The Companion Picture - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Dandelion
Last updated: 12/03/2009 06:26:08 PM

Chapter 4

They let the wind speak for them. Kurt was cradled in Rogue's deceptively svelte arms looking over the ocean in silence. Rogue was also silent, she concentrated on the direction she was headed.

It was better to fly over the ocean since there was less chance to be seen by someone. Their thoughts were like cannons in their heads, so the silence between them was welcome.

<I remember the first time I ever saw Mystique,> Kurt's memories flooded his mind as he looked at the horizon. At the edge of sight the sea met the sky. Blue met blue.

<How ironic,> Kurt thought drolly remembering the shock at seeing someone the same color he was.

<She was going to kill Senator Kelly,> he remembered. <And unwittingly start another Holocaust. All we had to go on were the words of a little girl.> Kurt closed his golden eyes at the memory. <Kitty, little Kitty. What was she thirteen? Were any of us ever that young?>

Kurt's memories of that time were bittersweet. Once upon a time there was a mutant named Kurt. He was known as Nightcrawler. He was a stranger in a strange land. He loved to laugh and enjoy life. There was a problem, though. He looked different. He was blue and fuzzy with glowing eyes, a tail and three digits on each hand and foot. People hated him because he looked different. So he hid his pain behind laughter.

Once upon a time there was a mutant named Kurt. He was known as Nightcrawler. When no one else was there he picked up the mantle of leader. He said he wasn't a leader. He said he didn't want to be the leader. But there was no one else to do it. So he took the position. And now he leads. He leads and they follow, because they believe in him.

<Oh, the times they are a-changin',>

Kurt's memories stung as much as they fed his determination.

<I'm am on the way to confront the woman who is my natural mother. A woman I have viewed as an enemy for as long as I've known her. The woman who threw me off a cliff when I was only a few hours old!> He could taste the rage within him.

Rogue started and looked at Kurt uncertainly. He was still looking at the horizon but the look on his face was so angry she couldn't help but get a shiver of fear right up her spine.

<He's thinkin' 'bout Momma,> she thought as she turned away from Kurt's enraged face. <He's thinkin' 'bout how she pitched him.>

She closed her eyes briefly, wondering how a woman who could show her such love and affection could toss a helpless baby over a cliff into a river and then gloat about it.

<She was doin' that for Graydon's benefit.> She told herself firmly. Another shiver went up her spine. <I can't believe he's Mystique's boy. Mystique and Sabretooth!!> She couldn't even fathom what Mystique had done to bring Graydon into the world. Rogue had gotten as close to Sabretooth then she wanted to get. She couldn't imagine... <Ah WON'T imagine it. There are some things Ah'm just better off not knowin'.> That stopped her for a moment. <Maybe, that's what Remy was tryin' to say. Maybe Ah'm better off not knowin' what he's done. STOP IT!>

She closed her eyes tight. She didn't want to think about Remy. It hurt too much. It just hurt too much. She looked at her position and did some mental calculations. "We're almost there, Kurt." She said.

He tore his eyes away from the horizon and looked at her. He saw at once her own conflicting emotions, and offered a smile.

"Wondering if this was the right thing to do?"

Rogue shook her head. "Ah know this is the right thing to do. Ah just haven't figured out if it's the right time to do it."

"Very profound, liebchen." Kurt's smile broadened.

Rogue smiled back, a genuine smile rather than the forced, tight-lipped one she had been wearing of late. "Ah been takin' lessons from Storm, sugah." She veered toward the shore.

"Forge can make anythin', right?"

Kurt glanced at Rogue again. Her face wore a contemplative expression. "From what I know of the man, ja."

"D'you think he could make somethin' that might help me with my powers?"

Kurt got a very strange expression on his face just then. "I can't believe she still hasn't told you," he whispered.

"What?"

Kurt looked at Rogue and made a decision. "I may be getting this through the proverbial grapevine, but I believe your situation is not half as hopeless as previously believed."

"What?!"

"Well, Brian told me that Betsy told him that you could probably control your power since Carol could."

"WHAT?!"

"She told him that she vaguely remembered a time when Carol was in control of your body and she touch her - skin on skin - and nothin' happened."

Rogue's thoughts were a violent tumult of emotions. "Why didn't she ever say anything to me?"

"I really couldn't say, I had thought she did."

Rogue's thoughts went a mile a minute. <How could she not tell me? Something as important as that?> She could admit to being stunned by this news, but she recovered quickly. If she had let herself dwell on it she may have been overcome, but Rogue was a little too conditioned for something like that. She couldn't let herself be surprised by anything. It was dangerous. So she filed this little tid-bit in the back of her head to confront later and looked at Kurt. "Ah'll worry about that later. For now, we have other things to worry about."

Kurt was silent for a moment, feeling awkward and a little bit like a snitch. He took a deep breath and pushed on. "Still, I think that if anyone can build something to help you control your powers, Forge can."

Rogue flicked her emerald eyes to Kurt, she looked distantly hopeful. "Y'think so? A thought the Professor could help me, but he never really did."

"Mm." Kurt didn't offer too much there. "I suppose that depends on how you look at it."

"What d'ya mean by that?" Rogue looked a little miffed.

"Hey look! The Pentagon!" Kurt pointed and Rogue knew she may as well be talking to the clouds for all that Kurt was going to answer her question. Still, she knew the discussion was far from over.

Forge opened up his brief again assuming that this time he would be able to finish it. He should have known better. Bzzzzttt!! His intercom interrupted him rudely. He scowled at it. He had been meaning to turn his attention to that neandrethal piece of equipment, his attentions, however, seemed to be constantly diverted.

