DISCLAIMER: The X-MEN are the property of Marvel Comics, and I do not own them, in any way. I am just using them in this Fan-Fiction for entertainment purposes, and I do not mean any harm by it. I mean, it's not as if I am trying to steal the X-MEN or anything like that...
I would like to take this opportunity to hand out some kudos to people who really deserve it...
Firstly, to my inspiration, (you know who you are) for believing in this piece when I did not, and sticking by me when I needed it most.
Secondly, to my editor. What can I say? Nothing much, except that I must thank you from the bottom of my little heart. Without your help, I would have NEVER made it his far... Thank you.. and I will try my best to try and eliminate all the "so's" in the story.
So, good people, for all that has gone right with this story, thank them, and for all that has gone wrong, blame me.
Your comments will be very welcome, and I promise to respond to all mail, (if I get it) be it of whatever nature... I can be reached at lomas@kimberley.co.za
Oh, by the way, I found out that there really is a character in the Marvel Universe named Asgard, and that he might or might not have had dealings with the X-Men before.. My character, however, is a figment of my imagination, and I picked the name Asgard out of the blue, so if I caused some confusion, I am very sorry.
Well, that's it, so on with the show.

The Homecoming
by Lomas

Part 6

In the warehouse where the X-Woman Rogue was being held, all was silent, and the whole world around her was sheathed in thick darkness once again.

After Rogue had eaten, the blonde woman left her, telling her that the Master would be visiting her again. Her captor assured Rogue that if she did not pay the great one the necessary respect, she would personally take the time to give Rogue a very painful education on the subject of manners. With those final words of warning, Rogue was left to the thick silence of the prison yet again.

Rogue paced the length of the warehouse, being discontent with sitting around, wanting only to do something to save her from going crazy.

After a while of pacing, the monotonous action also started irritating Rogue, so she quit and sat back down. She felt like screaming out of nothing more than pure frustration, but she knew better.

It ain't gonna help me to go all panicky. Me an' the X-Men have been through much worse than this.

Very slowly, using a combination of relaxation techniques that she picked up from Logan and the Professor, Rogue beat back the panic that had threatened to overwhelm her. She forced herself to breathe slowly, and calmed herself down.

She knew that she had to do something to help herself, or otherwise she would go insane. She permitted her thoughts to drift on their own, allowing then to break free from the shackles of her tired mind. She thought back towards her past, days that had passed before she had met up with the X-Men. A time when she had belonged to the organization which now held her captive, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

She relived all the painful memories she forced herself to recollect. Memories she despised, yet might save her life. She remembered the fateful day that she had kissed Cody, who in the end died because of that kiss. She remembered how she was driven away from what was then her only home, and how she was found by Raven Darkholme, the woman also known as Mystique. How she ended up joining the Brotherhood.

It was a confusing time for her, one filled with inner turmoil and anguish, for she knew that some of the things she did back then were wrong, but it was all she ever knew. Mystique gave her a place in the world, albeit a rather unpleasant one, but at least she finally belonged somewhere.

She had no choice. It was all that she had...

Rogue remembered the day when she first challenged Carol Danvers, trying to absorb her powers -- a battle she lost, for which she almost paid with her life.

Although she had pulled through with her hide still intact, Rogue was torn apart on the inside. She remembered thinking of ending her miserable life, taking away all of the pain that she had felt, the turmoil, the anger, her self-hatred for her abilities, but most of all, her fear for being a failure. She was on the verge of the abyss, ready to leap over the edge.

That all changed when he came along...

Rogue remembered his coming as if it had happened only yesterday. The room was dark, with the tattered drapes hanging from the walls, keeping the sun's pleasant, warming rays from seeping into the room. The room was mostly bare, with nothing inside it but an old dresser that stood against the farthest wall from the door.

Next to the dresser stood a rickety closet, which seemed to want to break into pieces at any given moment, with only pride holding it together. Other than that, the room held only one more object: a small cot, which stood way to the other side of the room, snuggled into the right-hand corner.

