She had a terrible secret. As far as secrets were rated, Rouge was sure this hit 10.

How could she tell anyone? How could she had ever had known…

She could've saved Jean. That was her secret.

Her hell.

No, her hell was the deep secret she kept inside her. The secret she couldn't tell anyone. Not ever. If they found out…they could never forgive her.

She would wake from sound-sleep with the scream trapped in her throat, her heart feeling as if it would break through her ribs. Most of the time she couldn't fall back asleep and instead stayed up. It rarely happened, but when it did, Rogue found herself in the kitchen, trying to eat or drown out the nightmare with warm milk.

That was how Scott found her one night.

Logan had been back for 2 weeks and the tension between him and Scott was palpable. Logan had nothing to report, only that Alkali Lake had flooded. There was nothing when they swept it. No humans. No trace of the mutant center. No Jean. Another dead end and more time wasted. No one was more dissatisfied then Scott and Logan. She heard one of the two either messing around in their room (the rooms in the mansion were connected and the room Scott had moved into was right next to hers while Logan's was on her other side. She had stopped sharing a room with Kitty after the…incident) or wandering the house.

It was…odd.

"Rogue?" She heard from the kitchen doorway and almost dropped her bowl of cereal as she spun around.

"Professor Summers?" she juggled the bowl and got it under control before she turned back to him.

"What're you doing down here?" he asked her, walking over to join her at the counter.

"Uh, I was…I just…couldn't sleep." She finished lamely. Scott let out a chuckle, although it was definitely strained, before he sat down on the stool next to her. She picked up her bowl and was about to leave before Scott stopped her. "Stay. I could use the company."

Well…

Out of all the people she had expected to hate her, Scott had been the top of her list. The last thing she thought he would ask of her was to keep him company. She slid back into the stool hesitantly, staring at Scott out of the corner of her eyes, before she spoke. "Professor Summers-"

"Scott." he said automatically. "Scott," She remedied before continuing, "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, kids get used to calling me Professor even after they had graduated."

She looked at him with her brows drawn before she realized what he meant. She hadn't been apologizing for using his name wrong. She had been apologizing for being the reason Jean was dead.

"Oh, uh-"

"Besides, I am not that much older then you." He said lightly, smiling at her.

She let out a laugh. "A good 8 years, Profess-erm, Scott." She fixed herself when he sent her a look.

She felt her heart stutter, missing a beat when she knew she had met his eyes.

Scott and Logan had to have been two of the most gorgeous men at the school. Logan had been with her and Scott has saved her. Was it any wonder that Jean had captivated them both?

But for Rogue…Scott had been in her dreams just as much as Logan had. It was pathetic, the teenage heart. She could admit that she was hero-worshiping Scott. He had saved her the first time Magneto had captured her. Risking his life to save her, a complete and utter stranger…

She shook her head.

He had been just following orders, that was it. She was a student to him, a kid.

She didn't hear the question he had asked and as a blush stained her cheeks.

"What?" She asked, hoping he took it as nonchalantly as she was trying to make it sound. He gave her another smile, but it was strange. Like, he just learned how to after a while.

"I said, 8 years…is that it?"

She let out a chuckle. "yeah, pretty sure."

Scott turned away from and continued to stare out the window.

"Uh, I'm going to-"

"Do you miss her, Rogue?"

Shit.

"…Jean?" She asked, even though she knew that that was who he meant.

Scott nodded.

She waited a moment, forming her answering carefully.

"Sometimes."

"I know you didn't know her very well-" he began.

"I knew her enough. She was…nice to me."

"It's been a year and I thought…" He clenched his jaw and let a strained smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. It's just…it's been a year and I thought that it would get easier..."

"Hey." she whispered and put her gloved hand on top of his. After the Logan incident, she didn't take any more chances. She hadn't meant to, but the need to comfort was sudden and ferocious.

"If it was easy, then you didn't truly love her…right?" Scott nodded, his gaze locked on their hands.

She removed her hand quickly and mumbled "sorry" before she turned and walked right out of the kitchen. She didn't stop until she had reached her room, closed the door, and locked it for the night.


I know the chapter are really short, but I wanted to get the beginning done with before I delve into the characters anymore. Please review :3