Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sound of her own sigh sounded loud in the confines of her helmet, the ship completely quiet as it moved in its route to nowhere in particular, slowly moving through space, the faraway stars reflecting on the glass of the cockpit. She thought about taking off her helmet, taking the heavy thing from her head and resting for a moment after her quick escape, but she didn't.

Instead, Rogue looked behind herself, to the egg that sat carefully on the passenger seat of the ship's cockpit. The same egg that she had just risked her own life to save, for whatever reason.

The egg was nestled carefully in warm blankets to keep it from getting cold — space wasn't really warm and cozy, even if the ship kept some of its cold away —, and as Rogue stared at it, she felt like it was staring back. It was a complete bullshit feeling, especially considering it was an egg, but the feeling was there, just like it had been from the moment she had first seen it.

Rogue had met telepaths before, had felt what their power was like, and it somehow resembled the feeling of a telepath's mind lazily hovering above hers, projecting feelings apparently without its knowledge. It had been curious when Rogue approached it, and it had been terrified when the bounty android raised its gun to kill whatever was inside that egg. Maybe that was the moment where Rogue shifted, where she decided that she needed to break the Code and what caused her to go back for the egg. That terrified feeling, that dread she felt that wasn't her own — they all felt like a child's emotions.

Maybe it was feeling the weird relief coming from the egg when Rogue held it again and fought those Stormtroopers, running to her ship to flee Navarro while the other Mandalorians fought. Either way, the feeling was there, that quiet projecting of emotions.

That feeling of being watched, the notion that, whatever that egg was, it was looking at Rogue, kept her from taking off the helmet and allowing her face to be visible.

With a deep breath, Rogue made sure the ship was on autopilot, hitting the old panel of the Razor Crest a few times before it actually worked, getting up from her seat to kneel in front of the egg, taking it from its makeshift nest and holding it in her hands. It wasn't too heavy, although not incredibly light either, and nothing about it seemed strange. Its surface was a very light lilac, smooth and with no marks, and Rogue had no idea where it had come from or what was inside it, but she knew it was apparently very valuable. 

"Why would they want you so bad?" Rogue mumbled under her breath, gloved fingers brushing against the smooth surface. "What's inside of you, little guy?"

The egg, unsurprisingly, didn't answer, but the feeling of being watched never left. There was a quiet sense of satisfaction at being held coming from it, making Rogue raise her eyebrows under the helmet.

"Whatever you are, you seem powerful."

With a quiet click of her tongue , Rogue placed the egg back in the safety of the makeshift nest, wondering what she'd do now with that thing. Surely taking it to her jobs would put the egg in more danger than it already was before, and there was always the danger that the people who were looking for it would find Rogue.

"Lord Essex will be pleased to have this back," the  man who had hired Rogue had said as he held the egg before, Rogue's eyes following his every movement as the egg seemed to dread its destiny now. "This will be of great use for the Empire- you have no idea, Mando."

Rogue had stayed silent, had held back the urge to point out the Empire had died when the Emperor did, but what did Rogue know? Politics wasn't exactly her thing.

As she sat back at her chair, ready to try to rest her eyes and her weary body, there was a muffle noise resembling movement behind her that made her turn quickly, wondering if the egg had accidentally fallen from the chair, only to halt her movements as she sat there facing an exact copy of herself with no armor on — and no clothes either, for that matter. 

She blinked a few times, her copy blinking back, like a strange and horrifying mirror. When Rogue reached for her blaster, the copy shrieked. Rogue once again couldn't move as she witnessed her copy turning into the egg again, projecting a slight fear now and making Rogue do nothing but stare.

What the hell had just happened?

Rogue got up again, taking careful steps towards the egg and kneeling in front of it as many questions crossed her mind: What was that thing? How had it done what it did? And, most importantly, how did it know Rogue's face?

When that quiet fear hit Rogue's mind again, Rogue guessed the answer for the last question. Whatever that egg was, it had taken Rogue's image from her mind, somehow copying it. With a sigh and a quiet pang of worry, Rogue moved her hands to take off her helmet — it knew her face already, the helmet was basically nothing at this point, but it didn't feel less like she had just broken a rule as she revealed her face. The egg seemed curious now.

"Alright," she mumbled, pursing her lips and moving a little, uncomfortable. "Show yourself."

For a moment, nothing happened, and Rogue thought that maybe that had been a bad idea. Before she could think too much about it, however, the egg changed again, and suddenly there it was, Rogue's copy, not completely bare this time around as they wrapped themselves in one of the blankets that made the egg's nest. 

There was silence for a moment more before Rogue blurted out a quiet, "Hi."

The copy blinked, looking down at Rogue with wide eyes, before they smiled.

"Hello," the copy said in Rogue's voice.

"Hello," Rogue ended up saying again, too stunned to think about something else.

"Hello," the copy repeated, the smile still on their lips. Rogue shook her head, as if she had just been in a trance.

"Right," Rogue cleared her throat, running a hand over her face and trying to keep her head clear so she wouldn't completely freak out. "Right. Who are you? What's your name?"

The copy frowned for a quick second, making Rogue frown with them. They seemed to be thinking about something, their telepathy showing the slight wave of thoughts crossing their mind.

"Xandra," they said after a while, nodding like they were sure of their answer. "And you're Rogue- Or is it Mando? Or Anna-Marie?"

Rogue leaned back a bit at the mention of her name, her jaw clenching as Xandra raised their eyebrows. 

"You can't read other people's minds like that," she said in a strained voice, seeing Xandra frown at the words. "An' you can't- Ah'm sorry but you can't take that form either."

Xandra looked down at themselves, at the form of Rogue she was imitating, before giving a the Mandalorian a short nod and mumbling a quiet "Alright".

Rogue watched with wide eyes as Xandra changed, their body shifting into light and changing its form until Rogue was staring at someone completely different now. That body was slightly shorter than Rogue's, younger too, child-like features making their face soft. Xandra now had what looked like feathers forming their hair and their eyes were now pink, staring down at Rogue as if looking for approval. Rogue felt the start of a headache.

What had she gotten herself into?

"Good," Rogue nodded, seeing Xandra smile at her again. 

"The people that you saved me from- I saw my parents' faces through their minds," Xandra explained, shrugging as if everything that was happening was completely normal. "I'm their child, so I should look like them, right? Although you don't look like the ladies that raised you before-"

"Ok, stop." Rogue raised her hand, Xandra closing their mouth and looking a little startled at Rogue now. "Alright, here's a few rules if we're going to do this. Rule number one: no reading anyone's minds without explicit permission or unless it's an emergency."

Xandra seemed to hesitate, but nodded either way.

"What's rule number two?" Rogue paused at those words.

"Ah'll think about it later," she ended up saying, Xandra nodding obediently again. "You mentioned your parents- Do you know where they are?"

Xandra shook their head, making Rogue sigh. When Xandra's voice sounded again, it was quieter.

"I've never met them. I don't think they're alive."

The silence of the ship suddenly felt heavy, Xandra's words echoing inside Rogue's head as Xandra looked away. They seemed unsure on how to feel about the information they had just given Rogue, like they didn't know if they should be sad or not about their parents' deaths when they hadn't even known their parents in the first place. 

Rogue sighed for what felt like the hundredth time, pinching the bridge of her nose before nodding. 

"Ok," she said, Xandra's gaze going back to her. "We'll… We'll figure out what to do. You can stick with me for now, until we find somewhere safe for you."

Xandra smiled once again, warm. "Thank you, Anna-Marie."

"Rule number two," Rogue said quickly, eyebrows raised at Xandra as they leaned back a little, probably sensing the urgency in Rogue's mind. "Only call me Mando. Rogue if you must. An' never turn into me. How Ah look will be our secret, alright?"

Xandra nodded. Rogue nodded back.

"Good," Rogue said with a deep exhale. "Any questions?"

Xandra seemed to think for a moment before they nodded. Rogue waited for their next words.

"Do you have any food?"

All eyes seemed to turn towards Rogue when she entered the shady cantina with Xandra right behind her. If it was up to her, Rogue wouldn't have stopped in that forgotten little planet to eat, but Xandra's reaction to the dried food Rogue kept inside the Razor Crest had caused her to stop.

"No, no, it's good," Xandra had tried to argue after Rogue had sighed and looked for the closest populated planet to make a stop. "I can eat this, it's great!"

"Sugah, you're a bad liar," Rogue had answered, and the wave of embarrassment that hit her made her smile under the helmet. 

Now, Rogue passed through the other patrons as Xandra followed closely, a quiet thrum of nervousness and curiosity coming from them that Rogue hoped was only being projected to her and not to the other people around.

They sat at a table in the back, Rogue's eyes examining the place one last time before relaxing. No threats for what she could see, only tired people all around the place, eating and drinking as a band played in the background. It was a small planet for what Rogue had seen, probably only used as a stop for cargo ships and people traveling through the galaxy to refill their ships or get out of space for a few hours. Anonymous enough for it to be safe.

She ordered the food for Xandra, deciding she'd eat only when they were back at the ship. Xandra had seen her face already, so she'd be able to take the helmet off to eat as the Razor Crest cruised on autopilot. As Xandra ate the food with more enthusiasm than they had eaten the dried food, Rogue allowed herself to let her mind wander towards what she'd do now, where to take Xandra so they could be safe and away from the Imperialists. Lost in her mind, Rogue was startled as a cup was placed loudly next to her on the table, watching with eyes wide under her helmet as a man sat on a free chair and smirked at her. She got the strange urge to punch him immediately.

"A Mandalorian- And wit' full Beskar armor!" The man said very loudly, a few eyes turning to them. Rogue definitely wanted to strangle him for bringing so much attention to them. "Now, thas somethin'."

"What d'you want?" Rogue's voice was hard, displeased, but the man seemed to smile wider at her as if he couldn't catch the clear message for him to fuck off.

"And you, petit?" He kept going, completely ignoring Rogue's words and looking at Xandra now, who seemed surprised he was talking to them. "I don' think I've ever seen someone quite like you. Maybe those Shi'ar folks, but I could be wrong."

"My mother was Shi'ar," Xandra said with a nod of their head, making Rogue frown. "Majestrix Lilandra Neramani."

That… that was new information for Rogue. She had never had the chance of meeting the Shi'ar, had stayed away from their home planet considering the mess it was since their government was still being led by representatives of the Empire. The Rebels hadn't been able to free the planet yet, the hold of the Empire on them too strong. Even so, Rogue knew who Lilandra Neramani was: the last Majestrix, killed by the Empire when it rose to power. It made no sense that Xandra was her child, and yet Rogue knew they weren't lying.

Although, if Xandra was a Neramani, that meant Xandra was-

"You're royalty?" The man asked, clearly surprised.

As more eyes turned to them, Rogue felt like that place wasn't safe anymore. 