The cot had a filmy-thin mattress upon it, and it was covered up with old, faded, but yet serviceable blankets. Underneath the blankets, a small lithe mound could be seen, in about the center of the cot. It stirred. The small mound emitted a few minuscule groans as if it wanted to protest the movement that it had made, but even so, the movements increased in intensity.

Suddenly the blankets were thrown aside, followed by a grunt of displeasure, to reveal a young girl where the mound had been.

Her name was Sabine Rogers, though she called herself Rogue.

She was a member of a group of mutants known as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and right now, their youngest member had the headache from Hell. Rogue swung her legs out of the bed and planted then firmly on the floor, regretting it instantly as her head exploded into a fresh mound of pain. The headache pounded inside her skull in steady waves, tearing into her like hot knives, that were repeatedly lanced into the soft, vulnerable tissue of her brain.

Groggily, Rogue leaned forward slightly, and put her head gently between her hands, in a vain effort to drive the pain away. It was useless, for the pain just kept on beating into her with a steady, sickening rhythm. Knowing that this was not going to help her, she gently rose from her bed, cautious not to anger the demon that held home within her skull, ready to torture her at the slightest provocation. When she stood up, Rogue realised that her head was not the only thing that hurt. Her whole body protested in anger as she rose as stiff and cramped muscles were forced to stretch and work.

Rogue stretched out to her full height, knowing that she had to get her cramped and tangled muscles warmed up. Her spine crackled in response as her vertebrae slid into place. Grunting in displeasure at the pain in her head and body, Rogue padded slowly over to the battered dresser.

She did not even look at herself in the mirror, so intent was she on the task that was at hand... She opened one of the drawers to the dresser, and took out a tube of aspirin. With the tube of aspirin held firmly in her hand, Rogue slowly turned back to the little cot she called a bed. She eased herself back onto the bed very carefully, not wanting to provoke to dormant demon inside her skull.

She opened the bottle of aspirin, shook out two tablets, shook out another for good measure, and dry swallowed them.

With the bitter taste of the aspirin already starting to fade away, Rogue eased herself back onto the cot to rest her head and body, trying to will the aspirin to do it's work, but her mind had other ideas. So her mind drifted back to the happenings of yesterday.

The Brotherhood had planned to ambush the woman known as Ms. Marvel. The attack was set to take place in Boston.

Mystique had assured them that Carol Danvers would be there, and that was all that Rogue needed to know, for she was required to touch Danvers, and steal away her powers. Rogue knew that her mother had contacts which were unknown to her and the rest of the Brotherhood. She trusted her mother completely, and saw no reason to ask any further questions.

Rogue remembered that Mystique mentioned something of an Inner League baseball game between Boston and New York, and according to what Mystique had told them, Carol Danvers would be there, for sure.

Rogue would do anything for the greater cause of the Brotherhood, even if it meant that she had to deliberately touch someone in an effort to steal away their powers. The Brotherhood was the only real family she ever had, the only family she ever knew, but more importantly, her mother had asked that she do it, and for Rogue, that was all that was needed.

The plan was easy enough. The Brotherhood assembled a strike team which consisted of Mystique, Avalanche, Pyro and herself.  Avalanche and Pyro had been ordered to make a commotion near the baseball stadium. They were supposed to endanger the lives of a few humans and being the hero that she was, Ms. Marvel was sure to make an appearance. While Danvers was distracted by the other two mutants, Rogue was supposed to jump her from behind and make contact.

And that was all there was to it.

The plan was simple, even basic, and it was sure to succeed, or so they thought. Her mind involuntarily drifted back to the confrontation, and she was forced to remember, bit by bit, piece by piece.

So far, everything was going as planned. The Inner League game was quite an important one, and the baseball stadium was nearly flooded with people. Like lemmings they herded, cramming themselves into the stadium, wherever there was an open spot left. Everything was a heady mix of colours, pennants and flags swirling around in the stands, and the roar was tremendous as the pre-game ceremonies were taking place.

