Title: A Silver Star
Rating: PG
Summary: [SCOTT/ROGUE] Tired of the occasionally Romy? Look no further! Takes place after "Turn of the Rogue." Scott has plans to meet with Jean, but he sees Rogue and decides to join her for a little talk, which eventually leads to a confession...
Author's Note: YES! Scott/Rogue lives! Damn, I'm tired of seeing all these Remy/Rogue fics, and not being able to find one good Scott/Rogue fic. So here's my two cents' worth. I kept the plot simple, and doesn't have much depth to it. It's sort of rushed at the end, but that's only because I couldn't find any other way to end it. ^__^;;
Disclaimer: Hel-lo! I don't own X-Men: Evolution in any way, shape, or form. All those rights belong to Marvel and Kids' WB, and I'm not trying to make any money off of this humble fanfic.
Feedback: Is always welcome! Press the little "Go" button at the bottom of the page on the left-hand side, or you can personally e-mail me at unwell@firey.net. Praises and money accepted. ^_^
Archiving: Feel free to take it, but please e-mail me your URL (site address) so I know you took it. Thanks.
A Silver Star
By Vanessa
December 24, 2003
*
The bitter cold swept through the sky as gloved hands closed a jacket tightly. Her eyes drifted across the winter wonderland as tiny snowflakes began falling softly. The girl enjoyed the peaceful quiet moment that she held; most often at times, the Mansion was buzzing with sound and laughter. Not today— today was her day… all by herself. She indulged in the sweet call of nature as her own thoughts consumed her.
Something compelled him to stop.
He pondered on who it could be outside: Kitty and Kurt were out with Amanda for Christmas shopping; Dr. McCoy had taken the new recruits on a nature trail; Ms. Munroe and Evan were at Evan's house; Logan had gone to sulk at a bar… That could only leave one person.
… Why is she out there by herself?
He wanted to keep walking, but couldn't stop thinking about her. He glanced at his watch; he was going to be late if he kept stalling. Jean would be furious if he was late. They had planned to go ice skating, and although Jean might have been a good skater, he was not sure of this at all. It had been ages since he had last skated. Besides… he did think skating was a little embarrassing, especially since he wasn't that good at it.
He was tempted to cancel their "date" that he had worked so hard to get.
He saw again the figure on the bench outside, and impulsively made his decision. He picked up the phone on his nightstand and dialed. No… he couldn't do it. Put the phone down and just go skating. He could fake sick… Don't keep Jean waiting; you know she hates that. He dialed again.
"Hi, Jean? Yeah, it's me… Huh?… Uh, I know. I'm running a little late, but…" He faked a cough. "You know, Kitty recently got over the flu, and I think I may have caught something." He coughed again. "I'm not really feeling well… Yes, I'm sure… No, no. Go on. I don't want to keep you away from having fun— huh? Oh… Duncan's there with you?" He felt a twinge of jealously. "Oh, no… that's fine. Really; it's okay… Uh-huh… Okay, bye." He hung up the phone.
Duncan… I should have known.
He felt a little disappointed, but couldn't do anything. If he backed out now, Jean would know for sure that he was lying. Of course, she was a telepath; how could he fool her? Either she wasn't interfering his thoughts, or she just got back at him by spending time with Duncan.
He sighed as he made his way to the foyer of the Mansion.
He stepped out onto the porch, quietly closing the door behind him. The girl didn't seem to notice the faint click of the door as he continued making his way over to the bench. Not wanting to frighten her, he took the time to gaze at the landscape. The blanket of snow covered everything, and he guessed the girl too was amazed by nature's beauty.
Unconsciously, he quietly whispered, "Beautiful."
The girl whirled around, surprised that someone had been standing behind her. Then her face became expressionless. "Oh, it's you."
He wasn't sure if he should take that as an invitation or not, but stood next to her. "Mind if I sit down?"
She shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "If ya want to."
