I apologize six times over that this update took so long. Life and writers block got in the way. I'm still not sure I like this chapter. You'll be the judge of course.
Almost a unanimous vote for Romy. I am pleased but not surprised. Like I said, my original intention was a romy so now I get to keep the scenes and such that I planned from the start of this fic. That means of course that the romance won't before forced or anything I promise. I have it all planned out.
A note to my reviewers. A lot of you are siding with Rogue and calling Logan and Gambit mean and what not (actually I think the term was asshole, but whatever). Keep in mind that this is told from Rogue's point of view, so things are biased in her direction. You have to look past her view to see what is really going on. She doesn't always know the whole story so she isn't always right about things. As the author I don't hate Jean or Scott or anybody, I'm just trying to portray them as Rogue might. This story is kind of a character study and what not.
Thanks for reading my 'small' author's note.
On with the show:
Logan angry was no problem of course. I could win him over.
"Hey sugah, lets dance." I said in a low voice wrapping my arm around his neck and pulling his body flush with mine.
"Stripes!" He cried out pushing me away. He then proceeded to drag (and I mean drag) me back to my table. "Get your stuff and say good night you are coming home with me."
"Sounds good to me" I said with a wink purposely grazing his hip with my hand as I grabbed my purse that sat on the table.
Logan shook his head and said, "Oh hell no, I'm not dealing with this all the way home." Without warning he reached over and touched my face.
Take Vicks Vapor Rub and shove it up your nose. Yeah, it was a bit like that. But all over.
Not that I ever put Vicks Vapor Rub up my noise. Not me. Never.
Okay, okay, I wasn't a very bright ten year old and I got paid 2.50 to do it and I forgot my lunch money and it was mashed potatoes day. It wasn't like I did it for no good reason.
But I digress.
"Well Logan, you won't have to deal with anything on the way home because I'm not going with you." I stated matter-of-factly. Really, it was all his fault. He should have left me drunk. I'm annoying, but a lot more compromising.
"You mind runnin' that by me again Stripes," He said in a deadly low voice. For most people this would be a brilliant orange neon sign saying 'back off now!" but for me it screamed "challenge!'. Maybe I'm related to the Dodo bird.
"I'm. Not. Going. Home. With. You." I said slowly, sitting back down in my seat to emphasis my point.
"Get up."
"Drop dead."
"Now."
"No."
We glared at each other for a minute before he said, "I'm givin' you ten seconds to get your ass out of the chair and out that door by yourself before I…"
"Before you what? Make me?" I said with a harsh laugh, "Grrrrrr, I'm five feet tall and hairy. Fear me! (Yes I was using jazz fingers) I would love to see you try."
"Anything for you darlin'" he said and without further ado picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. I'm not kidding.
"Put me the fuck down!" I screamed hitting and kicking as much as I could.
"I would pipe down kid, you are getting' a lot of attention." Logan said with a smile I could just hear in his words.
He was right of course. I looked around as we pushed open the door and I could see just about everyone in my vision staring at me, scattered laughter filling the dark space. I couldn't see my table anymore, but I bet my boots they were laughing their heads off.
When we got outside, he put me down and asked if I was done acting like a wild animal. Me- wild animal! This from the man who finds people by smelling them. A man who eats sausages off of his claws. A man who hunts down a man named Sabertooth. He called me a wild animal!
I screamed in anger. Logan didn't even acknowledge it, and instead just handed me a helmet (more like threw it at me). He turned around to get on the motorcycle and I raised the helmet above my head.
"You do that kid, and I will fight back." He said calmly. Taking a deep breath to retain my anger, I lowered the helmet and finally put it on my head. I'm stupid, not completely insane. Logan was dead serious, he would take me down and it would hurt. I got on the motorcycle behind him and contemplated my life. I could now run around Bayville naked because nothing could be more embarrassing than that little spectacle at the bar. Damnit!
The good news was that when my alarm went off at five thirty the next morning, Logan's healing power kept me from getting any sort of hang over. The bad news was that Logan was my alarm clock.
"Move it, Stripes, I ain't watin' for you all day."
"Where are we g-g-going?" I asked, a yawn interrupting my sentence.
"Danger Room, come on."