"Sugah, eat up," Rogue said to Xandra quickly, seeing their pink eyes widen a little bit at the urgency in her voice. "We need to leave soon. An' you," Rogue turned, pointing at the man who only looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Get out."

"Now, now- thas very mean, chère. You'll break my heart."

"Ah'll break more than that if you don' leave."

To her surprise, the man didn't seem phased by that, pouting and getting up from the chair with his eyes on Rogue the whole time. 

"You didn't even ask for my name."

"Ah don' want to know."

"Remy LeBeau," he said with a smirk, turning around with a flourish and walking away with his hips swaying from side to side. "Or Gambit- Dealer's choice! I'll see you again, Mando. And t'was nice meeting you, petit."

"Bye!" Xandra waved their hand, a smile on their lips. "Why did you make him go? He was very nice."

Rogue stared at Xandra for a moment, seeing their pink eyes on her as they waited for the answer to their question. 

"Jus' eat," Rogue mumbled, wanting to run a hand across her face. "We need to be back on the ship as fast as possible."

To Xandra's credit, they did eat a little faster, filling their cheeks with food and munching on it awkwardly before swallowing in such a childish way that Rogue wondered how old Xandra was. They had a young face, a teenager maybe, although their actions resembled the ones of a child. But then again, hours ago Xandra was an egg, and then a copy of Rogue herself — maybe logic didn't fully apply to them.

The whole time, Rogue could see a few eyes on them, on Xandra specifically, as the atmosphere of the place shifted. The small planet they were in was a place where many people from across the galaxy could land, didn't matter who they were or what they did. Rogue could guess some weren't all that nice, who'd hear the world of royalty around and would try to take advantage of it. Each second that passed only gave them more time to think of how to get to Xandra.

When Xandra finished their food, licking their lips a little to clean them, Xandra looked up at Rogue with an urgent look.

"We should leave right this moment," they mumbled, although they didn't give Rogue any more details on why — it was easy enough to guess that they had picked on some no-good thoughts.

Rogue paid for the food, the tension only growing as they moved towards the exit, not even the cheery music playing being able to help it. Outside, the street was dimly lit, barely any good visibility, and Rogue moved her hand to her blaster as she walked with long steps towards where the Razor Crest was parked, Xandra following suit. 

She wasn't fast enough, she noticed, when a group of people showed up in front of her, blocking the path. She didn't even need to look around to know she had no way out of that without a fight — they were surrounded. 

"Give us the girl," a man said in front of Rogue, his voice hard and demanding. "And maybe you can leave in peace, Mandalorian."

Behind Rogue, Xandra got closer and held Rogue's arm tightly, a quiet wave of fear coming from her. 

"Right," Rogue scoffed, hand tightening around her blaster. "Get out of mah way an' maybe you will leave alive."

Before the men could even start to move towards them, whoever, something happened. Rogue watched with a frown as something shiny flew into the men in front of her, exploding upon hitting them and sending them falling backwards — if they were dead or alive, Rogue couldn't tell. The cause for those explosions came out of the shadows seconds later as everyone around looked confused, and Rogue found herself groaning as Remy appeared under the dim lights, standing with a silver staff in one hand and playing with what looked like a playing card with the other. His giant grin was maybe the more upsetting thing about him.

"Hello again," he said, his voice making Rogue want to pull her blaster and shoot him unconscious. "Need some help, chère?"

"Yes," Xandra said before Rogue could say something. Remy's eyebrows rose for a moment as his smile widened.

"No."

One of the men tried advancing, but Rogue was faster, drawing her blaster and shooting right at the man's heart and making him fall limply to the floor. Remy's red eyes followed the now dead man before looking at Rogue again.

"You're not so bad, Mando."

"Shut up," was all Rogue was able to say before the fight broke.

Although Rogue was good enough with the blaster and body combat, stronger than any of the men she was facing, she couldn't help but look at Remy as he fought, noticing the staff he had in his hands. It had been silver before the fight, Rogue was sure of that, but now it shone with a pink hue as Remy used it. Curiously, one hit from the thing seemed to be the equivalent of a punch from Rogue, and she wondered what kind of power was that. 

It was an easy fight, Rogue would've been able to handle that without Remy with no problem, but the man's presence did make it easier and quicker. Now, a few men laid groaning on the ground as others were silent after dying. Xandra, for all Rogue could see, was unharmed.

"We make a great team, don' we, Mando?" Remy said, his staff slowly turning back to the silver it was before as he walked towards Rogue. He seemed very exhilarated. "You wit' your blaster and that punch that sent that poor bastard flying, and me wit' my staff and great looks-"

"You're done?" 

Remy stopped, rolling his eyes. He took a mocking bow before saying, "You're welcome. Did you a favor, after all."

Rogue stiffened as she heard his words, hearing just how he emphasized the word "favor'' and realizing just what the man probably would say next.

"What do you want?" She rasped out, the quiet smile that showed on his lips showing her that she had been right about his intentions on helping them. "If you're looking for money-"

"He wants a ride," Xandra said suddenly, making Rogue turn as Remy's red eyes turned to them with what looked like surprise. "He wants us to take him out of this planet."

"How-"

"Xandra, what was rule number one?" Rogue asked. Xandra's pink eyes widened.

"He wasn't in on the rules so I thought-" They started, their voice a quiet whisper for only Rogue to hear as their cheeks turned pink. "Sorry, I didn't know."

"Well, either way, th' Shi'ar royal there is right." Rogue turned to Remy again, seeing him place his staff at his back, face more serious now. "Did you a favor, Mando. Do me one and help me leave this God forsaken planet."

"An' why would Ah do that? Ah don' know you."

"Would you like to?"

The grin on his lips and the blatant flirting made Rogue want to shoot him again, but she stopped herself. 

"No." Rogue's word was final, a quiet surprise crossing Remy's face at it. "Let's go, Sugah."

"Wait, but Rogue-"

"I'll pay!" Remy tried, following Rogue as she walked away from him with Xandra. "Whatever price you want to do this."

"If you could pay you wouldn't be here still."

Remy went silent for a second. "Touché."

"He should come with us!" Xandra said more urgently, making Rogue stop to look at them, all three of them coming to a halt at it.

"An' why's that?"

"Because he needs help," Xandra shrugged, their voice clamer now. They seemed sure of their words. "I'm- I'm not reading his mind anymore, I promise! But he needs our help, he's desperate-"

"I wouldn't put it like that, petit-"

"And you help people!"

"Ah don' help people."

"You helped me." Xandra's lips tugged up into a quiet smile, charming — dangerously charming, Rogue could argue as she felt herself wanting to give in to their logic. "And I've looked into your mind earlier, I know you do want to help others. Here's your chance."

Rogue stared at them, seeing the hopeful look in their eyes before looking at Remy again. He tried a smile as he noticed Rogue was looking at him, making her sigh. 

Xandra would be the death of her. 

"Don' think Ah'm not able to kill you," she grunted, turning around to finally reach the Razor Crest so they could leave that place. "Bother me one time an' see what happens."

She could almost hear the grin he had on as he said, "Don' threaten me wit' a good time, chère."

Rogue should've known better than believing she'd be rid of Remy once they reached another planet. This one had been vastly populated, busy cities and spaceports everywhere, and Rogue had wondered if leaving Xandra there would be a good call; the kid did seem to like the city they were in, even if it smelled and its people were very easily irritated — Xandra seemed to be very enthusiastic about anything, making Rogue wonder how quickly it would take for them to realize how bad of a place that was if they were left there.

In the end, she wasn't able to leave Xandra there as she found remnants of imperial forces still active on the planet. They'd find Xandra and take them at the first chance they got. Rogue had made quick work of getting money on the planet, an easy bounty here, a game of chance that she won there; it wasn't long until they were going back to the Razor Crest. She could feel a sigh wanting to leave her mouth when she saw Remy leaning against the ship, playing with his deck cards like he seemed to regularly do.

"You can find 'nother ship to take you where you wanna go," she rasped out, starting to get up the walkway up the Razor Crest. "Have a nice travel."

"I was thinkin', Mando," he started, hand grabbing Rogue's arm before she pulled it free from his touch. "You were alert th’ whole time we were here, tryin' to protect Xandra, I believe. I could stay and, well, help."

"Not a chance."

"Oh, come on, Mando- You already know I can fight." Rogue tried to move up the walkway again, being stopped by Remy as he ran up and stopped in front of her, his hands raised in a quiet act of surrender, showing he didn't want to fight. "I can be of help, and wit' a Shi'ar royal accompanying you, I believe you'll need it. I can see that you know someone will try to get to Xandra."

"I'd like him to stay," Xandra said behind her, unhelpfully.

"Ah don' work with groups, Cajun," she managed to say, seeing Remy rolling his eyes at the word she used. It wasn't hard to figure out which planet Remy had come from after a while listening to the accent. "You wanted a ride to a nearby populated planet, Ah brought you here- Deal's over."

"You'll need me," Remy insisted, eyebrows shooting up at his words.

"An' why would Ah need you?"

"Because," Remy grinned, teeth showing as he looked down at Rogue, "there's a group of Stormtroopers headin' this way right now."

Rogue frowned deeply, hearing someone shouting "Hey!" from somewhere behind her. The look in Remy's eyes was enough to show her he wasn't lying. 

"Mandalorian, stay where you are!" The stranger's voice said again. Rogue felt Xandra's hands grabbing her arm. 

"Let me stay and I'll blow them up," Remy quickly offered.

"Do it from the goodness in your heart an' jus' help us escape." 

"And stay behind wit' a bunch of pissed off imperial Stormtroopers? Now, chère, I'm not a lunatic." The steps of the Stormtroopers were louder now, getting closer. Xandra's grip was bruisingly tight. "Accept th' deal."

Rogue clenched her jaw under her helmet, glaring at Remy with all the strength she could muster before nodding. Remy's grin widened, a glint in his red eyes before he fanned the deck of playing cards in his hand. 

"Petit, get inside th' ship," Remy said, annoyingly confident and joyful as he kept staring at Rogue as she stared back. "Time for th' adults to play."

Rogue moved away from Remy as he saw Xandra run past them, Remy's arm moving as his cards started shining with that pinkish hue that took over his staff when he used it. She watched the cards fly towards the Stormtroopers, landing perfectly at their feet and exploding with a loud noise. As people started to run around in panic and started to block the Stormtroopers path, Rogue turned to enter the Razor Crest to get to the pilot's seat.

She heard another explosion behind her as she ran, getting up to the cockpit and pausing for a second as she noticed the passenger seat was occupied by an egg. Xandra had turned again.

"Don' worry, Sugah. We'll get you out of here," she muttered, taking a quick moment to secure the egg before starting the ship. "Hopefully the Cajun will really be of help."

As she said that, there was another explosion and the sounds of quick steps entering the ship. Rogue took it as her cue to close the Razor Crest to avoid letting anyone else enter, noticing as Remy arrived at the cockpit with a manic chuckle leaving his lips and looked around for a second.

