She was still in her blond costume, in case one of the other’s came in the room. She hadn’t told many of them who she really was, mainly because she had made an important impact in some of their lives, and she didn’t need it coming back to haunt her right now. Especially where the damn Cajun was concerned.
She watched as the large group filed in one at a time. Rogue was the last to enter, following closely to a boy that Mystique guessed couldn’t have been older than ten. Her first impression of the new editions were that they must have been held captive by Creed, also. But she brushed that aside upon seeing that two of them wore the uniforms that her estranged son was fond of for his security. There was more to these new mutants, and Mystique was bristling in her wait to get the full story.
Rogue didn’t say anything, only a slight nod to affirm Mystique’s question. There was definitely tension filling the room with each passing moment, and while Mystique could understand how it could all be tied into the saga that was Rogue, Wolverine, and Sabretooth, she wasn’t sure how the new young woman in their midst was attached to the ordeal. Mystique briefly wondered if maybe Logan had something to do with it all. It usually did lead back to him in one way or another, and it was painfully obvious that this woman was a feral in her own right.
“Raven, I would like you to meet Vasquez, Rusty, Forge, Artie, and Wolfsbane.” Rogue pointed to each respective individual as she spoke. “We met up with them at the compound. Creed was going to sell them off. Lady and gentlemen, I would like you to meet Raven Darkholme, mother of Greydon Creed.”
Mystique felt five pairs of eyes instantly become glued to her. Any normal person would have left the room as quickly as possible, but Mystique was no normal person. She straightened her back and squared her shoulders as she met each one of their stares head on. “Is he dead?”
“Rogue killed him. We kept his guards busy,” Vasquez replied slowly, his gaze full of doubt and indictment. “What are you?”
She smiled slowly, allowing her eyes to flash their normal yellow glow before shifting them back to the blue she was currently fond of. “What do you think?”
“Good to know,” Rusty whispered, grabbing Vasquez by the arm and leading him to the table where the others were currently sitting.
“What comes next?” Mystique asked. Destiny had already glimpsed at the future and saw that Rogue was going to return to the mansion. It was where she belonged. The shapeshifter just needed to hear it for her self now. “You got a permanent place here, if you want it.”
Rogue looked around slowly, already having made up her mind. “I’m going to return to the mansion. I’m going to take Artie up there, get him in school and keep an eye on him. Someone did that for me once, and it’s time I repaid the favor.”
“And what about the team here?” Mystique hadn’t been surprised. She had been given plenty of warning, but it didn’t lessen the blow of rejection. That would always sting. “What do you want to do with them? They are your team now.”
“They aren’t my team any long, Raven. They never really were,” Rogue shrugged her shoulders slightly. “They are just a bunch of kids, wanting the glory of what it’s like to be known for good things. They haven’t seen the gruesome truth of the whole job yet. That’s why I didn’t want to take them.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Three days?” He asked as he closed the bedroom door behind himself.
She shook her head as she shifted over, making room for him on the bed. He sat next to her, his shoulder touching hers, reaching for her hand. She didn’t pull away from him like she would have normally done, instead allowing herself this little last little bit of intimacy even from this man who had shown her that she was worth more than just a dangerous toy.
“Three days,” she repeated softly, watching the way his thumb traced small circles along the skin of the back of her hand. She found herself hypnotized by it all. With all that had happened since she had found the key to controlling her mutation, she hadn’t had the time to let the impact really sink in. She was finally in control of her own destiny and didn’t have to hope for anyone to look past the impossibilities of her mutation. “”Have you made your decision yet?”
Alex smiled, watching her watch his hand. He spoke lightly, keeping his tone nonchalant, even as he fought the emotions welling up inside of him. “I’ll go to New York with you for a little bit. Only to get some training, though. I want to eventually come back here. Get some new recruits. Form a new team. Things are really bad here for mutants. I want to do some good.”
“As long as you know what you are getting yourself into,” Rogue replied, lifting her gaze to meet his.
Both paused for a moment, feeling the atmosphere shift. He leaned in closer to her, and she didn’t stop him. She wouldn’t stop him. Every fiber in her body wanted this just as much as he did. It felt like eternity before his lips met hers, but when they did, she relished in the tenderness she found as his tongue gently tasted her lips.
This kiss reminded herself that some small part of her was still Marie, the little southern belle who dreamed of adventures and was afraid of shadows. But she was no longer little Marie, at least not completely. She allowed herself this little bit of youth before pulling away from him.
“You know this can’t keep going, right? Does this have to do with you not wanting to be at the mansion?”
Alex sighed, sitting back against the head board. He didn’t want to lie to her. She would be able to smell it on him anyway. “Partly, yes. I know we both promised that what we did before wouldn’t turn into anything more. We both just felt needed and wanted. We were both hurting. But I’ve fallen in love with you, Rogue.
“I know it’s not possible,” Alex continued before Rogue could interrupt him. “I know about Logan and you, and I know that, in the end, nothing but your own stubbornness and his own cluelessness will keep you two apart. But you were meant for him and he was meant for you and there is nothing that will ever change that.”
She lowered her gaze first, appreciating his understanding even though she knew it was killing them both. He was right, though. Just the mention of his name made her feel like her veins were full of electricity.
“I’m sorry,” Rogue whispered, swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat. “Maybe if it had been a life time ago…”
“More like a year ago,” Alex snorted, his voice full of amusement.
“No. Not even then,” Rogue rationalized, catching his attention full on. “I think I have really been his since the day I was born.”
“Then why haven’t you told him yet? Why are you sitting in this bed, talking to me about your forlorn love life?” He let go of her hand now, startling Rogue who had forgotten that he still held it.
“Because I don’t appreciate eavesdroppers,” Rogue giggled, her gaze shifting to the bedroom door across the room. They both heard the appreciative growl and the heavy sounds of someone walking away angrily. “And because as much as I love him, he is still too capable of hurting me. I’m tired of being hurt. I’m sick of the pain and the tears and all the damage caused by loving him.”
“You don’t know if that’s what’s going to happen,” Alex shrugged, throwing his arm over her shoulder. “That’s part of what makes it all exciting. You don’t know what’s in store for you.”
“You’ve been hanging out with the swamp rat, haven’t you?” Rogue chuckled. She could picture Remy saying those exact words to what ever pair of pants he was trying to get into.
Alex laughed with her, enjoying her teasing for once. She hadn’t been the same since they arrived at the mansion. “He does love you, though. I think it’s just taken him some time to figure that out. Otherwise, he wouldn’t haven been trying to hear what we are doing.”
“Yeah, and that just makes it so much more fun to make him wait,” Rogue replied with a throaty laugh.
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