Disclaimer: If X-Men belonged to me, I think I would be pretty wealthy. Oh, and Dorian Grey belongs to William Control. Crazy Angel Belongs to Kill Hannah, Hysteria belongs to Muse and Porcelian belongs to The Devil Wears Prada. Or Haste the Day, i'm not sure. :)

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I was having a hard time naming this chapter. But, the lyric has to do with what Rogue and John are slowly doing. Thanks to Devoted2You and to The Scribe2 for the wonderful reviews. :)

Chapter Four Dorian Grey

~The only way to get rid of the temptation is to yield to it~

John and Rogue sat in the rec room while Tabitha was playing foosball against Laura and Josh.

"John, I need your help here," Tabitha grimaced. John sighed and reluctantly got up.

"All right," he laughed, "let's slaughter them."

Tabitha cracked a grin and they high-five each other before taking off.

Rogue sat on the couch. She pulled her legs up and watched them. Josh's face was twisted into a grimace as John kept repeatedly blocking all of his shots and Laura's looked apologetic as Tabitha kept her busy.

"Hey Rogue," Bobby sat down beside her and she felt her weight pull her a little towards him, so she readjusted herself.

"Hi Bobby," she replied without even turning to look at him.

"Who's winning?" he asked, trying to engage her in a conversation.

"Well, John just joined the game because Josh was crushing Tabitha, but now that she has John's help, the score is 6 to 9, with Tabitha and John quickly catching up," she muttered, distracted as she kept up with their game and the score.

"Damn it, John," Josh swore as John blocked another shot for the umpteenth time. Laura looked at him disapprovingly and in that one split second where she was otherwise engaged, Tabitha scored on them.

"IN YOUR FACE!" she yelled excitedly and danced around a little.

"7-9," Rogue muttered under her breath.

"Shit," Josh swore under his breath. Rogue grinned at the obvious discomfort from Laura, the hatred oozing out of Josh, Tabitha's excitement and John's amusement slowly leaking out from his mask.

"So," Bobby started talking again, "how are you?"

"Pretty good," Rogue said.

Bobby looked at her silently, waiting to see if she was going to say anything else. Rogue on the other hand was completely oblivious to his scrutiny and was absorbed in paying attention to the game.

"Well, do you want to go eat with me somewhere?" Bobby asked her nervously.

John looked up quickly, but realized in that split second that Rogue had already eaten and that even if she hadn't, she would probably still say no to him.

With that comforting thought, he settled back to the game just as Josh was about to score on him.

"Fuck, Allerdyce," Josh swore as he blocked it.

"Oh, well, you see Bobby, I already ate," Rogue told him, only a little sorry for him.

"Oh, um, okay, no problem," he said quickly.

John smirked a little and shot the ball into the goal.

"What's the score?" John asked.

"8-9," Rogue told him. Josh grimaced and doubled his efforts into scoring. Rogue tensed up and watched closely as the four teens worked very intently over the table. Josh and Laura only needed one more point to win while Tabitha and John still needed two more points.

Just then, Kitty waltzed into the room and smiled serenely.

"Hey Laura," she called out and Laura looked up to see who was talking.

John flicked his wrist and the little stick that he was holding his the ball and zoomed into the goal.

"Hell yeah!" Tabitha exclaimed and John grinned. "Just one more point and it's over."

Both teams focused on getting the ball into the opposing teams goal and Rogue seemed wound up very tightly.

Come on, come on, she thought as the ball passed by Josh's defenses. It seemed to slow to a stop right at the edge and Rogue held her breath, Please, come on move in. It tottered at the edge and finally rolled inside.

"Woo-hoo!" Tabitha scrammed in excitement and took off running. Rogue shrieked in excitement and John smirked, slicking his hair back and watching Josh. Laura looked a little apologetic and Bobby rolled his eyes. Josh clenched his teeth tightly and glared at John.

"Well, that was fun," he said and went to sit down on the couch. He looked at the spaces and squeezed himself between Rogue and Bobby. Bobby scowled a little and scooted a little to give him room.

"How you doing Bobby?" he asked, putting an arm over the spot where Rogue was at.

"I'm fine," Bobby said curtly. He looked over to where Rogue was and stood up. "See you guys later," he muttered and stalked away.

"I am so done for the day," John laughed and stretched on the couch. He squished Rogue up to the edge and she pushed him jokingly.

"You forget that I'm still here, she laughed.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't even see you there," he said and laid down, his head resting on her lap. "Is this better for you now, Princess?"

Rogue grinned and tousled his hair, so that it now was everywhere and pushed him off of her, leaping over the side.