"Pilot this thing, Mando!" He mumbled as he stumbled his way to the passenger seat, stopping immediately as he saw the egg. "What- Where's Xandra?"

"Hold on to something," Rogue offered quickly as she forced the Razor Crest up. The ship rumbled in a worrisome way but did what it was told, and Rogue couldn't help but smile at the noise of Remy falling down with the movement.

There were sounds of blasters coming from down below, a few shots passing the glass in front of Rogue, but the Stormtroopers didn't seem to have ships with them — either way, she started the process to get into hyperspace before leaving the planet's atmosphere. Better not to count on their luck alone. 

There was a quiet noise behind her, something lighting up brightly, and soon Xandra's voice filled the cockpit as they said, "They have TIE Fighters!"

Fuck, Rogue thought to herself.

"Language!" Xandra said out loud.

"What th’ fuck is happening?" Remy's voice sounded genuinely confused, probably from seeing Xandra shapeshift like that. Unfortunately for him, there was no time for explanations.

"Xandra, Ah need you to help me," Rogue said urgently, hearing the noises of the TIE Fighters approaching. "Can you reach the minds of the pilots?"

"I can."

"Wonderful." Rogue nodded, suddenly feeling a little more optimistic. "This is an emergency- Ah need you to invade their minds an' mess around with 'em or something like that."

"I've- I've never done that before…"

Rogue swallowed at the nervousness seeping from Xandra, afraid that they wouldn't do what Rogue asked them to. She licked her lips, trying to think of something to say, when Remy beat her to it.

"Listen, petit, I'm sure you'll do great," he quickly muttered, crawling his way towards the chair where Xandra was sitting as best as he could with the angle the ship was as it went up, getting on his knees by their side. "What can you do to their minds?"

"I can, um- I can't control them, but I can mess with their thoughts," they said, sounding a little too unsure. "Shove many thoughts into their heads."

"That sounds unpleasant enough, eh?" Remy kept going as the TIE Fighters started to shoot.

Rogue moved the Razor Crest sharply out of the way, wishing hyperspace didn't need a few more seconds to be ready, and hearing Remy grunt as he fell back to the ground again. 

"Do it, Xandra," Rogue said with more urgency. "Ah know you can do it, Sugah. Please."

Nothing happened for a while, the ships still following them, and Rogue risked a look back to see what Xandra was doing. They had their eyes closed, lips pressed together tightly as their face turned flushed and their fists clenched on their lap as if they were using a lot of strength to send the telepathic attack. Remy seemed to watch it happen with a frown, clearly confused by Xandra's methods, but not saying anything despite it.

Out of nowhere, the TIE Fighters seemed to lose control, unable to chase the Razor Crest as they zig-zagged with no reason when they reached outer space, leaving the planet for good. Rogue looked at the time they needed to reach hyperspace — just a little longer.

"You're doin' great, petit!" Remy exclaimed where he half sat, half laid on the ground, clapping his hands and laughing in excitement. "Keep at it, you’re doin’ great- Mando, get us out of here!"

She looked down at the hyperspace again, smiling and saying, "Don' give me orders, Cajun," before sending them into hyperspace where they would be safe.

As everything warped around them, Rogue took a deep breath, resting her head against her chair, allowing herself to relax. She wondered if there was any planet that would be safe for Xandra to stay, if there was somewhere in the galaxy where the remnants of the Empire wouldn’t be a problem — Naboo, maybe, where they had gotten rid of the Empire as soon as the Emperor had fallen. Still, it was a long shot.

Behind her, Rogue heard as Xandra took a deep breath as well, probably relaxing from using their powers like that, Remy's grunts while getting up sounding in the background.

When she looked behind herself again, Xandra was splayed over their chair with their eyes closed while Remy held his own shoulder. His red eyes went to Rogue immediately, the way his lips tugged into a grin making Rogue roll her eyes under her helmet — they hadn’t been together for long, but it had been long enough to allow Rogue to know there was something coming.

“A great escape,” he said, his voice so smooth that it would probably work to charm anyone that wasn’t Rogue. “But I think you went a little rough on me, chère. I might need some patchin’ up after all that…”

Rogue held his gaze for a little longer, staring at the man as he did the same, right before getting up and walking towards where she kept the first aid supriments of the ship. She took a plaster from there, small and full of drawings, made for children — Rogue didn’t know why she kept those, maybe for emergencies, although she never had kids over the ship before Xandra. Before Remy could question anything, Rogue placed the kid’s plaster over his lips, standing in front of him as he looked at her with clear surprise in his eyes.

“That should do,” she said, smiling under her helmet as Remy narrowed his eyes at her.

Chapter Text

Rogue sat down with a grunt on her make-shift bed, the bonfire in front of her warming her up just enough to be comfortable even with the freezing desert around her. Above her, the stars shone brightly, a nearby moon colored red in the night sky — from there, Rogue could see a city with its lights shining on the nearby moon's surface.

Remy stirred their food in the pot above the fire, insisting on being the one to cook that night because, in his words, Rogue wasn't really good at it.

"I've tasted your dried meat, Mando," he had said earlier, taking the food from their bags and pushing Rogue away from it like she'd contaminate it. "You're not th' best cook."

Rogue would love to taste Remy's food now and say it's bad, just out of pettiness, but it smelled good already. She knew she'd lose this argument immediately.

Next to them, Xandra looked up at the stars with their eyes shining, like they were in awe. Rogue wasn't going to take that bounty, not with Xandra being in danger of being captured by the Empire, but they had been traveling for months trying to find a safe place for the kid to stay, with no success, and Rogue was running out of money. Remy had volunteered to steal, but Xandra was the first to say no to that idea.

"Take the job, Rogue," they had said, that smile on their lips like if they believed in Rogue's ability of keeping them safe. "Me and Remy can even help you with it."

Now, as they sat in the middle of the desert to rest from their search, Rogue felt that strange feeling as she looked at Xandra and Remy there with her, when normally she'd be alone. She felt like it should bother her, but it felt good instead. She liked the company — even Remy's, although she had vowed not to tell that out loud to the Cajun. 

"Food's almost ready," Remy announced, the smile on his lips a show of how proud he was of himself for making it. "In th' mean time, why don' we break this weird silence, eh? I know you want to be mysterious and brooding, Mando, but you could tell us a story about your past bounties or, you know, anything at all."

"Ah'll pass." Rogue waved her hand, seeing the way Remy narrowed his eyes at her. "Why don' you tell us a story, Cajun?"

"I've been telling them, chère, you just don' listen."

"They're not too interesting."

"Why do you hate me?" Remy asked, a fake dramatic tone to his voice as he pressed his hand against his chest in an offended gesture.

Despite herself, Rogue smiled under the helmet. 

"What about you, petit?" Remy turned to Xandra then, their pink eyes staring back at him as they finally paid full attention to his words. "Any stories to tell around th' bonfire?"

Xandra seemed to think for a moment, eyes falling to the flames and staying there as they seemed to think about Remy's question, their eyes going back to the sky to stare at the stars right after.

"My life has been just hiding ever since I was created," they shrugged, gaze lost as the words left their mouth. "I only know who my mother was because of what I could see in people's minds. Same with my father. And the only stories I have to tell are other people's… I never had a story of my own that wasn't me trapped in a lab and trying my best to hide before Rogue came."

Rogue sighed at their words, seeing the gloom in Xandra's face as they said that, as they confessed what their life had been before Rogue had stepped in. Rogue still didn't know how old Xandra was, even if they didn't look much older than a teenager, but they wondered how many years they had been trapped with the Empire, how many times they managed to escape, and how many bounty hunters like Rogue had taken them back to suffer over and over again, until Rogue broke the circle. 

Their gaze turned to Rogue then, the look in their eyes showing that they had caught her thoughts just now, and their lips curved up into a thankful smile. They couldn't see, but Rogue had smiled back. 

"All the story I have to tell is that my mom was the Shi'ar Majestrix Lilandra Neramani, and my father was a Jedi Master named Charles Xavier, who, for all I know, was a telepath like me. Stronger, even... Got my powers from him."

"Jedi?" Remy asked suddenly, both Xandra and Rogue turning to look at him. His eyes were narrowed as he looked at Xandra, a glint in his eyes that made Rogue think he knew something. "That old religion? From th' Old Republic?"

"Yes, I think," Xandra nodded, shifting where they sat as curiosity sparked in their eyes. "Why?"

"I've been to a place- These ruins on a far away planet… Th' locals said it was a sacred place for th' Jedi back before th' Empire took over and killed them." Remy explained, focusing now on taking the food from the fire, serving it in small bowls for each of them. "T'was a weird place, but maybe you'd be interested in visitin' it, petit. Maybe your father was there once."

The way Xandra's eyes lit up at the idea made Rogue sure that she wouldn't be able to deny the kid if they asked to do that, to visit the old ruins. 

"I'd like that," they nodded, their voice shaking a little.

When Remy gave them their bowls, he took over the conversation, telling them another story of his adventures as a traveler and as a former thief, as he had taken to calling himself lately after joining Rogue and Xandra. To Rogue's delight and chagrin, the food was incredible, warm and full of flavour as it touched her tongue.

While she ate, Remy tried for the millionth time to tell her she could take her helmet off, which she ignored once again. Xandra had already seen her face already, it was enough. 

Everything turned into a comfortable silence when Xandra laid down to sleep, Rogue's eyes going to them once in a while to make sure they were comfortable enough and that the sheet was over their body. Even with the bonfire, it was cold. By Rogue's side, Remy seemed to quietly watch her everytime she glanced at Xandra.

"Xandra won't disappear if you stop lookin', Mando," he mumbled calmly after a while, Rogue's eyes going to him. He was organizing their food, putting the dirty bowls away. "Do you still think you can jus' leave them if you find them a safe place?"

"They can't stay with me. Ah don' stop, an' that's no life for a child."

"Th' life they lived before you wasn't either. I'd say t’was even worse." Remy sighed, putting everything neatly away before scooting himself closer to the fire, warming his hands next to it. His red eyes seemed to shine a little more with the flames. "You're attached to them. How will you ever be sure that they're safe where you left them when you do?"

"Why do you care?"

Despite the bite in her words, Remy just smiled, his eyes still staring at the fire. "I may jus' like this little group we have, and Xandra is part of it. Maybe I don' want to part wit' them either."

"This group won't last forever, Cajun," she warned, his eyes finally raising to look at her. "When Ah find somewhere where Xandra will be safe, Ah'll leave 'em there to live their life, an' then go back to mine. That is the way."

"Oh, don' quote your Mandalorian bullshit to try and convince me that you don' hate the idea of leavin' Xandra behind."

"Ah'll not leave 'em behind, Ah'll-"

"Drop them somewhere you judge safe and then never look back." Remy raised his eyebrows. Rogue pursed her lips behind her helmet. "Isn't that your plan?"

