My Heart in Your Hands
by Princess of Monkeys
Chapter 22
Good news..... things are going better down here. My family didn't have to evacuate; at one point the fire was only a few miles away and if the winds had shifted we would have had to leave in a hurry, but thankfully, that didn't happen. It's really freaky to drive around though- it looks like a war zone, with the ground all blackened and burnt. And the air is terrible.. So, the good part is, since it's so disgusting outside, I'll be staying inside at the computer and writing! And ish- I totally wasn't trying to tease you! See, a real chapter!
The disclaimer is being a hero and fighting the fires. See, isn't it so cute in its little fireman costume? (The smoke is getting to me.. heh heh heh.)
Rogue was woken the next morning by the angry voice of Logan. "I let you go out to meet your 'friend' for coffee, and you come back at 3:30 in the morning?"
She rolled over on the couch and stared at him blearily. "Wha? Wha' time is it?"
"Time for me an' you to have that little talk. Get up, Stripes. You've got fifteen minutes if you want to eat breakfast." He walked out, and Rogue stared at the spot where he'd been, sighing. _You knew you'd have to face him,_ that annoying little voice spoke up in the back of her mind, the same one that always plagued her, and she told it to shut up. _Oh great, now I'm actually talking back to the little voices in my head. That cannot be good._ Shaking her head, she grabbed a workout suit she'd left discarded at the foot of the couch and went into the bathroom to change clothes and wash her face.
She made it to the kitchen just as Logan was finishing his coffee. He watched impatiently as she grabbed the last of the bacon from under Kurt's nose and scooped herself a plate of scrambled eggs. Jean telekinetically poured her a glass of orange juice and floated it over to her, and she plucked it out of the air and took a deep swallow.
She ate quickly, letting the others conversations flow over her. Roberto was telling the others about the latest e-mail he'd gotten from Rahne, Jean and Kitty were discussing something, and Amara and Sam were arguing about a project they'd been partnered up for at school.
Kurt plopped down next to her, eyeing her bacon speculatively. "Don' even think 'bout it, fuzz butt," she told him, and he gave her a sheepish smile. "Can't blame a guy for trying, ja?" She just shook her head at him, and he continued with "Isn't it your turn to do the dishes this morning?"
"Yah, but Ah think Bobby an' Ray are doin' jus' fahn, don' you?" She looked towards the latter, walking around the table collecting the dirty dishes.
"They vere looking for you last night..."
"Ah din't see 'em. But takin' initiative is definitely somethin' the Professor would appove of, don' ya think?" She said it just loud enough to be heard, and Ray shot her a dirty look. She just smiled back sweetly, and Kurt had to laugh. "Remind me not to get on your bad side anytime soon- I think you're enjoying this!"
"C'mon Stripes, let's go," Logan spoke up from where he leaned against the wall behind her.
She gulped the last of her orange juice, scooped up the last of her eggs, and grabbed the bacon Kurt had been trying to steal, munching on it as she followed Logan down the hall. "So what're we doin'?"
"We're havin' a talk. You're washin' the van."
Rogue groaned. _Great, I'm doing physical labor and he's interrogating me. Just how I wanted to spend my Saturday morning...._
When they got to the garage, he tossed her a bucket, a giant sponge, and the extra strength car wash. "Get goin' on it."
Sighing, she filled the bucket with car wash and water and was soon up to her elbows in soap suds. Resigning herself to her fate, she began scrubbing.
Logan pulled up a stool and began idly polishing his bike. "So, Stripes, coffee shop closes at one. Where were you for the other two and a half hours?"
"Around," she said evasively.
"Around where?"
"Places."
"Stripes, who exactly were you with again?"
"Jus' a guy Ah met at school," she replied nonchalantly.
They continued in this manner for several more minutes, with Logan growing more and more frustrated by her lack of response. She always answered his questions, but none of her answers told him anything, and since none of them, were outright lies, he had nothing to call her on. It was aggravating, but at the same time, he felt a strange sense of pride in the girl. All the others just caved right away. However, along with that pride was a fair amount of worry. Although Rogue was secretive by nature, she usually opened up to him at least.
