Mutation. To humans it is a disease, a plague upon others, and an abomination that should be shamed upon. The only solution for such a horrible way of life is to inject the 'cure', to change who you are. Although the majority of mutants feel like they don't need it because there is nothing wrong with them, some people welcome it. The yearn to have normalcy in their lives was so great that they chose to change who they are. Deep in their soul they are the same person, but in reality they are no longer accepted by the people they used to trust. Is the Sacrifice really worth it?
Rogue made the decision before she even had a chance to really think about what the consequences would be of her actions. She wanted to touch people. Give them a hug, a handshake or even a kiss. For the last several months her and Bobby's relationship was dwindling. They never really talked anymore. Every Saturday they would go out on dates to the movies or to an ice cream parlor...but they haven't gone in 9 weeks. Rogue knew that he was slipping away from her because not only did she have Logan running around in her head making suspicious observations, she also had been sneaking around spying on him. A lot of the time he had stolen away a little time to hang out with Kitty. Every so often they would hold hands or hug her close. He even took her ice skating once because she was homesick. When was the last time he did that for Marie? Never.
As she packed clothes and necessities into her bag the wave of emotion flooded over her. The Professor was gone.
He was never coming back. There were only two people who really understood her; the Professor and Logan. All she had left was Logan and she couldn't even touch him. She choked back a small sob and zipped up her duffel. Throwing it over her shoulder she strode to the door, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror Rogue stopped to take one last look. [This is whatcha are Sugah. Ya the Gal who can't touch people. The one that people fear because of ya fatal flesh. No longer do ya have to scare them. This is ya one chance to be normal. Take it.] Her eyes gazed down at her body, black- everything had to be black. The only color she wore was her green hooded cloak. Her long hair hung over her shoulders, draping her breasts with the ends. Slowly she pulled up her hood to rest on the crown of her head.
"Goodbye Rogue, It's been fun Sugah." She whispered gently turning away from the mirror.
Thrusting the door open she had a determined look on her face as she went down the hall of bedrooms, down the main stair case and through several rooms toward the garage.
"You runnin' again?" It was the voice that was so well known to her, the one that haunted her dreams, haunted her mind and clutched her heart. She spun around to see Logan leaning against the door frame that she had just passed through. Boots, tight faded jeans, a white under shirt and one of his flannel shirts made his typical outfit. Today was no different.
"No. Ah.. Ah'm just leavin' fer a little while." She couldn't tell him goodbye. It would kill her if she had to say goodbye to Logan.
"Does Drake know where ya goin'?" He pulled out a cigar from his pocket along with a lighter and lit it. Him inhaling the sweet tobacco and letting it out made Rogue a little more at ease. The smell of his tobacco was always comforting to her. The specific scent gave her the satisfaction of knowing he was close. He was there.
"Nope. Ah'm venturin' out on mah own on this one. There's a few things Ah gotta take care of..."
Her voice trailed off as she noticed his head was down, he wasn't looking at her. That was odd, Logan always made eye contact when they were talking, unless the game was on. He had never put his head down. Not for her. Not for anyone.
"So that means that ya gunna go get the cure eh?"
"Yeah Logan, Ah am."
"There ain't nothing wrong with you kid. You're perfect just the way you are. I don't see why you gotta run off and change who ya are for-"
"Ya don't understand Logan. Ah wanna touch people. Ah wanna be able to wear tank tops in public without worryin' who in the hell is gunna accidentally bump int' meh an' invade mah mind. Ah'm tired of havin' t' wear layers of clothes when Ah sleep in the same bed with someone [You Logan... Ah wanna be in bed with you]. Ah want t' be able t' kiss Mah boyfriend! Ah wanna do little things that Ah have been robbed of these last several years of mah life. Ah'm an adult an' Ah have the right t' choose mah destiny."
Logan's head still didn't raise. He was seemingly staring at the same spot on the floor. An eerie silence settled upon them. Rogue tensed because she didn't think that Logan was going to take what she said very well.
Breaking the silence, Logan said in a calm and low voice, "I hope ya not doin' this for some boy Marie."
It was rare when he used her real name. The only time he did that was when they were alone and he was talking to her about things that rely on emotions. He always softened as the sounds of her name spilled from his lips. No one would understand how much they really cared for each other. Outsiders would never know.
"No. Ah ain't doin' it fer a boy." [Ah'm doin' it so that Ah can touch you. Ah'd give up my entire relationship with Bobby if Ah could just hold your hand Logan... can't you see that? No. Because you only see meh as a kid. An' ya always will. Logan Ah'm doin' this for meh. So Ah can touch and be touched... it doesn't mattah by who.]
