Chapter 35

It may not have been Rogue's best idea ever but it was all she could think of to try and stop her boyfriend who was drugged up on a space rock. She was going to sneak up on him and use her powers to take his. One problem. He heard her coming and now she finds herself pinned up against this pile of bricks with Clark hovering over her, his body pressed up so close to hers that it is probably illegal in some states.

The next thing Rogue knows is that he dips his head and that his lips are moving closer to hers. Then they are touching hers. Rogue braces herself for the inevitable but it never comes. Her powers for whatever reason aren't working. Clark deepens the kiss and Rogue finds her hands moving to wrap around his neck while his hands take her by her the waist and lift her up slightly because he is so tall.

She feels Clark's tongue gently probe at her lips which open as she invites him in. Her tongue meets his. The feeling of pleasure shoots through her entire body so much more intense than she ever dreamed. Clark moves on to her jaw and kisses his way down to her throat. Her body feels incredibly hot. "Oh God Clark!" she can't help but moan out as Clark works what seems like magic on her neck. His hands are exploring her body and despite her uniform it feels incredible. She feels like she is going to spontaneously combust right here and right now and hell a part of her would welcome it.

Clark then blows in her ear and Rogue shivers in response. "What do you want Rogue?" he asks her, his voice so incredibly husky and sexy.

"You," Rogue finds herself saying. "Ah want ya."

Clark's hands move to start to remove her uniform, sliding the zipper on the back down. His hands slip onto her back and slide across her skin leaving scorching burning trails of fire running up and down her spine. He moves to slip the top of her uniform off...

BANG!

Rogue shoots up in bed breathing hard, her body flushed with heat. She takes a moment to regain her senses and finds Kitty standing there with one of her magazines rolled up which she must have used to create the banging sound. "What tha hell Kitty?" Rogue asks her room-mate very annoyed at being woken up.

"Rogue. You talk in your sleep," Kitty tells Rogue with this rather amused expression on the Illinois native's face.

Rogue realises what it is Kitty must have heard and places her hands over her face to cover her embarrassment. "Ah can explain."

"Oh. This is like going to be good," Kitty says in anticipation at what Rogue is going to offer up.

"On second thoughts no ah can't," Rogue changes her mind.

"Do the words 'Oh God Clark!' whispered in a desperate moan like ring a bell?"

"Kitty. Please," Rogue pleads of her friend.

Kitty rolls her eyes. "Like ok. Don't get all worked up. Everyone has those kind of dreams." Kitty herself has had one or two with Lance in a staring roll. "Although I thought you were like still totally angry at Clark," she adds.

It had been a few days since the whole thing had passed and Rogue herself wasn't as angry as she was. The few days had allowed her temper to cool off but still it hurt to think on how Clark had used her. On a related topic Rogue had noticed that at school Alicia had been looking terribly depressed moping around and avoiding Clark as best she could. In return Clark had barely given Alicia a glance of even modicum interest. She had heard from Kitty who had gotten it from Kurt that Clark despite normally being a very nice guy was extremely angry at Alicia for what she did like Rogue is similarly angry at him which explained Clark's disinterest in the blonde teleporter.

Kitty sits down on the edge of Rogue's bed. "Are you like ever going to forgive him? He was drugged you know."

Rogue lets out a sigh. "Ah know and that ah can forgive him for. It was tha 2 weeks before that that ah can't...just yet."

"Yeah. Ok there you know I like totally agree with you but you can't resolve that if you don't talk to him Rogue. Boys, even Clark, are pretty thick at things like this. You would need to talk to him and remind him and then I'm sure he'll like totally grovel on his knees and stuff and beg your forgiveness. Or you don't talk to him and you stay Miss Miserable and Broody."

Kitty is saying this because otherwise Rogue may never get around to it. Rogue could really hold a grudge or be angry at someone for a really long time so some prompting on Kitty's part is needed to move this along.

Truth was Rogue did feel miserable. She did miss Clark. "Ya know Kitty ya do always seem ta defend Clark a lot," Rogue points out.

Kitty shrugs. "He's my friend. He's a nice guy and well with him it is probably the closest I have ever felt to having a big brother," she says in an honest appraisal of her feelings towards Clark. "On the flip side I told you before how I think he is good for you."

Kitty saying that reminds Rogue of how Clark manages to make her smile, laugh, safe in his arms. The way he makes her feel good about herself. She misses that.

