Author's notes:
Ta-da! The continuation of Torn Pages begins ^^ Beforehand I'd like to thank everyone who read and reviewed "Sacrifice" – it's an encouragement to keep me writing, Thanks!
This is what follows after "Sacrifice". Rogue comes to a decision that she won't ever love, but is it as easy as that?
Torn Pages Part 2:"Falling"
Chapter 1: Conversation and Thoughts
***
"Are you happy?"
"Of course…"
***
"Man, I can't believe we teamed up with the X geeks again!"
Lance was referring to the recent battle where the Brotherhood and the X Men had worked together once more to defeat their mutual enemies.
If it hadn't been for that fact, the Brotherhood wouldn't have even bothered.
But as it was they decided to agree on the temporary truce.
Now it was over, things were pretty much the same way between them as it had been before.
Todd looked up at Lance, his slimy tongue hanging out as he was in the middle of his favorite pastime – catching flies,
"I thought you liked teaming up with them, especially since you and Kitty were side by side throughout the whole battle, yo?"
Lance frowned at the mention of that, and Pietro's snickering.
"Yeah, Lance. It seems you enjoyed the whole bonding pretty much."
Lance shot him a look,
"I didn't see you complain either…or was it because you were preoccupied with something, or should I say someone at that moment?"
Pietro opened his mouth to retort something back, when Todd pointed out the obvious,
"Yeah, weren't you and Rogue, like, teammates during the fight, yo?"
Pietro glared defensively at them.
"It's not like I had a choice!"
Lance and Todd exchanged looks
" Right." Lance said.
"Well, at least I don't have anything mushy going on with her, not that I would say the same for someone…" Pietro taunted, merely pointing a finger at Lance.
Lance raised his hands in mock surrender,
"Hey, cut me some slack, will ya? Besides…I'd watch it if I were you."
Pietro folded his arms,
"Yeah, what's that suppose to mean?"
Lance shrugged as he walked up the stairs to his room,
"Let's just say you're walking on dangerous ground…getting too close to her…"
Pietro laughed,
"Like I'd ever turn into a wimp like you!"
"Whatever…"
***
"Hey, we make a pretty good team, don't we?"Pietro grinned, a twinkle in his devious eyes.
Rogue gave a slight nod,
"Yeah well don't get too comfy – this is more like a one time thing."
Pietro laughed,
"Yeah, right."
Rogue lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Somehow she couldn't sleep.
She kept thinking to the moment of the temporary truce, hard to believe as it was…
Still, she admitted, it was sort of fun while it lasted…
She gazed across the room where Kitty was fast asleep, breathing softly as she slumbered.
Rogue smiled.
She probably enjoyed it more than anyone.
She and Lance…
Then she sighed, remembering again the promise she had made a few weeks ago.
That I'd never have those feelings about anyone else ever again…She'd vowed that right after Scott's recovery and the mending relationship between her and Jean.
Placing a hand on her temple, she convinced herself once more,
This is the right thing… For everyone's sake…And mine…
She shook her head slightly as she gave a sad smile,
Besides, who'd ever be able to love me in that kind of way?***
I can't believe this… All these seats and I had to pick the one right behind these two hyper perky chatterboxes!
Rogue sighed like for the third time that period.
Seated behind two pretty looking girls who obviously were fashion freaks and on the in crowd was rather trying as she had to go through to a whole hour of listening to their not of interest conversation going on since the very beginning.
She wished she could tune them out somehow but they never seemed to be out of source for what to talk next, ranging from the latest outfit to the latest gossip.
Now it was on the topic of the most popular boys in school.
"Like, what about that guy with the cool looking glasses all the time?"
"You mean Scott Summers?"
"Yeah! He is like totally hot!"
"Well, he's already got a girlfriend …"
"Jean Grey, right? How I envy her…"
"Yeah, if he were my boyfriend…"
Rogue rolled her eyes.
Yeah, if he were your boyfriend I'd feel sorry for him…"Maximoff! You're late!"
Rogue looked to the front where the teacher was frowning at the student who had just walked in.
Pietro shrugged,
"I was called in to the principle's office."
"Never mind…just take your seat."
Pietro made a face as he walked over to an empty seat not noticing that Rogue had her gaze on him.
"That's the one I was telling you about…" the blond gushed to her friend.
Here we go again…"You're so right! He is cool, not to mention handsome with that bad boy attitude of his…"
"The best thing is he's hasn't been hooked yet! The girls will be so jealous if I got him first…"
Rogue couldn't help laughing at this.
She must have laughed loud enough for them to hear because they had stopped their conversation and were glaring at her.
"Like, what may I ask, amuses you?" the blond girl demanded.
Regaining her composure, Rogue shrugged,
"Nothing…it's just that the whole thing sounds silly to me."
Both girls gapped at her with wide-open mouths as if she were an alien or something.
