"You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel."
-Anonymous
I hate them! They took her away from me! What right do they have to take my daughter from me, turn her into a goody two shoes X-man? Rouge is mine, I can take care of her better than that hack Xavier ever could!
I protected her, made her safe. She is my daughter, my family, and I will not lose her!
… Just like the others, right? …
I'll get her back and away from them, even if I have to kill her.
I could do it. In fact, I already have. Arcade's robots were very convincing, for a few seconds I thought she really
… had died by your hand, the only one of your children who ever loved you, she was dead and you were alone again …
Stupid. I'm not alone, I have Irene. Besides my other children are useless failures. Graydon is just a human, the less said about that the better, and Nightcrawler
… is the person you wanted to raise him to be, the son you always wanted. You weren't the one to raise him though, were you? …
Shut up.
… That's right; you threw him off a cliff to save your own sorry hide …
Shut up.
… from a mob that he wasn't there to protect you from …
Shut up.
… He lied. He said he loved you, the real you. Like the fool you are you actually believed him, believed that he loved you like you loved him …
Shut. Up.
… He looks so much like him, doesn't he? Everything but the color and the fact that he had a happy life, something you could never have given him, no matter how much you wanted to …
SHUT UP! You're lying!
… You can't lie to yourself, no matter how much you want to. There will always be a part of you that knows exactly what you are, what you've become, and what you could have been …
I'm perfectly fine with who I am!
… You're telling this to a voice in your head …
I am not crazy.
… Keep telling yourself that …
Shut up.
AN: This chapter was inspired by a review from webaholic and reading the issue summaries on . See, good things come to those who review.