He felt protective of all the kids, but with her, it translated into a sort of fatherly watchfulness. Out of all of them, she was the most alone, the most without family, since in his mind, any guardian who would knowingly turn a child over to Mystique didn't qualify as 'family.'
He decided to try a slightly different approach. "If you were just goin' out for coffee, why were you tryin' to sneak out?"
He could hear her sigh, and the splashing that meant she was still hard at work. "'Cause Logan, it was 10:30- Ah din't think anyone would let me go out!"
"Well, you're right about 'anyone' lettin' you go out- Hank or 'Ro or Charles would definitely have said no. But if you want to go out late on a weekend," he placed special emphasis on the last word, "why don't you try asking me, and we'll see about it."
Rogue stopped scrubbing at the bugs crusted on the back windshield, momentarily surprised. _I guess Logan isn't such an ogre all the time after all._
He continued. "But if I ever catch you sneakin' out again, not only am I gonna tell Charles, but you'll be doin' extra trainin' with me until you can't even remember why you wanted to sneak out in the first place. Got it?"
"Yah, a'right." But she couldn't help complaining. "Ah thought we were supposed ta be livin' normal teenage lives. Normal teenagers sneak out an' throw parties an' stuff."
She could hear him snort at that comment. "Maybe so, but normal teenagers don't have me to deal with."
"Lucky them," Rogue muttered.
He ignored her comment. "And normal teenagers don't have to worry about fightin' Magneto's goons on a regular basis either."
Rogue had moved around to the side of the van that was closest to him, and he saw a strange look pass momentarily over her face at the mention of Magneto's team. He filed that observation away for future reference.
"What, ya mean all our trainin' ain' jus' cause yer sadistic an' lahke torturin' us?" She asked sarcastically, and Logan just smiled, standing up and moving towards the door. "Just keep scrubbin' Stripes. When you get dine, go find 'Ro- she'll tell you what to do next."
"But Logan, Ah've got homework!" She protested.
"You weren't even gonna look at it til tomorrow. Nice try, though." He left.
Muttering unpleasant comments about homework, wasted weekends, and certain adamantium-enhanced mutants, she squeezed out the sponge and kept at it.
When Logan left the garage, he went straight to the Professor's study. As he walked in, Charles looked up from where he'd been working on some correspondence. "So, how did your little 'talk' with Rogue go?"
Logan grunted, folding his arms over his chest. "She was real evasive, Chuck. I don't know what she's hidin' but it probably ain't good."
Charles steepled his fingers on the desk before him, a thoughtful look on his face. He was silent for a moment, going to that place in his mind where telepaths go when they're concentrating on something; then he said "I don't sense any other presences surrounding her, so I think we can rule out the possibility of mind control. Perhaps it is merely something as simple as normal teenage hormones."
"Teenage hormones and mutant powers are a bad combo, especially for her."
Charles smiled. "Give her some credit for common sense, Logan. She has a remarkable amount of self control and a definite sense of responsibility. She knows what her powers can do to other people. Yet, she is only a teenager. They are all only children, Logan. We need to let them have at least some of their youth."
At the look on Logan's face after that comment, he smiled even wider. "You were young too, once. Even though you can't remember it, it did happen to you." His voice was gently teasing.
"Probably a good thing I don't remember any of it- probably wouldn't set a very good example." Logan commented dryly, and the Professor kept his thoughts to himself about that particular idea.
"I'm sure it's nothing, but if it makes you feel better, by all means keep an eye on her. And pay attention to the other students- maybe some of them know what is going on in her life that could be causing her to act this way."
Somewhat mollified, Logan replied "Alright Chuck," and exited the study, heading for the second floor main hallway. It was evidently his turn to supervise the new recruits.