"Having people around me is not safe," she said simply, her hands clenched into fists by her sides now, the gloves covering her skin. "An' Xandra deserves to have a home."

"Of course they do," Remy nodded, crossing his arms in front of his body as his eyes didn't leave Rogue. "But I think this is th' closest thing to a family th' kid has ever had."

Rogue didn't answer, knowing that the same applied to her. She remembered her parents vaguely, the two women that raised her until they got separated and Rogue was rescued by one of the Mandalorians, raised to be one of them. She never felt like she had a family with the other Mandalorians, and she never forgot the women that brought her up and loved her until that fateful day when the Empire attacked, but there, with that insufferable man and that kid whose life was taken from them, she felt like she had something again. 

Still, it wasn't fair to ask of Xandra for them to live the life Rogue lived, and her armor was more than a symbol of her being a Mandalorian by now — it was protection, both for her and for others, since her hands couldn't touch without hurting. She had always kept other people at a safe distance, and the notion that Remy and Xandra were so close to her now was slightly terrifying. 

"It's too complicated, Cajun," she ended up saying, her voice quiet. "Ah work alone- Ah need to work alone. People who get too close to me get hurt."

"That sounds a tad overdramatic, chère."

"You're not the only one with powers," Rogue confessed, Remy's eyes narrowing at her. "Ah'm able to kill someone or steal their powers by touching 'em. In a way, mah armor protects others as well…"

Remy stared at her for a moment, quiet comprehension crossing his eyes before he nodded. 

"Sounds lonely," he said. Rogue nodded as well.

"It is."

There was a moment of silence, both of them looking at the fire with nothing else to say, until Remy spoke again, shrugging and saying, "You could steal my powers anytime."

Despite herself, Rogue chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. After another quiet second, her hands moved towards the helmet, slowly taking it out and seeing Remy's eyes widen as he noticed what she was doing. She looked back at him, not sure why she had decided to show her face to him, why go against what she was raised to believe, but it felt right.

Maybe it was their conversation, the fact that she wanted Remy to look in her eyes to say those things. Maybe she had just gone crazy all of the sudden. Either way, Rogue only watched as Remy's eyes studied her face, suddenly wondering what he'd think of it.

"Green eyes," was all he said after a second. Rogue frowned.

"What?"

"You have green eyes," Remy explained dumbly, pointing at Rogue's face. He seemed slightly nervous all of the sudden. "I had guessed they were brown. And maybe blonde hair, or no hair at all."

Rogue instinctively moved her hand to touch her short hair, cut like that so it wouldn't be a bother to her under the helmet, the white streak she'd had ever since her powers manifested for the first time falling over her eyes a little now. Remy seemed to follow the movement, eyes quietly watching as Rogue's hand took a handful of hair for a moment.

"Sorry to disappoint," she said, taking her hand away to hold the helmet that now rested over her lap.

"No disappointment at all," he chuckled, a grin appearing on his lips immediately after and, this time, he was able to see how she rolled her eyes. "You do look better than what I imagined you to look, chère."

"Ah already regret this."

"What? Showin' me that I've been hanging out wit' th' prettiest lady in th’ whole galaxy?"

"Oh, shut up, Cajun."

"You blush!" He said loudly, and, to Rogue's terror, she felt her cheeks blushing harder at it. "Oh, thas wonderful- No, no! Don' put th' helmet back on!"

"Then stop."

He made a zipping gesture over his mouth while Rogue glared at him. "My mouth is closed shut."

"You're still talking."

He raised his hands in defeat, although he was still clearly holding back a smile.

They sat in silence for a while, Rogue's eyes going to the fire as he felt its warmth hit the skin of her face for the first time that night. It felt nice.

"Thank you," Remy said suddenly after what felt like hours. Rogue blinked at him.

"For what?"

"For trusting me," he shrugged, his voice softer now, his eyes kind as he looked at Rogue. Her hands clutched her helmet closer, as if the look was more than she could handle. "For lettin' me see your face." 

Rogue nodded, looking away again and swallowing thickly before saying, "Ah guess now that you've seen it Ah can't jus' throw you away."

When she looked at him again after her words, she saw the quiet understanding in his face before he smiled. With a quiet sigh, Rogue smiled back.

"Do you think I'll be able to feel if my father was ever around those ruins?" Xandra's voice asked quietly behind Rogue, the Mandalorian startling for a second before looking behind herself.

She thought Xandra had been asleep like Remy, who had ended up falling asleep while sitting on the ground of the cockpit instead of going to the bed downstairs like Rogue had suggested.

"Look at you, chère. All worried about me," he had said with a grin, so Rogue stopped offering the bed.

But Xandra wasn't asleep; Instead, the kid had their pink eyes wide open, staring at Rogue with some kind of nervousness in their expression and mind. Rogue's eyes stayed on them for a moment more before she looked ahead again, at the stars far away as they cruised through space with the coordinates Remy had given her.

"Ah don' know, Sugah. Sorry," she finally answered. Through the reflection on the glass, Rogue saw Xandra shrink on their seat. "You think that's possible?"

"I don't know. I wish it was." Through the glass once again, Rogue watched as they ran a hand through their arm, eyes downcast. "I've seen memories of him from the people who kept me locked away and tried to experiment on me… He was powerful, just like my mother. He looked like a good man, a kind man. I'll never be able to know."

Rogue stayed silent for a while, taking in the kid's words and sighing, turning her chair around after a while to face them. Xandra's eyes rose to look at Rogue, a quiet sadness behind them.

"Maybe you'll be able to feel him," she shrugged, hating herself for giving Xandra false hopes. Even so, those words seemed to make the kid smile a little, thankful. "Who knows? For what you an' Remy told me about the Jedi, they seemed very powerful- you're a Jedi's child, aren't you?"

Xandra snorted a little after that, making Rogue frown. "You still don't believe the Jedi were real, do you?"

"It's not that Ah don' believe, Sugah," Rogue mumbled, scratching the back of her neck. "It's just a very weird concept, you can't say it isn't."

"It was one of them that brought down the Empire."

"That was news to me," Rogue shrugged, taking off her helmet and taking a deep breath. Xandra smiled as Rogue's face came to view. "Ah've been going everywhere an' nowhere for years… When the Empire fell, the news didn't arrive to me immediately, so it took me months to know it had happened. How it happened didn't really matter to me- didn't affect mah life or work."

"Took you years but now you know," Xandra chuckled, making Rogue smile at them. "Maybe I can find that Jedi… Ask them to teach me."

"Would you want that?"

Xandra seemed to think for a moment, pink eyes moving away from Rogue as they did so, before they said a quiet, "I don't know. Did you want to be a Mandalorian?"

Rogue hesitated, blinking at Xandra a few times before sighing and shrugging. "Ah was raised by 'em after- After Ah lost my parents. Ah owed 'em mah life, so Ah followed 'em."

Xandra only stared for a moment, right before their lips curved into a gentle smile. "So maybe I should be a Mandalorian too."

Rogue's eyes accompanied Xandra as they went up the hill, moving towards the ruins at the top of it on their own. They had asked to go alone, and Rogue couldn't say no to that, even if somewhere deep down she feared leaving the kid alone. By her side, Rogue felt Remy's hand landing over her shoulder, her eyes moving from Xandra to the man.

"Stop worryin', chère. They'll be fine- They're just' climbin' a hill."

"Ah'm not worrying," she said quickly, seeing the grin that appeared on the Cajun's lips. "Ah'm jus' looking."

"Of course- Oh, look at that, they made it safely up there. Who would've thought, eh?" 

From behind her helmet, Rogue glared at him. Even without seeing it, Remy seemed to know Rogue's eyes were on him, shrugging as the grin didn't leave his lips. She gave the hill one last look, sighing once she realized she couldn't see Xandra from where she was anymore. The planet was empty, for all Rogue knew, so maybe Xandra was safe after all. 

She heard Remy grunt by her side, seeing him sitting down on a rock and taking out a deck of cards from his coat, playing with them distractedly. After a few seconds and a last last glance towards the ruins of what Remy said was once a Jedi Temple, Rogue sat down next to him as well, hesitating before taking off the helmet.

By her side, she could see the way Remy's red eyes moved to her, a quiet smile appearing on his lips. 

"D'you think they'll be able to find anything there that'll comfort 'em?" She asked, eyes down towards her helmet as she cleaned a bit of dust out of it. 

Remy hummed, seemingly thinking about an answer. One of his cards lit up with that bright pink light as it charged with Remy's energy; when he threw it, far away from them, it exploded against some of the vegetation.

"I think," Remy started saying, sounding unsure of his own words as he rolled a playing card between his fingers, "they'll be able to see a place where maybe their father was. I think that it can bring them some kind of comfort."

"They were wondering if they would be able to feel if their father was ever here when we were comin' here…"

"Maybe they will, who knows?" Remy shrugged Rogue's eyebrows raising at him. "All I've heard about th' Jedi was that they were powerful and were able to do some magic shenanigans wit' th' Force or whatever it was."

"They sound like a made up story with every new detail."

"That, they do," Remy agreed, smiling amusedly. "But I tend to believe th' stories about th' Old Republic. They're always entertaining. And th' Jedi Knights that existed before th' Empire are one of my favorites."

"Maybe they aren't jus' stories, right? Xandra says they're the child of one, an' they had access to many minds to get that information…"

"Or maybe they jus' like to think they are." Rogue frowned at that, looking at Remy quizzically and seeing the Cajun shrug. "They've been through a lot, maybe they picked a stray piece of information from a mind they touched and took it as their truth- imagined they're th' child of a Jedi and th' late Shi'ar Majestrix. They are Shi'ar, they certainly look like one, but Majestrix Lilandra was killed when th' Empire rose to power, which was a very long time ago… Xandra's jus' a kid."

"You think they believe those things because of, what, comfort?"

"It would make sense, wouldn't it? Wit' th' life they lived all these years?"

Rogue stared at Remy for a moment before looking up, at the ruins on top of the hill, where Xandra was. In a way, Remy's logic made sense, but she still doubted it. The way Xandra talked about their parents was filled with certainty, and Rogue liked to believe it was because they were sure of it — but then again, it could be as Remy was saying, a way for Xandra to find some comfort after all those years of suffering. 

"I'd never say they're wrong, though," Remy said then, Rogue's eyes falling over him again. "If it brings them comfort, and doesn't hurt anyone, then it's okay by me."

"How kind of you, Cajun."

"What, you think I'd go around tellin' children they may believe a story born from trauma? I may have be a thief, chère, but I still have a heart."

Rogue smiled at those words, seeing Remy do a complicated trick with the cards in his hands.

Everything seemed very quiet around them, the wind blowing and making the low vegetation around them rustle a little, the breeze fresh against Rogue's face as it messed with Remy's hair. It had grown in the time they've been traveling together, she noticed, messy and a little longer, falling over his eyes as he looked down at his own hands, the morning sun shining against its brown locks and Remy's face.

