She didn't tell anyone. Her hopes of it being another glitch in her mutation were still there. She didn't need to be more of a freak than she already was. She didn't need to confirm that she could control the powers of the people she absorbed. She would've finally had an active power, but it wasn't one she wanted. With the powers came the memories, and she didn't need anymore of those.
The pond rippled, the rock being able to skip across the surface smoothly before dropping. Another one followed and Rogue tried to see if she could get three going at the same time. She spent most of her day like that, avoiding people and wallowing in self-pity. She had really screwed it up with Scott. A week had passed and nothing. She mostly stayed in her room, but even when she was out and about…
nothing.
She threw another rock and watched as it moved.
The thing was, she hadn't told him anything but the truth. He couldn't have a normal relationship with her. So, they kissed. Big deal. She was still wearing his visor because the sting wouldn't go away. She could still see Jean in her head every time she closed her eyes.
She threw another rock, making a perfect skip.
It wasn't like she could have been with him anyway. Talk about no personal space. He deserved someone he could actually touch. Someone he could actually be with. He deserved someone who wasn't Rogue. Someone like Jean.
She let out a gasp as a memory seared in front of her eyes.
"I see the way you look at him, Jean."
"Don't be ridiculous, Scott, he's nothing-"
"I trust you Jean. It's the animal I don't trust."
"Logan is not an animal. He's a man, just like you. He has feelings."
"You're defending him?"
"I am defending him, Scott. Logan has feelings-"
"I don't?"
"Would you stop being so hardheaded? I can have friends Scott!" The room shook and Scott's head flew up, looking at Jean. Her eyes were dark…darker then he ever remembered them being. She was shaking so bad, he could visibly see it. "Jean…?" he reached for her and something slapped him back. Jean let out a scream and collapsed, her hair like fire. Someone began banging on the door and Scott rushed to it, Jean's name lodged in his throat. "Professor Scott!" Piotr's voice, loud and strong, boomed through the wooden door. "Get the Professor! Get him now!" Scott yelled, throwing the door open.
Piotr gave a quick glance at Scott before he saw Jean's crumpled mass on the floor. Her coal black eyes stared at him and in the second that their eyes connected, Piotr let out a scream-
Rogue let out a short, quick scream, similar to Piotr's. Jean's coal black eyes were still staring at her in her mind's eye and in desperation to break it, she opened her eyes and stared into the water. She could still see Jean, staring at her through the water's surface. Rogue fell back on her butt and began scrambling backwards, desperate to get away. She felt a rock beneath her and wrapped her hand around it's cold surface. She closed her eyes, trying to rid herself of that stare, and instead saw Piotr's face. She felt his power coursing through her veins and chucked the rock, trying to fight his personality as it took her over.
She had never touched Piotr. This couldn't be happening to her. She couldn't have Piotr in her head.
The rock hit the pond, but sank quickly, added by Piotr power until it dug itself in the bottom. "Out, out. Get out." she muttered over and over, rocking gently back and forth with her eyes closed. "Please get out. Please get out." She didn't want him there, she didn't want his dumb personality, she didn't want to see any of it! She opened her eyes and stared down at her arms as she felt cool metal sliding over her. She threw off the glove of her left hand and raised it, turning it back and forth as the metal coat glossed over her skin.
"no, no, no" she muttered, shaking her arm, trying to stop the metal's course. Soon though, she felt it. She didn't have to look at the water's surface to know that the metallic barrier enclosed her entire body. She could feel it. She had to focus. She had to put Piotr away in one the rooms. She had to breathe, calm down and focus. She closed her eyes again and mentally pictured the rooms. She labeled one Piotr and opened the door. She felt herself shoving him in there, pressing down his personality and powers, and shut it.
She opened her eyes, but kept up the concentration. She raised her arm again and watched as the metal began to slide back. It split at her fingers and glided over her skin. It disappeared beneath the sleeve of her shirt and she felt it draw away. When she knew it was gone, she stopped pressing and pushing and allowed her body to relax. She fell back completely and let out a sigh of relief. She remained on her back, trying to sort her thoughts.
She had never touched Piotr. There wasn't any way she could've had his power and his personalities. Even if her powers had been growing, she doubted it could escalate to this. Just thinking about his power and having it? That was dangerous.
Why had Jean and Scott been arguing about Logan? Did Jean love him? It figures. She never even had a chance with Logan when Jean was around. It explained a lot of things she had seen in his eyes and in his memories.
And Scott…
She let out another sigh and buried herself more in the grass. She was back at him already. She stared up at the sky through his visors. Scott was someone she had to avoid at all costs. What she felt about him…was dangerous for both her and him.
She had to stay away from him.
The thought filled her was dread. She couldn't control her emotions around him. She closed her eyes. Since when had that been the case with Scott? When did she start loving him? She asked herself almost every day the same question, over and over. When had Scott Summers become more than Scott Summers?
She closed her eyes, tired, and let the sun warm her. She heard the slap of the pond's water as it hit the land. Smelled the wind as it picked up, playing with her hair and cooling her exposed skin. She let the land lull her to sleep.
That's when she dreamed of Jean.
