Destiny's Gift
An X-Men Story
By: Cami L. Benham

Disclaimer:  All characters are copyright Marvel Comics.  The following is
a work of fan fiction, and it is not the intent of the author to supersede
said copyright.

Muir Island Research Center

"Ah, perfect!" exclaimed Kurt Wagner as he put the finishing touches on
his creation.

"What is, fuzzy elf?" came the comment from Kitty Pryde as she finished
phasing through the wall, her dragon Lockheed flying in through the
doorway right next to her.  Since discovering her mutant ability a few
years ago, she found walking through a doorway rather....ordinary.  With
his own ability to teleport from one place to another with a thought and a
"Bamf!" Kurt understood.

Before Kurt could answer, Kitty noticed what he was doing, "I didn't know
you could bake!"

"It is but one of many talents, Katzchen," he answered, "And finished just
in time for Bishop to take back to Westchester with him."

"You knew he was leaving so you baked him a cake?"  Kitty said with a
grin.

Kurt laughed at that, "Nein.  But I doubt he has a sweet tooth anyway."

Kitty was about to ask again about the cake when something about it seemed
familiar to her.  Maybe the size - about twice the size of a cupcake. Yes,
that was it.  But where...?  Then she remembered.......


A Few Years Ago
Westchester County, New York

Kitty Pryde walked out of the kitchen, holding a mug of coffee and
yawning.  It was Saturday - that meant a break from classes.  And there
also seemed to be a break from trying to save the world without getting
killed in the process.  She took a sip of the coffee, glad no one was
around to see her grimace.  She didn't see what the appeal of it was,
anyway.  She'd prefer a mug of hot chocolate, but that was a kid's drink,
and since she was an X-Man, and not part of the X-Babies (what she called
the New Mutants), she couldn't be seen drinking it.  

She thought about what she was going to do today.  She thought about
calling up her friend, Doug Ramsey, and hitting the arcades in the Salem
Center mall.  Or convincing Peter to go on an afternoon picnic.  In either
case, she wanted to get away from the mansion and most of its inhabitants
for awhile.  They were okay, but sometimes, she liked to get away from it
all.

Just then, the doorbell rang.  "I'll get it," came the voice of Rahne
Sinclair as Kitty walked into the main room.  She opened the door and
looked up at the a delivery man, holding a package.

"Uh, I got a package for someone here,"  he said, "Is there an adult
around to sign for it?"

"Who's it for?"  Rahne asked, a tad annoyed.  It was further proof that
she looked like what she was, the youngest resident in the mansion.

He looked at the delivery slip, "Doesn't say.  Just says it's from someone
named Irene Adler."

"I'll sign for it," Kurt said as he walked up, using the image inducer
created by Tony Stark to hide his blue skin, pointed ears, and tail.  He
signed the form the delivery man had on a clipboard as Rahne held onto the
package.

"What do you think it is?"  she asked after Kurt closed the door and
turned off the image inducer.

"Irene Adler - that's Destiny,"  Kitty offered.

"Did Ah hear someone say Destiny sent a package?" 

All three mutants looked up as Rogue walked down the stairs.  Kurt studied
her face - it looked like she was trying to hide a hopeful expression. 
But for what? he wondered.  He could never be sure anymore.  Rogue had
been with them for a few months now, and though the others were still wary
of trusting her, Kurt found himself liking her, and believing that she was
changing from the girl who was once a member of the Brotherhood of Evil
Mutants, that she was telling the truth when she said she was sorry for
what she did to Carol Danvers.

"Yeah," came Kitty, "And you can forget it - whatever your Brotherhood
teammates are sending you, you're not gonna use it to destroy us!"  Before
anyone could react, Kitty snatched the package from Rahne's small hands.

"If she sent it, it's mine," Rogue said, reaching for the item.  Her hand
passed right through it, "You phased!" she said.

"That's right," Kitty said, "You're not going to get it."

"It's not what ya think it is, Kitty," Rogue said.  

"Oh?  How would you know, unless you were expecting it?"  Kitty then,
still phased, ripped off the brown wrapper surrounding the box, and opened
it up.  Inside was a strangely small chocolate cake, with chocolate
frosting and only a series of dots for decoration on top.