When he got there, he saw them all milling about a group of Jamies that had already managed to spill paint on the floor. _Good thing for plastic drop cloths._
He quickly gave the group their painting assignments, and gave them a stern admonition against paint fights. They scattered, looking frightened, and Logan thought _I guess there is something to be said about ruling by fear after all...._
by Princess of Monkeys
Chapter 22
Good news..... things are going better down here. My family didn't have to evacuate; at one point the fire was only a few miles away and if the winds had shifted we would have had to leave in a hurry, but thankfully, that didn't happen. It's really freaky to drive around though- it looks like a war zone, with the ground all blackened and burnt. And the air is terrible.. So, the good part is, since it's so disgusting outside, I'll be staying inside at the computer and writing! And ish- I totally wasn't trying to tease you! See, a real chapter!
The disclaimer is being a hero and fighting the fires. See, isn't it so cute in its little fireman costume? (The smoke is getting to me.. heh heh heh.)
Rogue was woken the next morning by the angry voice of Logan. "I let you go out to meet your 'friend' for coffee, and you come back at 3:30 in the morning?"
She rolled over on the couch and stared at him blearily. "Wha? Wha' time is it?"
"Time for me an' you to have that little talk. Get up, Stripes. You've got fifteen minutes if you want to eat breakfast." He walked out, and Rogue stared at the spot where he'd been, sighing. _You knew you'd have to face him,_ that annoying little voice spoke up in the back of her mind, the same one that always plagued her, and she told it to shut up. _Oh great, now I'm actually talking back to the little voices in my head. That cannot be good._ Shaking her head, she grabbed a workout suit she'd left discarded at the foot of the couch and went into the bathroom to change clothes and wash her face.
She made it to the kitchen just as Logan was finishing his coffee. He watched impatiently as she grabbed the last of the bacon from under Kurt's nose and scooped herself a plate of scrambled eggs. Jean telekinetically poured her a glass of orange juice and floated it over to her, and she plucked it out of the air and took a deep swallow.
She ate quickly, letting the others conversations flow over her. Roberto was telling the others about the latest e-mail he'd gotten from Rahne, Jean and Kitty were discussing something, and Amara and Sam were arguing about a project they'd been partnered up for at school.
Kurt plopped down next to her, eyeing her bacon speculatively. "Don' even think 'bout it, fuzz butt," she told him, and he gave her a sheepish smile. "Can't blame a guy for trying, ja?" She just shook her head at him, and he continued with "Isn't it your turn to do the dishes this morning?"
"Yah, but Ah think Bobby an' Ray are doin' jus' fahn, don' you?" She looked towards the latter, walking around the table collecting the dirty dishes.
"They vere looking for you last night..."
"Ah din't see 'em. But takin' initiative is definitely somethin' the Professor would appove of, don' ya think?" She said it just loud enough to be heard, and Ray shot her a dirty look. She just smiled back sweetly, and Kurt had to laugh. "Remind me not to get on your bad side anytime soon- I think you're enjoying this!"
"C'mon Stripes, let's go," Logan spoke up from where he leaned against the wall behind her.
She gulped the last of her orange juice, scooped up the last of her eggs, and grabbed the bacon Kurt had been trying to steal, munching on it as she followed Logan down the hall. "So what're we doin'?"
"We're havin' a talk. You're washin' the van."
Rogue groaned. _Great, I'm doing physical labor and he's interrogating me. Just how I wanted to spend my Saturday morning...._
When they got to the garage, he tossed her a bucket, a giant sponge, and the extra strength car wash. "Get goin' on it."
Sighing, she filled the bucket with car wash and water and was soon up to her elbows in soap suds. Resigning herself to her fate, she began scrubbing.
Logan pulled up a stool and began idly polishing his bike. "So, Stripes, coffee shop closes at one. Where were you for the other two and a half hours?"
"Around," she said evasively.
"Around where?"
"Places."
"Stripes, who exactly were you with again?"
"Jus' a guy Ah met at school," she replied nonchalantly.
They continued in this manner for several more minutes, with Logan growing more and more frustrated by her lack of response. She always answered his questions, but none of her answers told him anything, and since none of them, were outright lies, he had nothing to call her on. It was aggravating, but at the same time, he felt a strange sense of pride in the girl. All the others just caved right away. However, along with that pride was a fair amount of worry. Although Rogue was secretive by nature, she usually opened up to him at least.