"It is now," she laughed and took off running.

"Woman, get back here," John roared playfully and followed her out.

She shrieked in exhilaration and ran between Kitty and Laura.

"What's got her panties in a twiIIST!" Kitty yelped the last word as John ran by her and pushed her aside, causing her to go through a wall in surprise.

He snickered and ran up the stairs and slowed to a stop. He knew Rogue was hiding up here, it was just a matter of finding out where. He closed his eyes and remembered something that his trainer had told him.

"If you can control fire and feel it's very nature, who's to say that you can't utilize a person's body heat to track them down?"

John grinned and pushed his power out, looking for any elevated heat temperatures. Sure enough, just as she had predicted, he could feel body heats. There was one close to him, running a little higher than the rest and was staying very still. John slowly made his way over to it and stopped. He opened his eyes and saw a door there, separating him from his prey. He opened the door and just as he pulled it open, a body streaked out and barreled him down.

Rogue scrambled up and was about to get away when John laid on his stomach and his hand shot out to grab her ankle. She shrieked in surprise and placed her arms in front of her face so the ground wouldn't hurt her. But that never came.

She looked up and saw she was hovering an inch from the ground, Jean holding her up.

"Heh," she laughed weakly and Jean let her down slowly. "Thanks, Dr. Grey," she said softly and John went to help her up. Rogue grabbed his hand and stood up, tucking a hair strand behind her ear as she shyly looked away.

"John, I was wondering if you two could help me out down in the medical bay," Jean asked them.

John looked at Rogue and she shrugged in reply.

"Uh, yeah, sure," he said, looking at Rogue to see if she was fine with it. Rogue just smiled in response and they followed Jean to the elevators.

Jean opened it and let them through so that they were behind her as they went down. Rogue stood a little closer to John. She grabbed his hand with her right hand and with her left she grabbed his shirt sleeve. John turned to look at her and held her left hand with his free hand. She smiled shyly at him and placed her head on his shoulder.

"I just need some help with cleaning the equipment while I store some data in the computers," Jean said.

"No problem doc," John grinned and squeezed Rogue's hand in reassurance.

The doors opened and Rogue let go of John's sleeve but still held onto his hand. All three occupants headed to the medical lab. Jean smiled to herself when she cast her powers behind and sensed Rogue's fear dissipating slowly with John's help.

"Sorry to have you busy on a Friday night," Jean apologized and opened the doors. She turned around in time to see Rogue dropping John's hand and stepping a little away from him.

"After you," John bowed a little towards Rogue and she swatted him lightly.

"Thanks," she laughed and walked in. John held the door and let Jean walk in after Rogue. He let go of the door and stepped inside before it closed.

"Okay, I have some things out still, and I was wondering if you could just dunk them in that pot of water and then rinse it. If they have blood, swab some alcohol on them also please," Jean said as she sat behind a table with a computer on.

John headed in one direction and Rogue went to the other side and they worked silently, the sounds of the keyboard breaking the silence. Jean would occasionally look up to see how they were doing and would catch them making faces at each other. Finally, after twenty minutes, Rogue and John were working side by side.

"You almost done?" John whispered softly to Rogue.

"Mm-hmm," she nodded.

"Good. Meet me in your room in ten minutes. I need to tell you something," he winked at her and put away the last of his things.

"Alright doctor," he said, "I'm done here."

"Okay, great, thank you John," Jean said. He nodded and headed out the room. Rogue watched him leave in disbelief and shook her head. She quickly finished the rest and set the things away.

"I'm done," she said and Jean looked up.

"Thank you Rogue," she smiled warmly at her. Rogue smiled back at her and quickly left the room. As kind as Dr. Grey was, there was some foreboding feeling that lingered in Rogue's that made her wary of her. She didn't know what it was, but it just left her feeling chilled to her bones. As she waited for the elevator to arrive, she wondered about what John wanted to say to her. Why hadn't he been able to tell her in there?

The doors opened and she stepped inside, willing the thing to hurry up and get her to her room. They opened and she ran out, brushing by Bobby and Josh. She slowed down once she got near her room and readjusted her hair. She stepped inside and saw to her dismay, that no one was there.

Bastard, she thought grimly and slammed her door shut. Of course he was only playing with her, but she was stupid and desperate enough for anyone to want to hang out with her that she hadn't seen past his ploy.

She flopped down on her bed and closed her eyes, wishing that she could erase everything with John in it. Only an idiot like her could've fallen for his damn tricks. Someone knocked at her door and she laid still, hoping that whoever it was would just leave her alone in her pool of misery. They knocked a little more insistently now and Rogue wondered if she had locked her door.

