"Still awake I see." Storm raised an eyebrow at the young woman seated at the kitchen table.
"Hey, Ro. Can't sleep. What are ya doing up?" Rogue watched the slender woman as she plucked a carton of ice cream from the freezer.
"I had a craving for a snack," she lied. Storm knew that she would find Rogue here. Despite the indifferent attitude she'd displayed when Remy had stormed out earlier, Ororo knew her friend better than that. "Care to join me?"
"Thanks, sugah." Storm sat down and slid a spoon toward her. Rogue smiled at her. "So what d'ya wanna talk about?"
Ororo faked a look of surprise, "Who said I wanted to talk? I just came down for a snack." She took a bite, and raised her eyebrows coyly.
"Ah'm not waiting up fo' him. If that's what you think."
"What are you waiting up for?"
"Nothing. Ah jus' can't sleep."
"And why do you believe that is?"
Rogue fell silent for a moment. She was waiting up for him, of course, though she really didn't want to admit it. That would mean admitting she wasn't over him, and she wasn't ready to define what else that might mean. "Ah guess ah'm feeling bad about the way ah treated him earlier. Seems like ah'm always coming too hard on 'im. Like ah'm angry at 'im, but ah'm not."
"You're not?"
"No, not really. Mad at mahself, ah supose."
"And what reason do you have to be angry with yourself?"
Rogue sighed and slid back in her chair. She looked into the face of the woman seated across from her. Ororo thought of Remy as a brother. She hoped that she had come to think of Rogue in the same way, but more likely Storm was angry at her for what she had done in Antarctica. But then again she was here, wasn't she?
"He tol' me that what happened in Antarctica wasn't mah fault. Tol' me that it was the part o' him ah absorbed. That he'd wanted ta die." Rogue closed her eyes to fight the tears she could feel forming in her throat. The cold words she'd said to him in that frozen hell replayed in her mind, as they did more often than she'd like to recall. "But ah'm not so sure. Ah wish ah could separate his thoughts from mah own in here." She pointed to her temple. "Then ah would know. It scares me to think that ah could do such a thing. That ev'n if it had been the influence of Remy's mind, that part o' me couldn't be strong enough to help him."
Storm stretched a hand across the table and took Rogue's. The glove she wore blocked the feeling of her skin, but it was still warm and comforting. Rogue suddenly felt embarassed at throwing all her feelings out at once. "Ro, ah'm sorry..."
"It's okay." Storm met Rogue's gaze and smiled. Rogue smiled back and laughed at herself.
"What a mess," she said shaking her head.
Storm was sad for her friends. They both blamed themselves for so much. Both were so unwilling to trust themselves, or each other. If only they could see themselves the way she did, they could start to forgive the past. "Remy's forgiven you. I've forgiven you."
At this the tears bagan to roll down Rogue's face. She believed her, and was grateful that she had someone who could give her some sort of support. She wanted to rush to Ororo and hug her. She wanted to wrap her arms around her and sob against her shoulder. Storm would understand. She would know how to make this right, but she resisted the urge. She resigned herself to the fact that no one could fix what had been broken between her and Remy. "Thank ya, Ororo. That means so much ta me."
Ororo squeezed her hand. "Go to sleep, child. All will be well." Storm made this promise, not knowing if it was true. She could only hope that saying it aloud would make it happen.
"Ah will, sugah, but fo' now ah'm just gonna sit here a bit longer."
"Alright." Storm rose and put the ice cream back. "Good night, Rogue."
"G'night, darlin'."
After Storm had left, Rogue glanced at her watch. It was 3am. Gambit could be home anytime now. Part of her wanted to see him, but the other part just wanted to avoid it. What was she going to say to him anyway? She wasn't even sure what she felt.
"Hey, Ro. Can't sleep. What are ya doing up?" Rogue watched the slender woman as she plucked a carton of ice cream from the freezer.
"I had a craving for a snack," she lied. Storm knew that she would find Rogue here. Despite the indifferent attitude she'd displayed when Remy had stormed out earlier, Ororo knew her friend better than that. "Care to join me?"
"Thanks, sugah." Storm sat down and slid a spoon toward her. Rogue smiled at her. "So what d'ya wanna talk about?"
Ororo faked a look of surprise, "Who said I wanted to talk? I just came down for a snack." She took a bite, and raised her eyebrows coyly.
"Ah'm not waiting up fo' him. If that's what you think."
"What are you waiting up for?"
"Nothing. Ah jus' can't sleep."
"And why do you believe that is?"
Rogue fell silent for a moment. She was waiting up for him, of course, though she really didn't want to admit it. That would mean admitting she wasn't over him, and she wasn't ready to define what else that might mean. "Ah guess ah'm feeling bad about the way ah treated him earlier. Seems like ah'm always coming too hard on 'im. Like ah'm angry at 'im, but ah'm not."
"You're not?"
"No, not really. Mad at mahself, ah supose."
"And what reason do you have to be angry with yourself?"
Rogue sighed and slid back in her chair. She looked into the face of the woman seated across from her. Ororo thought of Remy as a brother. She hoped that she had come to think of Rogue in the same way, but more likely Storm was angry at her for what she had done in Antarctica. But then again she was here, wasn't she?
"He tol' me that what happened in Antarctica wasn't mah fault. Tol' me that it was the part o' him ah absorbed. That he'd wanted ta die." Rogue closed her eyes to fight the tears she could feel forming in her throat. The cold words she'd said to him in that frozen hell replayed in her mind, as they did more often than she'd like to recall. "But ah'm not so sure. Ah wish ah could separate his thoughts from mah own in here." She pointed to her temple. "Then ah would know. It scares me to think that ah could do such a thing. That ev'n if it had been the influence of Remy's mind, that part o' me couldn't be strong enough to help him."
Storm stretched a hand across the table and took Rogue's. The glove she wore blocked the feeling of her skin, but it was still warm and comforting. Rogue suddenly felt embarassed at throwing all her feelings out at once. "Ro, ah'm sorry..."
"It's okay." Storm met Rogue's gaze and smiled. Rogue smiled back and laughed at herself.
"What a mess," she said shaking her head.
Storm was sad for her friends. They both blamed themselves for so much. Both were so unwilling to trust themselves, or each other. If only they could see themselves the way she did, they could start to forgive the past. "Remy's forgiven you. I've forgiven you."
At this the tears bagan to roll down Rogue's face. She believed her, and was grateful that she had someone who could give her some sort of support. She wanted to rush to Ororo and hug her. She wanted to wrap her arms around her and sob against her shoulder. Storm would understand. She would know how to make this right, but she resisted the urge. She resigned herself to the fact that no one could fix what had been broken between her and Remy. "Thank ya, Ororo. That means so much ta me."
Ororo squeezed her hand. "Go to sleep, child. All will be well." Storm made this promise, not knowing if it was true. She could only hope that saying it aloud would make it happen.
"Ah will, sugah, but fo' now ah'm just gonna sit here a bit longer."
"Alright." Storm rose and put the ice cream back. "Good night, Rogue."
"G'night, darlin'."
After Storm had left, Rogue glanced at her watch. It was 3am. Gambit could be home anytime now. Part of her wanted to see him, but the other part just wanted to avoid it. What was she going to say to him anyway? She wasn't even sure what she felt.