster. She grabbed it before Jean could unbuckle it, holding onto it tightly as Jean’s body stiffened with fear.
Holding it in her hand, feeling it’s cool structure with her bare fingers, Rogue knew exactly what it was. The device that controlled the chip in her neck.
“Where’s yours, Jean?” Rogue asked sickly as she crushed the remote. “Who gives you access to your powers? When did you get your chip?”
“Rogue… It’s not what…” Jean was stammering now, backing up as she went. Rogue knew she had hit the mark straight on. Jean had been chipped, also. Just recently, too. Probably as early as this morning.
“They didn’t want to take the chance of you turning on them?” Rogue laughed as Jean turned and ran. She could have easily caught up to her but Rogue let her go. Jean would return with the soldiers who were waiting in the shadows, and Jean would lead them back here. Where would the fun be if Rogue stopped her?
And sure enough, Jean came back, a vicious and twisted gleam in her eyes, leading twenty mutants behind her. Two more in the air flew on wings of scaly skin and ice, and she figured there were at least four more lurking around, circling her. That meant at least twenty six all together. It would be a good fight.
Rogue waited until they were past the perimeter. And when the fire burst to life behind them, trapping them in her cage, she saw what her own army was up against. She saw their surprise as well as arms of tentacles and faces of spikes. She saw their shock as well as mutants who could move faster than sound and control the plants. And, most importantly, she saw their fear as well as those who could manipulate the ground and those who could control the insects. Rogue grinned as she through herself into the battle and laughed as she heard the feral growl behind here. These people had no idea what they had just stepped into.
~*~*~*~*~*~
She felt bone crush under her fist as her punch connected with the face of the woman who was trying to ensnare her in a bush of thorns. She smiled as the face caved in around her closed hand even as she heard the sickly sweet song of Wolverine’s claws impale the man who was coming up behind her. But there was no time to rejoice, for even as one man fell, there was another ready to take his place.
Her hand broke through spikes and rib cage alike as she grabbed and removed the heart of a man who thought his mutation couldn’t be penetrated. Oh! It was good to be invulnerable! She kicked high, shattering another man’s spine at the base of his neck as Storms lightning bold struck the woman who moved too fast to be grabbed.
She threw a man who could change his size into the side of a boulder, hearing his bones snap as Cyclops’ optic blast disintegrated the angels of hell flying over their heads to nothing but dust. And as she ripped an arm off of yet another, she felt the cold blast of Iceman’s abilities as it shot past her and froze the man who could make the earth move in mid jump. She watched as he fell to the ground, shattering into a million pieces.
And they all watched as Jubilee used her sparks to blind a man to the point that the skin around his eyes blistered and his sockets bled. And as he fell to his knees, screaming incoherently, Pyro walked up behind him, harnessing his control of fire and feeding it into the man’s open mouth. And no one moved to help him as he rolled around on the ground, clawing at his chest even as his useless eyeballs melted down his face.
And when his screaming finally subsided, Rogue turned and surveyed what they had done. Close to thirty mutants dead, some charred from Pyro’s fire or Jubilee’s sparks. Some reduced to nothing but ashes due to Cyclops’ blast and Storm’s lightening. And some body’s frozen to death instantly because of Iceman’s ice. But the majority were due to attacking the front line. Heads and limbs detached from bodies, claw marks and holes embedded in torsos. The majority were taken down by Rogue and Wolverine, fighting back to back, dancing so fluidly and moving so intimately together they could have been making love.
Rogue felt her heart leap as her gaze landed on the loan figure still breathing, entrapped in a block of ice that reached her waist, surrounded by a circle of flames too low to melt, standing in the middle of the battle field. Rogue smiled sweetly as she made her way to the other woman. She stopped in front of her, looking at her with eyes full of the promise of pain and torture.
“Rogue.” The voice was soft and pleading, and as she turned to confront the person who dared to stop her, she found herself staring into eyes on the verge of tears. “You can’t do this, Rogue. She was one of us, our friend. What she did, it deserves punishment, but this isn’t justice. Hasn’t there been enough blood shed to quench your maddening thirst?”
