A/N: Here's the long awaited Marie/Rogue chapter. I don't know if everyone will agree with my characterization, but there is canonical evidence? Based on the movies (primarily) and a bit from the novelization only - because I find her very different than comic or cartoon Rogue (and not just in age). So this is my interpretation. As always, I own nothing.

'Bored,' Marie thought with a sigh. That was what this overall feeling could best be described as. She was bored. In a boarding school mansion where nothing but the best was accepted, there were exactly 784 television channels. She guessed she had checked each of them at least three times and there was absolutely nothing of interest on any of them.

She checked the clock to see if by chance perhaps time had decided to speed up and make her day less miserable but it was only 4 minutes later than the last time she had checked. At this rate she would check the clock 10 more times and hit channel up 7,840 more times before Bobby's Danger Room session was over. And even then there was no guarantee he'd be done. He had taken to extra sessions in the gym and the punching bag lately.

"Relieves frustration," he had confided with a cocky grin although what he had to be frustrated with she didn't quite know. Granted, he had said that before his former roommate who had tried to kill him had moved back into the mansion, so she supposed in all fairness he had some right to extra time now.

Marie angrily clicked off the television set and lay back on the couch. She could think of at least 38 different ways to relieve frustration and most of the involved intimacy of some kind. Intimacy that she had thought they had been working to after dating for almost two years. Intimacy that she felt sure they would have achieved long previous if not for her mutation, her curse. Something that would have helped them become closer as she felt him drift away.

Marie wasn't exactly sure that they were ready for . . . well, for that intimacy But she could deliver a mean backrub as a child on her daddy's arms after a day of work and that talent couldn't have just gone away. They could lay against each other and watch the sunset or indulge in old fashioned necking or a million other things now that she was a normal teenager.

However, Marie hadn't counted on how much being a normal teenager sucked. Classes were boring without that extra layer that various mutations brought to any field of study. Where she had once been given extra space by her classmates due to physical concerns, now the gap that separated her from them was philosophical. Before her mutation had made her a loner. Now her lack of mutation made her even more alone, not quite normal enough for a regular public high school, no longer a mutant at mutant high.

She thought it would feel different. That bells would ring and birds would sing and that suddenly everything would be right with the whole world. In reality, it felt just like every other day: boring classes, gossiping friends and a boyfriend who was avoiding her.

Bobby – who had been so eager to explore when she was untouchable – who had reassured her he could handle just one more kiss when they both knew he couldn't and who had set out to research silk and other materials that would be almost like skin to skin contact without activating her mutation – now seemed disinterested in spending any time at all with her. Let alone doing anything that would require touching each other. Although, Marie acknowledged that shift hadn't exactly began overnight.

"Excuse me, Rogue?" a voice nearby caused her to sit up where a boy from her U.S. History class stood hesitantly. Clarke, she thought, but wasn't sure.

"It's Marie," his friend hissed in his ear, either failing or not caring to be subtle.

"I mean, Marie," Clarke blushed, but continued. "There's this game tonight, you see and it's sort of important, I mean, the Mets are the New York team which is where we are, you know? And the Pirates, well, Jason's from Pittsburgh so it reminds him of home and we were wondering if well, we could watch it?"

Marie felt as if they were speaking another language, her mind still caught up in the fact that she didn't even have a name that fit her. In some ways taking the cure had made her more of a rogue than ever. But what use was a mutant code name to someone who was no longer a mutant? She realized the boy had stopped his flustered speech and seemed to be waiting for her to reply. "Y'all wanna do what?"

Jason gave up on his friend and stepped forward. "The baseball game is on, this is the best TV in the place and you've got the remote."

Well, that was certainly direct. Marie, looked down and realized she had flopped right on top of the remote.

"Oh, sure," she muttered relinquishing her spot on the couch.

She spared a glance at the wall clock. That had taken another eleven minutes. She was making progress, slowly but surely.

"Marie!" She had been about to head back to her room when her voice called out her name, stopping her in her tracks.

Jubilee bounced down the stairs holding a letter. "Mail call!" she sang out, depositing the letter in the other girl's hand.

"Thanks," Marie murmured. She glanced at the return address briefly before tearing it swiftly in two.

"Woah, you aren't even going to read it?" the other girl asked snapping her gum to punctuate her question.

"No need when you know what it says. 'Darling, daughter, please come home to us,'" Marie replied bitterly.

"And the problem with that is?" Jubilee pressed.

It was no secret that the young firecracker was the local gossip. What was less well remarked on was how she came by her information. For all her loud fashion and music, Jubilee could be a remarkably good listener.

As Marie watched Jubilee perch on the bottom stair, all ears, she couldn't help but think it was nice to have someone listening for once. She knew that this girl was Kitty's best friend and that everything she said would probably get back to Kitty if not the entire mansion. And while Marie didn't believe all the rumors floating around the mansion about Kitty, she couldn't help but be jealous of the relationship her boyfriend shared with the intelligent teen. Even now that the physical problem had been solved, she couldn't shake the feeling of being threatened.

Jubilee seemed to sense her hesitation. "I love Kit-Kat, but you say the word and my lips are sealed." She made an elaborate motion with her hand as if taping up her lips, then immediately invalidated it by continuing. "The Bobster's great and all, but boys aren't known for being all that great at talking, you know? And most of the girls in the school are freaked out by you still being here now that you're cured and all."

Marie winced. It wasn't anything that wasn't true, but to hear it all so clinically laid out was a bit harsh.

Once again Jubilee seemed to read her thoughts and clapped both hands across her mouth. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong. Kitty always tells me to think first; then speak. I just wanted to let you know that if you need someone to listen to, you got me."

