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Chapter 10
Three days later…
Rogue and Logan stepped into the small motel room. She threw her bag onto the floor as Logan stripped off his leather jacket, all in silence. She sat down on the bed, looking up at him expectantly.
"We'll be back home tomorrow," he said, running a comforting hand over her hair.
She nodded slowly, her worry coming across her face. "I know. I don't think I'm ready for that…"
He kissed her gently on the top of her head before sitting down next to her and clutching her hand tightly. "Hank will probably be able to figure out what's going on with your powers." Logan was pretty sure that that would be a good lure to get her back there. He knew that she'd never really wanted to return to the mansion in the first place.
With a sigh, she pulled her hand away and turned her body to face him, sitting cross-legged. "I'm not even sure that I want to know anymore."
He turned his body to face her. "This is a good thing, kid."
"It's just…" She sighed heavily as her gaze moved to her hands. "What if something goes wrong? Or what if my powers come back and I can't touch you? I just don't want to ruin what we've just figured out…"
"But what if it means a step toward control?" he counted, picking up her hand again. "What if the tests help you figure this all out?"
Her gaze moved from her hands to the bedspread. "I guess…"
But Logan knew that the tests weren't the only thing bothering her. "What else is on your mind, kid?"
"The mansion," she said tiredly with a shake of her head. "Everything there. I mean… what happens to us when we get back?"
He furrowed his brow, looking to the ceiling. "What are you talking about?"
She looked up at him with an incredulous look. "You. Me. Whatever this is that's going on between us. When we get back to the mansion, it ends, right?"
"It doesn't have to," he replied simply, dropping his gaze back down to her.
She rolled her big brown eyes. "'Cause a relationship between a student and a teacher is totally possible," she replied sarcastically, looking away from him. "Face it, this is over."
"Hey," he said stiffly, grabbing her chin and turning her head so she looked straight at him. "This isn't over until we both agree it is, okay? And I'm not even really a teacher at the mansion, so it doesn't matter. This… thing between us isn't going to change when we get back, okay?"
Rogue nodded, causing him to let go, but she kept her eyes on him. His eyes were soft and honest. "Yeah, okay."
He smiled at her. "Anything else?"
"Bobby's being a tool," she responded with a grin. "But what else is new?"
Logan let out a deep chuckle and cupped her face in his hands. "I love you, Marie. Things will be okay."
She nodded before leaning forward and kissing him.
Mystique stood naked in front of the mirror in her room. Her entire body was a deep blue and scales covered her again. The scales were small and smooth most places but around her shoulders and hips, breasts and arms they stood out more, darker blue and more ridged. Her dark hair had turned back into its vibrant shade of red. It wasn't slicked back it used to be, just hanging loosely around her face, gracing her shoulders at its longest and curling slightly at the ends.
Life at the mansion had been a lot different than she had thought it would be. It was a much more relaxed than she had expected it to be. With it being called an institute, she'd imagined that the students would be at least wearing uniforms.
But no. It was just like a normal high school. Just one that was safe for mutants.
She smiled to herself. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad.
Tabby caught up with Bobby in the hall on his way to Mutant-American History. She hadn't seen much of him since Kitty had disappeared, and it had sorta bummed her out. It was fair that he would be upset and that he'd need space, but now she wanted to talk to him. "What's up, Bobby?" she asked.
He shrugged. "Not much, I guess."
With a punch to his arm, she said, "Cheer up, dude! It's not the end of the world."
His look was one of confusion of despair as he looked up at her. "I know. I just… don't know what to do."
She didn't reply but just stared back at him.
"Rogue told Logan that she was going home," he explained. "I knew she wasn't coming back. That's why I had no problem moving on. But with Kitty…"
It all made sense to Tabby now. Bobby had been avoiding her because he wasn't sure if his relationship with Kitty was over or not. And her being around probably didn't help him think.
"I don't even know where Kitty is now," he said with a sigh. "I hope she isn't in some kinda trouble."
"Thank you so much for helping with the dishes, Kitty," Aunt May said as she put the leftovers into the fridge.
Kitty finished putting the clean dishes away. "It's no problem at all, Mrs. Parker. Thank you again for letting me stay here."
The elderly woman smiled kindly. "It's not trouble at all, dear, especially with what you have been through. And, please, call me Aunt May."
The young mutant returned the smile. "Well, thank you, Aunt May."
Peter came into the kitchen. "How's it going in here?" he asked as he grabbed two sodas from the fridge and handed one over to Kitty.
"Just finishing up," Aunt May said, looking adorningly at her nephew. "Now, I think I'm going to crawl into bed and read." The elderly woman eyed Kitty with a smile, "Goodnight," she added, kissing Peter's forehead.
"Goodnight, Aunt May," he and Kitty both replied.
Once the old woman was out of earshot, Kitty asked, "Who does she think I am again?"
"A friend from school," he explained in a hushed voice, cracking open his drink.
"And why am I here again?" she prodded, trying to keep her cover story straight if it came up.
"You had a huge fight with your dad and needed a place to stay while things blew over," he said as though it were as much fact as the spandex under his clothes. "Now, let's go watch a movie."
Kitty followed him into the family room asking, "So… you graduated high school and are in college now, right?"
He pulled a DVD from the cabinet and nodded. "Yeah, why?"