Rogue looked at Storm, internally questioning the woman’s sanity. She knew Storm was doing the same, and wondered what conclusion she would come to. “She isn’t one of us, Storm. She hasn’t been one of us for a long time, if she ever was. She doesn’t just deserve justice. This isn’t about justice. This is about vengeance. For all of us who had our lives taken from us and our hope destroyed.”
“But this isn’t right, Rogue. This isn’t who we are.” Storm said softly.
“Don’t be a hypocrite, Storm. Only a moment ago, you were fighting along with us, helping us do this,” she replied, rolling her gaze over the carnage around them. “This wasn’t beneath you.”
“These people were going to kill us. The only way to stop them was to kill them first, even I saw that.” Storm’s tone became cold, indignant. “She’s not a harm to anyone now. She’s been restrained. Isn’t that enough? Do you insist on playing judge, jury and executioner?”
“Yes, Storm.” Rogue took her stance, willing to fight for her right to pass her verdict. “You have no idea what we were put through in that place, no clue what she sold us to, so don’t even try to understand. You’re a goddess among those with extraordinary gifts. You have no stake in this, Storm. She betrayed us all. God’s have no say in how lesser beings handle betrayal among their own. Walk away now.”
Storm didn’t know what to say. It was obvious that no one else was going to back her up, but that wasn’t a big surprise. Jean had betrayed them all in one way or another. The six children who were no longer children had their innocents raped and murdered by her. Logan had his faith slaughtered. And Scott had his love ridiculed. All by Jean. Storm stood straight, understanding dawning on her that nothing she could say would change Jean’s fate by any means, and unsure if she could even convince herself that it was necessary. She turned and made her way back up the hill to the house to shower and await the other’s return. She would not put her life on the line for a woman who had not only destroyed their trust, but had twisted it and manipulated it to her own advantage.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Rogue watched until Storm was safely in the house before turning back to the woman who had taken everything from her. She looked into her eyes and saw fear and hate. But she also saw pride and knew that Jean was unashamed for what she had done.
“We’re going to kill you tonight, Jean. It’s your decision how it’s done. Just remember, the chip in my neck is useless now. I can get all the information I need from you with a single touch if I must. But if you give it to me freely, then I’ll have mercy and you will die quickly.”
She heard the footsteps coming from a distance, crunching through the tall grass and over the bodies still lying around. She turned to see Shadow Cat and Colossus walking along together, holding hands. Both were unsmiling, but both were covered in blood and there was a gleam of softness in Shadow Cat’s eyes. They had their own battle it seemed.
“Ten,” Colossus said brightly as they stopped to speak to Rogue. “There were ten of them, and Kitty and I and the men from the village took them apart as we spoke of fairy tales. And when it was over, we sat around and drank pints of Guinness and glasses of whiskey as we shared our feelings on the matter. I think I like these Irish, Rogue. They’re good people and are friendly enough to open their homes to us for the night. Kitty and I will be staying there, along with whom ever wants to join us. You’re cottage is nice enough but too small for us all.”
“I would appreciate it,” Rogue replied with an easy smile, ignoring the woman behind her for the moment. “I actually would appreciate it if you took Scott , Jubilee, Bobby, and Storm with you. Logan, John and I have a few things we’ll need to discuss. And find out if there is an inn close by that we can book rooms for the next week or so. I don’t want to leave these people with a mess this large. They’ve been too kind to me.”
“And what about her?” Kitty asked, pointing to Jean and getting Rogue back on track. “What are we going to do about this?”
“It all depends on what she gives us.” Rogue replied, her lips twisting into a feral grin.
~*~*~*~*~
Jean’s nose was broken. Her right eye was swollen and her left was on it’s way. Three fingers from her left had were twisted beyond repair, and all five from her left were completely gone, tore from their sockets. And yet she still hadn’t said a word.
“Why won’t you tell us anything, Jean? We have a right to know. Who are they? And why?”
“I can’t tell you who they are, exactly,” Jean said with a sob, tears streaked with blood leaking from her good eye. “They came to me when I was in Washington, just before it happened. They said that they were looking for mutants with extreme gifts, mutants who could fight for us. Then they told me that these mutants would be more military established, and that they would be elite. That they would be the few who would have to sacrifice to protect the rest, and that they would be more than adequate and better trained that anyone else. They also promised that they would help with my research on mutant manifestation and how to help those who couldn’t learn control. Rogue. You have to believe me, this… I didn’t want this. I didn’t know that this was going to be what happened. They weren’t supposed to kidnap you, only talk to you.”