"Rogue, I'm going to knock your door down if you don't open it for me in three seconds," John's voice called out. She sat up and glared in his direction.

"One," she got up and padded silently to the door.

"Two-" she yanked it open and stared at him.

"What?" she asked him curtly, still very pissed off at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, thrown off by her anger. "Did something happen?"

"Oh no, absolutely nothing. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take a quick nap," she smiled tightly and tried to close her door, but John was holding it open.

"Rogue, why are you pissed? And don't even try to say that you aren't because you obviously are," John said. "You were fine just a few minutes ago and now-"

"John, just shut up and go away, please," Rogue sighed. He stepped back in confusion and she closed the door silently. She leaned on the door, eyes closed, and waited to hear him walk away. Instead, she heard him slide down in front of her door and just sit there.

Why is he just sitting there? she thought dismally and walked back to her bed.

John sat outside, wondering why Rogue was so upset. When he had left the medical bay, she had seemed fine. A little confused, maybe as to why he wouldn't talk to her there, but still, fine. Now though, she was definitely mad about something.

Did Jean say something to her that got her upset? he wondered. Maybe she got mad at him for some reason. After all, girls were still a very strange and mysterious, complex beings. He sighed and listened to the inside of the room. It sounded like she was asleep, so maybe it was safe for him to enter.

John stood up and opened the door slowly. Rogue was lying there asleep and he slowly made his way to her desk. He ripped out a piece of paper from her notebook and quickly wrote on it.

"Night princess," he murmured and briefly kissed her forehead before leaving. He made his way to his room and saw some girl creeping out of his and Bobby's room. He shook his head and sighed. Why Bobby even bothered with Rogue was beyond him. He was too obsessed with sex and there was no way that he would ever last with Rogue.

Why are you even thinking about her in a possessive way again? his mind scolded him again. John sighed and walked to his bed. He took off his shirt and kicked his shoes off before falling on his bed. Maybe, if tomorrow she was okay with him in the morning, he would tell her about his getaway place. This school was getting to him. He had been here four days too long now. If he stayed here any longer than a week, this whole damn school was going up in blazes.

The next day, Rogue woke up and turned over to face her desk. She didn't want to leave her room today, seeing as she didn't want to talk to John, but she also didn't want to hang out with Bobby and his whole little crew. She'd rather face Magneto any day.

"Damn you John," she muttered angrily and sat up. She had felt a little bad last night when she told him off, because he had looked confused, that was for sure. She sighed and went to her desk to get her gloves. A scrap of paper caught her eyes and she frowned a little. She picked it up and saw right away that it wasn't her handwriting.

Rogue, I don't know why you were upset last night, but whatever it was, I am sorry, sincerely. Hopefully you won't be so upset with me tomorrow. If not, I'd love to take you out to breakfast at ten. I'll be waiting at the pool house if you decide to come. If not, I hope you can find it in your heart to at least talk to me about whatever it was that upset you last night. Miss you while you're gone. L night princess.

Rogue shook her head in amusement and couldn't fight the small smile off her face. She looked at her clock and saw that she had twenty minutes before ten.

"Oh shit," she muttered and ran into her bathroom. Ten minutes later, she ran out of her bathroom and threw a nice sundress on. She threw her hair up in a nice bun and ran down the stairs in her flip flops.

"Hey Rogue," Tabitha called out.

Rogue waved at her and threw the door open and slowed down as she arrived towards the pool. She cleared her throat and smoothed out the creases in her dress. She pulled the door open and there was John sitting at the bench. He looked up and stared at her in surprise.

"Oh my god, you really came," he murmured. She smiled and blushed lightly.

"Hi," she said meekly and waved a little shyly at him. "Sorry about last night."

"Hey, if you don't want to talk about it, it's totally fine. Just as long as you're willing to still hang out with me," he shrugged. "Oh and, next time, I would like a warning ahead of time before you try and bite my head off again."

Rogue laughed and nodded.

"All right. So, where are we going to go eat?" she asked him.

"Follow me, milady," he stood up and led her to the garage. There, he meandered around a little, looking at all the cars there. "Here we go," he said and stood proudly next to a Ford. "Your chariot awaits, Princess," he said and popped open the door. Rogue shook her head, but a smile danced on her lips, letting John know that she was okay with another one of his illegal activities.

"All right, so, I'm taking you to a diner with the best coffee you will ever try," he said as they drove out, away from the mansion. "After you try it, you'll never-" he stopped short and looked at her strangely. "Where are your gloves?"

Rogue looked at her arms in surprise and saw that she had forgotten to put them on.

