Rogue
Rogue fought her way in her mind. Calvin was weakening, she could feel it. She could feel it!
"Who are you?"
"I am Rogue! And I am taking my body back."
"Your body? What are you talking about?"
"This is my body. You left your body a long time ago. In the park. There's nothing left of you, but a voice and a rotting corpse!"
"Lies!"
But Calvin's protests meant nothing as Rogue's mind shot to the surface. Her wrists were sore from pulling at the restraints. And now she started to cry. She was sore and tired and she knew all that had been done since she had absorbed Calvin. The blindfold was soon soaked with her tears.
Nathan
Hank sat up from where he had fallen asleep at his desk and hurried over. His hand hovered over the tear soaked blindfold and wondered how he would know that Rogue was back. Nathan appearing at the door and walking over answered that question.
"She's beaten him at his own game. Restored into the picture is the Rogue," Nathan stated then walked back out.
"Rogue?" Hank carefully untied the blindfold and then he set to work on the restraints.
Rogue
Rogue sniffed.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry," she wept. "I didn't mean to absorb him. He knocked me out at the park and when he touched my skin he couldn't let go. And I couldn't push him away because I was unconscious and I... I..."
She broke into another flood of tears.
Hank
"It's alright, it's alright," Hank soothed as he removed the restraints from her wrists and ankles. "No one blames you." He got a tissue from a box and handed it to her. "Here."
Rogue
Rogue blew her nose.
"Why do I... always seem... to absorb... psychopathic murderers?" she sniffed. "Oh man... his voice is so loud... just so very loud..."
Hank
"Bad luck?" Hank suggested. "Ah...would you like to go upstairs, get something to eat, something to drink? I would advise something warm and with a lot of sugar. You've had a nasty shock. A cup of tea, perhaps?"
Rogue
"Okay," Rogue replied quietly.
She dabbed at her eyes with the tissue.
"I should probably appologise to a few people too."
Hank
"Whatever you think is fitting," Hank said diplomatically and he polished his glasses. "I can call someone to escort you back up, if you would like..."
Rogue
Rogue nodded.
"Okay. Thanks," she replied.
She rotated her wrists and ankles.
Demetria
Hank walked over to the intercom and pressed for upstairs. "Yes? It's Dr McCoy...she's woken up. She'd like it if...ok. See you then." He placed the mouthpiece back on its stand.
Demetria appeared. "Hello, Rogue and welcome back to the land of the living." She smiled. "Nice to have you back. Calvin was...icky."
Rogue
"To say the least," Rogue agreed. "I am soooooooo sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to... to... you know..."
She shuddered.
Demetria
"Darrrrling, I've been dealing with men like that since I hit puberty. Don't worry about it." Demetria smiled reassuringly. "You do tend to get used to brushing it off. Let's go and get a cup of tea. Always manages to make me feel better, but that could juct be because I'm ever so British."
Rogue
Rogue nodded.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
She hoped everyone else would be as understanding as Demetria.
Demetria
"Not to worry, darrrling. I know *you* didn't mean it." Demetria went over and took Rogue's hand, which was in one of her normal gloves. "Let's go then." She teleported them both to the kitchens, and manuevered Rogue into a chair. "Now, you just sit down and let me do this. Never met an American yet who could make a decent cup of tea..." She busied herself with tea things.
Rogue and Julie
Rogue grinned.
"Thanks," she replied.
"Oh, Rogue! You're up," Julie said, in the process of warming some milk for the twins.
"Yeah... hi Julie. I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to -"
Julie waved a hand at her.
"It's okay. I know that... you're weren't yourself. Feeling better?"
"In a manner of speaking."
Demetria
"I'd simply suggest stayong out of Loki's way...and his charges," Demetria said diplomatically as she placed a full cup of tea and a small jug of milk and a sugar bowl by Rogue's elbow. "I didn't know how you liked your tea, so you can fix it up yourself." She sipped from her own cup, then her eyes fell on the telephone in the kitchen. "Goodness, almost forgot." She walked over to it and dialled Gambit's number.
