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525,600 minutes.
525,000 moments so dear.
525,600 minutes.
How do you measure a year?
Measure in love.
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Chapter One: 525,600 Minutes...
Rogue hated trains. She wasn’t exactly sure why, but she just did. Maybe it was just because she ran away from her parents on one. Then she had been abducted on one and used for a madman’s sick plain for “mutant superiority”. On second thought, trains just simply hated her. She looked out her window and groaned. Everything was going by so fast that it made her sink. She had wanted to drive back to Xavier’s mansion, but it would have taken too long to navigate through the New York City traffic, and she was in a rush to go home.
Home. It seemed strange to most people for her to call it home, but that’s the way she felt. All of the mutants at Xavier’s School for the Gifted were her family, they had taken her in and taught her how to live the best she could with what she still had. After being at NYU for six years, Xavier set aside a teaching job for Rogue. He had taken good care of her over the years and she loved him for it. When she expressed her desire to go to college, he encouraged her. When she said she wanted to live away from the mansion while she studied he set her up in an apartment under the watchful eye of a wonderful mentor and doctor, Hank McCoy (a.k.a The Beast). After much objection on her part, Xavier had even paid her tuition all the way through graduate school.
However, not everyone had been as supportive as Xavier when she decided to go to NYU. After Alkalai Lake, and the loss of Jean Grey, tensions were at a record high and understandably so. Then, when Magneto began to form his “Brotherhood”, which caused the President of the United States to freak out, many mutants began to freak out as well. The ones who didn’t already stand with Magneto’s growing army became increasingly anxious to see what his actions would ultimately create or destroy. With all of this activity, many of her friends (Kitty Pryde, Jubilation Lee, Bobby, etc.) had decided to stick close to the mansion and commute to a nearby community college.
It just figured that Rogue was the outcast who wanted to actually go away. Of course, the mansion was only so big, and people began to spread rumors. Her two favorite were the following: 1) She’d finally had enough of all the house rules and got it in her head to join up with Magneto’s army of mutant thugs or 2) Her mutation was finally driving her over the edge and “going away to school” was a quiet way for her to run away and kill herself. Both of these were completely false, of course, but it worried the professor, Storm, Scott, and Logan so much that they summoned her into a special meeting to rationally discuss her feelings on the subject. It took her almost three hours to explain to them all that she neither wanted to kill herself, nor did she want to join Magneto. She simply wanted to be out on her own for a little while.
Professor Xavier was the first to consent (not that she needed anyone’s permission in the first place) while at the same time agreeing that it could be good for her to spend some time away. Storm was the next one to give in, followed by Scott, but Logan was a different matter. Trying to crack the Wolverine was like talking to a brick wall. At first, he made it sound like she was incapable of taking care of herself, which of course, made her explode. She still remembered that night perfectly. It was her first time standing up for herself as an adult; as a grown woman.
FLASHBACK
They all sat there staring at her as she explained her situation. The professor was listening intently, Scott leaned forward and stared at the ground, Storm listened with a small smile as she usually did, and Logan was gazing at her with disbelief written all over his face as he shook his head every so often.
“I know you’re all very worried about what could happen if I leave for a time, but I need you to understand,” Rogue pleaded. As she continued her voice became stronger and more passionate, “For the past few years I’ve spent every waking moment at this school. Don’t mistake what I’m saying, because I’m so happy here and I’m so grateful to all of you for everything. Everyone here has become my family and you’re always trying to help me, but there’s one thing you can’t help me with.” She stopped and looked down at her gloved hands, then glanced back up at them with intense eyes.
“I can’t touch anyone; not without hurting them, and no matter how much you all care about me, there is a part of me that will always feel completely empty. I will probably never experience the sensations of touch ever again, but I don’t want that to inhibit the rest of my life. I have to get out there and live to some extent,” she gestured towards the world outside of the massive bay windows in the professor’s office. Pausing again to take a breath, she surveyed the dead silence that overtook the room. None of the people before her had ever seen her act in such a way. Rogue walked over to the window and crossed her arms over her chest. After a few more minutes of silence she spoke again, this time her voice laced with emotion, “Please understand,” she turned back around with tears in her eyes, “If I don’t do this now, my mutation wins…and I lose. I can’t let it control me. I won’t. Not anymore.”
“Rogue,” Professor answered immediately, “I don’t think anyone has the right to stop you.” Her head shot up, as did everyone else’s.
“What?” Logan shouted angrily, “Are you crazy?”
“Logan, Rogue has made a decision and she seems dead set on following through on it. Am I correct in making that assumption, my dear?” Rogue responded by grinning and eagerly nodding her head.
“Then I suppose you ought to go straight upstairs and respond to NYU’s acceptance letter so we can send it out first thing tomorrow.”
“Really?” Rogue continued to smile and hoped the professor wouldn’t take it back. When he nodded to her as a sign of assurance, that was all she needed to let out an excited shriek of joy.
“Good luck in New York, honey,” Storm stepped forward and carefully embraced so as not to touch her skin.
“I know you’ll do us proud, shorty,” Scott said from behind Storm and hugged her as well.
“How can you back this up, Chuck?” Logan burst again, “She’s a kid…”
“God damn it, Logan I’m not a kid anymore ” Rogue interrupted and walked out of the room. Logan quickly followed her and caught up to her just as she was about to make her way up the main staircase.