He grunted apathetically and stood up straight, turned around and spoke over his shoulder. "Then ya better get a move on Kid, before someone sees you." He left.
He left her standing there in awe of what he had just said. Anger and sadness started to boil up in her. She spoke knowing that he would be able to hear her. "You've changed Logan. You've stopped caring about these kids. You've even stopped caring about me." Her feet quickly carried her to the garage where her baby sat in park. She had an old Ford Diesel truck that was just recently restored. The new paint was a dark green with a sparkly lime green candy coat to it. The color was one that you would never forget. The interior was all black with leather seats. She has had the truck for about 11 1/2 months. As she climbed into the driver's seat, tossing her duffel bag into the passenger's spot she couldn't help but remember the day she got it. The day he gave it to her.
~*Rogue woke up in a grumpy mood that morning despite the fact that it was her 18th birthday. The Southern Belle was in absolutely no mood to deal with people in cheery moods. She got up, showered, dressed, and went down stairs for breakfast. It turned out to be the typical morning chow time. Everyone drank coffee, chatted, bickered and ate the breakfast that was on the huge dining table. The only things that were odd was: 1. No one remembered her birthday and 2: Logan was no where to be seen.
Her mood spiraled as she realized that she loved it when Logan greeted her in the mornings. He's give her a hug, kiss her on the top of her head, ask her how she slept the night before and then they would start talking about random topics. It was the only time she felt that she could be around everyone and stay at ease.
Hours passed by and no one seemed to care to want to talk to Rogue, which was fine because she didn't want to talk to them either. It was something she really didn't care about. So she stayed in her room, she wrote a few poems, cleaned out her closet entirely and then curled up in a chair with a lamp to read a Romance Novel. 3 1/2 hours passed by before Rogue realized it was 10:30 and she had missed dinner. [Oh well, I'll just get a snack later] An envelope flew under her door. It took her several seconds of staring at it before deciding to get up and open it. It held a note in a familiar sloppy hand writing.
'Marie, meet me in the garage in 10 minutes. I got a surprise for ya Kid. -L'
Instantly a grin cracked across her face as she rushed around to make herself look decent. With a minute to spare Rogue walked into the dark entrance to the garage and flipped the switch. Nothing happened. It was still pitch black. Getting slightly creeped out she took a few steps before deciding to look for a flashlight on one of the shelves. Suddenly she screamed as someone came up from behind her and grabbed her, a gloved hand closing around her mouth.
"Damn Darlin' d' you want to ruin ya surprise."
Relief flooded through her as she was being picked up, the glove releasing her mouth. Instantly, her hands came around his neck in affection.
"Jesus Sugah, Ya scared the hell outta meh! What's this big surprise Ah'm gettin'???"
"Patience Kid." Her gently shifted her weight in his arms before he set her down. "Now when you see it, don't scream. You'll be tempted. But don't. My ears ring enough as it is."
"Oh Logan, Ah don't think it'll be somethin' that'll make meh scream. But fer ya Sugah, Ah'll make sure Ah suppress mah urges." She giggled teasingly in the darkness and her gloved hand found his as he moved to find a light switch. The moment he turned the lights on to the garage, when Rogue saw a big beautiful truck sitting before her... tears started to fall.
"Happy Birthday Kid. Ya've earned it."
She was speechless.
Logan swept a glove over her cheek to wipe her tears away. "What's wrong Darlin'?"
"It's... It's just so...Beautiful. Logan.. Ah...Ah Thank ya. Where did ya get it?"
"I bought it about a year or so ago. She was a rusted piece of junk though. But when I had free time, I'd drive up north and take a few days and work on it. I just finished it last night. And today I washed it and waxed it."
"Logan, You really didn't have to go through all this trouble fer lil' ol' meh. Ah only just got mah License and.. and... Oh God can Ah drive her?"
He laughed at her. "Of course you can Kid. She's yours!"*~
Rogue drove off with tears in her eyes. She loved this truck. But even more, she loved the sentiments that were put into it. It was designed perfectly for her. It suited her well. He knew exactly what she wanted. He knew exactly what she needed. Her drive was long and lonely as she drove to New York City. There was a facility there that gave out samples of the cure.
"Ah'm sorry Logan. Ah have to.."
She spoke softly to the truck, as if he could hear her through the truck. Within 5 minutes she had parked and entered the medical facility.
She walked out a changed woman. A normal woman.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000
Story Notes:
THERE WILL BE OTHER CHAPTERS.
Author's Chapter Notes:
~* Pertains to memories/flashbacks
{} the inner Wolverine in Rogue's head
[] Thoughts within a characters head.
{} the inner Wolverine in Rogue's head
[] Thoughts within a characters head.