She shrugged, dropping down onto the couch. "Well, I'm just wondering why you still live at home."
"Well," he said, putting the disk into the player and joining her on the couch, "I just like being here for Aunt May. I think she gets lonely now that Uncle Ben is gone." He looked distant for a bit when he said his name.
"That's really sweet," she replied with a sympathetic smile.
They started the first Indiana Jones movie but only got five minutes in before Peter sat back and said, "I think we should take you back to the mansion tomorrow."
Kitty looked at him in confusion. "Wait… what? Why?"
He sighed. "We agreed that this was a temporary thing," he reminded her. "Just to give you a break from the mansion."
Pulling her knees up to her chest and clasping her hands around them, she twisted her face into a pout. "I know, I just thought that it'd be more like a week…"
"The longer you wait the harder it will be to go back," he explained with a knowing smile.
She couldn't help but smile back. "God, it was so much easier to get my way when I was dealing with Bobby. How'd you get so smart about this stuff?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Natural talent?" He chuckled before his face softened into something more serious. "And I've had to deal with seeing Mary Jane around… We have a few classes together."
She gave him a kindhearted look. "What happened with her anyways?"
Again, he shrugged. "I guess it was because she couldn't handle me being Spiderman." With a sigh, he added, "She just… she kept getting caught!"
A laugh erupted from deep inside her, despite her efforts to keep it back. "I'm sorry," she said, covering her mouth as if that would stifle it, "but it's kinda funny."
The thin line of his mouth curved up into a smile and he laughed. "Yeah, I guess it kinda is. I mean, I'd tell her to stay behind, but she wouldn't listen. Of course she's gonna get caught!"
"Exactly," she replied with a curt nod.
He looked at her with a soft look on his face. "Thanks for understanding, Kitty," he said gently.
She shrugged. "What're friends for?"
He blinked a little. She had said it, and he had to assume it was true; they were friends. He had only met her a little while ago, but he felt like he knew her better in the last three days then he had Harry or MJ their whole lives. Kitty didn't hesitate to acknowledge her friendship with him, if nothing else he quickly let her in on his secret identity, earning a solid place in her heart that had been relatively empty. They gazed at each other for a moment before they both leaned in. Their lips connected in a soft and sweet kiss.
When they pulled apart, Peter looked down at her. "You know this doesn't change my mind about taking you back to the mansion, right?"
"Damn it," she replied playfully. In truth, she'd sorta hoped it had.
The next day, Rogue and Logan zoomed by the "Welcome to Westchester" sigh with Gambit close behind them, and Rogue could feel her chest tighten uncomfortably. "Can we stop somewhere?" she called over the roar of the motorcycle.
Logan nodded wordlessly in reply and turned off into the parking lot of a small inn. Gambit followed after them and cut his engine. "What's going on?" he asked as he climbed out of his car.
Rogue and Logan dismounted and turned to face him. "I just, uh…" she started.
"She doesn't want to go back yet," Logan finished for her.
Gambit leaned against the hood of his car. "Then what do you suggest?"
"One more night," Logan insisted. "Just get a room here," he suggested, gesturing to the inn, "and tomorrow we'll go to the mansion. Deal?"
The Cajun hesitated, thinking it over. "Alright. One more night."
The three of them left their vehicles and went into the inn. Even with the vaulted ceilings and wide windows, the lobby was homey, as if they were stepping into someone's living room. A girl, who was a little older than Rogue and had long brown hair, was standing behind a desk towards the back wall. "Can I help you?" she asked in a cheery voice.
Gambit sauntered up to the desk and leaned against it. "Why yes, mademoiselle. I would be much obliged if you could find us two room, s'il vous plait."
The girl smiled as a blush crept over her face. "Alright, let me see what I can do." She focused on the computer but dared a glance back up at him. "I guess you want to share a room with your girlfriend, huh?"
"Marie is just a dear friend, Cherie," he replied with a smarmy grin. "I'm free as a bird. In fact, I'm looking for a girl just like you."
The girl giggled in a way that made both Logan and Rogue roll their eyes. This guy was just unbelievable. "Hey, Remy," Rogue called to him, "do you think you could stop flirting long enough for me and Logan to get the key to our room?"
But the Cajun didn't get a chance to rebut. At that moment, a tall slender man with shaggy brown hair came out from the back room. "Dana," he said, looking to the girl behind the desk, "I need to run out for a moment. Can you hold down the fort?"
She nodded at him. "Sure thing, bossman."
Rogue focused on the boss, looking at him as if she was trying to solve a puzzle. His face drew her in, there was a feeling tugging at her brain. Who was this guy and why was he bringing up such a strong moment of déjà vu?
"Does that guy look familiar to you?" Logan asked her in a hushed voice.
Her head nodded enthusiastically. "Yes!" she whispered. "Who is he?"
He shook his head. "I don't know. I can't place it…"
It didn't take them long to figure it out once the boss slid a pair of sunglasses on and turned toward them. "Scott?" Rogue practically screamed.
AN: I really need to stop doing this to yo, don't I? Well, this is chapter ten, which means: DUN DUN DUN! ONLY THE EPILOGUE LEFT IN THIS INSTALLMENT! Then three more weeks until the third one. Which I'm already halfway done with… so yeah. And I'm saving the best surprise for next chapter. Review!