"Also you could look at it this way," Kitty argues. "You get the best of both worlds. You have on one side the great sweet upstanding guy yet underneath is this bad boy trying to get out and lets like face facts everyone loves a bad boy. I'm betting even you."

Ok Rogue won't say that Clark didn't look gorgeous dressed in all black but it is the sweet guy she really likes. She makes a decision. "Alright ah'll talk to him but ah make no promises about anything else," she tells Kitty.

Kitty brightens up. "OK. Then. That's like totally great." Kitty then yawns. "Well back to bed."

"Kitty," Rogue stops her.

Kitty looks at Rogue. "Yes?"

"There is something else. Something ah haven't told anybody. Something ah need ta talk ta somebody about but ya have ta promise ta keep it a secret."

Kitty could hear the very serious tone in Rogue's voice. "Of course Rogue. If it's something personal you know I would like keep it secret."

"Yes. Ah know," Rogue confirms to her friend. She takes a breath. "It was during the fight. Ah was tryin ta sneak up on Clark so ah could use mah powers on him and end it."

Kitty nods. "I assume that didn't go as planned," she says from the fact as to how it actually ended.

"Clark heard meh with those ears of his and grabbed mah arm before ah could touch him."

Kitty frowns. "Rogue. Did he hurt you?"

Rogue shakes her head and dispels that idea quickly. "No. Ah mean when ah think on it ah guess he could have easily but no he didn't."

"Oh. Ok," Kitty says with some relief. "So like what did happen?"

"Clark kissed meh...and nothing happened."

It doesn't quite click in Kitty's mind what Rogue means. "What do you mean nothing?"

"With mah powers Kitty. They didn't work on him."

Kitty's eyes widen in surprise as the revelation sinks in. "But that's like...impossible. Isn't it?"

Rogue shrugs. "How do ah know? Ah mean there is nothing on Earth ah can't absorb."

"But Clark's not from Earth."

"Do ya...do ya think it could be that simple? They don't work on him because of what he is?"

Kitty shrugs. "Occam's Razor. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one but I am no expert on your powers Rogue. You would really need to like ask the Professor or Mr McCoy."

"When things between meh and Clark are straightened out ah will," Rogue decides to wait until.

Kitty decides to just accept that and since she is tired she goes back to her bed and back to sleep.

Rogue stays awake and brings her knees up to her chest as she thinks on things. She finally finds a guy she can touch but she only finds this out after they have had a fight and are not talking to each other. Her life can just never be normal can it?

Well she'll talk to Clark but as for forgiving him...well his grovelling better be really good because if she does forgive him and that is still an if at the moment she is sure as hell going to make him work for it.

Talking to Clark was going to involve small steps Rogue decided in the morning. Start with a simple 'Good Morning' at breakfast. She hadn't even given him that for the last couple of days.

When Rogue says that to him Clark just blinks at her in almost total astonishment. It takes even his brain quite a few seconds to formulate the reciprocal response. "G-Good Morning. How are you?"

Rogue stops and looks at Clark while she ponders her reply. She doesn't want him to think everything is fine and back to the way it was just yet. "Mostly fahne."

The glimmer of hope in Clark's eyes fades slightly. "Only mostly?"

Rogue shrugs. "Still some...issues that need resolving. Ya know about these last few weeks," she adds as a not so subtle hint about his behaviour.

Clark nods in understanding. "I'm working on that," he says as a promise and he is. He hasn't spent the last few days moping around. Well not completely. He is working on making it up to Rogue.

Rogue sits herself down at the table a deliberate distance away form Clark with several people between them. The tension between Rogue and Clark had not been all that fun to live with but it had been great gossip material. Apart from Rogue most of the students had let go of any lingering anger at Clark. They all understood he was drugged and not quite in a right state of mind.

Two of the people between him and Rogue were Scott and Jean sitting next to each other. Ever since she broke up with Duncan they always seemed to be together. Pools had already broken out about which one would ask who out first and when Scott and Jean's first date would be.

Jean's break-up with Duncan had been a sight to behold as he first tried to deny everything only for Jean to pull out the recording Clark had made and play it in ear-shot of what must have been at least 50 other people.

Flashback.

"J-Jean I don't know who has been feeding you these lies but I would never cheat on you," Duncan swears to his red-headed girlfriend. They were standing in the middle of the corridor with scores of other students walking by and this was the last place he wanted to have a discussion where Jean accused him of cheating on her. Ok so he had but how the hell did she find out. Duncan bets Summers is probably behind it. Feeding her lies. He knows that Summers keeps sniffing around her.