Rogue's eyes widened for a moment, turning her face away immediately as she caught herself thinking that Remy was attractive like this, calm and distracted by his cards, without the annoying smirk on his lips.

Alright, this is what we're not doing, Rogue thought to herself, purposefully staring at the horizon and away from Remy. We're not going to start thinking that the annoying Cajun, the same one that refused to go away an' is jus' taking a ride until he gets bored, is attractive. We have standards.

Rogue risked another look at Remy, seeing him smiling proudly at himself as he did something else with his cards. That smile was calmer and less annoying than all the other ones he would usually give, and, to Rogue's surprise, it made his face look softer.

Do we have standards?, she questioned herself, grunting and catching Remy's attention with it.

"All right there, chère?"

Rogue opened her mouth to say that, yes, everything was alright, when a loud noise hit her ears and her eyes moved to the top of the hill, towards the ruins where Xandrs was. From the ruins, Rogue could now see a bright blue light going from the hill and up to the sky, her stomach sinking for a moment. That didn't look good.

"Mando," Remy called, his voice a little breathless as if the realization of the problem that that beam of light could bring them had hit him as well. She was sure that it could be seen from space. "Let's check that out, eh?"

"Can't believe Ah'll have to agree with you this time."

They got to their feet in a hurry, Rogue placing her helmet back over her head as she ran alongside Remy uphill to get to Xandra. To her despair, Rogue saw the outline of an imperial cruiser slowly becoming clearer as it got closer and closer to the planet, making her heart beat faster as she feared what would happen next if they weren't quick. They had to take Xandra and run away from that planet as quickly as possible now.

Of all moments for an imperial ship to pass through that planet, that had been the worst one.

She wasn't sure thanks to the distance, but Rogue could swear she saw other ships leaving the cruiser — TIE Fighters, most likely.

Rogue stopped in her tracks for a second when they finally reached the ruins, seeing Xandra there, in the middle of the blue light as they sat with their legs criss-crossed on top of a rock right in the middle of the old temple, eyes closed in pure concentration. The noise of the TIE Fighters and another bigger ship getting closer made Rogue move again, running towards the light with Remy. 

When both of them were thrown back as they reached the light, Rogue’s mind halted, trying to understand what was happening, the pain of the impact against the ground making her grunt for a second.

A forcefield, the damn thing was a force field.

"Xandra!" Rogue screamed, getting up from the ground as Remy grunted as well by her side, touching his shoulder like it hurt from the impact with the ground. "Sugah, it's time to go!"

Xandra didn't open their eyes or even move, their face still locked in that peaceful concentration as the sounds of the first shots from the TIE Fighters started echoing through the place. 

"What's happening to them?" Remy asked, finally up as he looked at Xandra with urgency.

"Ah don't fucking know- Xandra, please, stop this. We need to go!"

Nothing, not even a movement. A shot hit one of the old pillars next to them right after, both Rogue and Remy lowering their bodies as a few rocks flew in their direction. The rocks bounced back the forcefield around Xandra, which gave Rogue at least some kind of relief at the thought that the kid was safe where they sat. If Rogue was able to get to the Razor Crest, she could get her Amban phase-pulse blaster and try her luck with the TIE Fighters. The bigger ship, however, worried her.

"Cajun," she called out, Remy's eyes going to her immediately. "Time to explode some things."

"Thought you'd never ask, chère."

"Stay here with Xandra, Ah need to go back to the ship."

"Are you crazy?" Remy asked, his eyes widening at her as the playing cards he took from his coat again started shining with energy, ready to explode upon contact. "You'll die before you even get there, Mando!"

Rogue stopped for a moment, looking at Xandra and then at Remy again before grunting, her hands shaking as she made a quick decision as she saw the possibility that Remy's words could be true. 

She raised her helmet again, quickly, her free gloved hand pressing against Remy's lips before she placed a kiss against the back of it, Remy's eyes widening even more when he understood what was happening. Once she pulled away and pulled the helmet back down, she could feel her cheeks burning. 

"Keep 'em safe."

Before Remy had any chance to answer, Rogue turned around and started running as fast as she could downhill, her eyes focusing on the Razor Crest. Behind herself, she heard the sounds of explosions, Remy's playing cards wreaking havoc.

She jumped around as the TIE Fighters shot at her, probably noticing the rogue person and making her curse under her breath. They couldn't follow her, the chance of them destroying the Razor Crest was big if they did. She tried thinking of what to do, taking a different route now to make sure they wouldn't see her ship just yet, that they wouldn't be able to see through her plans.

There was a shot by her side, followed by a loud explosion that made Rogue cover her head as she saw and felt pieces of the TIE Fighter falling around her. Rogue looked back, seeing the remnants of a bright pink light where the explosion had happened, making her smile despite herself. Remy's aim was better than she thought. 

She started running towards the Razor Crest again, reaching the ship and throwing things around until she found the phase-pulse blaster, holding it in her hands and turning it on before running outside again, aiming at a nearby TIE Fighter and taking a shot. She smiled, pleased, as the ship fell to the ground and exploded upon impact. 

Rogue ran again, trying to reach the hill, when she noticed the light beam disappear all of the sudden, stopping in her tracks as she realized what it meant. Whatever protection Xandra had before was gone without the forcefield. She held her breath as she saw the bigger ship stopping on top of the ruins, a hatch opening and what looked like droids getting out of it.

There was an explosion, bright pink, coming from Remy most likely, until suddenly she saw the Cajun being thrown in the air, hitting the side of the hill when he fell and rolling down its side without being able to stop, probably hurt already.

"No," Rogue mumbled under her breath before running again, forcing her legs to take her there as fast as she could. 

The next "No!" that left her mouth was a shout when she saw the droids flying up towards the bigger ship with Xandra in their grasp, apparently unconscious. Rogue's heart felt like it would come out of her mouth at the sight.

With a last desperate attempt, Rogue tried to aim at the droid holding Xandra, but stopped herself before shooting. If that droid let go of Xandra, they'd fall to their death. That was a choice Rogue felt like she couldn’t make at that moment, with so little time: to see Xandra dead or to let them be taken by the Empire after all the efforts to avoid that. 

A desperate noise left Rogue's mouth as she felt helpless, looking at Remy lying at the bottom of the hill then at Xandra again, being taken away, and making a decision. She'd come back from Remy later — because he was alive, and he wouldn't die, not after Rogue done what she did with that kiss, he wouldn't miss a chance to annoy her about it, she had to hope so — but she turned around, ready to reach the Razor Crest to follow that cruiser on her own if it was what it took to get Xandra back.

As she took the first step to reach her ship, there was the loud noise of an explosion right in front of her, and it took a moment for Rogue to process what she was seeing. 

Her ship was there before, but now all that was left was a mess of rubble and burned up things. 

They had taken away her only chance of reaching Xandra again. 

Rogue's body sagged for a moment, the gravity around her suddenly feeling heavier, pulling her to the ground, and she followed that need as she kneeled there, looking behind herself to see the cruiser leaving already, with Xandra there, back at the hands of their torturers, the  choice being made for her — taken from her now that the Razor Crest was gone. She just stayed there and watched, the only thing she could do, until the ship wasn't there anymore and there was only the blue sky and the silence.

She felt defeated, felt like she had failed Xandra. And her heart felt heavy in her chest. After a few moments, however, Rogue remembered Remy, still laying at the bottom of the hill and hurt.

"Cajun," she said under her breath, getting up again with some difficulty and running on aching legs towards the man.

When she reached him, at least she confirmed he was alive, breathing heavily and apparently having some difficulty keeping his eyes open. There was a rip on his clothes at his chest, a superficial cut red against his skin. Other than that, he seemed physically fine for what Rogue could see.

She moved towards him, taking off her helmet again as it felt stifling over her head, like it was stopping her breathing now, and cradled Remy’s head against her thighs, holding his face in her hands.

"Stay with me, Cajun," she mumbled, feeling that the pain in her chest because of Xandra wasn't subsiding, even if the need to keep Remy alive was loud.

On the ground, Remy smiled, a quiet breathless chuckle leaving his lips. He seemed dizzy by the way his head kept moving from side to side and then back, his eyes losing focus once in a while.

"Oui, ma chère," he mumbled, voice so quiet that, if it weren't for the silence around them, Rogue wouldn't have been able to listen. "I wasn't thinking of leavin' you any time soon. I'd like th' real thing of th' kiss you gave me."

"It could kill you, remember?" Rogue shook her head, moving one of her hands to move a stray lock of hair away from Remy's forehead. Everytime his eyes would lose focus, they'd focus back again on hers. "My touch is dangerous."

"I'm willing to gamble. They didn’t call me Gambit for nothin’."

Despite everything, Rogue chuckled, an incredulous expression taking over her face as she looked down at the Cajun. Her chuckle, however, turned into a sob, a few tears suddenly leaving her eyes as her body finally seemed to relax after seeing Remy alive and well — or as well as he could've been.

Remy's eyes focused on her again, watching as her face twisted in her crying. When his hand reached up to touch her face, she stopped him quickly, keeping his bare fingers from her skin. If she lost him like that, she wouldn't be able to handle it.

"We'll get them back," he said, his hand suddenly holding Rogue's as she held it back. The touch, even if blocked by her glove, felt comforting. "We'll get Xandra back."

"They exploded the Razor Crest." Remy's face turned confused for a second as he looked up at Rogue, taking in her words. "We're stranded here, an' Xandra is with the Empire again. Ah think we lost 'em- Ah didn't protect 'em..."

"Rogue…"

Rogue lowered her head a little more as another sob escaped her lips, her hand squeezing Remy's a bit more, the silence that now loomed over them again broken only by her sobs and the rustle of the vegetation around them with the wind. Loudness and then silence, it felt incredibly heavy.

“We’ll find them,” Remy insisted, taking Rogue’s hand to press it against his chest. “Thas not th’ end, you know it. You won’t give up on that kid like that.”

“How are we even going to get to ‘em? There’s no ship.”

There was a noise coming from somewhere above them all of the sudden, making both of them look up at the sky. They watched with dread as another ship entered the planet, headed straight to where they were.

To their relief, it didn't seem like an imperial ship. It was small and old, slightly noisy as it landed somewhere near them, and when its walkway lowered, the man that left the ship didn't seem like someone from the Empire — the one who followed right behind the first, however, did look incredibly menacing, which made Rogue take her phase-pulse blaster again after quickly putting the helmet over her head to cover her face, ready to shoot if she needed.

The man that left the ship first sat on a hoverchair, a big and horrendous yellow thing that would catch the attention of everyone even from far away. His eyes looked around himself with a deep frown on his face, moving through the place, until he finally seemed to notice Rogue’s and Remy’s presence.

