Logan. She couldn't believe her eyes. He was here. He was really here. What should she say? How should she act? How is one supposed to act? Her instincts told her to run to him. Her instincts told her to not let go again. What she considered to be the logical part of her, however, thought that was a little extreme. So instead she crossed the room, a smile lighting up her face. She couldn't help but smile. He'd returned.
"Hey, sugar," she managed, a little shyly. "Glad you made it home in one piece." Is there something else she could say? Something that would make everything just like it was yesterday? But no, she didn't really want that. She didn't want to be his little girl anymore. Had she ever? She thought back to the first time she had seen him in Laughlin City. Nope, not even then. She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the childish thrill she had had, scared of it, as she watched him almost kill a man in that cage. She opened her eyes. He was still there, and he was saying something. Shit. She should be listening, not daydreaming. Daydreaming was for when he wasn't here. He was here.
"Well, I promised you I would, Marie."
He said it like it was the simplest thing in the world. Her name. It sounded sweet on his lips. No one ever called her Marie.
"I knew you would," she smiled. Well, she had hoped at least. Same thing. "How was your trip?" Trip. A trip wasn't three years. Trip. She sounded like an idiot.
"Unproductive," he grunted. Same old Logan. "You finished here, kid?"
Kid? She let out a sigh of disappointment. She was still a kid to him. Why had she thought it would be different?
"Yeah, I am," she replied, the double-entendre making her wince. "I'm done." Her smile fell a touch.
He looked at her face and then suddenly pulled her against his body, hugging her close. "I missed you, Marie," he murmured into her hair, so quietly that she probably wouldn't have heard it if her own senses hadn't been enhanced by her previous interactions with him.
"I missed you too, Logan."
They stood like that in the hallway for what seemed like forever, but probably wasn't even a minute. She didn't want to let go, and he didn't seem to mind, at least. He probably had missed her. Just not the way she wanted him to. Her eyes teared up at that. Really, what had she expected?
She broke away suddenly. If she hadn't, she would have made an ass of herself. It had been very hard to even stand there that long completely still, not moving, even though all she wanted to do was move closer.
"So I have to go by the Professor's office now," she started, a little clumsily, slowly backing away from him but unable to break her eyes from his. "Maybe we can catch up later?"
"Yeah, that'd be nice, darlin'," he answered quietly. "How will I find you?"
"Just ask. When there's a girl around who can kill you with a brush of her arm, everyone seems to keep track of where she is." She had meant it as a joke, but by his crinkled eyebrows he didn't seem to take it that way. "See yah," she finished lamely, finally turning in time to avoid backing into the wall.
She didn't walk to the Professor's office. She had lied about that. As soon as she rounded the corner, she moved towards the stairs, towards her bedroom, towards safety. Where she could imagine that had never happened. Or better yet, imagine it like it should have been.
She closed the door behind her and crumbled to the floor, her tears now falling freely. "Hey, sugar. Glad you made it home in one piece," she mimicked herself in a squeaky voice. "Glad you had a reason to come by. Probably just wanted to see Jean. Don't mind me, I'm just a kid."
She leaned back against the closed door and just sat there.
She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until something hit her. Well, okay, it was the door, and she was in front of it she admitted, grumbling as she came awake.
"Rogue? Where are... Oh. What are you doing down there?" Jubilee asked, pushing the door open enough to stick her head into the room.
"Uh, just doing some yoga," Rogue replied, reaching for something. She attempted to make her answer look more believable by moving into a pose.
"Right. Whatever, Stripe. Move and let me into the room," Jubilee said, shaking her head. "I don't know what you're doing, but guess what?" she finished, her pitch rising with excitement.
"What?" Rogue asked flatly, picking herself up off the floor to stare at her friend. Whatever this was, it better be good. She was in the middle of moping.
"Wolfman is back!" Jubilee announced profoundly, as though waiting for a reaction.
Wolfman? Oh. Him. "Wolverine?"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Anyway, he's here! Aren't you excited?" her friend smiled, almost hopping up and down.
"I already saw him," Rogue answered, moving towards her closet.
"And?"
"And what? I saw him," Rogue finished tersely. "Was the world supposed to stop spinning or something? I must have missed it." She began idly thumbing through her clothes.
Jubilee cocked her head to the side. "You mean to tell me this man that you've been blabbering about for as long as I've known you has come back to you and now you don't want him? You'd better have a really good excuse really quickly or else I'll paf you just for making me listen to you whine all this time."