"That's so strange," she murmured, confused at the fact that she had forgotten something so vital to her. There really was no reason to do so.

"I mean, it doesn't bug me, but aren't you super devoted to those damn things?" he asked her.

"Yeah, actually. I don't understand how I could've forgotten to grab them," she muttered.

"Oh well. I bet you don't even have any that match with your outfit," he laughed and Rogue blushed. She looked out the window and wondered why in the hell she had forgotten the damn things. It wasn't like her to put someone's life in danger on purpose. John on the other hand, wasn't even showing a bit of anxiety at the amount of bare skin that she had. His reaction was very different than the rest. Stranger still because he knew what her mutation did. He just looked so relaxed, treating her like any other person. How odd.

"All right, I will be the one paying and I won't hear a word of it," John warned. Rogue rolled her eyes at him and nodded.

"Whatever," she said. They arrived to a diner called Maggie's and Rogue stood near John, self consciously, as they waited for a table to empty.

"Hi, and welcome to Maggie's. How many people?" a black haired server came up to them. Her hair was cut short and set up in spikes. Joy and a sense of excitement seemed to radiate off of her.

"Just two," John said.

"All right then, follow me," she led them towards the back and sat them at a table that seated just two. "My name is Jubilation Lee and I will be your server. Here are your menus and I'll be back in a few minutes to take your order." she snapped a gum and then looked around to see if anyone had seen her. She winked at them and walked off.

"Well, she must be new," John chuckled.

"Why?" Rogue asked him.

"No server here is ever that cheerful," he told her and Rogue looked around. Oddly enough, John was right. They all seemed to be going with the motions, fake smiles plastered on their faces.

"Well, I'm surprised that they even come here," Rogue sniggered.

John laughed and shook his head.

"Like I was going to say in the car, this diner has the best pancakes in the world. After you have a bite of these, you'll never want anyone else's ever again," he smirked. "Now, what would you like?"

Rogue looked down at the menu and unconsciously bit a corner of her lip. Everything looked so good, but she didn't want John spending too much on this.

"Any day Princess," John said.

"Okay, I'll have a glass of orange juice, blueberry pancakes and some strawberries with cream on the side," she smiled and set it down.

"Good choice," he said appreciatively. Their server came back with a notepad and her pencil stuck in her ear.

"So, are we ready?" she asked them, smiling brightly.

"Yes, Jubilation, we are," John nodded and looked at Rogue.

"Oh, um, I would like some orange juice, blueberry pancakes and a side of strawberries with cream," she said.

"Okay, sweet," she smiled and turned to John. "And what would you like today?"

"Let's see, I'll have some coffee, black with four sugar cubes, a slice of your strawberry gelatin and that'll be it," he said and closed his menu, handing it to her.

"Okay, so I have blueberry pancakes, orange juice, coffee, black, four sugar cubes, strawberries with cream and strawberry J-ello. Yeah?" she looked at them and they nodded. "Okay then, I'll be back with your order in a little bit."

She walked off and John chuckled.

"What is so wrong with her enjoying what she does?" Rogue asked him in despair.

"Nothing," he told her. "I just wonder who's gonna die first. Her enthusiasm, her career or the manager's mind."

"You're such an ass John," Rogue laughed teasingly.

"It's my specialty, Princess," he winked at her.

Rogue laughed lightly and cleared her throat.

"Hey, John, about yesterday," he looked at her, the laughter in his eyes dying a little, "I just wanted to tell you that I thought you were just messing with me. Because of the fact that I don't really have any friends at the school and well, having someone want to hang out with me is just a little weird for me."

"And let me guess," John said, a little peeved, "you thought that a whole bunch of us decided to prank the untouchable. Rogue, I may be a jerk sometimes, but I'm not going to yank your chain. Believe me. I have to share a room with Bobby, popularity incarnate there. I know what it's like to feel left out, alone. We might not know each other well, but I just knew how you were feeling. Lost, alone, no one to care for you in sight. I mean, you and Wolverine may not know each other very well, but I can tell that the guy has a soft spot for you. So, if you decide that after this, you don't want to see me again, then fine, I'm not going to stop you. But just know that they aren't the saints they appear to be. At least I don't lie about who I am."

Jubilee looked over at the table she was about to serve and frowned a little, these two teens had just looked like they were having the time of their life, so what had happened? She sighed and grabbed their order.

"Hey guys, here are your things. I hope you find your breakfast enjoyable and if you need anything, just ask," she smiled at them, hoping that her enthusiasm would rub off on them and bring their joy back.

"Thanks," Rogue smiled and grabbed her food. John nodded and took his coffee. Jubilee walked away and continued serving the other people.