Something about him was familiar, the shape of his face and eyes making Rogue frown a little. It only took her a few moments to realize that he looked strangely like Xandra, even if his eyes were of a bright blue instead of pink. The man that stood by that man's side didn't look like Xandra, his face more angular and eyes less inviting, as his ash-white hair fell over his face a little. The contrast between them was strange, to say the least — as much as there was a sharpness to the first man’s face, he looked softer than the other one, more relaxed, while the white haired man seemed to be ready for a fight.

"Are you Rogue? The Mandalorian?" The man in the hoverchair asked once he moved a little closer, looking straight at Rogue and making her lean back a bit. 

"Who are you?"

"Where's the kid?" The white-haired man asked, short and to the point, making Rogue’s body stiffen. Were they after Xandra as well?

"Erik." Reprimanded the first man, looking at the white haired man — Erik — with a quiet warning in his eyes before they were back on Rogue. "We're looking for Xandra. They- They just contacted me from this place. We came as fast as we could..."

Rogue's expression turned sad again at the man's words, suddenly wondering if Xandra might've had a chance if these two had arrived just a few minutes earlier. The man frowned at her, his eyes looking lost for a moment before what looked like understanding crossed his face.

"They got Xandra," the man announced loudly, his voice sounding distant as gloom took over his expression. "The Empire- They arrived while Xandra talked to me."

Erik closed his eyes, sighing loudly and cursing under his breath. "Charles-"

"I know," Charles cut him, swallowing thickly before turning his gaze towards Erik. "I know. But we have to get Xandra. I didn't know- Erik, they're my child. I can't let them go back to the hands of the Empire like that."

His child. 

Rogue's eyes focused on that man again, on that Charles.

Charles Xavier, the name Xandra had said was their father's name. Charles Xavier, the Jedi and telepath, which would explain how he knew Xandra was taken by the Empire since he had access to Rogue's and Remy's minds. 

"We've been running from them, keeping ourselves off of their radar for decades-"

"This is more important than our hiding."

"If you're going to get Xandra," Rogue spoke again, out loud, making the two men look back at her curiously. She tried her best not to let her voice shake. "Then we're going with you."

It was the chance she didn’t have before. There was a ship, which could take them out of that god forsaken planet; there were more people now, who seemed willing to help, and numbers would do good against remnants of the imperial troops. Maybe, just maybe, Remy had been right: it wasn’t the end, and Rogue wasn’t about to give up on Xandra when the opportunity had just presented itself on a silver platter. 

"This is not a job for you, Mandalorian," Erik said back, eyes growing hard over Rogue and making her narrow her eyes at him, even if he couldn't see it.

"Xandra was my responsibility. You'll take us with you, an' Ah'll get 'em back."

Erik tried to step forward, mouth opening as he got ready to answer, when Charles' hand stopped him, touching his stomach and keeping him from going forward, Erik's eyes falling over Charles with clear annoyance at being interrupted. 

"You care about them, don't you, Mandalorian?"

Rogue stared at him for a moment, feeling Remy's eyes on her as he probably studied the situation, too out of it still to do much more than that.

"Ah saved 'em before, took 'em from the Empire once," she said, finally putting her rifle down. "Ah'll do it again."

Charles stared back at her, blue eyes on her, and, although she couldn't feel it, she knew he was looking into her mind. Maybe Xandra had been right and their father was more powerful than them considering there was no indicator that he was even looking through Rogue's mind, but soon Rogue saw a smile showing up on the man's lips. It looked a lot like Xandra's.

"Get your friend inside the ship, then." He waved his hand towards the ship behind him. By his side, Erik seemed to sigh. "He's hurt, but we try to patch him up before we get to Xandra. I believe we'll need him as well."

Chapter Text

Rogue's gaze stayed on Remy for a few seconds, watching the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed calmly in his sleep, resting after taking something for the pain after his fall and the attack from the droids — Dark Troopers, according to Charles’ words.

“Vile things,” he had mumbled, lips pressing into a tight line as he moved around the small ship in his hoverchair to get sheets for Remy. “The Empire made those to switch the living Stormtroopers for them- they’re faster and more efficient. And, as your friend found out, harder to kill.”

Remy’s chest was bare now, the thin cut over it clean, but there was a bruise on his skin where one of those imperial droids had hit him. Charles had taken a look at him, checking his mind and body at the same time — his own words — to make sure Remy was okay. Thankfully, there were no broken bones, just a painful bruise and the thin cut crossing his chest, so Charles only gave the Cajun a bad-tasting liquid that made Remy retch for a moment before his body relaxed and he fell asleep.

She raised her gaze then, looking at the two men who were now taking them towards the Empire Cruiser that Xandra was in, watching as they interacted with each other in quiet words and small gestures.

Charles was piloting the ship, sat at the pilot's seat while his hoverchair rested behind him, charging. Erik sat by his side, looking at a map constantly and whispering things to Charles that Rogue couldn't listen. But, more than once, she saw the way Erik's hand would rest over Charles', fingers brushing against the telepath's pale skin in a gesture that Rogue couldn't describe as anything other than loving. Everytime she'd see it, she turned her face away, as if she was seeing something she shouldn't.

Even so, her hand was firmly holding Remy's, his hand gripping hers unconsciously as he slept. 

«We'll take a while to reach them,» Xavier's voice sounded in her head, smooth and calm, with a control that Xandra hadn't had. In fact, Xandra hadn’t talked to Rogue like this — either for Rogue’s rules or because they couldn’t, she didn’t know.  «They're far away, but we'll get there.»

Rogue got up, letting go of Remy's hand and hearing him complain in his sleep as she walked away, reaching Charles and Erik and placing her hands on both of their seats, looking at the space outside. Somewhere far away, Xandra was alone in the hands of the Empire.

"You didn't have to come, Mandalorian." Erik's voice rang in the silence, cold, his eyes downwards to look at a datapad and not bothering to look at Rogue. "You won't get paid for this."

Rogue's hands held the back of the seats a little tighter, her eyes glaring at Erik from behind her helmet at the audacity of his words.

"Please, forgive him," Charles said all of the sudden, his hand moving to slap Erik's arm. Erik winced at the hit, glaring at Charles immediately. "He was never one to trust other people's intentions."

"An' you?" Rogue asked. In the low light of the ship, she saw Charles smile.

"I'm a telepath," he said, eyes moving up to look at Rogue with his eyebrows up. Looking up close, Rogue was able to see a few lines over his face of the years he lived. "I know who to trust or not almost immediately."

"It's not really trust, is it? You don't trust, you look first." 

"With the life I live, child, it's only wise to not trust blindly." He sighed at his own words, setting a route on the ship, turning the autopilot on before resting back on his seat and looking up at Rogue again, the smile back to his lips. "But I could feel how much you cared for Xandra. I can trust your affections towards them to know you'll help. And Xandra talked about you when they talked to me- You're more their family than I am, in a way."

Rogue stopped at those words, staring at Charles for a moment. Charles, Xandra's father, who never tried to save them or look for them for all Rogue knew. All this time that Xandra had been in the hands of the Empire, where were those men?

Charles pursed his lips, a heavy exhale leaving his nose before he shook his head.

"I can feel your bitterness, Rogue, but I have to confess that I never knew about Xandra until they reached me from that old temple." Charles looked tired as he said that, eyes going darker as Rogue heard truth in his words. "I was friends with the Shi'ar Majestrix when I was young, lovers even, for a little while." By Charles' side, Erik looked away, as if the information didn't sit well with him. "But we didn't have children. Xandra was created after the Empire took over, somehow, but that still makes them my child."

"So that's why they're so young."

"Indeed. The Shi'ar probably wanted a new ruler and tried creating Xandra, but unfortunately the Empire is too strong in Chandilar… The fact they descend from me was probably a factor in why they wanted Xandra so badly. The idea of a new Jedi must have been terrifying to them, the prospect of creating someone Force-sensitive probably tempting as well."

"So you are one of those Jedi Ah've been hearing about lately…"

"I used to be," Charles nodded. Rogue frowned at that.

"An' you aren't anymore?"

Charles stayed quiet for a moment, eyes going downwards before he looked at Erik. It was a meaningful look, although the meaning was lost to Rogue as she watched the two men staring at each other with lost gazes.

"All the Jedi were killed once the Empire rose to power," Charles said, his voice distant. Erik's eyes seemed to sadden for a moment, his jaw clenching. "The old Jedi who remained lost something as they kept trying to survive. I'm not a Jedi anymore, haven't been for a long, long time. I'm just an old man with a lightsaber."

Rogue looked at Erik then, wondering where he fit in all of that, and Erik's pale blue eyes looked up at Rogue as well.

"I was never one to begin with, if that's what you're wondering," he said, taking something from his waist — a metal cylinder thing that Rogue didn't know what was the use of. Suddenly, with a movement of his fingers, a blade made of red light appeared in one of the ends of the cylinder, the quiet noise of energy filling the cabin and making Rogue frown at the weapon. "But I guess you could say I'm also an old man with a lightsaber."

"Are you sure t'was a good idea to leave those two to get Xandra alone?"

Rogue sighed under her helmet, pulling Remy to hide once a group of Stormtroopers crossed their path. It didn't sit well with her as well that Charles and Erik had been the ones that were in charge of finding Xandra and taking the kid out in safety while Rogue and Remy dealt with the Dark Troopers so they wouldn't be a problem anymore. Still, Rogue trusted they'd save Xandra, and that was what mattered at the moment. 

"Let's focus on our part of the plan, Cajun," she mumbled, moving again once the Stormtroopers had left.

"Gladly. My chest is still hurting from th' hit I got from one of those things."

«You're getting close,» Charles' voice spoke inside Rogue's head from somewhere inside the Cruiser. For the way Remy's pace faltered, he was inside the Cajun's head as well. «Be careful with those things.»

"If you can speak to me," Rogue said, voice quiet as she looked around the corner before continuing, "why isn't Xandra reaching out?"

«I can feel their mind nearby, but their telepathy is dim,» Charles explained as Rogue sighted the door that led to the Dark Troopers according to Erik's map. «I think they have a suppression collar on.»

Rogue shuddered at the idea, remembering it had been at least forty-eight hours since Xandra had been taken, wondering how long they had the collar on. Rogue had worn one once, when she couldn't handle her power anymore, and she remembered the headache that thing caused her with just five hours of use. Wearing it for two days sounded like hell.

"We're here." Remy muttered, checking the lock in the door by crouching in front of it as Rogue looked around. "You sure we can take these things out before they get activated?"

«Rogue has my lightsaber with her and you have a Beskar staff, that's more than enough to destroy those things.»

Rogue stopped for a moment, turning towards Remy as he started to pick the lock of the door. "Your staff is made of Beskar?"

Remy stopped, red eyes rising to look at her with a guilty expression before he shrugged and kept going with his work.

"In my defense, ma colombe, I stole this."

