Summary: Rogue has gotten frequent nightmares lately, causing her to stop taking care of herself. All of her closest friends have noticed, and just when she collapses from the stress, the one there to catch her is none other than the one and only Cajun master thief. But is there a reason behind his visit? And what is causing Rogue to act the way she is?
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
Her heartbeat was pounding so loudly, that she could hear it.
Thump-thump.
The muscle inside her chest beat heavily, throbbing against its cage of ribs. An ache was felt through her entire breast, heaving uncontrollably. Breath caught in her throat, tight as she pulled for air. Dizziness filled her mind, as it clouded over with her fatigue.
The wind ran through her extremely long hair, the sting of the cold ripping at her body. Loose clothes fluttered with the wind, straining against her form. Things whipped past her as she crossed the plains swiftly, not even looking at the trees in the forest around her. She almost flew past everything.
Feet pounded with an ache, and her leg muscles strained with pain. But she kept running. Head swirled with a daze, though through all of it she kept going. Her breaths were so loud that she heard them, as well as her heart.
All she felt was extreme pain, but she continued to go.
And then, it all stopped.
Rogue's eyes shot open as she gasped for breath and sat up in bed. Heaving for her relief, she clasped her chest tightly. Trying to regain her calmness, she noticed that the alarm was going off, sitting next to her bed. She reached over, and slammed her hand down to turn it off.
Light was shining through the window, and she saw her roommate stir in her sleep, her own alarm going off. She was still in her room in the mansion. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she cursed the early summer heat. She hoped someone got the air conditioning fixed before they got home.
Kitty, groaning from under the covers, sat up as she woke. Still half asleep, she didn't notice her friend's alertness. "Morning already?"
Swallowing, Rogue nodded and shook her head. "Yeah," she said, voice thick with accent as she pulled the covers off, and she slipped out of bed. "We gotta get up."Her friend stood and waved her off as she got to her dresser. "Go have the bathroom–I still have to find something to wear."
Rogue nodded as she stood and went over to the bathroom. She paused at the door and turned. "Did ya... sleep alright last night?"
"Yeah," her roommate replied over her shoulder. "Why?"
"Nothin'," she replied. "It's nothin'."
She slipped inside, her roommate watching her with a raised eyebrow.
Damn that woman.
That was the only thing on his mind. Every time that he got to forget about her, she came back into his life, deviously creeping back into his mind. Why couldn't she just go away? She had a good enough life without having to screw around with his. It wasn't like he did what he did to her on purpose.
This was all her stupid brother's fault.
Her newest target just happened to be someone that he owed a debt to; the untouched Rogue. She'd helped him with Jean Luc, now it was his turn to return the favor. If that required he keep an eye on her, he would.
The instant he found out, he'd left Louisiana, and made it to Bayville. He was unaccustomed to the city, but he'd find himself a way to adjust. His chère needed protection, from whatever it was that she was throwing at her.
Kitty pulled a shirt over her head as the door to the bathroom opened. A comb in her mouth and her hands holding her hair, she turned to find Rogue coming outside. Her hair was still damp, but her makeup was applied more heavily than usual that morning. Her clothing was... interesting to say the least–more or less dangerous.
Her brow wrinkled as she tied her hair back. "You're wearing that?"
It was a nicer corset top, the bodice nicely detailed with lace, but it only had two thin straps at the shoulders holding it up. Her jeans came up to her hips, belly shown slightly.
Rolling her eyes, she went over to her dresser. "No," she said, fishing through a drawer. "That would be just stupid. Ah don't wanna kill anybody."
She pulled on gloves that came up to her high arm, almost to her shoulder. Still, her shoulders were bare, and it was enough to touch someone. Kitty made a face. "Alright," she said. "If you say so. But watch out, okay? I have enough trouble as it is."
Rogue cracked a grin as she picked up her bag. "Lance?"
Her roommate blushed, but then turned away and shrugged. "Maybe."
Again, she rolled her eyes. "Ya two don't get married and hava' bunch o' kids, I'm gonna touch ya both," she warned as she headed for the door.
Gapping, Kitty turned, her roommate leaving. "Hey! Stop making fun!" Turning, she crossed her arms and grumbled. "Besides, hasn't even done more than a kiss on the cheek..."
Boots trudged down the steps as she made it into the kitchen. She went inside, noting how that it was still early and that she could grab some coffee before taking her time to get to school. She went inside and reached for a mug, but almost dropped it when hearing a voice.
"You're up early."
At the grumble, she turned and breathed in heavily. "Ya like scarin' people?"
Logan shrugged, sipping on a soda–the closest thing he could get to a beer. He sat at the counter, as she poured her coffee and took a sip. "It's what I do best." As she stood there quietly, he looked her up and down. "What's up with this? Late nights, early mornings. Makeup can't hide those bags."
She avoided his gaze. The nightmares had been going on for a while. Actually, they'd been going on for weeks. It messed with her sleep a lot. She was surprised she had managed to go this long without a full eight hours of sleep every night. The coffee was the only thing keeping her going.
Apparently he'd noticed she wasn't sleeping.
Rogue shrugged and shook her head. "Studying, that's all," she replied, still not looking at him. She downed the last of her cup and sighed. "Got exams you know."
He nodded, but didn't look impressed with her answer. "Fine, fine."
She smirked, but it was gone as soon as it came, heading for the door. "Ah'll see ya later."
Shaking his head, Logan took a sip from his drink. "Hope you know what's up, prof."
"This heat's killer, no?"
Almost as if her adoptive brother was reading her mind, Rogue nodded in agreement. Walking through the halls, Kurt walked beside her as he rested his arms behind his head. She didn't say anything, but groaned a reply, "Mm."
"One thing I don't like about summer–the heat," he continued. He raised an eyebrow, as they turned a corner, and she headed down the hall. "Where are you going? The cafeteria's the other way," he said, pointing to the direction that he'd been going originally.
She shook her head. "Not hungry," she said.
He crossed his arms. "And you haven't been for a few days," he said, brow wrinkled as he put his foot down on his words. "You've been skipping meals, Rogue. That's not healthy."
"Ah just have to cram, that's all," she said, looking over her shoulder. "We all have to graduate, ya know. Ah'm heading to the library."
Kurt made a face of concern, but then shrugged. "Alright. At least let me buy you a drink," he offered. "To get something in you."
She nodded. "Juice's fine."
As she turned another corner, she left him to stand there alone. His brow wrinkled again, this time from confusion. "The library's the other way," he mumbled quietly.