"Can I at least suit up?" I asked irritably. Irritable is the farthest I dared go this morning. Anger was just out of the question.
"No need, let's go." He said yanking me out of my bed.
"I'm in my pajamas!" I cried.
"Don't matter," he said disinterestedly continuing to pull me along.
Says the man who isn't in the stupid green pajamas.
Logan maintained the iron grip on my arm all the way down to the danger room, giving me a nice shove through the doors. I guess he expected me to make a break for it on the way down. Really now- where would I go?
A mat. That was all there was. A large mat. Right, still had no idea what was going on.
He led me to the middle of it so we were a few feet apart facing each other.
"One on one training?" I inquired.
"Just one on one."
Oh goody. A real fight. This was going to hurt tomorrow. Wham. My back slammed onto the ground. Scratch that- this was going to hurt today. I rolled backward to regain some ground. He lunged forward and a silver claw whistled past my ear. Shit.
"Why are we doing this?" I asked, backing up and dodging.
"Why?" He mocked, not even sounding a little bit winded, "I thought you wanted to do this. You seemed rather combative last night."
It was true, but I didn't think I deserved to die over it. Logan faked a right punch, pushing me down on my stomach with his left. Before I could blink he was on top of me.
"So, now you tell me what the hell is going on with you?"
"What?"
Tackle me and ask me how I was doing? It was official. Logan had lost it. Completely and entirely lost it.
"What's the matter Rogue? Tell me what the damn problem is."
"What damn problem? I don't have a problem except for the fact that you are friggin' crushing me!" I shouted best I could.
"There has to be something Stripes, something to explain your behavior. The job, the bar, alcohol, Gumbo- tell me what is going on. Does this have to do with your powers or something?"
"I'm just being me Logan, take it or leave it."
I finally got it. My behavior had been classified as some sort of defense mechanism. Some sort of outlet for inner anguish. I guess that is what I get for being quiet for too long.
"Being you? That never included this sort of shit before."
"You so sure of that?" I countered. At that he quickly got up and gave me a calculating look. I was sitting now while he squatted.
"Gumbo said something, about files Mystique made on you. Are you talking about that?" He asked.
Hot damn, I do not want to go there.
"No."
Thank god Logan spoke my language. What that sentence really meant was "Yes, it has everything to do with it, but I don't want to talk about it so either drop it or I will claw your eyes out." But said in the former format, nothing incriminated would ever get on tape. Some people say paranoia is a sign of insanity. I say it is a sign of self-preservation.
"Fine." He said and was silent again. Then, "You are ungrounded."
I had a sudden impulse to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. "What?" I said.
"You heard me. You are ungrounded."
It was sort of an in one ear, out the other thing. I really can't understand how sneaking out and breaking some laws would get me ungrounded. I guess I'm just not that intelligent.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because there really isn't any damn point to it, that's why. You are going to sneak out when you want to go out and when you don't you stay inside anyways. It ain't worth the effort. Mind, you are going to continue defense tutoring everyday."
"So I can go out when I want now?" I asked, not daring to believe it.
"Hell no. You still have curfew. Not to mention that any more bar visits you care to go on will be attended with me."
"I learned my lesson okay? I don't need a babysitter."
"You fucked up Rogue, this is your consequence."
Bet you can't even spell consequence you overgrown lighting pole. (For obvious reasons, I kept that thought to myself).
"Fine, whatever. Can I go now?"
"Yeah, we're done. Oh wait- one more thing,"
"Mmm?" I said.
"You should….er…you know….talk to Gumbo" He said not really looking at me. Logan didn't really even sound like he wanted to say it.
"You think so?" I asked curiously.
"Er…yeah….that would be good…for the team…and stuff."
"For the team"? Bingo.
"The professor and Storm made you say that to me didn't they?"
Logan nodded, "They felt that I would be the best one to reach out to you and stuff."
They chose a man called "The Wolverine" to connect to an 18 year old girl?
"Not funny Stripes!" He growled, stopping my laughter but doing nothing about my smile. Finally he broke down and laughed too, it was pretty damn funny.
It was with great trepidation that I headed to work that day. God last night had been so humiliating. I would never hear the end of today.
"Hey freak."
