Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Fox, X-Men, or Marvel Comics. I am not making money off of this story.

With That

Barbara Conner drove up to Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters. It had been 4 years since she found out her daughter, Marie, was a mutant. 4 years since she saw David suffocating in Marie's room. 4 years since she and her husband kicked Marie out of their house. 4 years since they last spoke to her.

It was about 9 months since Barbara's husband died. 3 months after he died, she realized how wrong she was to have treated Marie the way she had. She could still hear the words she and her husband had said over and over again in her head. "Get out you freak! You're no daughter of ours. Ours was normal. You're dead to us. Get your things and leave!" Marie had packed up and left. When she walked out the door, she turned back around at them one last time, her face wet from tears, with one last glimmer of hope that they would change their minds. They didn't. With that, Marie left and shut the door behind her.

"God, why did I do that?" she constantly asked herself these past 6 months. All those years of love, all of those memories and good times with Marie, she forgot when she discovered her daughter was a mutant. 3 months after her husband died she started searching for Marie, hiring private investigators, etc. It had taken 6 months to find her because she wasn't using the name 'Marie Conner' anymore. Her mother later found out that when she left home, she changed her name to 'Rouge'. After a while at Xavier's school, when she finally learned to control her powers, she changed it back to 'Marie' and used 'Rouge' as her last name.

So here she was, driving up the Xavier's school, waiting to meet with her long-lost daughter. She wasn't sure what to do. Should she wait and see if anyone would come outside and open the gates for her? Or should she press the button and ask someone to buz her in? Just then she heard a beep and the gates were open. Probably some mind-reader figured out she was here and let her in.

A week ago, she called the school and she was told that Marie would agree to meet with her. Although she didn't speak to Marie directly, she spoke to Professor Xavier, who also added that she shouldn't be hopeful.

She sighed and walked to the door. She knocked and a man with glasses so red you couldn't see his eyes opened it. "Come in," he said.

"Thank you," she replied, walking in.

"Right this way."

She followed him into the living room. There, sitting on a couch, was Marie. She looked different from the 16 year old girl her mother last saw her. Other than the white streak of hair in the front, she was a matured 20 year old young woman. She had lost her childhood when she was kicked out of the only home she knew.

For one split-second, Barbara was happy at seeing her daughter and almost smiled. But when she saw Marie's face, a face that showed anger and hurt, she didn't.

"I'll leave you two alone," the man said, leaving.

Marie and Barbara didn't say anything for a few awkward moments. Barbara finally broke the silence. "So, Marie Rouge?"

Marie glared at her. "You and Daddy both killed 'Marie Conner'".

Barbara didn't say anything, shocked by what her daughter just said. It drove a knife through her, realizing the pain she caused her daughter.

"Mama, what are you doing here?" Marie finally asked.

"Looking for you."

"Why? Last time I checked, you said I was dead to you. You wanted nothing to do with me."

"I was wrong, Marie, I'm sorry."

"Sorry's not enough."

Again there was another moment of awkward, tense silence. "How have you been doing?" Barbara asked.

Marie sighed. "Great I guess. I'm finishing my nursing degree at the community college nearby. I'm engaged. His name's Remy. He's from Louisiana. He came here a few months after I did."

Barbara smiled, happy that her daughter was doing great. But Marie's face never changed. It still showed the hurt and anger on it. So she stopped smiling.

"Where's Daddy?" Marie asked.

"He's dead. Heart attack."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She was sorry for Barbara losing her husband, but she could care less about the man she once considered her father. "How long?"

"9 months ago. It was 6 months ago I realized it was wrong the way I treated you."

Marie knew the whole story. How it taken her these last 6 months to find her because she was using a different name, bla, bla, bla. "It took you 3 and a half years to realize you were wrong," she said, in a judging tone.

Barbara knew she had said the wrong thing. "I know now that you didn't mean to hurt David---"

Marie cut her off. "Oh, you now know. It took you 3 and a half years to realize that."

"I'm sorry."

Marie jumped up and walked to the other side of the room. "This can't be fixed with an 'I'm sorry'! When I was on the run, with no where to call home, before I found this place, I was hitchhiking all over the continent. A lot of those drivers were crazy criminals! Some of them tried to kill and rape me! Obviously, the ones who tried to rape me didn't get very far, but that's what you put me through!" She turned her head and saw three women her own age. Barbara guessed they were a few of her friends simply spying on her. "How long have you been there? Kitty, Jubilee, Betsy, leave now!" They ran off.

"I came here to ask if we could forget about the past and move on."

"This isn't something I can just forget! The last 4 years of pain and betrayal!" She stopped, trying to catch her breath. "Although, considering the kind of person you are, it's understandable you want me to forget about the last 4 years. You forgot about the last 16 when you kicked me out!"

Barbara didn't know how to respond to that.

"You wanted me out of your life, that's what you're going to get."

"Oh no."

"And unlike you, I have an actual, real reason." She walked off, but she didn't get far. A man with red hair pulled into a ponytail came downstairs. Marie cried on his shoulder as he embraced her in a comforting hug.

Barbara guessed he was her fiancé. With that, she walked to the door. She turned back around one last time at Marie and her fiancé. "Take good care of my baby for me." Neither of them looked up. "Have a wonderful marriage." She walked out the door and back to her car.

When she got there, she just sat in the car and didn't do anything except cry. Almost yelling at times, why did she do that? Why did she kick her baby girl out? She hated herself more than anything and she could never forgive herself.

She had to move. She couldn't live in her house any longer. Filled with memories of her dead husband and her forever lost daughter. For the past 6 months, she had been taking care of Marie's room in case she found Marie and she wanted to come back home. Before that, the door to the room had been closed for the previous 3 and a half years. When she opened it 3 months after her husband died, it was covered in so much dust and cobwebs it was unbearable. But she cleaned it up and made it habitable.

For the past 6 months, Barbara could look at that room and still stand it because there was always some hope that Marie would be coming back there. Now that hope was gone. She had to move.

With that in mind, Barbara Conner turned the ignition on, and drove off.