Rogue, Gambit and Julie
Rogue winced as she tended to her tea.
"Loki's never going to forgive me for that is he?"
"If he can't accept that it wasn't really you talking, then you don't need it," Julie replied.
Gambit picked up his ringing phone.
"Hello?"
Demetria
"Hello, Remy? Fulfilling a promise. Rogue is awake and back to normal," Demetria said cheerfully.
Rogue and Gambit
"Someone else I have to appologise too," Rogue murmred before sipping her tea.
"Okay, t'ank yo'," Gambit replied. "Say hi ta her fo' me, please? I can' come over t'day."
Demetria and Loki
"That's fine. I'll tell her. See you round sometime, darrrrling." Demetria hung up. "Remy says hi, and he can't come round today to check up on you." She picked up her tea and sipped from it. Loki entered the kitchen, gave Rogue a lethal stare, grabbed a paperbag and exited again. "Well. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning..."
Rogue and Julie
Rogue winced.
"I wonder what he's planning on using the paperbag for?" Julie said, trying really hard to keep a straight face. "Maybe to put over his head?"
Rogue and Julie's eyes met. Rogue managed a giggle.
"See, no I don't understand why he has a problem with the resemblance. Matt Damon is cute," Julie went on.
Demetria
"Three words 'Good Will Hunting'," Demetria said with a giggle. "I take it you haven't heard him bitch about it. Julie, would you like a cup of tea? I'm sure there's some left in the pot if you'd like some. I managed to get some proper English tea from Mr Wyndham-Pryce when I had to go to LA..."
Rogue and Julie
"Thanks but not right now," Julie replied. "Tom is demanding I feed him first."
And on that she proceeded to put the warmed bottle into his little mouth.
"I thought you breastfed them..." Rogue frowned.
"I do both," Julie shrugged. "There's two of them, and only so much milk."
"Fair enough."
Demetria
"Thank god we only got Faolan now, toddler sized." Demetria smiled. "Not that him being a toddler makes him any less of a problem..."
Julie and Rogue
Julie grinned.
"Yeah. We would be in rather a predicament if Mordred had fathered all of Nyx's kids. Zac's having an interesting time raising Saku, or so I'm told."
Rogue took another sip of her tea.
"This is really nice, Dem, thanks."
Demetria
"You're perfectly welcome, Rogue. Now," Demetria's tone turned brisk. "What exactly is Remy's story? He has that man of mystery air...and I would like to know just the bit more then I do. Which is that his name is Remy LeBeau and that he comes from New Orleans. Do you happen to know anything more, Rogue darrrling?" Demetria's eyes sparkled as she sipped demurely from her cup of tea.
Rogue and Julie
"Well, he's a thief," Rogue replied. "He's twenty-two and he has a fuzzle named Red. And he - well, he doesn't make a huge show of it or anything - but he has done a few unselfish things like rescuing people. And, umm, yeah... what exactly do you want to know?"
"If he doesn't make a big deal out of it, how do you know?" Julie asked.
"I absorbed him once," Rogue looked a little embarrassed.
"Oh."
"Speaking of which... I should find Jono and Spike and appologise to them too."
Demetria
"Spike is probably over it. Jono...thinking not so much." Demetria winced slightly. "That poor, poor guy..."
Rogue and Julie
Rogue scrunched up her face and fist in distress.
"I hate Calvin. He was so rude and cruel and -"
"We know, we met him," Julie replied.
"And he's..." Rogue paused and opened her fist. "How the..."
The spoon that had been in her hand was mangled, and some parts mere dust.
Demetria and Mordred
"Well, that's interesting. How did you do that, Rogue?" Demetria said carefully.
"How did Rogue do what? Nice to see you yourself again," Mordred said as he entered the room, Faolan on his hip. He sat Faolan down in a chair, then started getting his son something to eat.