Rogue turned her back to her friend, but Jubilee didn't move to leave. So much for out of sight, out of mind. "He doesn't want me," she said quietly, not trusting herself to turn around.
"What?" Jubilee's face had contorted as her pitch rose again, this time twinged with rage. She turned her roommate to face her. Rogue winced, stepping back. She hated it when Jubes got shrieky. "That bastard! I don't care if he does look like a short bear with an attitude, I'll paf him to kingdom come!"
"Jube, calm down," Rogue muttered. "It's not the end of the world. He came to see me. It's just... not like that."
"Oh."
For almost thirty seconds, Rogue thought she had won. She should have known better.
"Nope," Jubilee started, causing Rogue to groan in frustration. "We just need to approach the problem from a different angle. How could anyone not want you?" she asked, her smile and cheerful demeanor returning as suddenly as they had departed.
"How could anyone want me?" Rogue cried. "I'm not even twenty years old, and I can kill you!"
"You know, I once thought the same thing about myself. Duh, Rogue. We're not normal. It doesn't mean we're not worthy. Here," she said, pushing her way into her friend's closet, "let's pick out the right outfit."
"The right outfit?" Rogue replied incredulously. "How the hell is an outfit going to change anything?"
"It's all about the little things, hon," Jubilee answered and began flinging clothes over her shoulder. "Here, put these pants on," she said, offering a pair of hip-hugging jeans.
"Those are yours," Rogue protested.
"So? We share a closet, don't we? We always share clothes," Jubilee dismissed.
"No," Rogue corrected, "you wear my clothes."
"Just put them on and shut up," Jubes instructed, her head back in the closet. She pulled out a shirt, flipping it over her shoulder. "Next!"
"I can't wear that!" Rogue exclaimed, looking at the green suede halter-top that she had just caught. "I'll scare people!"
"No, you won't. Besides, everyone knows that you can control it when you want to," she added, moving towards shoes.
"They do?" she started in shock. Nobody knew yet except Hank and the Professor. She still wasn't comfortable with her control level, and she didn't want someone accidentally touching her when she wasn't prepared.
"Well, yeah," Jubilee said, looking away sheepishly. "I was talking to Jean the other day and she mentioned it and..."
"Jean? How did..."
"Well, apparently you were projecting quite loudly the day you found out, and she just couldn't help it. She assumed that you had told me," she said, as though it explained everything.
"So...how did everyone else find out?" Rogue asked, puzzled, trying to make the leap in logic.
"Oh, that?" Jubilee began, taking a deep breath. Uh-oh. Bad sign. "Well, I mentioned it to Kitty, only because I was so excited, and told her to keep it a secret, but I didn't see Bobby behind me. I threatened Popsicle Boy, but he obviously didn't listen, because he went and told Scooter, but he apparently already knew from Jean, and I just felt sorry for 'Ro because everyone knew and she didn't, so I told her, too." Again, Jubilee seemed to think that had explained it all. She held out a pair of sandals.
Rogue narrowed her eyes, but then decided it was useless. She took the sandals and moved to her dresser, where she had a pair of green gloves that matched the top perfectly. She reached for a scarf, only to be dragged away by Jubilee.
"Nuh-uh, sister. Gloves are cool, but the scarf will bring in the fashion police. Not with that outfit. Now get dressed and come on. It's almost dinner time."
A half-hour and seemingly eighty more Jubilee Fashion Tips later, she was walking downstairs. She felt naked. It was fun, in a dangerous sort of way.
She stood in the dining room entrance and looked around. Shit. She had almost forgotten all about him. There he was, sitting on the far side of the room with 'Ro, deep in a conversation. He raised his head, nostrils flaring, and a pained look crossed his face as his eyes met hers. Ororo smiled, kissed him on the cheek, speaking low and close to his ear. He managed a half-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, not even bothering to look at Ororo as she stood and walked away. He was still staring at her, and his eyes were darkening.
Shit. Shit. Shit. He hated her. How else could he look at her like that?
She was frozen in the doorway and couldn't move. Then she felt a hand touch the bare skin in the small of her back, shoving her into the room. She screamed.
"Chill, dude, you were blocking the food," Jubilee muttered in an embarrassed tone, trying to slink away as all eyes turned to them.
Rogue panicked, tears coming to her eyes. Someone had touched her. It wasn't the end of the world, not tonight, but it was her worst nightmare and sweetest dream, all rolled into one, played out live in front of more than half of the inhabitants of the mansion. In stereo.
