A/N: Hi! Okay, so, I started this story almost a year ago (actually it's a year in the middle of June) and I still have a long way to go on it, but I still have a few already written chapters up me sleave, so I'll be posting two of them today. Thanks for the favorites guys, you have no idea how much that means to me! Also, if you love something in a chapter, feel free to tell me! And yes, in due time I will be going back and fixing the past chapters so that they are easier to read, I promise! :)


8. What you said

"Celie, hurry up already, we're gonna be late for school!"

She slammed the door to the bathroom.

"Leave me alone!" she yelled, feeling tired and more than a little annoyed at her sister.

"Come on, stop sulking, just hurry up already!" her mother yelled up the stairs.

"Tell them to go without me, I'll catch up!"

"Fine, be that way!" her younger sister laughed.

"You'll be late," she reminded them, starting to fume.

"See ya soon!" he sisters echoed up the stairs and the door closed. Finally they left her alone. She jumped in the shower and let the cold water wash over her.

When she came down the stairs she stopped to look at the photos of her and her sisters, touching a gentle finger to each of them.

"There you are," her father smiled.

"Hey daddy." She jumped down the rest of the way and kissed his cheek.

"Don't forget your sister's turning 16 today," he smiled, handing her her bag.

"Dad! I would never," she laughed, and headed out the door, calling her good bye over her shoulder.

Cecilia woke up, tears streaming down her face. She picked up her phone and looked at the date. And it was just as she feared – her baby sister would be 16. If she was still out there somewhere.

"Are you okay?" Rogue asked in the dark.

"Just a bad dream," Cecilia reassured her.


Bobby looked gingerly at John as he poured Cecilia a glass of milk, handing her the butter and smiling at her gently. Cecilia, though she noticed and nodded and smile, said please and thank you, seemed off. If it'd been just Bobby around, he'd have asked about it. But John, the dumb ass, didn't even seem to notice.

When Rogue came in, right when Cecilia was about done with breakfast, Bobby smiled at her and tried to be as affectionate as he could be without being obvious about the fact that he'd made his choice. Not saying he didn't want Cecilia and Rogue to know...

"Meet me for lunch?" John asked Cecilia quietly.

"Huh?" she looked up from her glass of milk and made an excusing smile. "Sorry, sure, when?"

"12?"

"Sounds great," she smiled, but the smile didn't seem to reach her eyes. John touched her shoulder and then made his way out of the kitchen.

"Hey people," Kitty said cheerily as she entered. She was all smiles, still happy from her brother's visit. "How's everyone today?"

"Fine," the people mumbled back at her, and she raised both eyebrows and looked at them with disapproval.

"Come on people, it's a beautiful day!"

That's when the first rumbles sounded over the house. Bobby and Cecilia started laughing on either sides of the table.

"So much for your sunny disposition," Bobby said, seeing the rain pour down over the windows.

"Still, it's a wonderful day, and you, Mr cranky pants, are not going to make me think otherwise."

Kitty hummed a cheery tune while Cecilia finished her milk and got up from her chair. She looked over her shoulder quickly, he knew she probably didn't think he saw it, but he did. And something inside him felt happy she looked so miserable when she looked at him and Rogue.

"How's your morning been so far?" Rogue asked him, but he barely nodded.


Cecilia had been hiding in the bathroom for a solid five minutes with tears streaming down her face. She could still remember her little sister's voice, calling up the stairs at her to hurry up. She could still hear the bickering of them, the laughing as they went out the door and to school; like they'd done so many times before, without her.

It had been fours years and two weeks since her sisters had disappeared. Agnes had been two weeks from turning 12 when they all of a sudden just wasn't around any more. And today, sweet Agnes would have been 16.

The tears falling wasn't because her sisters were dead – she didn't know if they were or not – it was because she hadn't been with them that morning. Like most other mornings Cecilia had been slow from the get go and they'd been running late, later than usual. And in the few minutes that separated them, somehow she had been the one to make it to school in time.

She rocked back and forth, thinking of the picture that had been hanging on the wall. They'd all looked so old, compared to the real pictures of them. They'd grown up, together. Like it was supposed to be. But nothing was like it was supposed to be. Everything was wrong!


Remy thought the day was passing all to slow. Since his adventures in the world going to school seemed a drab thing to do. He was almost 20, he had his way of making a living – maybe not honest, but it was effective. Now, mostly, he studied people. Others like him, who was a danger to themselves and to others.

Like Rogue.

He'd studied her for a while. She was smart, shy and forward when she knew what she wanted. Like right now, when she was talking to Bobby Drake. She was flirty, but a little shy too. She wanted to touch him, and really feel him against her skin not just feel her glove touch his shirt.

There was something there, and she was in pain.

He knew she was dangerous, the mere touch of her had had Logan, the Wolverine, in a coma for a few days. But he'd been the same, the touch of his skin could hurt an amazing amount.

"Rogue," he said, and her head snapped in his direction.

"Hey, Remy," she smiled. She petted Bobby on the cheek with her glove and then got up and sat down with him instead. "What's up?"