"Tell me it wasn't from a Mandalorian."

"It wasn't," Remy nodded, grinning victoriously when the door suddenly opened in front of them. "T’was from a very bad woman who probably stole it from a Mandalorian. T’was also very resistant and perfect to use my power on, so I kept it. Hope you don' mind, chère."

"Right now, not so much, but we'll talk about this."

They stared inside the room once Remy got up to his feet, the Dark Troopers inactive and standing inside, probably waiting for activation. Rogue took the weapon Charles had given her in hands, pressing the button he had shown her and seeing the blue blade extend itself, the quiet energy noise a light buzzing against her ears. 

"Will you do me th' honor of destroying those things wit' me, Mando?" Remy asked, bowing while looking up at Rogue with a smirk. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips.

"It'll be a pleasure, Cajun."

Before they could step inside, however, the droids' eyes lit up as they got activated, Rogue and Remy stopping on their tracks as they realized what it meant. The fight wouldn't be as easy as they anticipated. But then again, when was something easy for Rogue in the first place?

"Wonderful," a voice said behind them, making them turn around quickly to find a man standing there with a smile on his lips. "You must be the damned Mandalorian who stole the egg from me- It's good to finally meet you. It's a shame I'll have to kill you now."

The man had pale-white skin, his eyes a bright red and short hair a deep black, taller than both Rogue and Remy. With a start, Rogue realized that there was a lightsaber in his hands as well, but the blade didn't shine bright like the one Rogue had gotten from Charles or Erik's red one — it was pitch black, strangely. 

The man moved suddenly, almost like he was getting out of the way of something as his grin widened at Rogue. It was only when Rogue was thrown to the other side of the corridor by the impact of Remy's charged staff against her armor that Rogue noticed there was something truly wrong happening. 

Charles' lightsaber fell from her hand as she grunted, turning off as the metal cylinder bounced a few times on the ground before rolling into a stop. She touched the point where Remy had hit her and felt the dent on the Beskar armor — Remy's staff was made of the same material, it was only fair that it was the only thing capable of damaging the armor, which, considering Remy’s power, was worrying if he decided he wanted to attack her like he had just done. When she looked up, ready to question Remy on what the fuck he was doing, she only had time to roll away as the Cajun tried to spear her chest with the staff.

It was time enough for her to notice the way Remy's eyes had turned red — completely red, not just the irises anymore, shining like the man who stood back and watched.

"Cajun!" Rogue tried, avoiding another of Remy's attacks. "Remy, stop that!"

"He won't, dearest," the man said back from where he stood. Dread filled up Rogue's mind as she noticed the first Dark Troopers leaving the room, some staying and some going somewhere else — she didn't need to think much to know they were probably headed to where Charles and Erik were. "His mind is now set to kill you, and then kill himself once he's done with that. Look at the bright side: he won't suffer when he sees he killed you- You're lucky I'm feeling kind of generous today."

Rogue moved away from Remy again, trying to reach the lightsaber as the first Dark Trooper shot at her. She pulled out her blaster, shooting at the damn droid, but unfortunately it did nothing. Remy's staff and Charles' lightsaber were the only weapons that would do any kind of damage on those things, and she needed Remy by her side to have any kind of chance of winning that fight.

"Remy," she screamed, reluctantly shooting at the Cajun. She didn't know if she should be relieved or thankful that he was able to avoid being shot so easily with just a quick movement of his body. "Ah know you're still in there. Snap out of it!"

There was no response from Remy, but Rogue could swear he hesitated for a moment on his next attack, right before painfully blowing Rogue away once more. She hit the ground with a grunt, barely avoiding the Dark Trooper's punch that would've probably injured her. The only good thing about all that was that, luckily, she was closer to the lightsaber now. 

She tried her best, crawling her way to the weapon when she felt hands holding her ankles and pulling her back, turning around to find Remy on top of her, twisting the staff in hands as it glowed with Remy's power, ready to give a finishing blow. With a quick movement, Rogue pulled her glove off of her hand, reaching for a bit of bare skin and touching Remy's ankle now, the man's movements stopping immediately as he gasped at being drained. 

Taking advantage of his pause, Rogue got up, reaching for the deck of cards she knew Remy kept on his coat and charging them before fanning the deck in her hands and throwing them at the Dark Troopers. It wouldn't damage them, but it would give Rogue just enough time to try something. 

"Cajun, listen to me," she tried, standing right in front of Remy and holding his face with her gloved hand. He seemed weak after Rogue's touch, eyes still completely red from that man's control and body wavering. "Ah need your help, alright? Listen to this, Ah'm admitting it. Ah need you. We're a group- You, me and Xandra. A team, remember? Mah clan of three... Don' you dare leave me alone now!"

Remy wavered, his eyes closing for a moment as Rogue felt the surge of power she felt when she touched him leaving slowly. When Remy's eyes opened again, she saw the black and red back to them, looking at her with what looked like surprise.

"When you said you could kill someone by touching them, I thought you were being dramatic, chère."

Under her helmet, Rogue smiled, unconsciously brushing her gloved thumb against Remy's cheek as he looked down at her with quiet wonder.

As she was about to go back into the fight, knowing they didn't have much time, she felt Remy's hand pull her away, standing in front of her and moving faster than Rogue's eyes were able to see. Remy's staff was now shoved through the neck of one of the Dark Troopers, the droid starting to malfunction at the attack. She only barely saw the Beskar starting to glow with a pink light before there was a small explosion that took the droid's head away.

There was a hard hit against Rogue's back, making her waver where she stood for a moment. The man was there again, dark saber in hand as he bared his teeth to Rogue. He was angry.

"You seem to keep ruining my plans, Mandalorian."

"Mah pleasure." 

Rogue raised her arms in defense against the man's attacks, the lightsaber blade repelled by the Beskar of her armor. She felt lucky for that, seeing the alloy only getting a few scratches as the man attacked viciously, but she knew she couldn't stay like that for long.

She felt a pull again, taking her away from the man's next attack, but the noise of the lightsaber against Beskar rang again as Remy used the staff to stop it. Remy was fast, countering each of the man's attacks as Rogue avoided the few remaining Dark Troopers, making her way to Charles' lightsaber again. As she was finally able to get it, she heard the noise of an explosion, followed by a growl from the red-eyed man.

"How dare you!" He screamed, face twisted in rage. "I'm Nathaniel Essex! I'm Sinister, the most feared man in the entire Galaxy! I will kill both of you for this!"

Rogue turned on the lightsaber, the blue blade reflecting against her armor. "Good luck trying, Sugah."

Remy advanced against Essex again, the staff already glowing with the pink hue of his powers once more, as Rogue cut through one of the Dark Troopers with the lightsaber. She had to stop for a moment, impressed as she saw the droid fall to the ground, cut in half by the weapon like it wasn't made of a strong material at all. 

She dealt with the rest of the Troopers easily, making a run towards Essex once she had the opening for it and going for the kill, her attack blocked by Essex's dark saber. He seemed more annoyed by the second as both Rogue and Remy attacked at once, not leaving any openings for him to stop for even a second. 

Rogue felt like they'd win now, that everything would work out, when Remy suddenly stopped with his hands over his head, his staff falling to the ground as he curled himself on the ground. Rogue got distracted by it, screaming out in pain as the blade of Essex's saber managed to hit her ungloved hand, cutting and burning the skin and making her drop Charles' lightsaber to the ground. Thankfully, it could’ve been worse.

"Interesting, I can't reach your mind anymore," Essex mumbled as Remy screamed once again, fingers pressing against his scalp painfully at the telepath's psychic attack.

«I can't reach Remy's mind anymore,» Charles' voice rang in her head, urgent, words so similar to Essex’s that she thought she had imagined them for a moment. «I can only cloak you now, but Remy'll die if you don't act quick. Don't hesitate, Anna-Marie.»

Essex moved to attack her, quick and swift, but even without Charles' words, she wouldn't have hesitated. With a quick movement, she rolled to the ground, reaching for Remy's staff and using all the force she had as she speared it up, right as Essex raised the saber with both hands to end her. She watched with wide eyes behind her helmet as the blunt edge of the staff impaled the man given the force Rogue had used, his eyes widening as he felt it too, attack stopped as surprise hit him.

Next to her, Remy stopped screaming, slumping down with a heavy breathing as his body relaxed, his mind probably freed from whatever torture Essex was making him go through now.

Rogue pulled the staff back with a grunt, hearing Essex hiss as he fell to his knees, red eyes glaring at her as his hand touched the bleeding wound. With a kick, Rogue made him let go of the dark saber, the thing turning off as soon as it hit the ground. 

"Aren't you lucky?" Essex rasped out, his eyes following Rogue as she reached for saber and Charles' as well. "The darksaber is in the hands of a Mandalorian again."

She looked at him as she placed the weapons against her hip, trying to decipher his words. He seemed to notice Rogue’s curiosity, surprise and amusement showing up on his face as he gave a painful laugh that caused him to double over in pain.

"Oh, that's precious," he wheezed out, grinning up at Rogue. "You have no idea what you just got, do you, Mandalorian?"

«We found Xandra.» Charles' voice announced as Rogue helped Remy up, his eyes looking incredibly tired. «But we need to leave quickly, there are more imperial vessels arriving.»

"We're on our way."

«And, Rogue?» Charles spoke again, a hit of something dark in his mind's voice now. «I need… I need you to bring us Nathaniel Essex.»

Rogue gave the kneeling man a look, seeing him looking back as he still held his wound. With a sigh, she moved towards him, grabbing him by the back of his clothes and dragging him with her as he screamed in pain. Remy didn't seem to question it, although she couldn't say that it was because Charles had talked to him as well or just because he couldn’t care to ask why she was dragging the man who almost killed him through the corridors with her.

Getting to where Charles and Erik were was easy without the Dark Troopers in the way and with the fact that Remy seemed tired, blowing up anyone who got in their way without giving them a second chance. Rogue looked around her, at the broken droids that laid at the entrance of the Cruiser's cockpit, before looking up to find Charles and Erik inside the empty cockpit with Xandra sitting on the ground, Erik's hand over their back gently. It was all she needed to see to throw Essex to the side and run towards the kid, Remy right behind her.

Xandra looked up immediately, pink eyes meeting Rogue's as she noticed the kid's tired expression, a redness around her throat where the suppression collar probably had been. Tired as they looked, they still found strength to get up and run towards Rogue, hugging her while Rogue tried her best not to touch Xandra with her ungloved hand. 

"You're okay," Rogue whispered, fingers carding gently through the feathers on Xandra's head. She heard Xandra chuckle.

"You came for me."

Rogue nodded. "Ah took you from them once. Ah wouldn't let you go that easily, kid."

"Petit…" Remy muttered behind Rogue, Xandra breaking the hug to jump on top of him and making the man chuckle, trying to get his balance back as he held her. "Good seein' you safe."

