Rogue: Annihilation (An Avengers Sequel)

27. A Life You Don't Get To Live

"Tall? Dark? Handsome?" 2012 Rogue questioned me relentlessly. "Come on, give me something."

I rolled my eyes, avoiding eye contact. "Stop asking questions."

She huffed, irritated. "You tell me that my future involves falling in love with someone, but you can't tell me anything about him? Even his name?"

"No one should know too much about their own future," I said, giving her a generic response.

She screwed up her face. "Are you really quoting 'Back to the Future'? Is that actually true or do you just not want to tell me?"

I sighed, halting to turn and look at her. My expression softened when I saw how hopeful she looked. The excitement and curiosity in her eyes hit me right in the guilt reflex. "He's... he's kind, and funny. Obviously gorgeous. Literally one of the smartest guys in the entire world, and the love of our lives. There's nothing more to say."

She replicated my sigh, obviously not content with my vague response. "First letter of his name?"

"T."

"T?" She nodded to herself. "T for... Tom? Tim? Troy?"

"No, no and no."

She grabbed my arm harshly. "Look, I'm choosing to believe you, and I'm choosing to help you find this Kilgrave person, even though I'm sure that you're about to kill him and I want no part in it. The least you could do is give me something... anything. Tell me that I'm doing this for a reason; that our future is worth it."

I forgot how dramatic I used to be, but nevertheless, I felt sorry for her. If someone could tell you what happens in the next 11 years of your life, wouldn't you want to know everything?

"We have a daughter," I told her at last. "T and I have a three year old. She's beautiful and smart and so unbelievably perfect. Her name is Natalie, and one of the reasons we're here is because Nat never got to meet her. Nat would have loved her."

She was silent for a moment, taking in my words. The thing that stumped her the most was the fact that Nat, the most important person in her life, never got to meet her daughter.

"I... have a daughter," she said to herself, taking a deep breath. "Did... Do we ever find mom?"

I pointed at the Plaza Hotel. Thanks to Jessica's intel, we knew that Kilgrave was there. We even knew the room number.

"The mom thing is just another reason that we're... dealing with Kilgrave. He used her to get to us, and we were stupid enough to let him. So now we have to put it right."

She nodded determinedly, following me toward the building. But again, she stopped me.

"I can't go in there yet," she said, bending over, like she was catching her breath. "You have to tell me why I'm here."

I glared at her in confusion. "I just told you, Kilgrave-"

"You're me," she cut me off. "If you're really an Avenger, you could go to your superhero friends and ask them for help with this guy. You asked me for a reason, and I know it's not about killing Kilgrave."

I looked her in the eye, trying to remember how I would react to hearing about the sacrifice.

"There are too many moving parts," I told her. "If I tell you, and then you don't come with us, we can't get anybody back. Rogue, the fate of half the universe is all on your decision. And I'm sorry but I can't take any chances, this is too important."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I don't care what it is - nothing's gonna stop me from saving Nat. I'll do whatever I have to do."

"Even if it meant that... You wouldn't be around to see the future? To meet your husband and daughter?"