He was taken by surprise, he'd just wanted to ask her something. "Nothing much, I was just thinking," he started. He looked over at Bobby, who was pretending not to take an interest in their conversation. Remy half smiled and looked back at Rogue. "How can you and Bobby be close? Mutant to mutant," he sad, his voice a strange shade of sad.

"We're not. I don't wanna hurt him."

"But you're still together?" he asked hesitantly.

"I think so, I mean, we haven't said out loud that we're a couple or anything-"

"Hey Drake?"

Bobby looked at Remy wt surprise. "What?"

"Are you and this lovely girl an item or not?" He almost laughed out loud at Bobby and the look on his face.

"Yeah," he finally stammered. Remy smiled.

"Good. Now," he turned back to Rogue. "How do you plan on being close to him?"

"I don't. Like I said, I'm not going to put him in danger like that."

Remy nodded, and couldn't really see a future for the two. But he was still happy Rogue was open enough to find love, after her first boyfriend ended up in the hospital.


"Hey," John smiled, sitting down next to her. His hand touched her arm and she looked up, still feeling like she was in some kind of nightmare. "You feeling any better now?"

She shook her head and looked him in the eye. "That dream was pretty bad John, and I dunno why I can't shake it."

"You will, you'll forget all about it soon enough." She hadn't told him the dream, just that she'd had a nightmare.

"Yeah, but what if I don't want to forget it?" she spat, got up from her seat and ran out.


He knocked on her door, still not sure he was going to say. "Cecilia... Open up."

"No. Just go away, John."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said stubbornly.

"I'm not going to open up," she muttered. He could hear her sobbing.

He put his hand against the door, and then sat down right outside. "What it is, Cecilia? Why are you crying...?"

"I'm not." But she was still sobbing.

"I'm not buying it. I said I wasn't going anywhere, and I mean it."

Then he just sat there, leaned against the wall outside her door and waited. He heard her sob beyond control, how she cried out sometimes and how she either hit or kicked something. He'd been there the entire time, soothing her from the outside as best he could. He didn't really know what to do though. And then, an hour later, he finally heard something at the door. He got up and prepared for the worst, so that when he saw her, he was already preparing for her eyes to be red around the edges and her face puffy.

"My god," he said, pushing the door open. She took a step back, shying away from him.

"Please, don't look at me John."

He stopped her from shying away further. "Why not?" He touched her cheek, and that was the moment that he, John Allerdyce, realized that he might be falling in love.


"Colossus," Kitty smiled.

"Hey Kitty," he said, his warm voice rumbly and soft. "I was looking for you-"

"I heard. Why were you looking?" She sat down next to him on the floor, looking over the puzzle he was working on.

"I just wanted to... you know, talk."

She smiled. "Really? About what?"

He shrugged. "Everything?" He put a piece of the puzzle down and smiled at her.

"Where do you wanna start?" she said, looking down at the piece in her hand. She placed it in a hole and looked pleased.

"What's your favourite colour?"

She smiled. "The deep warm, rich colour of amber." He nodded. "What about you?"

"Lemon yellow," he admitted with a half shrug.


"I said please, John." She'd finally stopped crying, but now she was on the verge of something else. Anger. She was so mad at herself.

"No. I'm not leaving you, can't you see that?"

She could see that. She just wished she could tell him why she didn't want him there. "I just don't want you to see me like this."

"You're upset, and I want to be there for you. So let me."

She wanted to tell him to back off and leave her alone. She wanted to scream at him that he couldn't fix it, no matte how hard he tried, no matter how long he was there for her. She would always be beyond repair. She'd lost the only people that mattered to her.

"No, just- go away." She tried to push at him, to get him out the door. Instead she tripped him and he landed in her bed.

He smiled a little. "You know, if that was all just some clever way of getting me into bed, you could have just asked."

She glared at him. "So not the time John."

"Come on, it was a little funny," he said, getting up. "Even if it was just a little." But she didn't crack as much as a smile.

"I'm- Tired."

"I understand that. But listen, I know you probably don't want to think about it right now, but I waited out there for over an hour – so, you at least owe me to listen. Look, I would, uhm," he cleared his throat. "I wanna take you on a date, Celie."

She glared at him. "Now? You ask me out, now?"

"Well, yeah-"

"Look, I like you, but I need you to step back, and just... Just back off right now." She pushed him out the door and regretted even letting him in. She heard him sigh on the other side.

"You know where to find me, if you wanna talk, or whatever."

And then he left her alone.

She wanted to call him back and tell him all about her sisters, about all the fun they used to have and cry on his shoulder, even if he'd suck at comforting her. He'd crack another lame joke and then hug her close, even if he was out of his element he'd try.

"I'm sorry," she whispered after him, leaning her head against the door and yet again, she started to cry. In that moment, she sort of wished Bobby would have been the one on the other side of her door. But he'd been acting strange all day, barely looking at her, not talking to her, ignoring her for the most part. And he was a little to obvious about him and Rogue.

She threw herself on her bed and remembered John's eyes. He way he smelled, in and out of her mind. Soon, with John right at the tip of her mind, she managed to fall asleep.