(***Authors Note: I just want to put a thanks down to everyone who's kept up with the story so far and everyone who keeps reviewing – I read EVERY single review. Thanks especially to ishandahalf and Rogue4787 who always give the best in-depth reviews and opinions – I always look forward to reading those, thanks. Oh and thanks to Alex, just for putting up with all my hints and torture from unreleased episodes, hehe. ***)
Dismal Angel 2010 - Episode 5
Chapter 1: Movin' On Up
Rogue stumbled through the front door drunkenly with Bobby Drake at her back. She tripped, sliding on the heel of her stiletto boots and almost falling completely, she felt him grab her under the shoulder just in time to stop her from colliding with the hard marble floor. She laughed an intoxicated laugh as she tried to steady herself as she twirled around gripping onto him.
"Ssh!" Bobby laughed, "You'll wake everyone up…" he said in a low whisper.
Rogue hiccupped, tossed her hair over her shoulder in a deliberate overdramatic method, and laughed even more as she sank to the floor laughing, and for the life of her she couldn't remember what happened to be so funny. "They'll be awake anyway," she giggled as she tried to pull herself up and slipped on her heel. Finally, she gave up, and she yanked the boots off awkwardly and tossed them away, they made a huge echoing thud against the marble floor several feet away.
"Ssh!" Bobby laughed, he staggered over landing on his hands and knees, just as intoxicated as Rogue was. The night had been good, laughing, drinking, dancing and more drinking of course. Thanks to Bobby's joking and generosity in buying her drink after drink, Rogue had already forgotten about her worries about Remy LeBeau. Now, it was midnight, and the whole mansion seemed to have fallen into slumber.
The foyer was dimly lit, and silent enough that both Bobby and Rogue heard the noise of the elevator door – a secret panel in the foyer wall that blended perfectly with the polished mahogany panelling – sliding open. Jean Grey and Scott Summers, both in their immaculate uniforms stepped out, their expressions rather grim and tired. Kitty Pryde followed in an almost reluctant manner, Kitty was wearing a long pinstriped black skirt, blouse and a black cardigan, all being smeared with mud, Kitty's cheeks were filthy, and her hair was mussed, Kitty's eyes were red and she seemed pale and drawn.
Yet, Rogue found the appearance of the grubby Kitty even more hilarious and burst out into more fits of laughter, making her and Bobby's presence known to the three X-Men who had just arrived into the foyer.
Jean and Scott looked at Bobby and Rogue with much confusion, then seemed to realise they were both heavily drunk. Kitty didn't seem even slightly amused.
"What happened to you?" Bobby asked, he pulled himself up, staggering towards Kitty, gesturing drunkenly at her dirty clothes.
"Don't ask," Kitty gently put her hand on his and moved it so that he was no longer gesturing towards her in that way.
Rogue stumbled trying to get up, eventually managing to get to her feet, "Kitty! Where have you been?" she asked, hiccupped, then laughed again, she muffled her laughter against her hand, and leaned on Bobby for support, her elbow resting upon his shoulder.
Kitty sighed, "I'm gonna take a shower, then go to bed," she didn't feel much like explaining herself right now, she had more important things on her mind, and could have done without Rogue's laughter. Laughing was the last thing Kitty needed from her best friend. Kitty glanced towards everyone individually, a forlorn expression crossing her face, "I'll see you guys in the morning." She headed up the stairs and disappeared down the second floor corridor into the east wing where her bedroom was located. Rogue watched, slightly confused.
"What's her problem?" Rogue asked raising an eyebrow, she tripped and fell on her backside, giggling again.
Jean and Scott glanced to each other and then to Rogue, "Maybe you two should try some black coffee," Scott suggested rather grimly, he reached down to help Rogue up, "and please keep the noise down, you'll wake the students…"
"But what's up with Kitty?" Rogue ignored Scott's comments.
Jean chose to answer, but kept her voice very low, "Kitty has been in Illinois on a personal matter," she said, and this was all she chose to say, with those words, she headed off up the stairs, Scott following.
Rogue paused a moment, and leaned against the banister to support herself, she felt extremely unsteady, the world almost seemed to be moving around her, "Where's Remy?" she asked of no-one in particular.
Bobby put his hand on Rogue's arm, "I thought you said you were distancing from him."
"I am, I'm movin' on," Rogue advised, and loudly as she began to make her way up the stairs she began to sing at the top of her voice – which echoed considerably over the quite hall, "Movin' on up, you're movin' on out, movin' on up, nottttttttttttthin' can stop me."
Bobby smirked, "shake it, girl," he enthused as he watched Rogue dance her way up the stairs, staggering and slightly tripping, then he shook his head and laughed, "crazy girl."
