Title: Serendipitous
Rating: PG
Summary: Missing scene from the end of 'Under Lock and Key'.
Type of fic: Vignette
Disclaimer: All recognisable characters and places are not mine. They
belong to Marvel and/or Marvel Studios, WB, Film Roman (I think), and whoever
else claims rights to them.
Distribution: FF.net and Random Thoughts. All else, please just ask.
Author's note: I figure that Angel would at least want to see Rogue if
ever he was at Xavier's mansion, and this is my take on it.
***
Serendipitous
'Excuse me?'
'Oh! Angel. Uh, hi.'
'Jean, right?'
'That's me! I…I mean, that's right. Jean. Jean Grey.'
'Could you please tell me where Rogue is?'
'Rogue?'
'Yes.'
'Oh. Rogue. Right. Um, she's in the medical wing.'
'Medical wing? Is she okay?'
'Yeah, yeah. She's fine. She's great.'
'Thank you.'
*
At the sight of familiar figure, Scott felt his heart beat increase. He walked towards her. 'Hey, Jean.'
She didn't hear him. Could she be ignoring him?
He frowned. 'Jean?'
Jean whirled around, as if surprised. 'Scott!'
Scott's eyebrows knitted with concern as he looked closely at her. There seemed to be a suffusion of colour in her cheeks, a darker shade of red, than usual. 'Are you okay? You seemed really spaced out there for a minute.'
She smiled at him, but it looked forced. 'Yeah, I'm fine.'
He looked towards the direction she had been staring at and noticed Angel's tell-tale wings disappearing around the corner and into Professor X's office. 'Did he say something to you, Jean?' he asked, not liking the idea of the guy moving in on his…friend, who was a girl.
Scott knew that their guest had attracted the attentions of almost all the female population of the mansion, including Jean.
'He wanted…' Jean trailed off, frowning. 'He was looking for Rogue.'
At the mention of their younger teammate, Scott felt a tug from the bottom of his stomach. Something that felt a little like guilt, but he didn't want it to be guilt. He silently told himself again that he didn't do anything wrong so there was no reason to feel guilty. 'Oh. Rogue.'
Jean shook her head lightly. 'Speaking of Rogue, how is she? Logan says she refuses to see anyone yet, but I'm sure she won't mind seeing you.'
He looked away. 'Well, I, I think she's okay.'
'You think?'
'I don't think she wants to see me either,' he mumbled. No, he lied. Since his first, and only, visit to see her outside the medical room, he hadn't returned. He silently argued that it was because he'd been so busy, but deep down knew it was just an excuse. He would visit her again soon.
The tug from earlier became noticeably stronger.
*
'Hello, Rogue. I was told I would find you here.'
Her head snapped up, both from surprise and annoyance. Logan had vowed to make sure that nobody come visit her for a few days at least, and she made a mental note to kick him in the ass for breaking that assurance. First, Kurt, and now this?
However, the sight of the unexpected face – someone other than an X-Man – was unpredictably welcome and pleasing. 'Warren?'
He smiled brightly at her, and she recalled the man who had literally swooped down from the sky and saved her life. She remembered the thrill of being in his arms, the blissful feeling of being safe and secure as he, as they, flew over New York. He had asked if she had wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, and having respectfully declined the offer, he instead made her promise that if she ever felt the need to see it he would be the one to take her.
'You didn't think I would miss the chance on seeing my favourite X-Man, did you?' he teased her lightly.
'Ah'm nobody's favourite anything,' she mumbled. In spite of what she said, a flush of pleasure flowed through her.
Warren smiled kindly at her. 'Of course you are. And you're looking a little too pale for my liking, Rogue.'
Rogue wondered if it was her heart that had just gone "flip-flop" as her stomach had suddenly filled with frenzied butterflies. She could feel her cheeks beginning to burn, but she refused to look away. 'It's been a rough couple of days.'
He nodded, moving so that he stood beside her bed. 'Professor Xavier told me all about it.'
She sighed, looking down at her hands as she folded them on her lap. 'Ah don't remember a lot of what happened, just bits and pieces. Ah remember…remember Scott still blasting me even when he knew that it was me.'
'Scott's your friend, Rogue, you know that. He does care about you. They all do.'
She looked up at him again, raising an eyebrow. 'Did the Prof tell you to tell me that?'
Warren laughed. 'No, he didn't. But I can hear the students talking, and they're all worried about you. Especially Logan and Professor Xavier.' His smile widened. 'That's why they agreed that maybe you need a few days away from all this.'
Rogue frowned. 'Ah don't understand. Away from all of what?'
'From training, from school, from the mansion. Even from the X-Men.'
She breathed out slowly, hurting. It was no surprise, really. 'They want me gone.'
Warren reached out and placed a gloved hand on her arm. 'No, Rogue, that's the last thing they want,' he said gently. 'I suggested that maybe you should come and spend a week with me in New York, and they think it's a great idea. They hope that maybe you can find the real Rogue away from all these influencing personalities.'
She stared at his hand, but he didn't pull away. She knew that what he said made a lot of sense, and the idea of spending a week in New York was far from horrible. Not to mention the thought of spending a week with Warren.
Yet, the feeling of being unwanted lingered. What if one week turned into two? And two weeks turned into a month? What if she returned and they didn't want her back?
'Rogue, you know that you will always have a place here with the X-Men,' another voice said, joining them.
Rogue looked towards the door, wondering if the Professor had read her mind. Then mentally hit herself as she remembered what his powers were. She vaguely felt the loss of Warren's warm touch on her arm. 'But Professor-' She broke off, unsure of what she could say in protest. It seemed as if there was nothing to say.
'Rogue, nobody is going to force you to do something you don't want to do,' Warren said. He grinned. 'Think of the shopping.'
Despite herself, she felt a small bubble of laugher rise to her lips and escape. She clamped a hand over her mouth. 'Sorry.'
Professor X smiled at her. 'Don't be, Rogue. The X-Men have a large account, and I'm sure we can spare more than enough to keep you busy for the week.'
'Remember the Statue of Liberty.'
Rogue gazed up at him, and not for the first time wondered if it was a crime for someone to be so good-looking. 'You promised to be my guide.'
Warren smiled. 'I did.'
That "flip-flop" sensation again.
She looked from him to Professor X, then back again. Rogue nodded her head slowly, a hesitant smile curving her lips. 'Okay.'
end.