"That isn't very nice. Would you greet your boyfriend like that?"
"I don't have a boyfriend, dumbass."
"Don't worry sugah, I'm sure there is someone out there for you. Just be patient"
"Bitch."
Yep, that's what they call me. Not that I care what Tim thinks of me. Bet he couldn't get a date with a dandelion.
"And the infamous Dixie graces us with her presence!"
To my surprise, it was Travis that greeted me when I first entered the shop.
"You feelin' okay?" He asked, sounding rather concerned.
I've been drunk, mortified, beat up, and yelled at in a little over 12 hours, how do you think I am?
"Fine."
"Good to see. I was worried that your dad was going rip you apart. Scary man. Not that you noticed." He said with this sort of proud smile.
"Yep, that's me- constantly crossing the line between bravery and stupidity." I said with a smile and he laughed.
"Travis! Stop distracting my employees. Dixie has work to do, leave her alone!" Frank said, finally noticing my presence.
"How much trouble you in?" He asked me.
I shook my head causing him to chuckle. He handed me the list and yelled at me to get to work. Contrary to his brother's request, Travis hung around me most of the day. It was basically a continuation of last night with story swapping and what not. However we also had a debate on cars versus bikes. I don't care what he says, I won. Bikes rule. The end. So over all I found out that Marcus didn't make it to work today due to a hangover, Frank had to repeat kindergarten, Tim slept with a teddy bear until he was nine, Travis's wife left him 15 years ago, and Frank, Travis, and Marcus all wore drag one day in high school because they lost a bet. He also started to tell me that Frank had a birth mark the shape of an umbrella on his…but I plugged my ears and started saying "La La La," really loudly to tune him out.
Needless to say I was shocked to see that it was seven already. The day had flown.
Kudos to the Hellion's boys for not laughing their assess off in front of my face. I don't think I could uphold such courteously.
Dinner was relatively uneventful. No one had been awake when I had been so gracefully dragged home last night so I don't think they even knew about it. Afterwards I just headed up to my room to spend the rest of the evening in blissful solitude.
Knock. Knock.
Yeah, I think I jinxed myself with the phrase, "Blissful solitude."
Jean awaited me at my door. "Hey Rogue, Storm and Logan want to talk to us in one of the old classrooms."
"Who is 'us' and why?"
"The older students and they didn't tell us," she said. I think my whole life is turning into a bad porno flick. (Is there a good porno flick?).
"Are we getting disciplined?" I asked in a mischievous tone.
"No…" she replied giving me a strange look. Greeeeeeaaaat, it is just the girl who can't touch that is perverted. It is too bad Gambit was an ass, he would have gotten the joke.
Jean and I walked together down to an empty classroom.
"Here Rogue," she said, "We're meeting in here. Go ahead in; I have to go find Scott."
She came here to show me which classroom? Like she couldn't' just tell me which one it was? I'm so incompetent that I can't understand her directions? Okay, maybe I was overreacting a tad. The stupid redhead was just showing me where we were meeting. I took a deep breath. She was just being nice. I can be nice back. I went in. The class room was empty. I figured Jean got the wrong one but before I could leave the door slammed shut. And locked.
"Hey!" I screamed, pounding on the door, "Let me out of here."
"We will Rogue," I heard muffled through the door, "after you get things settled."
Settled? What the hell? What in God's name had gotten into everyone's water?
I started to bang again until, "De're not goin' to let you out chère. Hate to break it to you."
"Yeah they will," I started, "they…"
I whipped around. Gambit stood there starting at me.
"Uh..Hi" I said lamely.
"Bonjour," he replied.
"Can you open the door?" I asked. He was a thief after all with the blowing up thing.
Wordlessly he walked over but instead of opening the door he grabbed my arm and gently pulled me to a chair. I groaned.
"You aren't going to open the door are you?" I asked. He shook his head. "We're talkin' ain't we?" I asked as well. He nodded. I really didn't want to do this. I know I told Logan I would but just not today. One heart to heart has me pretty set for about a week. Actually, screw that. One heart to heart has me set for about three years. I ran back over to the door and started to pound again, "IF YOU ALL DON'T LET ME OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW I'M GOING TAKE ONE OF THESE CHAIRS AND-"
A gloved hand closed over my mouth. I hadn't even noticed that Gambit was wearing gloves. "Come on chère," he whispered and pulled me back. I couldn't get out of this.
