Partners in Crime (X-Men ROMY)

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

The next morning Rogue, Remy, Xavier, Logan, Storm and Hank met to discuss what Rogue had learned about Kurt.

Deciding that it was better to know for certain before breaking the news to Kurt, Dr McCoy offered to check Kurt and Mystique's DNA samples. Mystique's DNA was on file with the government after she had been captured, and Remy hacked into to the file for them. Meanwhile, Dr McCoy ran a 'routine' health check on all the kids, and ran an DNA analysis on the blood sample he had taken from Kurt.

The X-Men had some pretty fancy machinery, and Hank had the results by that afternoon. He compared it to the data that Remy had downloaded and the X-Men reconvened after lunch.

"It's true, Kurt is the biological son of Raven Darkholm, better known as Mystique," Dr McCoy announced, in a suitably grave voice.

They then discussed how best to break the news to Kurt, but Rogue kept out of that conversation. She didn't know him so she couldn't say what might be best for him.

In the end they had little choice but to come straight out and tell him, so Kurt was summoned to the professors office.

Kurt sat silently as Xavier explained about Rogue's memory-dream, her suspicions and Henry's DNA test. Sometimes Kurt would look over to Rogue, especially when they talked about her dream, but Rogue kept her eyes firmly fixed on her and Remy's joined hands.

She could only imagine the pain that her revelations were causing him, and while she thought that he deserved to know the truth, that didn't mean that she had to like being the cause of his pain.

Even when they had explained everything to him, Kurt didn't speak.

"I realise this must have come as a bit of a shock to you," the professor said kindly. "We will not tell the others, so it is your choice if you want them to know or not."

Kurt still didn't say anything and his only action was to occasionally look from the professors desk to Rogue and back again.

"Kurt," Storm came forward, wanting to comfort him. She was something of a mother figure to all the children at the institute. "I know this can't be easy but-"

"Can't be easy?" he suddenly asked. "You tell me that my mother is a terrorist who experimented on me as a child then tried to drown me, while she adopted and cared for a daughter who wasn't even her own!"

"She didn't care for me," Rogue spoke up.

"At least she wanted you!"

"Yeah, wanted to use me! She's still trying to kidnap me to use my powers!" Rogue knew that she should calm down, that she was taking her hurt out on the wrong person, but she was on a roll and couldn't. "Just look at the two of us? It may hurt to know what she did, but you got the better deal, okay? At least you're well adjusted, have friends and were adopted by people who actually loved you. I'm a mess. I was traded to Hydra, I have killed people, Kurt, and now I make my living as a professional thief! Is that what you want for your life? I wouldn't wish Mystique on my worst enemy."

"I- I have to go," Kurt said and with a puff of sulphuric smoke, he vanished.

Rogue felt awful. "I'm going for a walk." She dropped Remy's hand and headed for the door.

"Rogue, I must-" the professor began but Rogue cut him of.

"I won't leave the grounds, I just need to be by myself for a while."

 ***

Rogue had found her way to the gazebo that sat by the cliff edge and was looking out over the ocean, her forearms resting on the railing.