"You sure you're not part telepathic?" Marie asked smiling. It was hard not to be caught up in her friend's exuberance. "You seem to read people well."

"Who me? Nah," Jubilee shook off the compliment. "Just something I picked up when I lived on my own, you know?"

Marie nodded, surprised not only at how much she was confiding in Jubilee, but also how much it meant to have someone care for no apparent reason other than to care. "I appreciate the offer, really, and maybe someday. Let's just say the offer from home, sweet home is only good now that I can't accidentally kill them all with a brush in the hallway. And for now, I'll just leave it at that."

"Fair enough," Jubilee nodded, standing. "But the offer's good anytime."

"Thanks," Marie repeated.

Jubilee started to bounce down the stairs before turning around, looking startlingly serious all of a sudden. "And I know you didn't ask for advice or anything. But no matter what the reason? It's never a bad thing to have people who love you. It's good to have another safe place in this world."

She was gone before Marie had time to process the words. She flashed back to Jubilee's reference to being on her own and wondered what exactly the other teen's home life was like. Her own parents had never kicked her out; she had run away. Maybe it was unfair to think that their overtures now were motivated only out of relief that she was human again. Sort of.

It was more complicated than just her family, though, Marie knew. By now everyone in town would know how Cody had fallen so ill. Maybe not everyone would accept her back as willingly as her parents seemed to?

Marie stared at the torn letter in her hands. It was too late for this one, perhaps, but maybe Jubilee was right and the next one she should read.

She turned down the hall towards the girls' dormitories. There was a boy and a girl racing ahead of her, a couple by the looks of it, laughing and teasing each other. She wasn't surprised that they fell silent as she approached.

She was getting used to silences following and preceding her. If it wasn't someone who was either uncomfortable or resentful that she was cured – a human among them, then it was because that person had just been spreading the latest gossip about her and Bobby or Kitty and Bobby.

As she got closer she realized that perhaps this time, it wasn't for either of these reasons. For in front of her stood her once and future classmate John Allerdyce. And behind him, bent over with her hands on her knees as if to catch her breath, was none other than Kitty Pryde herself.

"Marie!" Kitty gasped, standing as she realized they were no longer alone. "I was, he was, we were just . . ."

"No need to explain what we were doing, Pryde, Rogue-y has a boyfriend that she can touch now; I'm sure she doesn't need a diagram," John cut in, putting his arm around Kitty's waist and pulling her close to him almost possessively.

Kitty looked bewildered for a minute before phasing out of his grip. Shooting him an angry glare she continued explaining. "I was just showing Pyro where his classes were so he wasn't late tomorrow. Then he raced me back to my room."

"Where you were soundly defeated," John crowed, seemingly unaffected by both her rejection of his advances and her use of his codename.

"You don't need to explain to me what you were doing with him," Marie replied coldly, attempting to move past the two unaffected. "I wasn't the one he almost killed last week." It was petty to bring up Bobby at a time like this and Marie knew it. After watching Kitty and Bobby ice skate though, Marie couldn't help but try and get back in little ways, not so gently reminding Kitty which of them was Bobby's friend and which was his girlfriend.

"Right," Kitty repeated, not missing the insinuation. "I need to get changed for dinner." And she phased into her room without another glance, too eager to get away to bother with the door apparently.

Despite his previous attentions, John didn't seem much inclined to follow her. "So, Rogue. How ya been?"

"Not interested, John," she replied, shaking her head in disbelief. The last time she had seen him had been on the shore of Alkali Lake, daring her to disobey Mr. Summers rules. He had seemed so full of life and passion; she had been more than a little tempted. She didn't want to think of what might have happened if she had.

"Changed your wardrobe," he remarked switching topics quickly.

Marie shuddered to think of everything that had happened since that time. Maybe she was meant to follow him. It would have been hard for things to have gone worse. "A lot has changed since you left," she commented, before turning to stride down the hall.

John apparently didn't take well to being dismissed. "I was talking to you." He matched her stride, grabbing her elbow roughly until she stopped, facing him. He started to let go quickly before realizing that he wasn't feeling lightheaded. Marie watched as the reason why dawned on him. "You got the cure, didn't you? I mean, I saw Drake at the facility looking for you, but I never thought you'd be coward enough to actually go through with it!"

"Let go of me," Marie's voice was quiet, but completely without the conviction that it once possessed. At one point she had fantasized about being touched by John, although she had smothered it quickly under feelings of guilt and loyalty to Bobby, who had been nothing but kind to her. But John's grip was nothing like what she had imagined, ruthless and unforgiving.

"Or what?" John laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes, which remained emotionless. Drawing his face close to hers he sneered. "You think you're so much better than that girl back there because you've got some boy? She's the next stage of evolution. And you? You chose to jump back down the ladder to hang with the apes."

For the first time since giving up her powers, Marie realized that the ability to touch was not always a blessing as John's fingers roughly cut into her forearm. She struggled to free herself, but his grip was strong.

"John, you're hurting me," Marie's voice was pleading and she hated herself for it. Before she had been fearless, invulnerable. Now despite the fact that she had taken years of defense classes with Logan, all she could think about was that for the first time since she was fifteen someone was holding her. She hadn't imagined it happening like this.

"You know that when you first came to the institute and chose him I was jealous?" John scoffed before releasing her. "I should have realized you weren't worth my time."

Marie stood still long after he had departed, tears racing each other down her face. Sure, she could touch, but she could be touched as well. She had traded invulnerability for hurt in some respects, and she knew that John wasn't the only mutant living at the mansion who was probably disgusted with her right now for selling out. For one terrifying moment, she asked herself 'What have I done?' and she couldn't quite distinguish which choice she was questioning.