Rogue was in the streets that ran towards the stadium, along with Pyro, Avalanche and Mystique. Even though the streets were flooded with traffic, the voices of thousands of fans made quite a good stab at drowning out the constant roar of traffic. Rogue was amazed by this, and she stood, looking towards the stadium, marvelling at the sights and sounds that she was experiencing. It was Mystique's voice that brought her back towards herself and the task ahead.

"It is time for us to begin. You all know what to do, so let us get to it." The other members nodded in agreement. Mystique did not show any signs of acknowledgement, and turned instead to Rogue. Mystique took her by the shoulders, and looked into her eyes intensely. "You must remember Rogue, the success of this mission depends entirely on you. We are here because of you, for Carol Danvers has got something that we want, and you are going to be the one who is going to take it for us. Do you understand?"

"Yes Mamma," Rogue answered in a determined voice. She was not going to fail.

"Good," Mystique answered as she let go of her shoulders.

"Well, then, let us get going," Mystique said as she turned around, already changing herself into the shape of a plain looking woman with faded red hair.

"Well, you heard the Boss, darlings," Pyro said as he led Avalanche and Rogue away to one of the tall buildings close to the park. It turned out to be one of the administrative buildings of the Boston Red Sox. The building was tall and square shaped, and it would be ideal for their needs. The game got underway as Rogue and her companions made their way up to the roof of the building.

When all three of them were up on the roof, she looked down in the direction of the stadium. From her perch Rogue could see mite-sized players darting about on the diamond playing field. She took a quick look at the scoreboard and saw that it was 2 to 1 in the favour of the Yankees at the bottom of the fourth.

"Well, darlings," Pyro chirped in once more, "I would think it is time that we get this show on the road."

Avalanche merely nodded as he and Pyro went to stand at the end of the roof that faced towards the stadium, while Rogue took her place behind one of the ventilation shafts that ran out onto the roof, hiding herself from view. After Rogue was securely in position, Avalanche and Pyro attacked the stadium parking lot from their perch, and it was not long before the cars began exploding.

"This is just like shooting ducks in a gallery, hey, Avalanche, old boy?" Pyro quipped as he sent another fire-demon burning into a car. It was only a few seconds before the car exploded in response.

Avalanche agreed happily as he sent another earth-shifting wave into a car, tearing it apart.

"Now all that we are waiting for is our guest star to make her appearance."

Sure enough, after another few exploding cars, a lone figure rose up from the Baseball stadium. It was Ms. Marvel.

A roar went up as the crowd spotted the lone figure hovering in the air above them.

"There she is now, Avalanche." The only answer that Pyro got from his partner was a blast of his power in her direction in an effort to get her attention.. Pyro followed his teammate's lead, and they did not have to wait long for the results that they wanted.

Ms. Marvel spotted them immediately, and wasted no time in charging towards them.

"Here she comes, Avalanche, so look lively!" Pyro yelled as he shot another fire demon straight at her face. She avoided it by barrel rolling out of the way, effortlessly. But before she could land, Avalanche fired a shot straight into her chest, knocking her back. She quickly recovered and flew straight past them to land on the rooftop, her back to Rogue.

Avalanche and Pyro kept firing volley after volley at her, driving her backwards, and keeping her disoriented. They were driving her straight to a waiting Rogue.

Ms. Marvel getting agitated, for each of these mutants had nothing that she shouldn't be able to handle. But their combined might had so far managed to keep her off her feet, giving her no time to end this with a direct assault. With each passing second, her annoyance grew, for lives were at stake. That proved to be a fatal mistake, for she was so aggravated by the havoc the two terrorists had created that her seventh sense did not warn her of the attacker that had managed to creep up from behind.

Suddenly a pair of arms grabbed her from behind, momentarily pinning her arms to her sides.

Normally, this would be no problem, but as Ms. Marvel moved to shake herself free of her new assailant, she was suddenly enveloped in a yellow-green glow. It felt as if the world's biggest vampire was attempting to suck her dry, and was succeeding.