Back at the entrance, there was a loud wheezing laugh, making all of them turn around to look. Essex was there, still on the ground, red eyes looking at all of them as he laughed and clutched at his wound. There was blood all over his clothes and the pale skin of his hand, more soaking him by the second. 

"Ain't that a surprise," he said, voice rasping out each word. "Erik Lehnsherr… I thought you died during the Jedi Purge, caught in the crossfire maybe." Essex’s eyes moved to Charles then, his smile widening before saying, "I see you merely chose to be weak."

Rogue watched as Erik tried to take a step forward, Charles' hand holding his arm before he could. They stared at each other, bitterness all over Erik's face as Charles' eyes seemed pleading.

"Even now, you're weak," Essex kept going. "This is why you were always an apprentice, never a true Sith. Even your lovely Charles stopped being a Padawan and became a Master before you could ever-"

"Enough." Xandra said, Essex's mouth suddenly closing as his eyes turned distant, Xandra's telepathy acting on him. Xandra sighed where they stood, blinking a few times like the action had taken a toll on them. "I've been wanting to do that for a while..."

"You said there are more ships coming," Rogue said out loud, turning to Charles. He looked at her, although his grip on Erik's arm remained. "We need to go, we don' have much time. Here…"

Rogue walked towards him, taking both sabers from her belt and offering them to him. She watched as a crease formed over Charles' brow as he looked at the second saber, the one that belonged to Essex.

"Thank you," he muttered, taking only his own from Rogue's hand as she offered the other one more forcefully. "This one doesn't belong to me."

"Ah don' want it. Take it."

"You aren't being serious." This time it was Erik who talked, looking as confused as Charles. "This is yours."

"Ah have no need for this thing-"

"Rogue, that's a darksaber," Charles said calmly, looking up at her as she kept her hand out, still offering the weapon. "You don't know what it means that you have it?"

"Means Ah have something Ah don' want. Ah have no use for this, Ah don' use blades."

"It means," Erik's voice was suddenly filled with annoyance as he stared at Rogue. "You are the Queen of Mandalor. Whoever wins the darksaber in battle is Mandalor's ruler- Don't you know your own history?"

Rogue stopped for a moment, looking at both men with quiet disbelief, hearing the honesty in their words. After a moment, she offered the weapon a little more forcefully.

"Take it, Ah'm giving it to you."

"That's not how it works," Charles shook his head, raising his hands. "You have to win against the one who owns the darksaber in a fight."

"Ah surrender. Take the saber." When Charles made no move to take it, Rogue huffed out. "Alright, fight me an' win so we can get this over with."

"I won't fight you for it, Rogue."

By his side, the noise of Erik's lightsaber turning on made both of them look at the other man. Charles' hand shook Erik's arm with that.

"Erik, no!"

"She's asking and I thought you-"

"No!" Charles said loudly, Erik turned off his lightsaber with a sigh. Charles shook his head, turning his eyes to Rogue again before saying, "Keep it, Rogue. It's yours, and now it's in the hands of a Mandalorian again, which is better than in the hands of a Sith. Queen or not, you've earned it."

"What fun," Remy stepped up beside Rogue, Xandra right next to him. "Shall we go now?"

"There's something I need to finish first."

Everyone stared at Erik as he said that, Charles' eyes getting that pleading look to them again. Rogue only watched as he took Charles' hand from his arm, raising it to place a kiss to the man's knuckles, soft and apologetic. 

"I need to do this," Erik muttered. Charles didn't seem happy about it. 

"I know." The telepath nodded, thumb brushing against Erik's hand gently. "Just don't lose yourself, that's all I ask of you..."

The smile on Erik's lips after those words was calm and gentle, loving even. "You always find me in the end."

Even with those words, Charles didn’t look very confident. The pleading look seemed to have gone away, and Rogue felt like what was reflected in the blue of his eyes now was loss, as if somehow he had lost Erik when he was standing right there.

They watched as Erik walked towards Essex, the man still off due to Xandra's command, his lightsaber turning on again, red and menacing in Erik's hand. 

"Xandra, let his mind go," he asked. In a second Essex seemed back to himself, eyes up at Erik with surprise before a smile appeared on his lips. 

"Go ahead, complete your training and kill your master," Essex muttered, a glint in his red eyes that made Rogue shiver.

Erik's hand tightened around his lightsaber as she watched everything curiously, feeling like this was bigger than she could ever comprehend. By the way Charles' hands clutched the metal of his hoverchair and his eyes seemed frantic, she guessed it was. 

"Be the Sith you were trained to be, Erik Lehnsherr!" Essex screamed. Next to them, Xandra seemed to grab Remy's arm, the Cajun holding them close immediately. Charles seemed to mutter Erik's name under his breath. "Show your Jedi how you're still part of the Dark Side! Show me you're not weak!"

Erik raised his lightsaber, ready to strike, but it never hit Essex, Erik's hand stopping midair right as a shot from Rogue's blaster hit Essex's face.

Essex's body dropped to the ground with a muffled noise, red eyes open and dead as Erik's hand lowered slowly, his whole body shaking for what Rogue could see. He turned to her, eyes wide and a lost look in them as Rogue only put the blaster away again.

"Didn't seem like killing him would do you much good," she explained. By her side, Charles seemed to let out a shaky exhale, sounding relieved. "Finished the job for you."

"Let's get out," Charles' voice was quiet, as if he was putting his thoughts into place. “Let’s leave this goddamn place.” 

No one seemed to object to him.

The ship landed in Arakko’s spaceport, the noises of the planet reaching Rogue's ears as soon as she stepped out of Charles and Erik's ship. By her side, Remy seemed to look around with curious eyes, the glint in them making Rogue roll her eyes even if there was a smile on her lips. He looked ready to cause some trouble. 

She heard the faint noise of Charles' hoverchair behind her, leaving the ship calmly with Xandra and Erik by his sides — Erik, whose eyes still looked lost hours after they had escaped the Imperial Cruiser. She remembered watching Erik and Charles in the ship, seeing the way Charles had held Erik's shaky hands. All she had managed to hear from their conversation was a quiet, "I'm just glad I didn't lose you," from Charles. His eyes seemed to look at Rogue with a quiet confusion now and then, and, sometimes, she could swear she could see gratitude.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to stay with us?" Charles asked, a quiet smile on his lips as he looked at Rogue and Remy, blue eyes kind over them.

"I don' think this one here would stand bein' around people for longer," Remy joked, pointing at Rogue as he said the words. "She must be socially drained by now."

"Sorry, Charles," Rogue shrugged. "Whatever it is this life you live, it's not for me. Jedis an' Siths, or whatever that lunatic was talking about… That’s not mah world."

For a moment, Rogue could swear there was a shift in Charles' eyes, in the look he was giving her, as if he knew something she didn't. If that was the case, he didn't say anything, only giving her another smile.

"I understand," he nodded, eyes turning towards Xandra now. "I think it's time to say goodbye, darling."

Xandra moved forward quickly, jumping on Rogue and hugging her tightly as Rogue did the same to them, holding the kid in her arms. She would be lying if she said she didn't feel torn by letting Xandra go after the time they spent together and everything Rogue went through to find somewhere to keep Xandra safe. They'd be safe with those two, Rogue knew that, and Xandra deserved to be with the father she never thought she'd meet.

"I'm going to miss you," Xandra said quietly, moving back to look at Rogue's face, covered by the helmet. Their pink eyes were filled with unshed tears.

Rogue felt her throat closing, feeling like maybe she should just ask for Xandra to stay — a clan of three, that's what Rogue could have, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't want it — but she couldn't ask for it. Xandra needed something other than Rogue, needed to have a life outside of running, and for what Charles told her, that's what the kid would have.

"Me and Erik, we live on a small planet named Krakoa. There's a home, and fields to tend to," he had explained, smiling dreamingly as he talked about his home. "They'll have a home, and will be safe there. I know that's what you want for them."

With a sigh, Rogue moved her hands to her helmet, pulling it off to look directly into Xandra's eyes. They smiled at Rogue's face, bottom lip trembling with the crying they were trying to keep inside. 

"Be careful, alright?" She said, hand moving to bump her knuckles gently against Xandra's chin. "An' Ah hope now that when me and the Cajun go there to visit you in the future, you'll have many stories to tell us about your life."

Xandra nodded, smiling a bit as the first tears fell. "Be careful too. Thank you."

"Take care, Sugah."

Xandra moved away, giving Remy a tight hug as well as they said their goodbyes. Rogue took the moment to put her helmet on again, feeling the tears falling from her eyes now, hidden away from everyone else. Even so, Charles' eyes on her felt gentle, as if he knew very well what was hiding behind the helmet. She stepped closer to the two men then, the movement making her feel the darksaber that was stuck to her belt for a moment, that thing that Rogue still didn’t know why she kept.

"Take care of 'em, will you?" Rogue asked, hoping her voice didn't waver as much as she thought it did. 

"We will," Erik was the one who answered, nodding at Rogue. "You can be sure of that."

"And if you ever feel like seeing Xandra again, I've already taken the liberty to leave our location in yours and Remy's mind," Charles shrugged. 

"Could've asked, couldn't you?"

"Would you say no?"

"Could've given me the illusion of a choice."

"I'll take that in mind when we meet again. You want the telepath’s courtesy."

“Doesn’t everyone?”

“I don’t know what’s like not having him around my mind for decades,” Erik mumbled, but there was a smile on his lips. It clearly didn’t seem like a bother for him. “I think he’s got too used to me not complaining.”

Xandra approached them again then, giving Rogue a last squeeze on the arm before they stood by their father's side. Remy was by Rogue's side again in a moment.

"I guess this is goodbye, " they muttered.

"For now," Rogue said quickly. Xandra's lips tugged up in a smile, nodding shortly. 

"For now."

Rogue stood there as she watched the ship fly off again, Xandra waving at her and Remy from the cockpit before the ship was too far away for them to be seen.

When the ship was too far away to even see, Rogue stayed with her head to the sky, quietly letting the last tears fall for a moment before pulling herself back together. Xandra was safe and had a home now, that's what she wanted for the kid from day one. 

By her side, Rogue felt Remy's hand brushing against her arm gently, red eyes looking at her with quiet empathy.

A clan of two, Rogue thought, feeling a smile tug on her lips. Sounded good enough.

"Should I steal us a ship?" He asked casually, as if he wasn't offering to steal a ship in broad daylight. Rogue couldn't hold back a snort. 

She moved closer to him, raising her helmet just enough to show her mouth before pressing her palm against Remy's lips, kissing the back of her hand like she had done days ago at the ruins. Remy smiled after that, his face looking a little flushed. 

"Ah'll indulge you this once, Cajun."

"Would you like an old and battered one like your last? There’s a small one over there- Very old by th’ looks of it. Jus’ your type, Mando." 

"Don' test mah patience."

Remy grinned at her. Rogue smiled back.