~Epilogue~
Rogue sat on the bench in the park holding her satchel on her lap and checked her watch. Twenty minutes late, she thought, he’s lucky I love him so much. Still, she reasoned that a well placed slap to the back of his head would not go amiss.
She continued to pass the time, tapping her foot impatiently. After a few minutes, a shadow crossed over her lap. Squinting into the sunny day, she looked up.
There he stood, looking slightly older, but not much worse for wear. His face had thinned out, making his cheekbones appear slightly more angular. His hair was blonder, courtesy of some bleach, and slicked back. In her mind she knew that this was the boy who had abandoned her at a time of need, and yet she couldn’t help the flicker of desire he was still able rouse within her. It caused her to resent him immediately.
They stared at each other for moment before he finally broke the silence.
“Rogue,” he breathed.
“Johnny.” She answered curtly.
His eyes darkened at the sound of the name. “It’s Pyro now, actually.”
“Sorry, but no matter how badass you think you are, you’ll always be Johnny to me,” she sassed as she stood up, shifting her bag to her side to reveal the growing bump under her sun dress. He gaped at it.
She smirked. “You’ve been gone a long time, John. A lot happened after you left.”
“When did you…? Who?” he stuttered.
“Logan. We’ve been together for about 3 years now,” she told him, putting a hand protectively over her belly as he continued to stare at it.
“Figures,” he shrugged, as if attempting to regain some aloofness. “I always thought he had a thing for you. But, tell me the truth. You miss me?” He stepped in close to her, invading her personal space. “Remember, Roguey? All the good times we had?” he whispered, reaching out a hand to touch her face.
Rogue had heard enough. She slapped his hand away and snorted. “Good times? Sure, Johnny, I remember the ‘good times’. But, you missed the best time of all,” she said sarcastically. “I’m talking about the time you left right before I was about to tell you that I was pregnant with your baby.” She glared at him.
“What?” Pyro’s eyes had gone wide and his face looked paler than usual. Rogue waited for him to calm down.
“Well, look who it is,” she heard from over her shoulder. She whirled around to find Logan standing there. Grinning, she went up on her toes to peck him on the cheek.
“You’re late,” she informed him.
“It looks like you were kept busy,” he said, gesturing at the hyperventilating man in front of them. “I guess this means she told you, huh, bub?”
Pyro calmed himself down. “Where’s the kid?” he asked, looking worried.
Rogue said nothing, and looked down at her feet. She felt Logan step forward next to her. “Funny how you care now,” he mocked. “Lucky-and apparently unbeknownst to you, you’ve narrowly escaped being a daddy.”
“Huh?” Pyro looked confused.
“She lost the kid, jackass.”
“Lost?”
“Miscarried, due to stress. Stress that you were mostly responsible for.”
Pyro ran his hand through his hair. “Shit,” was all he could say.
Logan put an arm around Rogue. “Now,” he growled, “might be a good time for you to apologize for all the shit you put my girl through.”
Pyro looked like he was about to say something, but Rogue beat him to it. “No, Logan,” she said softly. “I don’t want anything from him. Not anymore. Not ever again.” Her glare had softened into a look of what could have passed for pity. She made to leave.
“I’ll be in the shop. Come meet me when you’re finished here.” And with that she left the two men.
Pyro watched her leave, then realized he had been left alone with the Wolverine. He nervously licked his lips and flicked his lighter. “So, now what? You gonna kick my ass or something?”
Logan shook his head and allowed a slow, cruel grin to pass over his features. “No, I’m not, asshole,” he told the smaller man. “I’m actually gonna thank you.”
Pyro raised his eyebrows. “For what?”
“Well, bub, if it weren’t for you acting like a complete dick, Rogue and I never might have gotten together. You see, with you gone, she came running right to me, like she always has, and the rest, as they say, is history.” He chuckled.
“I know it might sound a little weird to admit,” he continued, “but sometimes I think of you when I’m balls deep in that sweet little pussy-and you know how sweet it is, no one could ever forget a girl like her-and I think to myself, ‘thank God that little shit fucked up. Because now I have Marie, and soon we’ll have our little girl, we’ve never been happier, and it might never have happened.' So thank you, Pyro.”
Pyro had a look of deep envy and anger on his face. “Fuck you,” he hissed.
“Sorry kid, that’s a privilege that belongs solely to the little lady.” Logan turned and followed after Rogue, waving over his shoulder at Pyro, his hand eventually turning into a middle finger salute.
Pyro was left alone in the park. He walked over to the bench where Rogue had previously been sitting and slumped down on it. He sighed.
He was a hard man. Most of enemies believed that the man who could control fire had no weak side. So, if any of them had walked by at that particular moment, they may have been surprised to see a single tear run down from his eyes.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
And now the exciting conclusion of I'm On Fire....about time, too.
Chapter End Notes:
Awwww, poor Johnny. But he made his bed, so I guess he's gotta lie in it. With the brotherhood. And that sounds like a big, slashy porno.
Geesh, guys, I gotta tell you, writing a saga like this really took it out of me. Sorry the updates sort of slowed in the end. Thanks to all of you who reviewed...it really kept me going!
I feel like now I'm gonna have to write a nice, SHORT, bodice ripper to get back in the swing of things!
Geesh, guys, I gotta tell you, writing a saga like this really took it out of me. Sorry the updates sort of slowed in the end. Thanks to all of you who reviewed...it really kept me going!
I feel like now I'm gonna have to write a nice, SHORT, bodice ripper to get back in the swing of things!