And then he was in front of her, pain and dark stares replaced by worry.
"Marie?"
"Hey, sugar," she managed, a little shyly. "Glad you made it home in one piece." Is there something else she could say? Something that would make everything just like it was yesterday? But no, she didn't really want that. She didn't want to be his little girl anymore. Had she ever? She thought back to the first time she had seen him in Laughlin City. Nope, not even then. She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the childish thrill she had had, scared of it, as she watched him almost kill a man in that cage. She opened her eyes. He was still there, and he was saying something. Shit. She should be listening, not daydreaming. Daydreaming was for when he wasn't here. He was here.
"Well, I promised you I would, Marie."
He said it like it was the simplest thing in the world. Her name. It sounded sweet on his lips. No one ever called her Marie.
"I knew you would," she smiled. Well, she had hoped at least. Same thing. "How was your trip?" Trip. A trip wasn't three years. Trip. She sounded like an idiot.
"Unproductive," he grunted. Same old Logan. "You finished here, kid?"
Kid? She let out a sigh of disappointment. She was still a kid to him. Why had she thought it would be different?
"Yeah, I am," she replied, the double-entendre making her wince. "I'm done." Her smile fell a touch.
He looked at her face and then suddenly pulled her against his body, hugging her close. "I missed you, Marie," he murmured into her hair, so quietly that she probably wouldn't have heard it if her own senses hadn't been enhanced by her previous interactions with him.
"I missed you too, Logan."
They stood like that in the hallway for what seemed like forever, but probably wasn't even a minute. She didn't want to let go, and he didn't seem to mind, at least. He probably had missed her. Just not the way she wanted him to. Her eyes teared up at that. Really, what had she expected?
She broke away suddenly. If she hadn't, she would have made an ass of herself. It had been very hard to even stand there that long completely still, not moving, even though all she wanted to do was move closer.
"So I have to go by the Professor's office now," she started, a little clumsily, slowly backing away from him but unable to break her eyes from his. "Maybe we can catch up later?"
"Yeah, that'd be nice, darlin'," he answered quietly. "How will I find you?"
"Just ask. When there's a girl around who can kill you with a brush of her arm, everyone seems to keep track of where she is." She had meant it as a joke, but by his crinkled eyebrows he didn't seem to take it that way. "See yah," she finished lamely, finally turning in time to avoid backing into the wall.
She didn't walk to the Professor's office. She had lied about that. As soon as she rounded the corner, she moved towards the stairs, towards her bedroom, towards safety. Where she could imagine that had never happened. Or better yet, imagine it like it should have been.
She closed the door behind her and crumbled to the floor, her tears now falling freely. "Hey, sugar. Glad you made it home in one piece," she mimicked herself in a squeaky voice. "Glad you had a reason to come by. Probably just wanted to see Jean. Don't mind me, I'm just a kid."
She leaned back against the closed door and just sat there.
She didn't realize she had fallen asleep until something hit her. Well, okay, it was the door, and she was in front of it she admitted, grumbling as she came awake.
"Rogue? Where are... Oh. What are you doing down there?" Jubilee asked, pushing the door open enough to stick her head into the room.
"Uh, just doing some yoga," Rogue replied, reaching for something. She attempted to make her answer look more believable by moving into a pose.
"Right. Whatever, Stripe. Move and let me into the room," Jubilee said, shaking her head. "I don't know what you're doing, but guess what?" she finished, her pitch rising with excitement.
"What?" Rogue asked flatly, picking herself up off the floor to stare at her friend. Whatever this was, it better be good. She was in the middle of moping.
"Wolfman is back!" Jubilee announced profoundly, as though waiting for a reaction.
Wolfman? Oh. Him. "Wolverine?"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Anyway, he's here! Aren't you excited?" her friend smiled, almost hopping up and down.
"I already saw him," Rogue answered, moving towards her closet.
"And?"
"And what? I saw him," Rogue finished tersely. "Was the world supposed to stop spinning or something? I must have missed it." She began idly thumbing through her clothes.
Jubilee cocked her head to the side. "You mean to tell me this man that you've been blabbering about for as long as I've known you has come back to you and now you don't want him? You'd better have a really good excuse really quickly or else I'll paf you just for making me listen to you whine all this time."
Rogue turned her back to her friend, but Jubilee didn't move to leave. So much for out of sight, out of mind. "He doesn't want me," she said quietly, not trusting herself to turn around.