Rogue felt her absorption powers kick in as she held her victim tight, and soon the memories of Carol Danvers began flooding into her head. And along with her memories, came her powers. Slowly Rogue felt her strength starting to grow, and she gripped Carol Danvers tighter, wanting to drain her of her abilities more quickly.

This is going just like we planned it, just like Mamma wanted it to! Rogue exulted within herself as she felt her victim grow weaker as more of her power was being drained away from her.

"Yes! Ah want it all! Ah want it ALL!" Rogue shouted as more of Carol Danvers's powers was transferred into her body. Her eyes were filled with predatory glee as her victim was driven to one knee.

No. No!!! This cannot be. I can't die like this! Carol Danvers shouted in mental desperation as more of her powers were being drained from her. She no longer could sense the other two attackers, for her seventh sense had allready been stolen from her. She started feeling the pain that the increasingly powerful grip of her attacker gave her, and she knew that it would not be long before everything was all over.

She was already down on one knee, and she was failing fast. If she was ever going to do something, she had to do it now.  In a last move, born entirely of desperation, she stopped struggling, hoping to catch her opponent off guard, even if it was only for a second.

To Rogue's surprise, Carol suddenly went limp. Ah must have drained her completely. Rogue thought, and she slackened her death-grip just a little.

Suddenly, two hands came out of nowhere, one grabbing a handful of hair while the other took a firm grasp on her arm. Even though Rogue's absorption powers were still active, she felt Ms. Marvel throw her with strength that was not that of a normal woman's. She was tossed through the air with a tremendous heave, and onward she flew as she sailed, over the edge of the building. It was then that she started screaming.

Ms. Marvel already managed to get back on her feet when the scream began. "Blimy, woman! Are you fucking crazy?! You just gone and thrown the little chicky right of the bloody building!" Pyro yelled, totally taken aback by the so-called hero's brutality.

Ms. Marvel was still disorientated did not quite comprehend what the man with the flame throwers strapped to his arms was shouting at her. Her brain was a mixed mush inside her skull, and she felt like emptying her guts right there on the roof. Every muscle in her body ached from the strain that the absorption put on her already tired body, but even so, the look in the eyes of the one in the gray kevlar armour told her all she needed to know.

No, no!! I killed her! Ms. Marvel shouted to herself mentally whilst she ran drunkenly to the edge of the roof on legs that felt like rubber.

Knowing that it was hopeless to do so, she still flung herself off the rooftop, in pursuit of the girl she could no longer see, free falling more than flying.

"C'mon mate, let's blow 'fore she decides to toss us off as well," Pyro said as he grabbed his team-mate's arm. With a final backward glance to the roof's edge, the two took off, running at full tilt to the roof-ladder which would take them inside.

Rogue fell through the air, falling further down. She screamed, already knowing that she would not, could not, be rescued. She hit the tarmac of the building's side street with a tremendous thud, leaving a three foot crater in her wake. Rogue was driven into the dark realms of unconsciousness on impact, and she did not feel the pair of gloved hands that took her underneath her arms, and dragged her away.

Finally, after what felt like the longest moments in her whole life, Carol Danvers reached the side street were the young girl had hit, but instead of finding a broken body and a shattered skull, all she found was an empty hole.

She must be alive! She must be. I don't know how, but she made it. I didn't kill her.

Suddenly she stood face to face with a small, plain woman with faded red hair, who carried the broken body of the girl in her arms. Ms. Marvel was totally stunned at the scene in front of her, and she fell to her knees in total shock.

She had killed the girl.

The woman was in tears, and she glared at Ms. Marvel with murder in her eyes.

"You! You killed her! You killed my little girl! She was only playing on the roof, when those bad mutant scum arrived to upset the game, and you killed my little girl instead. They call you a hero, but I know what you really are!" she shouted with her voice pitched to a shriek.

"You are nothing but a cold-hearted killer, you... you BITCH!!"