"Well, you should know, especially since I don't see you hanging around with any of the guys let alone have a boyfriend," the girl retorted pointedly with a snicker from her friend.
Rogue gave a dull yawn,
"They don't interest me."
The girl rolled her eyes,
"Yeah, right. It's just that you can't find anyone to pay attention to you that you can't stand other people having the same attention you want. If you ask me, you're envious about not being popular enough."
The bell rang.
Rogue stood up, and tossing her hair over her shoulder, she said coolly,
"I couldn't care less if I were popular or not. Truth is if I had to be popular and mindless put you and you together – I'd rather not."
She gave a triumph smile as she left them dumb struck.
***
"Hey, Goth girl…"
Rogue rolled her eyes as she slammed her locker shut, ignoring the person next to her.
"So what did I miss?" he asked referring to their last class.
Rogue stared at him. "Not much I guess, but like you'd bother about that."
Pietro merely grinned, and faking a yawn he gave a shrug,
"Yup. That class was dullsville!"
Rogue couldn't help but agree with him on that.
"Well I'd suppose the only thing that would get your interest is that if you were the main topic of a conversation."
Pietro raised an eyebrow, curiosity twinkling in his eyes.
"What? I missed that ?! Who talked about me? What about?"
Rogue sighed. Leave it to me to boost his ego…
"Just some girls…having a crush on you or something like that…"
"Naturally. Not like I could blame them, what with my handsome looks and charming personality…" Pietro said proudly, running his fingers through his hair as he did.
Again, Rogue rolled her eyes. "Aren't you the modest type."
Pietro smiled deviously as he suddenly leaned closer to her, meeting her eyes with his.
"Hey, I can't help it if I'm what girls find attractive…"
Trying to look away, Rogue retorted,
"Some girls, maybe."
Pietro laughed,
"What? Not you?"
"Dream on."
Chuckling, Pietro whispered in her ear,
"You look prettier when you're mad."
Before Rogue could do anything, he was off like the speed demon he was.
Jerk…***
That was it…"WHAT???" Pietro finally cried out when he noticed that they had been staring at him as if he were some science experiment for the last half hour.
"Nothin'..." Lance said innocently.
"Yeah, nuttin, yo…" came Todd.
"Nope…" mumbled Fred through his snack.
Pietro rolled his eyes. "Cut it with the act already! You guys have been acting pretty weird ever since we came back from school."
Lance shrugged.
"Not as weird as you."
"What?"
They laughed.
"Haven't you noticed that dreamy look and stupid grin you've been wearing throughout the afternoon?" Lance told him.
"What?!"
"He said – " Todd began.
"I heard what he said!! What I meant was that I did not look like that!!" yelled Pietro.
"Did so," pointed out Fred.
"Did not!"
Lance sighed,
"Stop acting like a bunch of kids, you two! The main point is why you had that stupid look on your face in the first place."
Pietro glared at him, and was going to start another 'did not - did so', but thought better. Just as he was about to reply however, Todd cut in with,
"Does it have to do with da Rogue, yo?"
They were doing it again. Staring at him in a way that made him want to freak out as they waited for his answer.
"No, it's nothing to do with da Rogue, ok? Now lay off my case."
"Speaking about Rogue, have you noticed how she's been acting lately?" asked Lance.
"She's always been the way she is. What's so strange about that, yo?" laughed Todd.
Lance frowned.
"Kitty tells me she's been kinda down lately – sort of, not her usual self."
"Kitty, told you?"
The others burst out laughing while Lance tried furiously not to blush and pound them at the same time.
Seeing a chance to break away from the earlier conversation, Pietro headed for the door and called out, just before disappearing,
"I'm gonna take a walk. Don't wait up for me!"
"A walk?" Fred echoed.
"More like, a race around town," murmured Lance as he took a sip from his coffee.
***
Everything around him seemed so slow.
Even time seemed to be oblivious of him.
Of course, time had no meaning to Pietro.
Frowning, he lowered his pace so he could level with his thoughts.
It had only been a few minutes and since he hadn't really thought of directions, he found himself at a clearing where there was a path leading uphill. The place was silent except for the rustling of leaves as the winds passed through.
Pietro was wondering about what Lance had said. Rogue didn't really act like herself these days. Not that it was his business, only out of curiosity. And about that look he had had on his face?
Sheesh, what was that all about…A sudden thought came to him.
I'm not becoming attached to her, am I? Whoa! What kind of thought is that? Of course I'm not! Why would I want to turn into a pansy like Lance?!Laughing at his own foolishness he suddenly stopped as he noticed someone uphill.
Rogue?***
Continued…
(So what did you think? *laughs* ok, so it is a Rietro fic (I couldn't help it – I like the pairing!) ^^ Anyway, this chapter is kinda long, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same ^_^)