He felt protective of all the kids, but with her, it translated into a sort of fatherly watchfulness. Out of all of them, she was the most alone, the most without family, since in his mind, any guardian who would knowingly turn a child over to Mystique didn't qualify as 'family.'
He decided to try a slightly different approach. "If you were just goin' out for coffee, why were you tryin' to sneak out?"
He could hear her sigh, and the splashing that meant she was still hard at work. "'Cause Logan, it was 10:30- Ah din't think anyone would let me go out!"
"Well, you're right about 'anyone' lettin' you go out- Hank or 'Ro or Charles would definitely have said no. But if you want to go out late on a weekend," he placed special emphasis on the last word, "why don't you try asking me, and we'll see about it."
Rogue stopped scrubbing at the bugs crusted on the back windshield, momentarily surprised. _I guess Logan isn't such an ogre all the time after all._
He continued. "But if I ever catch you sneakin' out again, not only am I gonna tell Charles, but you'll be doin' extra trainin' with me until you can't even remember why you wanted to sneak out in the first place. Got it?"
"Yah, a'right." But she couldn't help complaining. "Ah thought we were supposed ta be livin' normal teenage lives. Normal teenagers sneak out an' throw parties an' stuff."
She could hear him snort at that comment. "Maybe so, but normal teenagers don't have me to deal with."
"Lucky them," Rogue muttered.
He ignored her comment. "And normal teenagers don't have to worry about fightin' Magneto's goons on a regular basis either."
Rogue had moved around to the side of the van that was closest to him, and he saw a strange look pass momentarily over her face at the mention of Magneto's team. He filed that observation away for future reference.
"What, ya mean all our trainin' ain' jus' cause yer sadistic an' lahke torturin' us?" She asked sarcastically, and Logan just smiled, standing up and moving towards the door. "Just keep scrubbin' Stripes. When you get dine, go find 'Ro- she'll tell you what to do next."
"But Logan, Ah've got homework!" She protested.
"You weren't even gonna look at it til tomorrow. Nice try, though." He left.
Muttering unpleasant comments about homework, wasted weekends, and certain adamantium-enhanced mutants, she squeezed out the sponge and kept at it.
When Logan left the garage, he went straight to the Professor's study. As he walked in, Charles looked up from where he'd been working on some correspondence. "So, how did your little 'talk' with Rogue go?"
Logan grunted, folding his arms over his chest. "She was real evasive, Chuck. I don't know what she's hidin' but it probably ain't good."
Charles steepled his fingers on the desk before him, a thoughtful look on his face. He was silent for a moment, going to that place in his mind where telepaths go when they're concentrating on something; then he said "I don't sense any other presences surrounding her, so I think we can rule out the possibility of mind control. Perhaps it is merely something as simple as normal teenage hormones."
"Teenage hormones and mutant powers are a bad combo, especially for her."
Charles smiled. "Give her some credit for common sense, Logan. She has a remarkable amount of self control and a definite sense of responsibility. She knows what her powers can do to other people. Yet, she is only a teenager. They are all only children, Logan. We need to let them have at least some of their youth."
At the look on Logan's face after that comment, he smiled even wider. "You were young too, once. Even though you can't remember it, it did happen to you." His voice was gently teasing.
"Probably a good thing I don't remember any of it- probably wouldn't set a very good example." Logan commented dryly, and the Professor kept his thoughts to himself about that particular idea.
"I'm sure it's nothing, but if it makes you feel better, by all means keep an eye on her. And pay attention to the other students- maybe some of them know what is going on in her life that could be causing her to act this way."
Somewhat mollified, Logan replied "Alright Chuck," and exited the study, heading for the second floor main hallway. It was evidently his turn to supervise the new recruits.
When he got there, he saw them all milling about a group of Jamies that had already managed to spill paint on the floor. _Good thing for plastic drop cloths._
He quickly gave the group their painting assignments, and gave them a stern admonition against paint fights. They scattered, looking frightened, and Logan thought _I guess there is something to be said about ruling by fear after all...._