~*~
Here's how it happened:
Monday 2pm - There was a call about an emergency somewhere - I don't know where. Some of the X-Men were sent out. Not me. Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine. I wasn't a member of the team anymore, not officially.
Xavier and I had things to talk about. Or so he said. I didn't think anything had to be discussed further. Things were fairly clear. I had been a part of the X-Men for five years and I had decided that there had to be more to life than that. More to life than being a super hero. It sounds selfish perhaps. Of course it does. But I had come to the mansion when I was seventeen, had been actively saving mutants and humans alike since the age of twenty - at twenty five I was burnt out. I needed something. I needed what I'd never been able to have at Xavier's School for the Gifted. Contact. Emotional, physical, whatever. I hadn't had it since before my mutation manifested itself. Not really.
I told Charles as much. He seemed disappointed. He tried hard to disguise it, but even he isn't a complete stonewall. And, over the years, he's become easier to read.
"What do you really want?" he asked.
"To be normal?" It was a question, I'm afraid. I didn't know what I wanted. All I knew was, I wouldn't find it in the mansion.
Suddenly, the Professor's vision seemed to blur, as if he was deep in thought.
"Rgoue," he exclaimed. "You must go to where the Team is. They need you."
"What? Why?"
The Professor went back to looking calm. "There is terrible trouble. The mission has been compromised. You are neeeeded, child."
"OK."
Rogue flew over to where all the fighting was taking place, ‘cause she now had the superpowers she'd absorbed from an evil mutant.
There indeed was trouble. Down below was the making of a rucus. Wolverine and Sabretooth were involved in a melee. She had to help him. She loved him after all. Maybe thoughts of leaving the mansion had been bad. She wouldn't be able to live without the gruff Canadian canucklehead.
She flew right into Sabretooth, dropping him like a fly. Unfortunatley, she didn't see Mystique coming at her with a bat. The force of the impact sent her flying into a dangerous looking machine. She was trapped! Her arm was caught in one of the gears! The pain was exrcrutiong!
"Rogue!" Wolverine cried. He couldn't see his one true love in danger. That was why he always told her to stay off the team. He didn't want to see her get hurt.
"I'm caught Logan! Help me!"
Logan ran over to where Rouge was caught. HE didn't know what to do. "What do I do?" he asked.
"Take off my arm!" she shouted. "IT's the only way!"
"But I'll hurt you," he cried. Tears were liberally streaming down his face. This was sheer torture.
"It's fine," she said tenderly. "Just do what you have to do. I'll love you anyway!"
He grit his teeth and nodded roughly. This was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. He felt the adamantium claws rip through his knuckles and was sory he wouldn't be able to take the pain for her. He looked deeply into her eyes and said, "I'm only doing this because I love you."
She nodded. "Do it!"
"Otherwise, I wouldn't"
"I know!"
"I just wanted to make sure."
"Rip my arm off, Logan! It's the only way."
He sent his metal claws flying, and the passed through her flesh with ease. She screamed, because it hurt.
He was instantly by her side. "I want to heal you," he said.
"No, Logan! It's too dangerous!"
He was crying. He had hurt her and there was no way to take away the pain unless they touched. "Please" he begged.
She was shaking her head still, but less vigorously.
"Please! I want to do this for you, DARLIN'" he added.
"All right," she said cautiously, tears falling down her pearly white face. "But not too long. I love you logan and I would die if antyingi happened to you."
He took a finger and gingerly ran it across her swollen lips. She was so beautiful, he thought. Then he felt the pull of her power. And the injury he had caused closed up. Now, all that remained was a stub. But she was alive. That was what was important. He didn't notice until a few seconds later that he was still touching her. What was going on?
"Rogue?" he asked, confused.
She looked confused too. "Oh mah god, Logan!" She screamed. "Somehow, the loss of a limb has made my power null and void! Logan, sugah, we can TOUCH!"
Logan was too happy for words. He finally had what he always wanted. The touch of this young nymph by his side. He loved her more than his life.
"I love you more than my life," he whispered tenderly.
"I know, Logan. I love you too. Papi chulo."
And they kissed, because they're pent up passion was overflowing.
~*~