In The Hands of a Stranger

On Her Own: Part 1

Note: I wrote this story a few years ago after X-Men 3 came out. This was my very first X-Men Fan Fiction.

Rogue shifted nervously in the cab on the way to the airport. She felt like a coward for running away like she did. It wasn't Bobby's fault what happened between them. She wanted to hate him and Kitty for humiliating her like they did, but they weren't to blame. When she saw them kissing near the basketball court in plain sight for everyone to see, she wanted nothing more than to suck them both dry of all their energy. There was one problem. She no longer had her powers. In taking the cure she hoped to become normal again, and she was in a way, but that didn't stop Bobby's betrayal. She felt a sickness in the pit of her stomach. Now all she wanted to do was run.

"Hey, kid," the cab driver said. "We're here. That'll be $9.85."

She handed the cabdriver a ten and said while getting out of the cab, "Keep the change."

"Yea, thanks a lot."

Rogue threw her duffel bag over her shoulder and entered the airport. She saw that the airport wasn't that crowded and that was good because she hated crowds, especially before she lost her powers. She wondered now if she really gave them up for herself or for Bobby. After the way things turned out she wondered.

She walked up to the ticket booth and waited her turn. There were two people in front of her, a young mother in her early twenties with a little boy around three years old. He was throwing a temper tantrum while the mother was yelling at him to stop. There was an old man approaching the ticket booth. She could overhear him.

"I just got to get to Chicago, my daughter havin' her first baby."

"Sorry, sir, the only flight that's available leaves tomorrow morning."

"I'll take it," he said in defeat.

It seemed like an eternity before it was her turn. When she reached the ticket booth, the woman asked, "Where to?" Rogue wasn't paying any attention. "Excuse me, ma'am," she said louder.

"Huh," Rogue said finally coming back down to earth. "Say somethin'?"

"Where would you like to go?" The woman mouthed the words sarcastically.

"Ah don't know? Where's, good?" she asked.

The woman pointed to the board. Rogue wanted the get out of there fast. She wanted to put as much distance between her and Bobby as possible. She saw that the next flight left in ten minutes.

"Um, New Orleans, please," she said.

"Leaving at gate 5," the woman said. "Have a nice flight." The tone of the woman's voice infuriated Rogue. The way she was feeling she might have absorbed her just to teach her a lesson, but again she remembered she didn't have her powers anymore.

She picked up her bag with her ticket in hand and ran as fast as she could to gate five. She didn't want to miss her flight. On entering the plane she wondered what would happen to her now. She wasn't that scared little girl she was when she first came to the institute. She had been protected and cared for there. It was at a time in her life that she needed it the most. That structure was now gone and the prospects of life on her own terrified her.

The flight was somewhat uneventful. She took the time to think about what she was going to do. She had enough money to live on for the next couple of months or so if she didn't go crazy, but money wasn't her first concern. What would she do with herself? It seemed like she was in the same situation she was in last time except now she didn't have her powers.

In a few hours the plane landed. The flight attendant gave her a strange look. Rogue thought it must have been the white streak in her hair. She wasn't born that way, but that's what she told people. It was much easier than trying to explain what really happened. Then she thought who would believe a bizarre story like that.

When she exited the airport she tried her best to flag down a cab. She had no set plan when she came here; it was more of a whim. She needed to find a hotel to stay in until she figured out what to do. Finally she saw a cab. She ran as fast as she could. She caught up with it at a stop light and practically ran right in front of it.

"Ya crazy, girl," the cabby yelled, sticking his head halfway out the window.

"Sorry, but ah need a ride real bad."

"Get in," he said. As she was entering the cab she heard him grumbling something but she couldn't make it out. "Where to, kid?"

"Nearest hotel," she said, "but not too expensive."

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled.

The ride lasted all of ten minutes. Rogue paid her fare and looked at the place. Shea Motel, not the nicest place she ever seen but it would do. She saw an old drunk walking towards the front steps. He almost fell over on top of her. She jumped back startled. She wasn't sure if the guy really scared her, or if she just wasn't used to touching people yet. The Motel looked like one of those old brownstones like she saw in New York, but this one was a lot more run-down. She walked up the three stone steps to the entrance door and made her way inside. It didn't look like much from the outside but at least it looked fairly clean on the inside.

She walked up to the front desk where she saw a woman looking to be in her forties smoking a cigar.

"Ah'd like a room, please," she said.

"Yeah, honey, whatever your pleasure."

She could tell the woman wasn't a native. She didn't have any kind of accent at all. "Hey, Burn," she shouted. "Get the lady's bags."

"Ah, Sally, don' yah see we's playin' cards."

"Just get your worthless Cajun ass over here."

"Yeah, 'kay."

"It's alright, only got one," Rogue said.

"Okay, sweetie, here's your key. Burn'll show ya to your room." Sally was still waiting for him. "Burn!" she shouted. "What I tell ya."

He growled a bit. "Let's be goin', girly."

Burn escorted Rogue to her room. She was grateful because all she wanted to do now was sleep. She didn't even bother unpacking. She just plopped down on the bed and fell asleep still in her traveling clothes. She was so tired that she didn't even notice that she left the door wide open.