Every Breath You Take
folder
X-Men - Animated Series (all) › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
18
Views:
3,690
Reviews:
13
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
X-Men - Animated Series (all) › Het - Male/Female
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
18
Views:
3,690
Reviews:
13
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own X-Men Evolution, or any of the characters from it. I make no money from from the writing of this story.
It’s You I Can’t Replace.
Author’s Note/Disclaimer: I’ll be going down some very dark paths in this fic. I love Kurt. And we always hurt the ones we love. Don’t we? “Every Breath You Take” is a song by the Police from the eighties. I used to love the song. More than a decade later I listen to the lyrics and realize just how creepy they are. I think it’s perfect for this story.
BTW: This Kurt Wagner is the Nightcrawler from XMen Evolution and hasn’t had quite the rough life his comic book counterpart had. At least up until now.
This is the final chapter folks. I hope you've enjoyed the ride. Please rate and review. While the story is complete, I am open to suggestions and if I like them, I may go back and edit. I'm a perfectionist at heart. Please rate and review.
05/24/2007 – I just found a major error on my part that had made all the character’s internal thoughts invisible when posted online. I usually refrain from pulling up my own stories so as not to inflate the hit counter, but apparently I need to proofread online.
{This means character’s internal thoughts.}
**This means projected thoughts, as in telepathy.**
Chapter Seventeen: It’s You I Can’t Replace.
The woman who walked in was dressed from neck to toes in black. Her hair was brown and the streaks of white that framed her face sent a spark of recognition through Adrienne’s mind. The intruder took in the scene with a glance and she frowned as she slipped a glove from her hand.
“Ah knew it.”
“Rogue.” Adrienne rose as the woman approached her.
“What did you do to my brother?” She strode past the unconscious Beast and reached for Adrienne.
“Find out for yourself.” Adrienne held out her hand. Rogue took it roughly and immediately felt the other woman’s powers and thoughts wash over her. She recoiled from what she saw and tried to release the other woman’s hand.
Adrienne held tightly to Rogue’s hand and stepped closer, placing her palm on the taller woman’s cheek. Energy began to swirl around them both, showering the air around them with golden sparks.
{What are you doing?}
{Wait. I have enough juice for both of us. Let our gifts come to equilibrium.}
{Let me go!}
{No wonder you have no control. You’ve been starving your gift.}
{Starving? No. It can’t be that simple!}
{Just a few moments more. Follow my thoughts, see how this works. Here and here.} Adrienne’s thoughts flitted through the ins and outs of her own gift. {Our gifts are like two sides of the same coin.}
{I think I understand.}
{Almost there.} The sparks around them began to dissipate, but Adrienne held on. {Now remember this. If I fail, you will need to know everything I know.} And Rogue’s mind shuddered under the onslaught of memories, each moment etched in frank detail until her mind held a complete recording of all that had passed between Kurt and the woman before her.
{Oh my Gawd!}
Adrienne released the other woman and stepped back, shaking off the spell of their combined gifts. Rogue stood transfixed for a long moment before blinking twice.
“How did you know that would work?”
“I didn’t know for sure until I touched you. Kurt told me about you. You should remember the conversation.”
“I do.” The memory played through her mind as if it was her own.
“I have to find Kurt.”
“We’d better hurry. The Professor’s with him and Ah’ve got a bad feeling about it.”
Rogue grabbed her hand again, this time there was no transfer of power or memories as she tugged the older woman along behind her.
He paced the length of the cell methodically counting the steps as he went back and forth over and over. One, two…eleven, twelve. Exactly twelve steps from one wall to another. Kurt had retreated again, leaving him alone. Why hadn’t he stopped the boy when he had the chance? Now they were in a cell again, this time without *her.*
**Kurt listen to me. Let me help you. **
That damned voice again. Where was it coming from?
{Get out of my head you coward. Face me like a man.}
**I want to help you, but you must cooperate. Listen to me, Kurt. **
{Shut up!}
Where was she? Why didn’t she come? She always came. To torture, to tease, to caress. How could she leave him there? How long had he been here? His sense of time had become almost as fractured as the boy’s. Had she truly died and was all that had happened in the last few weeks just a dream?