He nodded slightly, taking a seat next to her on the bench. He looked out again at the open area, then his focus shifted to the lonely girl sitting next to him. He didn't want to be rude by staring, but he couldn't keep his eyes off her. This was really the first time they had been together alone— well, beside the recent events on their school field trip. She was bundled up in her trench coat and a scarf wrapped around her neck. The ever-present gloves covered her hands that were fidgeting with each other. He was simply stunned at the outer beauty that he beheld; her angry expression could not hide the true feelings she felt.
She could feel his eyes on her, but chose to ignore it. If he wants ta look at meh, then he can. Ah'm not gonna stop him. There's nothin' ta see anyway. She felt a little awkward, but made the first move. "Sure is pretty, huh?"
He looked directly at her face, then looked away. "Yeah… it is."
She surprised him by continuing, "It's peaceful, ya know? Usually tha Mansion's so busy, Ah can't hear mahself think. But when Ah'm alone lahke this… Ah don't know. Ah guess it calms meh down. It makes meh forget that… well… it makes meh forget that Ah can't touch… Never mind," she said, a little embarrassed. "Ah'm sawry. Forget Ah said anythin'."
"No, it's okay," he reassured her. "It's lucky you can feel that way sometimes. I mean… I can't really do that with my powers."
"Ah'm really sawry," she said again. "Ah just wanted ta say that tha snow was pretty, but Ah… Forget it."
He decided not to push her; he knew she was touchy on that subject (no pun intended). "Yeah. It's pretty. But sometimes I wonder…" He paused.
She looked at him. "Ya wonder what?"
"Well… sometimes I wonder how something so beautiful can be so harsh." He looked out into the snow.
"What do ya mean?" She was confused. Was he really talking about the snow? Or perhaps he was using a metaphor, and actually was talking about something else?…
"You know— snowstorms and such. It could stop a whole city if it wanted." He tilted his head at her.
"Yeah… Ah guess Ah know what you mean, but you've been livin' around snow yer whole lahfe. Ah grew up in Mississippi, an' there ain't no such thing as snow down there, ya know?" She tried to liven up the conversation.
But he kept staring out into the snow, not responding. After a while, he stood up. "You know what? I have something for you. I'll be right back." He didn't wait for her acknowledgement.
"Sure…" She stared wistfully at the door that he had closed. Well, this is nahce. Ah try to have one day to mahself, and he just brightens it up… an' then he probably realahzed that he was wastin' his tahme with meh… Ah bet he went out the back way of tha Mansion to sneak out with Jean somewhere where they're alone together without anyone ta bother them…
She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice he had sat down next to her, and was now holding a little wrapped box before her.
"Oh… Sawry. Ah didn't see ya come back," she said sheepishly.
"No problem. Listen, this is an early Christmas present; I found it a while ago, and… well, I don't know. I thought maybe you'd like it," he stuttered. "You can open it now, if you'd like," he added.
"Thank you," she said, delicately taking the small box from him. She carefully peeled off the Christmas-oriented wrapping paper, placing the small scraps on the part of the bench that was between them. She unknowingly held her breath as she opened the small black box to reveal a small, simple silver star hanging on a silver chain. It was so simple that it was beautiful; it took her breath away.
"Wow…" she whispered, unsure of what to do next. She loved the present, but didn't want to tell him that. "Thank you… It's beautiful."
"You're welcome. Do you want me to help you put it on?" He was pleased that she liked the gift.
"… Sure, why not?" She was a little nervous, but immediately felt relief when she remembered that he was wearing gloves. At least Ah don't have to worry about another unconscious person this Christmas… She turned around and lifted her hair with her hands for easier access.
He carefully took the necklace out of the box, swept it around her neck, and tried to clasp it together. He groaned in frustration. "Hold on, I can't get this clasp to work…" He took off his gloves, and successfully clasped it together. "There…"
She turned towards him. "How does it look?" she said with a hint of a smile.
"Beautiful." You look beautiful, he added silently. He smiled brightly at her, putting his gloves back on.
She blushed slightly. "Thanks again… Ah… Ah don't really have a present fer ya," she said sheepishly.
He shrugged. "It's okay; I always thought it was better to give than receive anyway… I want that necklace to represent our growing friendship. As long as you wear it, I promise I'll always be there for you." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "No, scratch that. I'll always be there for you, whether you wear it or not, okay? I promise." He took her by surprise as he held her hand and looked at their entwined hands wistfully.