Heaving a sigh, he pressed the button on the intercom and spoke loudly into the speaker.

"Yes?"

"You have visitors, sir."

"Who are they?" Forge snapped. He was getting a little tired of being interrupted every five minutes.

A distinctly familiar voice crackled over the speaker. "Forge, sugah, my big brother and Ah are here to see you."

Forge rubbed his eyes and put his brief away for the second time. "Come on in."

Rogue and Kurt entered the office a few moments later. Rogue placed her hands on her hips defiantly and Kurt folded his arms in front of his chest in a stern stance.

Forge looked at them. "Hello."

"Save the pleasantries, Forge!" Rogue burst out fiercely. "Ah want to know what the story on Mystique is an' Ah want to know now!"

A glimmer of a smile twitched at Kurt's mouth and he placed a hand on Rogue's shoulder as if to remind her to calm down.

Forge steepled his hands. "So. Am I to believe that Raven didn't contact either of you with the fact that she was working for X-Factor again?"

Kurt looked at Rogue. "She didn't even let us know that she was alive."

Forge didn't respond for a moment, he just looked at the two. "Well, I wish I could say I'm surprised by that, but frankly, I'm not. And I wouldn't think you are either." He motioned to some chairs. "Would you like to sit?"

Rogue lifted her chin. She was insisting on being angry. Kurt sat down happily.

"How'd y'all find her?" Rogue asked.

"I had heard rumors and followed them up. The I got a lucky break."

"You suspected she was alive and you didn't tell me?!" Rogue's eyes flashed.

"I told you." Forge said calmly. "You didn't believe me. As I recall," he flicked his dark brown eyes from Rogue to Kurt. "You both thought I was a jerk for even thinking she was alive."

Rogue looked at Kurt and cast a disparaging look towards the ceiling. She pulled up a chair.

"So, why hold on to her?"

One side of Forge's mouth turned up in a half-grin. "You have to ask? Would you like a list?" He pulled out a file and opened it. "Aside from the fiasco with Legion - who hasn't been seen since Israel - there is a small matter of murder to be addressed."

"Why not just send her to prison?" Rogue demanded.

Forge laughed right out loud at that one. "Rogue, you of all people should know why we don't send her there. Aside from the fact that she would be out of there in no time, there is a great deal she can do for us. She's an asset to any team, provided that she can be... controlled."

"Like a dog on a leash?" Rogue's look was a challenge.

Forge stepped right up to it. "Exactly." His eyes were hard. "I implanted an inhibitor device in her brain. This device not only marks her when she has shape-shifted, but it keeps her from using certain images to her advantage."

"What? What like some guinea pig?" Rogue was outraged.

"No Rogue." Forge looked at her steadily again. "Like a criminal." He leaned back in his chair. "Don't kid yourself, Rogue. She may have raised you, but she raised you to follow in her footsteps and look at what that led to."

"Low blow, Forge." Kurt murmured, glancing at Rogue's red face.

"No. It's just the truth. I don't sugar-coat things, I never did. You're letting your emotions get the better of you in this case."

"So, if this was Ororo you'd have the same attitude, right?" Rogue's rage was awesome.

"Ororo hasn't been a criminal all her life."

"Not according to the government." Rogue's eyes flashed. "Ah been on both sides of the same damned fence! Ah been in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and been wanted. Ah been in the X-Men and been wanted just the same."

"There are those who know the truth, Rogue." Forge's voice was quiet. "If you want to sit here and argue as to whether or not Mystique is a criminal, that's fine. But it won't change the facts. She's not only been involved in conspiracy and espionage. She's a murderer. Plain and simple. There is no disputing it."

At that moment, Mystique burst arms wide.

"Rogue! Kurt!!" She went towards them with a great smile on her face.

Kurt remained in his seat, but Rogue stood and accepted Mystique's embrace.

"Forge, how dare you not tell me that my children were here!" She glared at him.

Forge noticed Kurt stiffen at Mystique's matronly attitude. "I see it really hindered your information gathering abilities." He smiled. "We just can't keep anything from you, can we, Raven?" His eyes bore into her.

She knew what his comment was. A dig.

<Just keep that over-confident borish attitude, Forge. You won't disappoint me in the least.>

She hugged Rogue again. Rogue disentangled herself from Mystique's arms and looked uncomfortable. "Kurt and I came for a number of reasons, Momma. One of them bein' why you didn't tell us you were alive."

Mystique looked at Kurt, who sat in stony silence. "Perhaps I thought you wouldn't want to hear from me." She looked back at Rogue. "Perhaps I figured you'd be better off letting me die."

Rogue's brow furrowed. "No. No. Ah wouldn't want that at all."

Forge watched the scene play out and once again found himself admiring Mystique's ability to manipulate. Kurt wasn't falling for it, but Rogue was. The thing was, Rogue still and always would have strong feelings for Mystique, whereas Kurt had no such alliances.

Rogue was looking at Forge now. "Ah do need to talk to Forge about some things, though. In private." She turned to Kurt. "And you two have a lot to discuss."

Kurt stood up, looking very formal and stern. "Yes. We do." He met Mystique's eyes and his face seemed to darken.

Mystique nodded hesitantly. "Certainly, this way."

They headed out the door leaving Rogue and Forge alone.

"What did you need from me, Rogue?" Forge inquired. He had to admit he was curious. "Ah need to know if you can help me control my power."