“Marie ” She turned around at the sound of her given name with a fury she didn’t remember ever feeling before.
“Stop it, Logan. There’s nothing else you can say that will change mind.”
“You’re not ready for this, kid.” His voice was stern, almost like he was scolding her, which just agitated her even more. They continued to argue; completely unaware of the growing audience that was captively watching them.
“Enough of the “kid” shit, Logan ” She shouted back, which caused several gasps from the gathering students. “How would you know what I’m ready for anyway? You leave for months at a time and come back for a couple of weeks. You walk through the door every time you own the place, and then you try to tell me what to do with my life? Who the hell do you think you are?”
“This is your home, Marie. We are your family. You know what’s going on out there You can’t just walk out the door ”
“No,” she hissed as she walked forward until her face was inches away from his, “That’s your job.” Her eyes burned into his and he stared back at her, barely able to believe that she had just said that to him. Before he knew it, she had turned and run up the stairs.
END FLASHBACK
She shuddered just thinking about that day. While she had gained her independence, she also hurt a good friend in the process. Of course, she and Logan only stayed mad at each other for a few days before he apologized to her for being so overprotective of her. He told her that he knew she could take care of herself, but he had made a promise to protect her and just didn’t want her to get hurt. Then she tearfully apologized for what she said, but he simply told her that while she was angry and upset, there was some truth in her words and he was sorry for the way he was always brushing everyone off. They forgave each other and hugged and had been best friends ever since. She even agreed to let him call her kid, but only after he assured her that it had become a term of endearment and he knew that she wasn’t really a kid anymore.
Rogue smiled whenever she thought about Logan. She couldn’t deny that she’d always had a small crush on him, but he was first and foremost her friend. Just knowing he would always be there for her even if he wasn’t there gave her comfort and confidence when she needed it the most. While she was in New York City, they talked on the phone at least once a week, even if he was out on the road again. When she came home for Christmas and some of her spring breaks, he made sure to be there and sometimes Logan even surprised her at her apartment. On her 21st birthday he came and took her to this really ritzy bar in Times Square. He truly was the best friend she ever had.
“Excuse me?” A small voice interrupted her thoughts. Rogue turned and saw a little girl standing in the aisle staring at her. The child was adorable with shoulder length, golden ringlets and big green eyes. She was wearing an oversized jacket and carried a rather large blue backpack in her small hands.
“Can I help you with something, sweetheart?” Rogue smiled at the cutie pie standing in front of her.
“I was just wondering if I could sit next to you,” she looked down at her feet and shuffled them around a bit, “The man next to me keeps looking at me all mean when I hum my favorite song, but I can’t help it. There’s nothing else to do and I’m bored.” The little girl whined which made Rogue laugh softly, “Besides, you look much nicer than Mr. Meanie-Pants and you’re very pretty.”
“Why thank you, sugar,” she patted the empty seat next to her, “sit on down next to me.”
“Thank you,” the girl said as she climbed into the seat, “My name’s Samantha, but people mainly call me Sammy or Sam.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Sammy,” Rogue extended a gloved hand and the smaller girl shook it happily, “My name’s Rogue.” Samantha wrinkled her nose at this.
“That’s a funny name.”
Rogue thought for a moment then answered, “Well if you want to, you can call me Marie.”
The child nodded enthusiastically, “I like that much better.” Rogue smiled. It was actually kind of funny that she told Samantha her real name. Ironically, the only one who ever called her that was Logan. Suddenly a thought popped into her head.
“Sam, are you on this train all by yourself? I mean, where are you parents, honey?” Rogue wouldn’t know what to do if this little girl was a runaway, but she certainly fit the profile. After all, she would know. She had been there before. Samantha looked up at her with sad eyes.
“My mommy sent me away….it’s because….well….I’m different than other children.” Then she started sniffling and Rogue noticed the tears falling down her puffy cheeks. Not knowing what else to do, she carefully wrapped an arm around the child’s form and stroked her ringlets with her free hand.
“Different?” Rogue repeated in confusion until harsh realization struck her, “Samantha look at me,” she lowered her voice and held the girl’s face in her hands, “Are you a mutant?” Samantha stiffened immediately. Noticing the fear that suddenly shrouded the child’s eyes, Rogue continued stroking her hair, “It’s all right for you to tell me, Sammy. I’m a mutant too and I’m on my way back to a safe place for people like us; a school.”
“Mommy said she was sending me to a school like that ” Samantha chimed and Rogue let out a sigh of relief. This of course meant that Samantha was probably one of Professor Xavier’s new students, and not a runaway with no where to go.
Rogue was about to ask her how old she was when the train jerked abruptly, causing the lights to flicker. “What was that?” Samantha cried.
“Shh,” Rogue tried to calm her, “I’m not sure.” When the train jerked again, people started to panic and scream. Rogue instinctively pulled the child into her arms and dropped to the floor as the train jerked once more and began to pick up speed. The sound of what she assumed were the breaks screeched all around, but to no avail. A few more jerks and the cable connecting their car to the others gave way. Rogue held Samantha closer to her when she started screaming. Then the car flipped over and they both lost consciousness.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Hey! I'm glad to be posting my first story here. I hope you like it and enjoy the RENT tie ins. Please review it!