Rogue and Julie
"Thanks, Mordred," Rogue replied absently, staring at the spoon.
She turned her head to the side.
"I... I..." she stammered. "I still have Calvin's power."
"What?" Julie questioned.
"Calvin was a human/Dathrian hybrid... but he only had atom manipulation... and now... now I... Now I have it."
"Permanantly?"
Rogue gulped.
"It would seem so..."
Demetria and Mordred
"Well, that's interesting," Mordred said thoughtfully as he warmed up a bottle for Faolan. When the microwave pinged he took it out and gave it to his son. Faolan latched onto it firmly and didn't let go as Mordred lifted him, then sat down again with Faolan in his lap. "As long as there are no other side effects."
"It must have something to do with the fact that you absorbed him until he was dead...some facets...stuck as it were," Demetria said as she got up to wash up the tea things. "How very, very interesting...and useful too."
Rogue and Julie
"Well, I'd say having Calvin's voice practically shouting at me in my head is a pretty nasty side-effect," Rogue shuddered. "Bastard. About as bad as Cain, but for different reasons."
"I'm sure you'll get him to shut up," Julie replied, now feeding B'Elanna as well. "He just needs to get used to his new surroundings."
She paused.
"Sorry, Rogue. Just trying to make a joke."
"It's okay."
Mordred and Demetria
Mordred had been staring at Demetria oddly while he fed Faolan. "Ah ha!"
"What?" She said defensively.
"I know that look..."
"What look? There's a look?" Demetria endavoured to look innocent. She failed miserably. "I'm sure I have no idea what you mean..."
"That's the I have a highly attractive prospect on the horizon look. Who is he? And what happened with Orlando, anyway?"
"Well, you can't exactly go out with a merman when you're afraid of water, can you?" Demetria smiled sadly. "And like I'm going to tell you, mr nosey parker."
"I could just come in and look around..."
"No. Bad bad boy. I'm not telling." Demetria made a gesture of zipping her mouth shut. "It's not definete anyway."
"But *you* think you could make it definite..."
Julie and Rogue
"Do you like Gambit?" asked Julie, her eyes glittering.
Rogue looked at Demetria and then took another sip of her tea.
"Oops..." Julie said, biting her lip. "I forgot..."
Mordred and Demetria
"Not a word shall pass my mouth," Demetria said descively. "A lady doesn't flirt and tell."
"Oh, like that ever stopped you before," Mordred said derisively.
"Perhaps I have more tact now."
"As opposed to when you told all the people in that club that we were all involved in a foursome?"
"Well, it was nearly true," Demetria pointed out. "You and I were involved at the time, and so were Tavvie and Vort."
"Ah ah ah, don't try to fool me." Mordred's eyes unfocused for a moment, and Demetria glared at him as he refocused and looked at her consideringly. "Oh *ho*. You minx."
"I'm not a minx in the slightest, and now you're giving them ideas." She gestured at Julie and Rogue. "Nothing *happened*. He was just being a gentleman...something severely lacking around here."
"Enjoy yourself?"
"Stop it!"
Julie and Rogue
"Gambit is always a gentleman," Rogue said quietly.
"A foursome huh?" Julie said in an attempt to change the subject. "Haven't done that yet... Yet."
She grinned cheekily, but Rogue stood up.
"I should find Spike and Jono," she said, and then left.
Mordred and Demetria
"Oh, now see what you've done, Mordred Llwelyn!" Demetria scolded and slapped his shoulder none too lightly.
"Hey...don't abuse the single parent. Help me out here, Julie."
"You know, for a telepath, you can be *really* dense sometimes," Demetria sniffed.
Julie and Rogue
Julie grinned.
"No, I think this time you deserve it. Poor Rogue... it must be so hard for her. Not being able to touch her own boyfriend and then hearing... but I digress."
Meanwhile, Rogue had found Spike, with Vortigern as per usual. She chewed her lip, and then spoke up.