“Where is she?” He shouted at the walls. “You have no right to keep her from me!” He tried to teleport again. And again. Nothing. He reached the far wall and raised his fist. There was already a splotch of rusty brown there where he had pounded his fist bloody. That at least was real. He lowered his fist.
{Be still. Be quiet. Kurt is quiet and they come in. Wait for them.}
He sat on the edge of the bunk, forcing himself to relax. He mimicked the posture that Kurt had adopted over the last few days. He slumped his shoulders and covered his face with his hands. Then he waited.
“I don’t know Professor. I don’t think it’s a good idea. The damper will affect you too.” A young man’s voice carried through the bars of the door. He recognized it as one of Kurt’s teammates.
“He is not willing to let me enter his mind and I cannot force the contact under these conditions. He’s made it clear he wants to speak face to face or not at all.”
“You can do that through the bars. It’s not safe.”
“I’ll be fine, Scott. Open the door.”
Rogue’s intervention was a stroke of luck. Adrienne realized she would have never found Kurt on her own. They jogged through a maze of hallways, down staircases and through a concealed elevator to reach the hidden levels deep below ground.
Adrienne stifled a quiver of fear at finding herself underground again. They passed half a dozen teens on their route, each curious face sending a spike of anxiety through her, but Rogue shrugged off their questions and led her deeper and deeper into the heart of the school.
“Come on!” Rogue tugged her impatiently through another set of doors. She came to an abrupt stop as she discovered the next room was occupied.
“What the hell are you doin’ girl?” Logan stood between them and the next door. He’d been smoking a cigar, which he stamped out, leaving the butt on the floor. He scowled at Rogue.
“Ah ain’t got time to explain, Logan. Get out of the way.”
“Now you know the Professor said you aren’t allowed in there. And that goes double for her.” He shook his finger at Adrienne.
“Get out of our way, Logan. Kurt needs me.”
“I don’t think so ladies. Where’s Hank?” Rogue glanced at Adrienne.
“He’ll be fine. When he wakes up.”
{At least I think so. I zapped him pretty good.}
“What did you do?”
“Do you really want to know?” Golden sparks flickered to life around her and she stepped forward.
{I don’t really want to hurt anyone else today. How many bridges am I going to have to burn?}
“Adrienne! We ain’t got time fer a fight.”
“Wait.” Logan held up one hand and listened for a moment. “Something’s wrong.” He turned and took off through the door behind him. The women followed at a run.
A tall brown haired man wearing red sunglasses stood outside the cell door, one hand on the frame of his glasses. This must be Scott if Kurt’s descriptions were accurate.
“I can’t get a decent shot at him.”
“What happened?” Logan snapped as he spotted the Professor’s overturned wheelchair beside the bunk.
“The Professor insisted on going inside. If I turn the damper off he’ll run.”
“Get out of the way.” Adrienne walked up behind them, sparks still flying around her.
“What’s she doing here?
“Ask Rogue.”
“Move boys.” Rogue followed right behind her.
“No way. You ain’t going in there. I am.”
The women exchanged glances. Adrienne advanced on Logan again as Rogue shouldered Scott aside.
“You’re crazy darlin’. He’ll kill you. That damper’ll kill your power.”
“Better me than your Professor. Move aside.”
“Your funeral.” He shrugged and backed off.
Adrienne walked through the doorway carefully. Her sparks quickly faded as she crossed the threshold and she felt strange. Almost as if she were wrapped in cotton from head to toe. She took in the overturned wheelchair and the rumpled bunk. *He* was crouched in the far corner, his arm wrapped around the the bald man’s neck, using the man’s limp body as a shield. Adrienne swallowed against the lump of fear in her throat.
{Oh God. Please tell me he hasn’t killed somebody.}
“Hello?”
“Get out or I’ll kill him.”
“It’s me, pet.” She tried to sound calm, confident.
“Liar!” He clutched the Professor tighter and the older man groaned.
{Thank God! He’s not dead. At least not yet.}
“Let him go. It’s me you want, isn’t it?” She stepped closer to him, hands raised and empty.
“You don’t want me!” He roared. She stopped.
“I’m sorry, pet. I didn’t realize I’d hurt you so.”
“I don’t believe you. You chose the boy over me! You let them lock us up!” His voice cracked. Adrienne flinched at the pain in his voice. She had to stop him, to embrace the role she’d tried so hard to escape.