John was quiet and Rogue looked down at her food. She sighed and grabbed a strawberry, dunked it in her cream and then rubbed it down his nose.

"Opps, my finger slipped," she said, looking at him innocently. John stared, shocked, and ran his finger from where she had placed her strawberry.

"Did, did that-"

"Did that really just happen?" she finished for him. "Oh yeah." She bit her strawberry and smirked at him.

"All right then, that's how it's gonna be?" he said and grabbed his J-ello and threw it down her dress. She gasped in surprise and stood up, shaking it so that the stuff would come out.

"John!" she shrieked. He smirked and took a sip out of his coffee.

"Yes, Princess?"

"What was that for?" she asked him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my hand must have slipped," he parroted her.

"Oh, haha, hilarious," she fake laughed.

"I try," he shrugged his shoulders and ate his food.

"So, we okay again?" she asked him nervously.

John looked up at her seriously.

"Princess," he told her and Rogue felt a sense of dread seize her, "we were always cool." he laughed and Rogue sighed inaudibly, the dread slinking away.

"That was mean," she laughed and they finished up their food.

"All right," John laughed and their server came by. "We'll take the check now, please," he said and Jubilation nodded.

"Okay," she smiled and was back soon with their check. "Here you go." She handed him the bill and John pulled out a money clip and soon forked over what they owed. "Thank you and I hope you enjoyed your breakfast with us," she chirped out and left.

"How does she do it?" he chuckled and left her a generous tip. "Let's go. Everyone's going to be missing us."

Rogue nodded and they made their way back to the car.

"Rogue," John said as they got in and Rogue looked up at him. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Uh-huh," Rogue said cautiously.

"Look, I'm not supposed to be here right now. And, once I get where I'm supposed to be, I'm also going to get my ass handed to me. So," he breathed out and started the car, "I was wondering if you wanted to go with me. And before you say no," he stopped her, "I have a reason for wanting to take you there. Your powers."

Rogue's look of skepticism turned to surprise.

"You want to control your mutation right? Have some space that belongs to just you?" he asked her and she nodded, afraid to speak. "Old Chuckle's program just isn't cutting it for you and you want to see some real results. Well, I know just the person who can help you with this. You'll have full control of your power and those that you wield too, probably." John told her. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I'm leaving tonight, because if I spend one more night with that prick I sure a room with, I will not be held accountable for my actions. So, I'll be at your room tonight at 11.30. If you want to go, we'll leave at midnight, when there's the least amount of people awake. If not, I'll leave right away. Just know this, this person can be a bitch and a half and they will push you to your limits and beyond. So, just be prepared to hate the world and all those in it for awhile. If you can see it through the end," he pulled out his lighter and took out the flame, "the results will be magnificent." he whispered the last part and Rogue stared, enthralled by the little flame. John snuffed it out and parked where they had found the car. "11.30, baby girl," he said and walked out of the car. "Think about it."

Rogue stepped out of the car and slowly walked over to the fountain. She could have, control! The idea intoxicated her and Rogue soon felt light headed. To finally be able to touch without worrying about killing anyone. No more whispers in her direction. Rogue let out a shaky breath and sat down before she fainted.

"Hey Rogue there you are!" Rogue heard Kitty's cheerful voice and saw the girl running towards her. "Oh man, Bobby has been looking all over for you."

"He has?" Rogue looked at her.

"Oh yeah," Kitty nodded.

"John!" someone called out and John turned to see Bobby running towards him. Bobby of the peppy clothes and turtleneck shirts. "Saint" Bobby, willing to look like a fucking martyr to the world while getting some on the side. Bobby who was perfect and had everything. Well, as long as it was up to him, he was in no way getting Rogue.

"What?" John asked and walked towards their dorm and opened the door.

"Have you seen Rogue?" Bobby asked him.

"Out all morning, so no, haven't seen her at all," John muttered. He sat down and pulled off his shoes. "Why?"

"Oh, nothing. I was going to ask her to breakfast, but she wasn't there and yet no one has seen her at all. So, I'm thinking about asking her to lunch, but who knows," Bobby sighed and looked around. "Well, thanks anyways."

He left the room and John sighed. Being friends with Bobby sometimes had it's perks, but now, he was having a herd time finding them. Maybe once he got out of this damn school, his head would clear up again.

"Ugh, I hope so," he muttered and stuffed his face in his pillow. He just had about eleven more hours to go. "FUCK!' he groaned.

Life sucked sometimes.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you guys have any ideas of song names and their lyrics, could youleave a message? Or just leave the song name and I'll look them up. Thanks so much. :)