Before Carol Danvers had a chance to even respond, the small woman turned on her heel and ran into one of the side alleys that ran from the street. She was crying in painful ragged sobs, with the broken body of the girl still cradled in her arms. As masses of onlookers gathered round to see what the commotion was all about, she was soon lost, hidden away from view by the crowd.

Nobody saw the body of the woman suddenly shimmer and change into another shape, for everyone had their eyes on the accused woman in front of them. So preoccupied were the onlookers with the superheroine in front of them that no one saw the image of the broken girl shimmer and disintegrate into nothingness.

The dead girl had been nothing more than a masterful illusion created by Raven Darkholme.

Ms. Marvel only knelt there, with the crater of the girl's fall in front of her. For once in her life, Carol Danvers was dumbfounded, and she did not know what to do.

It was then that the whispers and the questions began, flowing like a river around her ears, biting into her brain with painful intensity...

"She killed her... a mere girl... someone innocent... isn't she a hero, mommy? I do not know honey, not anymore... Did you see the body? It was so badly mangled... An innocent girl has died... No one is safe anymore..."

So it continued.

And all that Carol Danvers could do was question whether she was guilty or not. It was a question she did not know the answer to. Suddenly Ms. Marvel was distracted as she felt a small little hand tug at her uniform. She looked down to stare into the wide brown eyes of a five-year-old girl who seemed frightened of her, but the child's eyes were filled with curiosity, nonetheless.

"My mommy said that you might have killed the girl that fell here. Did you?"

"I ... I do not know..." Ms. Marvel stuttered as she looked down to the little girl.

"But if you didn't kill her, then who did?" the little girl asked, cocking her head to the side as she pondered her own question, her wide eyed gaze was filled with an unspoken accusation of murder.

It was that look in those innocent eyes that forced a very disoriented Ms. Marvel to take to the air, if only to escape that questioning gaze. Everyone else was so busy asking their own questions that no one saw the knowing smile that spread across that little girl's face, along with the sly gleam that shined in her before innocent looking brown eyes.

Little did Carol Danvers know that she did not kill Rogue, for she had managed to absorb Ms. Marvel's invulnerability up to a degree during their contact, and that had saved her from certain death. Rogue was very badly bruised and battered, but she was still breathing.

Rogue was found by Mystique, who had watched the whole confrontation from a distance, analysing each member's performance like a general surveying his troops in battle. She had been satisfied with the way things were going until Ms. Marvel decided to fight back. Mystique was shocked when she saw what happened to her daughter, but she knew that the whole plan was a gamble, and it appeared that they had lost the bet.

When she reached a still-breathing Rogue, buried in a three foot crater, she immediately took her foster daughter and hid her, changing her own form in the process. Meanwhile Carol Danvers had realised her mistake, and tried to save Rogue, but her efforts were in vain. She was just as confused about the outcome of the battle as the onlookers, and in the end, a very distraught Ms. Marvel flew off, after some very clever shape shifting from Mystique, allowed the Brotherhood to escape.

Mystique had vowed to make her pay for her error.

The Brotherhood had retreated to a safe house that Raven had ready for them. Rogue had woken up in this bed, later that day, badly bruised all over her body, from her fall, no doubt, but she was still alive. The others had asked her what had happened, what went wrong, and she told them all that she could remember of the confrontation.

Her mother had said that she must have had contact for only a few seconds, for she had nothing left of Ms. Marvel's powers. What she had absorbed must have been temporary, and she lost them whilst she was still unconscious. The Brotherhood agreed with Mystique in this point, and it was decided that the mission had been a failure, one that had nearly cost them Sabine's life, and it was laid to rest after that.

What she had told them was only a partial truth, for even though she did not absorb Carol Danvers's powers, she did absorb something, because inside her head   she was not alone. The Danvers woman was inside there with her, talking to her, goading her, taunting her, insulting her, calling her a bitch and a washout...

Allthough she had said nothing of this to any of the other members of the team, she had finally felt what it was like to start fearing for your sanity...