"Umm, Spike?"
Demetria and Vortigern
"Oh my goodness," Demetria said slowly. "I didn't know...he didn't say!"
Spike raised his head to look at her. "I know. Wasn't you. I'm still pretty brassed off though."
"Spike..." Vortigern said reprovingly.
Julie and Rogue
"well, I'm only assuming that," Julie said uncomfortably. "It sure sounded that way to me, the way Rogue talks about him."
"You are so putting your foot in your mouth today, Julie." she thought to herself.
"I still want to say I'm sorry, though," Rogue answered. "Because, well... he's... unfortunately he is a part of me now. So, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."
Demetria
"Oh dear. Oh dear dear dear." Demetria shook her head, then turned and slapped Mordred upside the head. "Idiot! It's not even like it's serious. He just said he'd take me out one day."
Spike nodded. "Sure thing, ducks. Wasn't you, but don't go all Angel on me otherwise I think there may be problems. New York is barely far enough away from the great Mousse Detective, don't need one here too."
Rogue
Rogue smiled.
"Thank you. I'll try not to 'go all Angel' on you. Umm, I'd stay and chat more, but I should find Jono."
And Rogue whipped out of the room.
Vortigern
Vortigern looked at Spike. "You could've been nicer, you know."
"A year ago, I would've replied, hey demon here. Evil! But that doesn't apply so much anymore."
"Vampire..."
Rogue
It took Rogue a little while longer to find Jono.
"Jono? Sorry... sorry to interupt but I wanted to appologise for my behaviour yesterday. I... I... I hope I didn't offend you or anything."
Jono
Jonothon cradled his guitar to his chest, glaring at Rogue. Oh no, I'm not offended. I'm right pissed, but I'm not offended. You... His fingers tightened convulsively around the neck of the guitar. Why, Rogue? I asked you, and you *wouldn't*. Why then did ya 'ave to... He swung away, guitar emitting a mournful sound.
Rogue
Rogue stared.
"Oh gosh, Jono... I swear if I had a choice I never would have absorbed that bastard at all. I was in the park and he..." Rogue gulped. "He... he was going to kill me. And a few other things to but we won't go there. He knocked me out and then he touched me. He couldn't let go, and I was till out for the count. No one... no one came in time, I couldn't wake up, he couldn't let go..."
Rogue dissolved into tears.
"I didn't mean it. I didn't want it to happen. And his voice is so loud... I'm going to be fighting that bastard for the rest of my life."
The tears were too much then for her to continue talking.
Jono
Aw, damn. Jonothon got up and placed his guitar on his bed. Don't listen to me, orright? I'm a right bastard and ya don't want to be paying me any attention. He put a hand on her shoulder.
Rogue
"I'm... I'm sorry Jono," Rogue sniffed. "I don't mean to act like such a baby. I just..."
She had to pause for a moment to contain herself.
"You're not... you're not all that bad. Really. And... and maybe it's sorta good thing I didn't absorb you Jono... Calvin was a human/alien hybrid. And I still have his powers."
Jono
Ah, life's a bitch. And then ya die. Jonothon shrugged philosophically. Well, except maybe me. Calvin was a tosser...you think you'll be alright? Glad to see you're mostly back, anyways.
Rogue
Rogue smiled.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "Well, we're a fine pair aren't we? Completely screwed by our own powers. Other than that, yeah I'm fine. I'm fine."
Jono
A few years ago round this point, I'dve offered you a drink so we could get drunk and forget our troubles. But ah, can't do that anymore. The corners of Jonothon's eyes creased in his version of a wry smile. But 'ey. We're still 'ere and going strong. That's worth summat, anyways.
Rogue
Rogue nodded.
"Yeah... maybe one day we'll even be able to live with ourselves."
She hesitated, then kissed her gloved hand, and then pressed it gently to his cheek.
"Talk to you later," she said and then scampered off.