"Looks good," said Rahne.

"Shows what you know,"  Kitty retorted, knowing she probably shouldn't. 
Out of all the New Mutants, Rahne, because of her age and upbringing, was
more sensitive to the attitude Kitty seemed to have around them.  Right
now, Kitty didn't really care, "It's probably a disguised bomb or
something."

Rogue saw what she was about to do, "Kitty, don't!"

"Why so scared, Rogue?" Kitty said, "What am I gonna find inside?"  She
then took her free hand and smashed it into the cake, hoping her luck
would stay with her and she wouldn't get blown up while in her phased
state.  To her surprise, there was nothing - it really was just a small,
two-layered cake.  She looked at Rogue, who was trying her best not to
show how upset she was.

"You see, Kitty,"  Rogue said, her mood showing, "All it was was a little
cake.  No bomb, no secret message, just a cake.  Now it's just a mess." 
With that, she ran upstairs, Kurt, Kitty, and Rahne looking on.

"I dinnae ken why she's so upset,"  Rahne said.

"My fault,"  said Kitty, "But what does she expect?  Does she really think
we'll be able to trust her?"

"You still went too far, Liebschen,"  Kurt said.

Kitty looked at the mess she had made, "I suppose I'd better go clean up. 
Don't worry, I'll stay phased til I get to the bathroom."

"After that, you and I will have a talk, Katzchen,"  Kurt warned, in a
rarely used tone that said he was serious.

*****

Later, Rogue was sitting up on the rooftop.  It was the place on the
estate where she could think the best.  Only a few of the other residents
could reach her without using a ladder.  She knew she could probably go in
the rec room to think, and they wouldn't bother her.  She had come to this
place three months before, pleading to Professor Charles Xavier to help
her control her mutant power, to help stop her from going insane.  His
decision to let her did not go over well with the X-Men, all of whom
almost quit when he made it clear that not only was he not going to turn
her away, but she was going to become part of the team.  The New Mutants
picked up on that distrust when they were formed. That left her alone in a
houseful of people.  Now, she was beginning to realize that she couldn't
return to her old life, that she couldn't be a part of Mystique's
Brotherhood, at least not without giving up everything she had learned
about herself while under Xavier's care.  

The smell of smoke and brimstone appeared behind her, and the accompanying
sound of "bamf!" signaled the arrival of someone on the rooftop, "Go away,
Nightcrawler," she said.

"I wanted to see how you were doing, Fraulien,"  he said in his usual
pleasant voice.

"Ah'm surprised anyone around here cares," she said, not bringing herself
to look at him, praying he'd go away before he noticed she'd been crying.

"You'd be surprised, Rogue," Kurt said, sitting down beside her, "Besides,
I've always been one to believe that no one should spend their birthday
alone."

She looked at him, her surprise evident in both her expression and her
voice, "How'd ya know?"

"I looked up the design that was on top of the cake,"  Kurt answered, "The
Braille number for eighteen.  Destiny's blind, and she sent the cake - the
rest was just guesswork."  There was a pause before he added, "You never
mentioned it, though."

"Do ya blame me?"  Rogue asked, "None of y'all trust me.  Kitty still
thinks Ah'm here to spy on the X-Men for Mystique, Storm looks at me like
Ah'm gonna steal someone's powers permanently again, Wolvie's come close
to killin' me in the Danger Room, and Colossus hardly says a word ta me."

"You must have known that would happen, Rogue,"  Kurt said, "Carol did
most of her recovering after your attack on her here.  You attacked us in
the Pentagon, and the team you once belonged to tried to assassinate the
professor and Senator Kelly."

"Ah know,"  Rogue said, "Just didn't think it'd hurt as much is all."

"So you decided not to mention about today,"  Kurt said.

"Ah was hoping Ah'd be able to forget about it mahself,"  Rogue said,
wondering why she was admitting this to a man she didn't think would care
one way or the other.  But then, Kurt always confused her.  He was as cold
to her as everyone else at first, but while she was recovering from
injuries when the team was in Japan, he had begun to warm up to her a
little.  "If Destiny hadn't'a sent me mah cake, Ah might've succeeded."

"Sounds like she's made it for you before."  Kurt observed.