No matter what she did, the voice inside her head would not be silenced. Hell, no manner of asking politely, screaming or shouting helped her.

All it had given her was a massive headache, which was thankfully fading into a dull, manageable ache in the back of her skull.

Rogue had cried herself to sleep the night before, and her eyes were puffy and swollen, even now...

Though she had sufficiently recovered form her ordeal, every bone in her body still ached, and her muscles were as stiff as dried out cow hide. She felt like falling back into her bed, hoping that this would make all the stiffness and heartache go away, but Rogue knew that this was nothing but wishful thinking.

Not really knowing why, she got up, and dressed herself in an old pair of jeans, and a dirty long-sleeved shirt. It was the same clothing that she had worn in her confrontation with Ms. Marvel. Her auburn hair, with the white streak, was in a total disarray, and she ran a hand through it, feeling all the dirt and grime that was caught up within it's rich waves.

"Tough shit," she murmured darkly to no one but herself. "Everythin's screwed up enough as it is, anyway, so why the Hell bother? There aint' no one who Ah should try'n look pretty for, so fuck it. It doesn't matter..."

She padded over to the rickety dresser that had decided to make its last stand in her room. She glared at herself in the cracked mirror, seeing her piercing emerald green eyes stare right back at her. Rogue could not help but see the self-hate written there, but more importantly, she did not miss the huge bags that had developed underneath her eyes as she cried herself to sleep the night before.

Rogue hated seeing herself like this, but there was one thing that she hated even more: Having others see her this way.

Shit, girl, cant'cha even spend one night without bawlin' y'self t'sleep? she berated herself as she hurried to the bathroom she shared the other members of the Brotherhood. Mercifully, there was no one in the hallways on the way, and there was no one in the bathroom either. Rogue shut the door gratefully behind her as she entered.

"Thank the Lord for small favours," she muttered dryly as she made her way to the washbasin. Once more she glared at herself in the mirror, self-loathing written across her face. "Ah fuckin' hate ya, ya know that?" Rogue told her reflection as she glared into the green emeralds which were exact copies of her own.

Her only answer was total silence.

She let her eyes scan over the worn, tired mirror face, and her eyes softened slightly. She lifted one of her hands, touching the cold glass of the mirror, her fingers mere millimetres away from the hand of her twin image. It was an act of simplicity, nothing more, but still Rogue's eyes filled with uncried tears.

Aw FUCK THIS! Rogue screamed mentally, her face distorted with a sad mixture of sorrow and pain. Ya ain't nothin' but a reflection Ah me, and still Ah can't touch ya ... Tell me, mirror-girl, what is it like on the other side?

The only answer she got was a inquiring green eyed gaze. Rogue's hand slipped away from the mirror, as she bowed her head in sorrow. With a resigned sigh, she put the plug in the drain hole of the basin, and opened up the cold water, which ran into the basin with a sloshing sound. As she watched the water level gently rising, she let her thoughts run freely, and they unwillingly turned to suicide.

Once more, Rogue looked up into the face of the mirror-girl, whose eyes were suddenly shot through with pain... That surprised her.

Maybe Ah should end it all, y'know? All mah life, Ah done nothin' else but go through a world of hurt, and never have Ah known anything that resembles a normal life ... Ah thought things were finally goin' straight for me when Ah became friends with Cody, and Lord knows it felt like Heaven when he kissed me and look where that got ya, look where it got him. Now his lyin' in a hospital bed, dead set in a coma, all becaus'a me...

Now, ya aint' nothin' but a mutant, a freak, who sucks out the lives of others, and even that almost cost ya yer life ... When is it gonna end, Sabby? Will it ever end?.. Will eveythin' be so fucked up like this forever?

The only answer she got was the still answer of silence.

She stared at the face of the mirror-girl, as if seeking for an answer, and felt only dull surprise as she saw tears well around those eyes once more. The thought of crying terrified her, and she looked away quickly.