"I didn't mean to do that to you." He said as soon as I sat down. No need to ask what he was referring to of course.
"Which time?" I countered.
"The second time."
"So you meant to do it the first time?" I asked.
"Sort of," he replied mysteriously.
"You are full of it," I snapped. This was just crap.
"Can you please just let me explain Rogue?" he begged. I didn't like it- Gambit being all serious and sort of sad. It was rather disconcerting. No cocky smile, no arrogant remark. I couldn't help but be a little on edge.
I slouched in my chair and nodded.
"Empathy is a new power to me. I have been using it a while but I had no idea what it was or how I did it. All I knew was that if I concentrated, people seemed to do what I wanted them to do, even to the point of forgetting whatever they were doing before. I used on you the day of the sentinels on purpose, but I still didn't know what it was. Last week I only meant to disable you a little, like I did behind the warehouse. However I have been working with the professor on concentrating and controlling my empathy so I overdid it a little."
"A little!" I cried. He put a finger to his lips to shush me. I rolled my eyes, but obliged.
"I only wanted you to like me a little so you wouldn't want to attack me. It was a powerless fight and I never should have tried it, but I did and I'm sorry." He finished sincerely.
Silence fell
"I ain't apolgizin'," I said irately.
"Don' expect you to." He replied.
"Good. Can I go now?" I said in the same tone standing up to go to the door.
"No!" he said forcefully and pulled me back down, "Not until I know you believe me and forgive me."
I stared at him.
"Do you?" He asked.
"No. I think you are full of shit and you need to just leave me alone. I don't want talk to you. I don't want to listen to your excuses. You are just getting a kick out of messing with my head and I'm not going to stand for it. Go to hell!" I shouted.
"Mon dieu! Do you ever get a sore throat from yelling so much? Just out of curiosity…" he said nastily.
"Do you get a headache from being such a moron?" I snapped back.
He glared and for a second I thought he was going to hit me. Instead grabbed my hand and yanked off my glove.
"If you don't believe me, touch me. Absorb my thoughts, see my memories. You will believe me somehow."
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
I grabbed his face. To my defense, he expected me to. That was the first thing I got from him. When I absorb someone at first there is confusion, then I am that person. Literally, I forget my name is Rogue and I'm from Mississippi. I'm whomever I'm touching even for a brief time. That is why I understand what I absorb so well and so quickly. I see the memories as the person does, with their clarity and understanding. Obviously the more mentally unstable a person, the harder it is to understand their thought process, but I have made do. In fact I would have to say I've done pretty well considering I have absorbed Juggernaut, Scarlet Witch, Pyro and Magneto and lets just say they are not exactly the family next door. But that is not the point. The point is that I see memories as the people I absorbed do. Which is why it was a completely new feeling to be confused about a memory. Gambit had been confused when we had fought. He didn't know how he had done what he had done. He hadn't been lying to me. Shit.
"Believe me now, chère?" asked a tired voice from the floor. (Yeah I kind of just let him drop there. I guess that wasn't very nice.)
"Yeah, whatever Swamp Rat." I said, still grumpy. I hate being wrong.
"K"
Silence fell again.
"I still ain't apolgizin'" I reminded him. I guess I should, but I really don't like it, so I wasn't going to.
"I know." He said, still sounding a little tired.
"Can I leave now?"
"Wait, are we good now?" He asked, holding out a hand. I put my glove back on and shook it. We were good again.
"You still angry about being set up, chère?" he asked as he let us out (he had a key- bastard!).
"Hell ya! All Jean told me was all the older students had to meet in one of the classrooms."
"Kinky." He said with a smirk.
"Perv!" I said, punching him in the arm.
Told ya he would get it.
As you may have noticed i did a very quick edit, putting very little effort into the chore. As well as I usually go back and do accents after I edit, but I didn't even bother today, my apologizes Hopefully the chapter is fine without them.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I know it wasn't as funny again but don't worry, it will be back.
Do the button thing por favor and have a nice day.