“Orpheus listen to me.”
“I am listening.” His voice was no longer angry. But it was no longer the emotionless response it had been before they left the base.
“I am Eurydice. Come to me, love. Let him go and come to me.” She tried to sound reassuring, comforting. He hesitated, then lowered the unconscious man to the ground. He crept closer to her.
{I am Eurydice. You did rescue me from that hell I was trapped in.}
“I couldn’t stop them. Now I’ve come to take you home.” She reached for him, drawing him close. He held back a moment, then clung to her. She stroked his hair and his face before drawing him into a kiss. He froze as her lips touched his, unable to believe what was happening.
{You gave me this life. And now that I’m here, I want it.}
“I never thought loving you would hurt you so much.” She brushed at the tears that had begun to trail through the fur of his cheeks. “I wasn’t supposed to love you. It made everything twisted and confused. I’m sorry.”
{This is all my fault. You’ve become trapped in my own obsession.}
“You love the boy. Not me. Not ever me.” He whispered.
{I cannot deny you what you’ve earned.} She kissed him again, then dropped her hands to grasp his.
“You are two sides of the same coin. Stamped by my own hand. I cannot love one without the other. I understand that now. You will too, someday.” She held his hands as she turned to nod at Rogue.
The dampening field faded and she felt Orpheus tense. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder.
“Orpheus take me home.”
“Bamf.”
The waiting XMen hurried to the Professor’s side. He was already beginning to regain consciousness.
“Are you all right Professor?” Scott was the first to reach him.
“I will be fine. Where is Kurt?”
“They’ve gone. Teleported.”
“They?”
“Adrienne pulled a jail break. With the skunk’s help.”
“Hey!”
“They haven’t gone far.” The Professor put one hand to his temple, then winced.
“They’ve gone back to the cottage, that’s all.” Rogue shrugged off her jacket and tossed it onto the empty bunk.
“I’d better go after ‘em.” Logan turned to leave as Scott righted the Professor’s wheelchair and began to help him into it. He was stopped by Rogue’s hand on his arm. A bare hand, warm and alive. He looked down at it and back at her. She winked at him.
“It’s her mess, give her a chance to clean it up.”
“Eurydice eh?” Logan raised an eyebrow at her.
“Yeah. Eurydice Zavros. Can mess a kid up, giving ‘em a name like that. Ah should know.” Rogue tapped her right temple before patting Logan’s arm twice. Then she walked out the door whistling.
BTW: This Kurt Wagner is the Nightcrawler from XMen Evolution and hasn’t had quite the rough life his comic book counterpart had. At least up until now.
This is the final chapter folks. I hope you've enjoyed the ride. Please rate and review. While the story is complete, I am open to suggestions and if I like them, I may go back and edit. I'm a perfectionist at heart. Please rate and review.
05/24/2007 – I just found a major error on my part that had made all the character’s internal thoughts invisible when posted online. I usually refrain from pulling up my own stories so as not to inflate the hit counter, but apparently I need to proofread online.
{This means character’s internal thoughts.}
**This means projected thoughts, as in telepathy.**
Chapter Seventeen: It’s You I Can’t Replace.
The woman who walked in was dressed from neck to toes in black. Her hair was brown and the streaks of white that framed her face sent a spark of recognition through Adrienne’s mind. The intruder took in the scene with a glance and she frowned as she slipped a glove from her hand.
“Ah knew it.”
“Rogue.” Adrienne rose as the woman approached her.
“What did you do to my brother?” She strode past the unconscious Beast and reached for Adrienne.
“Find out for yourself.” Adrienne held out her hand. Rogue took it roughly and immediately felt the other woman’s powers and thoughts wash over her. She recoiled from what she saw and tried to release the other woman’s hand.
Adrienne held tightly to Rogue’s hand and stepped closer, placing her palm on the taller woman’s cheek. Energy began to swirl around them both, showering the air around them with golden sparks.