She swallowed hard. She had never felt this way before; someone actually cared for her. She had someone she could on depend on now; this was all new to her. She was used to relying on no one but herself. But now… here was a guy (a really attractive guy, nonetheless) offering his friendship to her, even if they didn't know each other very well. She wasn't sure what to do next.
His eyes wandered from their hands up along her body to her face as he turned his whole body towards her, gently tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. He leaned forward slightly, his breath little puffs of air that she saw float away.
"I… I know we haven't known each other very long, but I just… feel something between us. I want to know if…" He hesitated. "I want to know if you're feeling what I'm feeling."
She blushed again. "It depends," she said playfully. "What are you feelin', sugah?"
He smiled slightly. This was the part of her he loved; the side that she showed no one but him. He knew there was something about her… "What I'm feeling, 'sugah,' " he smiled, "is something that tells me to do this." He leaned forward again, drawing closer to her face.
Panic and excitement rose in her entire body. The panic side was yelling, "He's gonna touch ya—don't let him; he'll get hurt. You don't wanna hurt him… you don't wanna hurt anybody. If you love him, don't let him do this…"
"If you love him…"
"Ah don't love him…"
The excitement side was yelling, "He's gonna kiss you… kiss you, not Jean. He loves you…"
"If he loved me, he wouldn't hurt himself by touchin' me."
"If I loved him, I wouldn't let him."
"… Do you?"
"… Even though it's sudden… yes."
She pulled away right before he could place his lips upon hers. She saw the blank expression on his face and looked away. "Ah'm sawry… Ah want to, really… but we can't. Ah don't want you to get hurt…"
"Too late…" The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. He shook his head. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said that. I mean…"
She stared at their still-entwined hands. "It's okay… Ah know it's frustrating… Ah'm sawry…" She felt so embarrassed; she had ruined an almost-perfect moment of her first real kiss.
He ran a hand through his hair. "No apologies necessary, really. It's not your fault. I just wish…" He drifted off.
She sighed. "Ah know what you mean, believe me."
He smiled gently at her. "Yeah… It's funny how you can say nothing at all and the other person knows exactly what you're thinking, huh?"
She showed another hint of a smile. "Ah know. But in response to your previous statement…" She took a breath. "Yes…"
"… What do you mean?" He gave her a questioning look.
"Ah mean that… yes, Ah'm feeling what yer feeling… It scares me," she admitted, looking up at his face.
He chuckled. "It scares me too. I mean, I thought Jean and I shared something… I guess I was wrong. But in a good way, you know?"
She didn't respond, just stared at the now-setting sun. The snow on the ground now had a reddish tint. "Wow," she said, "That's really beautiful, huh?"
He glanced at the setting sun, then looked away, his jaw clenching slightly. "It's how I see it every day," he said, a hint of remorse in his voice.
"Oh… Ah'm sawry…" Damn, you screw everything up, she chided herself. "Ah didn't mean it lahke that… Ah mean…"
"It's okay. I'm used to it, I guess." He still felt a little uncomfortable about the conversation, but knew from experience that he really was okay with it.
"Just lahke Ah'm used to not touchin' otha people…" she said quietly.
"We're more alike than you think," he thought aloud. And I love you for it…
She stood up abruptly, hearing his last remark. "It's gonna get colder out here, an' Ah don't want ta be a part of it," she joked. "You can have the cold all to yerself, okay? Ah'll just… Ah'll just be insahde." She left quickly.
He watched her leave, and sat by himself on the bench. Did I say that last part out loud? Is that why she left so quickly?
It doesn't matter; it doesn't change the fact that I think I'm falling in love with you…
She didn't want to admit it out loud… Ah have no idea why, but…
Her hands flew up to her necklace and her fingers traced the silver star as tears began to well up in her eyes.
… Ah love you too…
Author's Note: Wow, I can't believe I actually did it. Yay. I've been try to write a decent Scott/Rogue fic lately [because all the Remy/Rogue ones anger me >D], and so here it is. Review, please. Constructive criticism is accepted. Thank you!