“Then why didn’t you speak up when we went missing? Why didn’t you call Logan or tell Xavier? Why did you leave us to rot?” Rogue asked, punching her in the face, watching as her lip burst over her knuckle. “Because you were selfish. You knew what was happening and you could have put everyone on the right track. Instead, you kept it to yourself and let watched as everyone scrambled around you. You enjoyed the fact that Scott was too preoccupied with the search to see what you were doing with other men. And when he caught you, you wouldn’t even throw him a bone. You enjoyed that they were helping you with your research and that they were coming up with a way to control abilities. But that back fired on you, didn’t it? What did you do to get chipped, Jean? Did you try to stand up for us?”
“No,” Jean said sharply, turning away from Rogue’s scrutinizing gaze. “No. I didn’t.”
“You refused to face us, didn’t you? Because you knew what I was capable of. But you came because you thought I was alone.”
“I didn’t know they were here. I thought that they just wanted you. I thought that if I brought you back to them, then they would forget about the others.”
“That’s all I need to know. That’s all anyone needs to know,” Rogue said simply, turning to Kitty. “Kill her. Squeeze her heart until it bursts, but leave her body intact. Xavier asked for that. And for all he’s done to help the rest of you, I think we should give him that.”
They watched as Shadow Cat walked gracefully to Jean, not even flinching at her screams. They watched as she phased her hand into Jean’s chest, her arms flexing as she found what she was searching for. And as they heard the audible pop that escaped Jean’s mouth among her screams and watched as Kitty removed her bloody hand from the woman, they all knew that it was over for now, and that they would finally be able to get a full nights rest even for only a night.
Once the echoes of Jean’s screams subsided, Bobby turned to Rogue, a question in his eyes that didn’t need to be spoken. It was one that they were all thinking.
“What about the others.”
“They won’t stop, I know. But we cannot find them all and tear them apart like this,” Rogue replied, gesturing to Jean’s lifeless body. “We’ll take her back and regroup. We’ll go on with our training and we will prepare for when they show themselves and what their true intentions are. And, when that happens, we’ll fight them and continue to fight until they are all destroyed. No one will know about them but us and Xavier. No one outside of the team will know any of our plans, and no one will be permitted to join unless we all agree that we can trust them. We will do all we can to make sure that this will not happen again.”
She looked at each one, her eyes skimming over the blood and gore shining on their clothes and skin in the moon light. “Get Storm and go to the village. Walk it. You can take the time to think. Get some sleep and tomorrow, start moving the bodies. Take you time, though, and enjoy the company the Irish will provide. We’ll stay here as long as we need to, to get the blood lust out of our systems. But as for tonight, well, John and Logan and I have to talk.”
With that, Rogue turned to the life less body, walking through the fire as if it was nothing but a puddle and punching the glass hard enough to break it. She let the body fall to the ground, gazing at it with cold eyes and slouched shoulders. Picking it up, she carried it towards the house. The others followed her silently.
Scott realized that this scene before him was one that he would always remember with fondness. It was the moment in his life that he would always remember as the time he stepped down and allowed someone else to take control of the team he had lovingly led. He felt only the smallest bit of sadness at the thoughts, but knew that it was the right thing to do. The would follow her to the ends of time. The Rogue was no longer alone. She had a team, and a family, now, that would follow her to the ends of the earth if she asked.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
"What happened… If anything, it helped us endure everything else. It let us remember that we’re human, even if that wasn’t the effect they were looking for.”
Chapter End Notes:
Ok... So now we know that Rogue was holding something big back from Scott, and John had something to do with it. I will tall all next time.
I hope that this was a good fight for everyone. I got a little caught up in it. Sorry it's so long! But I wanted to put it all in one chapter! I really need feed back, please. I've never been comfortable writing fighting scenes!
I hope that this was a good fight for everyone. I got a little caught up in it. Sorry it's so long! But I wanted to put it all in one chapter! I really need feed back, please. I've never been comfortable writing fighting scenes!