Title: Silken Gloves and Cold Hands

Author: x-x-Southern-Belle-x-x

Sumary: She didn't like him.Of course he liked her, but he was just her goofy bestfriend. But what happens when she opens her eyes and realizes that he was always right for her? Rogue/Bobby pairing. Set between X1 and X2. After Liberty Island incedent.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men. They are property of Marvel. I own nothing.

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Seventeen-year-old Bobby Drake sat lazily under a large apple tree at dusk outside the huge mansion he'd called home for three years now. He was supposed to be working on his algebra homework, but a certain brown-eyed southern girl kept wandering back into his mind. It had been a day, and he still wasn't sure what'd happened. One minute she was agreeing to meet him for lunch, and the next, the X-Men were rushing out to stop Magneto, a mutant terrorist, and save Rogue. Everything in the middle was a blur to him.

When he realized that sitting there thinking wasn't going to bring her back, he turned his attention back to his algebra in a vain attempt to finish it. No such luck.

Bobby usually didn't believe in love at first sight, but this was diffrent. She was diffrent. He knew she was special from the very first time he saw her. There was just something about her. Something unique. He had become her friend. Possibly her bestfriend, since he was one of the only few friends she had at the mansion. Right after class on her first day, he had stayed behind and offered to give her an 'official' tour of the institute. He was so happy when she had agreed. They had spent the rest of the day wandering the grounds of the institute as Bobby pointed out things that nobody probably had ever really cared about. Such as fifty-year old painting of Professor Xavier's great-great grandfather or a rock that some earth-bending mutant shaped into a tiger twenty years ago. Rogue really didn't mind, though. He had made her feel normal, had made her laugh more than one occasion.

Over those few hours, Bobby had learned how truly amazing she was. She had told him about where she came from way down south, and how it took her three monthes to hitch-hike all the way to Laughlin City. And in turn, Bobby told her of his past, even though compared to hers, it seemed like a tropical vacation. Slowly, he realized he was falling for her. And did he fall hard. In four short hours he had experienced love at first sight. Although, he knew he would have to keep it to himself, because he knew Rogue didn't return his feelings. Why would she?

After an hour of excruciating work, he decided to go in. After all, it was too dark to write anyway. As he walked through the hall to his room, he noticed a considerably large group of students gathered at a window facing the basketball court. He pushed his way through the crowd to see what all the comotion was about. What he witnessed was amazing. The court split in half and a big, black jet lowered down into it, then it closed.

The crowd despersed when the amazing sight was over. Bobby, on the other hand, stayed and his look of awe faded to a complete look of happiness as he watched the people climb out of the jet. Dr. Grey, Mr. Summers, Ms. Munroe, some unconscious man with wild hair, and Rogue came out. Rogue! She was okay! She looked battered and bruised and very tired, but she was okay! The worry he was feeling melted away to a feeling of lightheartedness.

He went straight to his room and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Tomorrow he would check on her, but first he needed to rest.