"What?" Jubilee's face had contorted as her pitch rose again, this time twinged with rage. She turned her roommate to face her. Rogue winced, stepping back. She hated it when Jubes got shrieky. "That bastard! I don't care if he does look like a short bear with an attitude, I'll paf him to kingdom come!"
"Jube, calm down," Rogue muttered. "It's not the end of the world. He came to see me. It's just... not like that."
"Oh."
For almost thirty seconds, Rogue thought she had won. She should have known better.
"Nope," Jubilee started, causing Rogue to groan in frustration. "We just need to approach the problem from a different angle. How could anyone not want you?" she asked, her smile and cheerful demeanor returning as suddenly as they had departed.
"How could anyone want me?" Rogue cried. "I'm not even twenty years old, and I can kill you!"
"You know, I once thought the same thing about myself. Duh, Rogue. We're not normal. It doesn't mean we're not worthy. Here," she said, pushing her way into her friend's closet, "let's pick out the right outfit."
"The right outfit?" Rogue replied incredulously. "How the hell is an outfit going to change anything?"
"It's all about the little things, hon," Jubilee answered and began flinging clothes over her shoulder. "Here, put these pants on," she said, offering a pair of hip-hugging jeans.
"Those are yours," Rogue protested.
"So? We share a closet, don't we? We always share clothes," Jubilee dismissed.
"No," Rogue corrected, "you wear my clothes."
"Just put them on and shut up," Jubes instructed, her head back in the closet. She pulled out a shirt, flipping it over her shoulder. "Next!"
"I can't wear that!" Rogue exclaimed, looking at the green suede halter-top that she had just caught. "I'll scare people!"
"No, you won't. Besides, everyone knows that you can control it when you want to," she added, moving towards shoes.
"They do?" she started in shock. Nobody knew yet except Hank and the Professor. She still wasn't comfortable with her control level, and she didn't want someone accidentally touching her when she wasn't prepared.
"Well, yeah," Jubilee said, looking away sheepishly. "I was talking to Jean the other day and she mentioned it and..."
"Jean? How did..."
"Well, apparently you were projecting quite loudly the day you found out, and she just couldn't help it. She assumed that you had told me," she said, as though it explained everything.
"So...how did everyone else find out?" Rogue asked, puzzled, trying to make the leap in logic.
"Oh, that?" Jubilee began, taking a deep breath. Uh-oh. Bad sign. "Well, I mentioned it to Kitty, only because I was so excited, and told her to keep it a secret, but I didn't see Bobby behind me. I threatened Popsicle Boy, but he obviously didn't listen, because he went and told Scooter, but he apparently already knew from Jean, and I just felt sorry for 'Ro because everyone knew and she didn't, so I told her, too." Again, Jubilee seemed to think that had explained it all. She held out a pair of sandals.
Rogue narrowed her eyes, but then decided it was useless. She took the sandals and moved to her dresser, where she had a pair of green gloves that matched the top perfectly. She reached for a scarf, only to be dragged away by Jubilee.
"Nuh-uh, sister. Gloves are cool, but the scarf will bring in the fashion police. Not with that outfit. Now get dressed and come on. It's almost dinner time."
A half-hour and seemingly eighty more Jubilee Fashion Tips later, she was walking downstairs. She felt naked. It was fun, in a dangerous sort of way.
She stood in the dining room entrance and looked around. Shit. She had almost forgotten all about him. There he was, sitting on the far side of the room with 'Ro, deep in a conversation. He raised his head, nostrils flaring, and a pained look crossed his face as his eyes met hers. Ororo smiled, kissed him on the cheek, speaking low and close to his ear. He managed a half-smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, not even bothering to look at Ororo as she stood and walked away. He was still staring at her, and his eyes were darkening.
Shit. Shit. Shit. He hated her. How else could he look at her like that?
She was frozen in the doorway and couldn't move. Then she felt a hand touch the bare skin in the small of her back, shoving her into the room. She screamed.
"Chill, dude, you were blocking the food," Jubilee muttered in an embarrassed tone, trying to slink away as all eyes turned to them.
Rogue panicked, tears coming to her eyes. Someone had touched her. It wasn't the end of the world, not tonight, but it was her worst nightmare and sweetest dream, all rolled into one, played out live in front of more than half of the inhabitants of the mansion. In stereo.
And then he was in front of her, pain and dark stares replaced by worry.
"Marie?"