{What are you doing?}
{Wait. I have enough juice for both of us. Let our gifts come to equilibrium.}
{Let me go!}
{No wonder you have no control. You’ve been starving your gift.}
{Starving? No. It can’t be that simple!}
{Just a few moments more. Follow my thoughts, see how this works. Here and here.} Adrienne’s thoughts flitted through the ins and outs of her own gift. {Our gifts are like two sides of the same coin.}
{I think I understand.}
{Almost there.} The sparks around them began to dissipate, but Adrienne held on. {Now remember this. If I fail, you will need to know everything I know.} And Rogue’s mind shuddered under the onslaught of memories, each moment etched in frank detail until her mind held a complete recording of all that had passed between Kurt and the woman before her.
{Oh my Gawd!}
Adrienne released the other woman and stepped back, shaking off the spell of their combined gifts. Rogue stood transfixed for a long moment before blinking twice.
“How did you know that would work?”
“I didn’t know for sure until I touched you. Kurt told me about you. You should remember the conversation.”
“I do.” The memory played through her mind as if it was her own.
“I have to find Kurt.”
“We’d better hurry. The Professor’s with him and Ah’ve got a bad feeling about it.”
Rogue grabbed her hand again, this time there was no transfer of power or memories as she tugged the older woman along behind her.
He paced the length of the cell methodically counting the steps as he went back and forth over and over. One, two…eleven, twelve. Exactly twelve steps from one wall to another. Kurt had retreated again, leaving him alone. Why hadn’t he stopped the boy when he had the chance? Now they were in a cell again, this time without *her.*
**Kurt listen to me. Let me help you. **
That damned voice again. Where was it coming from?
{Get out of my head you coward. Face me like a man.}
**I want to help you, but you must cooperate. Listen to me, Kurt. **
{Shut up!}
Where was she? Why didn’t she come? She always came. To torture, to tease, to caress. How could she leave him there? How long had he been here? His sense of time had become almost as fractured as the boy’s. Had she truly died and was all that had happened in the last few weeks just a dream?
“Where is she?” He shouted at the walls. “You have no right to keep her from me!” He tried to teleport again. And again. Nothing. He reached the far wall and raised his fist. There was already a splotch of rusty brown there where he had pounded his fist bloody. That at least was real. He lowered his fist.
{Be still. Be quiet. Kurt is quiet and they come in. Wait for them.}
He sat on the edge of the bunk, forcing himself to relax. He mimicked the posture that Kurt had adopted over the last few days. He slumped his shoulders and covered his face with his hands. Then he waited.
“I don’t know Professor. I don’t think it’s a good idea. The damper will affect you too.” A young man’s voice carried through the bars of the door. He recognized it as one of Kurt’s teammates.
“He is not willing to let me enter his mind and I cannot force the contact under these conditions. He’s made it clear he wants to speak face to face or not at all.”
“You can do that through the bars. It’s not safe.”
“I’ll be fine, Scott. Open the door.”
Rogue’s intervention was a stroke of luck. Adrienne realized she would have never found Kurt on her own. They jogged through a maze of hallways, down staircases and through a concealed elevator to reach the hidden levels deep below ground.
Adrienne stifled a quiver of fear at finding herself underground again. They passed half a dozen teens on their route, each curious face sending a spike of anxiety through her, but Rogue shrugged off their questions and led her deeper and deeper into the heart of the school.
“Come on!” Rogue tugged her impatiently through another set of doors. She came to an abrupt stop as she discovered the next room was occupied.
“What the hell are you doin’ girl?” Logan stood between them and the next door. He’d been smoking a cigar, which he stamped out, leaving the butt on the floor. He scowled at Rogue.
“Ah ain’t got time to explain, Logan. Get out of the way.”
“Now you know the Professor said you aren’t allowed in there. And that goes double for her.” He shook his finger at Adrienne.
“Get out of our way, Logan. Kurt needs me.”
“I don’t think so ladies. Where’s Hank?” Rogue glanced at Adrienne.
“He’ll be fine. When he wakes up.”
{At least I think so. I zapped him pretty good.}
“What did you do?”
“Do you really want to know?” Golden sparks flickered to life around her and she stepped forward.
{I don’t really want to hurt anyone else today. How many bridges am I going to have to burn?}
“Adrienne! We ain’t got time fer a fight.”
“Wait.” Logan held up one hand and listened for a moment. “Something’s wrong.” He turned and took off through the door behind him. The women followed at a run.
A tall brown haired man wearing red sunglasses stood outside the cell door, one hand on the frame of his glasses. This must be Scott if Kurt’s descriptions were accurate.