"Destiny lived with me an' Mystique,"  Rogue told him, "Because of mah
powers and Mystique being busy all the time, Ah didn't really have any
friends.  So Ah dreaded mah birthday. The first year Ah was with Mystique,
Ah told that to Destiny.  She was always easier to talk ta than Mystique
was, and always tried to make me feel like Ah was the same as any other
kid 'cept for mah power.  And on mah birthday, she made me mah own special
cake, just like the one she sent me t'day.  She's done it every year
since."

"And you didn't think she would this year until the package came,"  Kurt
finished, understanding, "And now you won't get it at all because Kitty
ruined it.  I'm sorry, Rogue."

"That's alright,"  Rogue said, "It doesn't matter, anyway."

"But it does,"  Kurt said, "Otherwise we wouldn't be up here talking about
it."

"Why -did- ya come up here, anyway, Nightcrawler?"  she asked.

"I thought you needed a friend,"  Kurt answered.

"That's a laugh,"  she said defensively, "None of y'all like me, or trust
me."

"Perhaps it's time someone did,"  Kurt answered, "I'm willing to give it a
shot if you are."

"Ya got a deal, Elf," Rogue said, smiling as they saw another delivery
truck start to pull into the school.  While Kurt teleported down, she flew
down to the back of the house, and in through an open window.  But the
time they got to the front door, Kitty was already there, looking at the
same delivery man as before.

"Uh, I was sure I delievered this already,"  he said, handing the package
to Kitty, "I don't need the signature.  Just take it.  I don't want to see
it."  He then ran off, spooked.

"It's another package from Destiny,"  Kitty said, looking at Rogue, "Maybe
you should open this one."  She then handed it to Rogue.

Rogue opened it, and inside was a mini-cake identical to the one Destiny
had sent a few hours ago.  Also inside was a note.  Rogue took it out, and
read it out loud, "I knew you would not be able to join us today, so I'm
sending this to Xavier's.  Since you wouldn't be able to enjoy it right
away, I sent another one ahead of this, so this one will make it to you
without problems.  You will get a greater gift - embrace it.  Destiny."

"Does that mean the delivery guy's coming back?"  Kitty said, "I have a
feeling he already thinks something strange is going on in this house."

"No, Ah don't think he's comin' back," Rogue said, "Ah think Ah know what
Destiny's talkin' about."

*****

Caldecott County, Mississippi
Today

The young woman known as Rogue entered the abandoned house by the river. 
Last time she had been in Caldecott County, she never made it inside the
house.  In a way she was glad - as it was, she couldn't bring herself to
return to the spot she -did- make it to, and this was something she
admitted to herself she'd waiting long enough to do.

"Destiny?"  she called into the air, "It's me.  Ah know ya gotta be here,
'cause you know this is where Ah'll be looking for ya.  Ah don't know
where Mystique buried ya after ya died, but Ah know you'll make it here to
listen to what Ah haveta say.

"Ah got a gift yesterday, for mah birthday.  It's from Kurt.  Ah know ya
knew his connection ta Mystique.  Now that we know, too, we're tryin' ta
be family ta each other, even more than when we were just teammates.  He
made me one'a your special birthday cakes.  Wasn't as good as yours, but
it was the thought, and you always added somethin' special to yours.

"Ah never got to say this when ya were alive, but Ah always 'preciated
everything ya did for me.  You did just as much to raise me as Mystique
did.  Ya made me feel special, not 'cause Ah was a mutant, but because Ah
was me.

"Ah always wondered why ya didn't stop me when I went after Ms. Marvel. 
Did ya know what would happen?  Did ya see far enough into that future to
know that it'd lead me where it did?  Ya were a precog - ya had'a know
Ah'd leave Momma an' you.  Ah've wondered more than once if, in your own
way, ya sent me to the X-Men.  More'n anything else, Ah learned ta like
mahself, an' let others like me.  Ya always wanted me ta be happy, and Ah
wasn't really happy til I joined the X-men.

"Ah'm looking up, 'cause Ah know ya made it to heaven.  It doesn't make a
difference what ya did the rest of the time - ya made a difference in mah
life, and that beats all the bad things ya did with Momma.  Ah just want
ta say, thank you."

*****Finis*****