Home | Forum | Mailing List | Repository | Links | Gallery
 
 
Chapters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
 
 
 

After Midnight - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Neurotic Temptress
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 18

They were eerily silent as they approached their destination, barely a sound moving between them. The open sky above was surprisingly lenient, unexpectedly cool for the season, as if to match the solemn mood. The soft ground beneath their feet crunched slightly under their weight, yet resiliently bounced back after their passing. As they neared the designated area, the atmosphere surrounding the gathered group changed. Tension hung in the air, as if it were only in that moment that they realized the reality of the situation.

It was really true. She was gone.

He stared blankly at the open grave, her casket hovering only inches above the deep hole in the earth. The gleaming, midnight blue surface was adorned with a spectacular array of flowers, as was the immediate area encircling the gravesite. Something she would have appreciated, he thought with bitter irony. She had loved flowers.

From a distance, it seemed, he heard the priest’s voice begin the ceremony. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. The words floated about him but weren’t quite strong enough to penetrate his senses. His mind kept wandering back to memories of that night.

They’d reached the apartment complex a scant five minutes after the open line to Rogue’s phone had been cut. Before their vehicle had even come to a full stop, they were on the ground, scrambling after the police into the building. They silently made their way up to the appropriate floor, trailing after the armed officers. The hallway was quiet and deserted. Policemen, protected by body armor, positioned themselves on either side of the door. Cassidy signaled to them, granting them permission to enter. Nodding to the other members of his squad, one officer raised his leg and slammed it into the lock of the door. In perfect synch, he immediately twisted out of the way and allowed his colleagues to charge into the apartment.

From their relatively secured location in the adjoining hall around the corner, they could hear the shouts of the policemen ordering the occupants of the room to relinquish their weapons and sprawl out onto the floor. Moments later, the echoing sound of shots being fired reached them.

“What are they doing?!” Raven had screeched, rushing forward. “They’ll kill her!”

Before she could go any further, an officer stepped in front of her, effectively blocking her path. “You can’t go in there, ma’am.”

“The devil you say! That’s my daughter!” she hissed at him. “Get out of my way!” When he didn’t move, she drew her fist back, preparing to strike him down.

“Raven, stop,” Logan ordered, grabbing her wrist. The tone of his voice allowed no argument; her arm went limp in his grasp.

For what felt like hours, they waited in agony for the all-clear sign to be given. However, judging from the steady sound of bullets being exchanged, Xavier and his team weren’t making it easy for the police. Remy had listened closely to the noises filtering back to their position. He was trying to pinpoint Rogue’s voice; an outcry of fear or a groan of pain -- anything that would indicate she was still alive and breathing. But there was nothing.

Blessedly, the gunfire ceased. A few moments later, they heard an officer call out, “Area’s secure, sir!” from within the apartment.

Another officer urgently cried, “Dammit! Where the hell are those paramedics?”

That had been all the prompting that Raven needed. She pushed past the officer that had barred her way before, and burst through the open doorway with the speed of lightning. Remy could still recall the horrific scream that had emanated from her as she first caught sight of the living room. The walls had been riddled with bullets and the furniture hastily upturned to serve as impromptu cover against the gunfire. The glass top of the dining table had been shattered and the artwork on the wall all but destroyed. But the cause of Raven’s bone-chilling scream was near one of the armchairs. A large pool of blood had stained the floor crimson.

Too much blood.

She hadn’t been able to survive the blood loss. A gunshot wound to the chest. The bullet had pierced a lung. She had died there. In his apartment.

Xavier had been arrested, taken into custody by the police. It took all his self-control to not tear the man’s throat out. He knew if he had tried, Hank and the others would have stopped him. Not that they hadn’t felt the same way as he had, but they still would have stopped him.

Overhead, in the trees scattered about the cemetery, he could hear a chorus of birds fluttering back and forth. Their happy twittering seemed to be the only cheerful thing in the vicinity. As he watched, one flock precariously launched themselves into the sky, disturbing the tree branches and creating a cascade of fallen leaves. From his vantage point, it almost looked as if Mother Nature were weeping too, grieving for her lost child.

Slowly, his gaze drifted to the crowd gathered around her grave. The number of people that had come to mourn her passing was staggering. Friends, family and media alike; all shedding tears for the loss of one so young. The vehicles alone that lined both sides of the curb now made the narrow road leading to the spot nearly impassible. He took some comfort in the fact that she was so well loved. As cliché as it may have sounded, he was glad that her spirit would live on in each of their hearts.

The priest had concluded with the prayers and final blessing, ending the ceremony by sprinkling her casket with Holy Water. Gradually, as she was lowered into the earth, those in attendance approached one by one, honoring her with fresh flowers and silent words of farewell.

Their group was the last to leave, waiting patiently for the larger mass to dissipate. When they were gone, he drew near to her and knelt down. He placed a single white rose on the newly packed soil.

“Au revoir, chèrie,” he whispered.

 

GambitGuild is neither an official fansite of nor affiliated with Marvel Enterprises, Inc.
Nonetheless, we do acknowledge our debt to them for creating such a wonderful character and would not dream of making any profit from him other than the enrichment of our imaginations.
X-Men and associated characters and Marvel images are © Marvel Enterprises, Inc.
The GambitGuild site itself is © 2006 - 2007; other elements may have copyrights held by their respective owners.