It was then when her eyes fell the straight razor that lay next to the hot water tap of the bathtub. She let her eyes ran along the edge, marvelling at the sharp shine that shone back at her. It was then that the voice spoke up inside her head and it was then that Rogue realised that even in her deepest pain, she was not alone.

A voice spoke up inside her head, mocking taunting, challenging. It was the voice of the woman she tried to touch yesterday, the one named Carol Danvers.

Think of how easy it could be, you thieving little bitch ... All you have to do is pick it up, and slide it across your wrist, easy as you please.. Maybe, just maybe, if you do not screw up too badly, you will bleed to death, and end this agony for both of us ...

Rogue felt like telling the voice to shut the Hell up and leave her alone, but she listened anyway, for when one is desperate, one's mind is not quite their own.

She once more let her green eyes fix themselves onto the razor's edge.

Oh yes, little girl. The voice spoke up again. It's right there, waiting for you, ready to be taken.

Where the Hell did ya come from? Why don'tcha just fuck off and leave me alone?! Rogue screamed, her mental voice filled with defiance and pain.

Hey, don't blame me, little princess... I did not ask you to touch me.. I did not ask for you to imprison me in this sick mind of yours, so don't even think of blaming me, because you know what, princess? It's not my fault, the voice in her head answered, sounding amused. Rogue could not help notice the venom that seemed to be dripping from it.

Well, it aint' mah fault either! Rogue shouted in mental retaliation, her eyes filled with anger.

Bleep! Wrong answer, hon. I did not ask for you to touch me. If you hadn't been so stupid, I would not be stuck inside this excuse of a brain of yours. So, sorry to break it to you baby, the voice answered, mocking her as it went, it is your fault.'

Why dont'cha just do me a favour an' bugger off?!

Hey, hey, news flash sweetcheecks. I am stuck in here, and thanks to you, I am not going anywhere.

Why don'cha just shut up?!

Make me. Take the razor and make me, you little piece of shit!... If you got the guts to do it, that is, the voice answered calmly, challengingly.

Now, for the third time, Rogue's eyes drifted towards the straight razor. She felt like an outsider, not in control of her own body, as she saw a hand drift towards the razor, gripping it firmly by the handle. She felt in a daze as she saw the razor being lifted form its perch, brought toward herself.

She saw the razor being brought towards her other arm, which seemed to be waiting for the blade, wrist turned upwards. She felt the cold steel touch her hot skin.

Then, as if shocked by a bolt of electricity, Rogue came to, horrified at seeing what she was about to do.

She hurriedly threw the razor away from her, where it clattered harmlessly into the bath.

Rogue stared at her mirror image, wild-eyed and frightened.

Ah don't believe it. Ah almost killed mahself.

Yeah, too bad you didn't have the guts to pull through with it, hey, princess? the voice of Carol Danvers asked her, clearly amused.

Fuck ya, ya bitch! Rogue mentally screamed in defiance. Ah'm Sabine Rogers, Ah'm Rogue, and even though mah life may be screwed up, Ah sure as Hell ain't no yellow belly!

The only response that Rogue got was Carol's laughter. This made her even more furious, but before the could reply, the voice of Raven Darkholme came floating through the door.

"Rogue, you have been in there for ages now. Finish up with what ever you are busy with and get out here. Breakfast is almost ready."

Rogue snapped out of her rage, and hurriedly replied. "Yes, Mamma. Ah'm comin' Just washing mah face."

"Well, hurry it up then, girl," came the slightly muffled reply.

Rogue quickly closed off the cold water, for the basin was nearly overflowing, and she quickly washed out her eyes. Once she was satisfied that she looked presentable, Rogue pulled the plug, letting the water drain, and quickly dried off her hands.

She took one last look at her face before she took off, and a wry smile played across her lips.

"Hey, hey, we aint' finished yet, Mirror-Girl," Rogue spoke softly to her alter image, and it seemed as if the mirrored image smiled back in response.

Still wearing that smile, she ran out of the bathroom to join the rest of the Brotherhood for breakfast.

To be continued

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