"Is that so?" Jean says back her voice icy cold. Duncan had never heard her use such a voice. It was...scary.

Jean pulls out the small rectangular recorder and presses play. Duncan's eyes widen in horror as he listens to his words.

"Jean...Jeannie. I-I can explain that," Duncan stutters out while he desperately tries to think of an excuse.

"Don't bother Duncan because read my lips; WE ARE THROUGH!" Jean yells causing virtually half the school by now to stop and eavesdrop in on this drama. "And oh before you even think about blaming this on someone and trying to get them back let me make another thing perfectly clear. If I hear you harmed one hair on any of my friends..." Jean's smiles turns cold and calculating. "Well remember how hard I kicked the ball with that free-kick in the game last week?" she asks Duncan in reference to her last soccer game where she scored with this belter of a free-kick.

Duncan nods.

"Well if I find out you have done anything to my friends I will repeat that on your two...balls."

Every male in hearing distance of Jean visibly winces and Duncan visibly pales at the visual Jean is describing. Even Scott who was off to the side giving her moral support like he promised visibly winces at that visual. Who knew Jean could even think of anything that malicious?

Scott makes a mental note to never ever piss Jean off.

Back at the table everyone continues to tuck into their breakfasts and they chat about everyday stuff. Duncan must have taken Jean's advice to heart because Duncan has not tried a thing on Clark...yet anyway. Duncan could just be waiting until he thinks Jean has calmed down past the point she won't carry out her threat.

The morning news comes on the radio reporting how some robbers had been found tied up in front of the police station along with several other reports about someone stopping all sorts of other crimes and saving people although no-one ever saw the person responsible. The explanation the guy on the radio comes up with is speculation that Bayville has some kind of vigilante stalking the streets.

At the Bayville Boarding House Haze is pacing nervously outside of Mystique's room. Right now Mystique is on the phone to Magneto telling him how basically Alicia blew it with Clark. Mystique had put off telling him as long as she could but he had to be told. Told that what Alicia thought would happen with Clark hadn't happened at all. That she had completely misjudged the whole thing. Not to mention how much it had hurt the callous way he rejected her in the park. Ok so that part Mystique won't tell him but it did hurt...a lot and it still does. Alicia had cried herself to sleep that night.

Alicia had liked Clark as well. She really did but he...used her. Some small voice at the back of her head points out that she was doing the same to him but that was totally different Alicia told herself. Clark shouldn't be left with Xavier and his fantasy. Only Magneto can ensure the future of mutantkind and Clark with all his powers would have been a valuable asset in the war to come.

The door opens and Alicia's heart rate increases as Mystique exits the room. "Well?" she queries.

"He is...disappointed," Mystique chooses as the way to describe it.

Alicia's shoulders droop and she bows her head. "Does he want me to return?"

"He did...but I don't want you to go and I told him so." Mystique has become somewhat fond of Haze and having her around has triggered some long dormant parental feelings. She failed with Kurt. She failed with Rogue. She won't even mention her other son. What a disappointment he is. Pathetic flat-scan human but she won't waste any more thought on him. In a strange way fate has given her another chance and Mystique wants to take it so she argued with Magneto over the phone and he reluctantly agreed to let Haze stay with some conditions attached. "When he needs you for something you will have to go no questions asked," Mystique tells Alicia one of Magneto's conditions.

Alicia nods. "Thank you," she says at whisper touched deeply that Mystique went out on a limb for her. "What does he want done about Clark?"

"Nothing...for the moment. He is busy with other...plans," Mystique answers vaguely. Vaguely because Magneto did not tell her what he is up to so no change there then. She would think she had done enough to deserve some trust by now but apparently not. Mystique places her hands on Alicia's shoulders in a friendly reassuring gesture. "Now. You should get ready or you'll be late for school," she tells her adopted daughter.

Alicia nods and heads to her room. Mystique may have adopted Alicia for technical legal reasons but she has to say she is probably closer to Haze than to any of her actual children. Well Mystique has to get these bunch of misfits out of here and off to school. Keeping up appearances is a must until Magneto's plans reach their fruition. Then she has to go to work to her new job. Not that she is thrilled about doing what she has to do. It is for Magneto so she can keep an eye on certain people for him.