“I can’t get a decent shot at him.”
“What happened?” Logan snapped as he spotted the Professor’s overturned wheelchair beside the bunk.
“The Professor insisted on going inside. If I turn the damper off he’ll run.”
“Get out of the way.” Adrienne walked up behind them, sparks still flying around her.
“What’s she doing here?
“Ask Rogue.”
“Move boys.” Rogue followed right behind her.
“No way. You ain’t going in there. I am.”
The women exchanged glances. Adrienne advanced on Logan again as Rogue shouldered Scott aside.
“You’re crazy darlin’. He’ll kill you. That damper’ll kill your power.”
“Better me than your Professor. Move aside.”
“Your funeral.” He shrugged and backed off.
Adrienne walked through the doorway carefully. Her sparks quickly faded as she crossed the threshold and she felt strange. Almost as if she were wrapped in cotton from head to toe. She took in the overturned wheelchair and the rumpled bunk. *He* was crouched in the far corner, his arm wrapped around the the bald man’s neck, using the man’s limp body as a shield. Adrienne swallowed against the lump of fear in her throat.
{Oh God. Please tell me he hasn’t killed somebody.}
“Hello?”
“Get out or I’ll kill him.”
“It’s me, pet.” She tried to sound calm, confident.
“Liar!” He clutched the Professor tighter and the older man groaned.
{Thank God! He’s not dead. At least not yet.}
“Let him go. It’s me you want, isn’t it?” She stepped closer to him, hands raised and empty.
“You don’t want me!” He roared. She stopped.
“I’m sorry, pet. I didn’t realize I’d hurt you so.”
“I don’t believe you. You chose the boy over me! You let them lock us up!” His voice cracked. Adrienne flinched at the pain in his voice. She had to stop him, to embrace the role she’d tried so hard to escape.
“Orpheus listen to me.”
“I am listening.” His voice was no longer angry. But it was no longer the emotionless response it had been before they left the base.
“I am Eurydice. Come to me, love. Let him go and come to me.” She tried to sound reassuring, comforting. He hesitated, then lowered the unconscious man to the ground. He crept closer to her.
{I am Eurydice. You did rescue me from that hell I was trapped in.}
“I couldn’t stop them. Now I’ve come to take you home.” She reached for him, drawing him close. He held back a moment, then clung to her. She stroked his hair and his face before drawing him into a kiss. He froze as her lips touched his, unable to believe what was happening.
{You gave me this life. And now that I’m here, I want it.}
“I never thought loving you would hurt you so much.” She brushed at the tears that had begun to trail through the fur of his cheeks. “I wasn’t supposed to love you. It made everything twisted and confused. I’m sorry.”
{This is all my fault. You’ve become trapped in my own obsession.}
“You love the boy. Not me. Not ever me.” He whispered.
{I cannot deny you what you’ve earned.} She kissed him again, then dropped her hands to grasp his.
“You are two sides of the same coin. Stamped by my own hand. I cannot love one without the other. I understand that now. You will too, someday.” She held his hands as she turned to nod at Rogue.
The dampening field faded and she felt Orpheus tense. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder.
“Orpheus take me home.”
“Bamf.”
The waiting XMen hurried to the Professor’s side. He was already beginning to regain consciousness.
“Are you all right Professor?” Scott was the first to reach him.
“I will be fine. Where is Kurt?”
“They’ve gone. Teleported.”
“They?”
“Adrienne pulled a jail break. With the skunk’s help.”
“Hey!”
“They haven’t gone far.” The Professor put one hand to his temple, then winced.
“They’ve gone back to the cottage, that’s all.” Rogue shrugged off her jacket and tossed it onto the empty bunk.
“I’d better go after ‘em.” Logan turned to leave as Scott righted the Professor’s wheelchair and began to help him into it. He was stopped by Rogue’s hand on his arm. A bare hand, warm and alive. He looked down at it and back at her. She winked at him.
“It’s her mess, give her a chance to clean it up.”
“Eurydice eh?” Logan raised an eyebrow at her.
“Yeah. Eurydice Zavros. Can mess a kid up, giving ‘em a name like that. Ah should know.” Rogue tapped her right temple before patting Logan’s arm twice. Then she walked out the door whistling.