Kitty had heard the commotion of Rogue's singing out in the hall as she had been undressing in her bathroom, and she pulled on a yellow terrycloth bathrobe and headed out into the hall finding Rogue dancing along the hall bare foot, her expression full of intoxicated delight. Kitty wished she'd had some of that happiness right now, it might have made her forget how miserable she really felt.
Rogue stopped dancing, seeing Kitty stepping out of the doorway, still dirt smeared but now clad in the ugly yellow bathrobe which had a rather large pink duck on the left breast, "why didn't you answer me down in the hall?" she mumbled drunkenly.
Kitty gave a shrug, and leaned against the wall, hugging herself insecurely, she looked down to the floor, staring into space, she wanted to cry again but she held it all in.
"Where were you?" Rogue approached, she tripped over the edge of a rug and fell, "where did that come from?" she asked herself stubbornly as she pulled herself up again, holding onto the wall for support, she kicked the edge of the rug down to make it lie flat, "has that rug always been there?" she glanced to Kitty.
Kitty ignored Rogue's foolishness about the rug, "I was in Illinois," Kitty stated rather coldly, "My parents died."
"Oh…how are they?" for some reason Rogue misheard the sentence entirely, and it sounded more like Kitty and her parents went for a ride. She would never understand her own insensitivity at that moment, even in its accidental nature.
Kitty looked at Rogue as if she were quite insane – and at that moment decided she might be, "they're dead…" she said, "as in not breathing."
"Oh…" Rogue mouthed, "So why were you in Illinois?" she slurred.
Kitty rolled her eyes, Rogue was obviously too drunk to understand anything at that particular moment, she sighed, "goodnight, Rogue," and then she quietly slipped back into her room locking the door behind herself.
"What'd I say?" Rogue asked out in the hall looking at the closed door curiously not really understanding why Kitty had just walked away from the conversation without any explanation.
"You do realise its two in the morning, Rogue," Came a gruff voice.
Rogue turned and glanced towards where the voice had come from, Logan looked half asleep, his hair ruffled, his growth thick, his eyes slightly bleary. It was always when Logan had just awoken that he seemed to look his oldest, and Rogue noticed it right at that moment, "Is it? I hadn't noticed," Rogue giggled.
"How much have you had to drink?" Logan asked, he smirked a little, Rogue was always quite amusing when she was drunk, and however displeased he felt that she'd disturbed his slumber – and probably half of the young students – he couldn't help but smile inside. It was good to see Rogue in a good mood, even if it was caused by alcohol.
"Jus' enough," Rogue assured.
"Y'know, you're settin' a bad example for the kids," Logan pointed out, folding his well built arms across his broad and hirsute chest.
"I was young once myself," Rogue assured, and giggled, "Kitty is back," she suddenly said out of the blue.
"She is?" Logan asked, he now noticed the scent of Kitty vague in the area, and a strong smell of sewage that seemed to linger.
Rogue nodded, but doing his seemed to make the world spin even more, she staggered a little towards Logan, and he caught her.
"Maybe you should get some coffee."
"The coffee here must be good, everyone keeps sayin' I should try it," Rogue garbled, Logan took her arm and draped it over his shoulders.
"You're gonna feel a doozy of a hangover tomorrow," Logan led her downstairs towards the kitchen deciding it would be best to sober her up before her drunkenness disturbed anyone else from their slumber.
"It is tomorrow," Rogue realised, "isn't it?"
"Whatever," Logan smirked, but rolled his eyes. Inside, he was wondering secretly if her being drunk had anything to do with her denial over any feelings for Remy LeBeau. It wouldn't have surprised him – she'd pulled stuff like this before over Remy, although admittedly, she'd been a lot younger at the time.
"Her parents died," Rogue said, again this comment came completely out of nowhere, she stopped, which caused Logan to stop also, "why didn't she tell me?" she asked, her expression somewhat hurt.
"I have no idea, Rogue," Logan sighed, he wasn't very good with these matters of the heart, and the friendships between women were something he didn't particularly understand. "I'm none the wiser than you are," he stared at her.
Rogue held onto the banister, "why not me…why him…why that fucking swamp rat…"
"I don't know – I know what you're saying, you're her best friend, if she wanted to take someone along for emotional support, why not you…" Logan shook his head and shrugged, "maybe it was his idea to tag along. We all know he was up to somethin' the night the others caught him in Illinois, for all we know it could have been unfinished business that led him to tag along."
Rogue pondered this, "that makes sense," the more she began to think the more sober her mind became, she sat on the staircase.
"I take it – from the way you're talking – that Remy didn't return with Kitty."
"Not that I noticed," Rogue shrugged, "I didn't ask her…and she didn't seem to be in the mood to talk – by the look on her face before she shut the door on me, I think I said something I shouldn't have…"
Logan glanced back up the staircase absently, "what difference does it make. You didn't want him here, and he's gone," he said. "You got what you wanted."
"Yeah…" Rogue trailed off, her head still swimming, although now not as pleasantly as it had been before, "I did."