That day at school Clark is getting his books from his locker when a voice speaks to him.

"Can I speak to you?"

Clark turns his attention from his locker to his side where Tabby is standing, her arms folded across her chest looking...angry Clark would guess the expression to be. He slams his locker shut and pushes his glasses up his nose. "Sure Tabby."

"Alright I know that it has been a couple of days but what the hell was all that about when you came and then left and you know Alicia spent a whole night crying on my shoulder after I guess meeting up with you. So spill it and no I don't know crap because I am not as dumb as people think."

"Tabby. Firstly I don't think you are dumb in anyway," Clark feels he should say. Ok he doesn't quite get why she is at the Brotherhood house. I mean he knows the whole story about her father and stuff but Tabby doesn't exactly sound like a signed up member of Magneto's vision. "Second what that was about was that Alicia discovered a substance that acts on me like a drug and changes my personality. She then drugged me in the belief I would somehow suddenly believe in Magneto's cause which by the way I never did for a second. Inevitably once I was off the drug I was a tad peeved at her and I told her that I was and that I had no interest in her." He says that in such a way to indicate he was way more than peeved at Alicia. He also is telling Tabby this...because how else can he explain it except with as much of the truth as he can get away with.

"I...didn't know," Tabby says a little sheepishly which is completely out of character for her. Though it does explain why he was acting so weirdly. "She really drugged you?" Tabby asks for him to confirm.

"Yes."

Tabby can't believe that. Alicia seemed so nice most of the time and not capable of that. Tabby may not be a saint but she certainly would never go around drugging someone. "I don't know if you want to hear this but she really does like you."

"Problem is I really like Rogue and...Alicia had my friendship and how did she repay it?"

"Yeah. I can see why you would be pissed. I would be to...but she is still my friend."

"Tabby I am not telling you who to have as your friend or what to do with your life but just be careful around Alicia," Clark feels he should caution her. "From what Rogue absorbed she is completely signed up to Magneto's agenda."

Something Tabby is not and recently, since Mystique returned, she really hasn't been loving living at the Boarding House all that much but she...returning to the institute is not an option either so she'll stick it out...for now.

Across town Lionel Luthor is reading through Colonel's Stryker's choices for his elite unit. They would be brought here during the next week or so and those that required it placed in Dr Essex's genetic stabiliser. So far he sees no reason to object to what Stryker is requesting which includes requests for funds and equipment to refurbish one of Weapon X's old facilities. Yes a second base of operations away from an urban area would make sense.

The more Lionel reads and learns about mutants the more possibilities present themselves in front of his eyes. Weapon X may have failed in its objectives but it didn't have his resources or ambition. His number one ambition being that in one of these mutants a cure is found for his disease but beyond that...

Lionel had tried before to create living weapons with his experiments. He discontinued them because they had not succeeded as he hoped but the breakthroughs Essex was making meant that perhaps it was time to pull that project out of its mothballs. The potential was limitless. Not to mention it would give him an advantage over Lex. His son was still trying desperately to pry into his affairs.

Lionel looks at a report sitting on his desk to his left and frowns slightly annoyed. It was a completely useless report on that school of Charles'. Lionel thought enough time had passed since the last time to try again. To summarise the report it said that the school was exactly as it claimed to be. Bah! Lionel didn't believe a word of it. His investigator had changed. Lionel didn't know what it was exactly but there had been this strange vacant look in his eyes when he talked about the school. It was like someone had gotten into his mind or something.

Then on top of all that there are the new rumours of some kind of vigilante patrolling Bayville's streets and Lionel thought Smallville was a strange place. Bayville, as it turns out, seems to be giving Smallville a run for its money in the weirdness stakes.

Lionel's attention is caught by a cup of tea being placed down on his desk. He breaks away from his work to gaze up at the person who brought it. A conservatively dressed brunette woman with black rimmed glasses and her hair in an unfashionable bun. "Oh yes you are covering for my secretary while she is away on maternity leave aren't you?" he suddenly remembers as this is not his usual secretary.

"Yes Mr Luthor," the woman says politely.

"What was your name again?"

"Darkholme Mr Luthor. Raven Darkholme."

Author's Note: I will explain Magneto's sudden disinterest in Clark soon in case you were wondering. So Bayville has its own vigilante now. I wonder who that could be? Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews. Next up: Lots of Clark/Rogue as they attempt to patch up their relationship.