Chapter 2: Opportunity
Rogue returned home from school later than the rest of the X-Men. She'd gone walking, trying to find some solitude to think, and to clear her head. When she returned, she found everyone in the grand hall pulling on their jackets, she looked at them all.
"Hi, Rogue," Kitty uttered under her breath, she fixed the collar of the denim jacket she had just pulled on.
"Hi…" Rogue mumbled softly, and headed for the staircase without waiting to find out where everyone was going. She had only reached the staircase when Kurt teleported into the step before her, he smiled.
"We are going to a movie," he grinned, "are you coming with us?"
"No thanks," Rogue moved around him and began to walk up the stairs again.
Kurt teleported to the area in front of her again, stopping her in her tracks, he smiled. "Come on! It's a horror movie…you like horror movies."
"I don't feel like a movie," Rogue remarked, she walked around him again.
Kurt frowned, but decided it wasn't time to give up, again, he teleported into the area before her, "Please?" he asked nicely.
Rogue looked at him, "why are you bugging me?"
"Okay, fine, if you don't want to go to a movie, you don't have to," Kurt stopped, "but lets just hang out anyway?" he asked hopefully.
Rogue rolled her eyes and walked around him, walking upstairs, this time, feeling sick of using his teleportation powers, he followed her, running after her, jumping in front of her again.
"Please?" he asked.
"Why are you doin' this…" she looked down, finding his hand on her arm, as he'd tried to stop her from walking off, "and please don't touch me. The last thing I need is more of your powers and more of your thoughts clouding my head."
Kurt looked at her and sighed as she broke away from him and headed upstairs, disappearing off into her room.
"Kurt! Are you coming or what?!" Kitty called from downstairs.
Kurt teleported to where the others are, "actually, I think I'm going to stay behind, I have some things I need to do," he stated.
Kitty seemed surprised, "but I thought you really wanted to go?"
"It's alright, I've seen the movie before," he promised, "you go on without me."
"Is this about Rogue?" Evan asked of Kurt, and waited for a response.
"I think if I try hard enough I can help her," Kurt explained, "I need to try."
"Good luck to you then," Kitty waved and was the first one to head out of the door.
Kurt watched his friends depart, he had wanted to go, but knew there would be other movies. Rogue was more important than a movie he'd seen before. He decided to leave her alone for a while to get settled before he decided to bother her. He headed for the elevator leading down into the basement and made way for the war room, knowing Hank and Logan spent most of their time down there. As he'd predicted, Logan, Hank, and Professor Xavier were all in there, they were checking equipment, something that needed doing frequently.
"Hey," Kurt said cheerfully.
"I thought you and the others were away to a movie?" Logan asked, he was fiddling with the dials of one of the computers – it was a rather large computer, with a monitor – it tracked mutants when unknown mutants used their powers.
"Yes, I was, but I changed my mind, I saw the movie before. No point in wasting money," Kurt responded, he didn't want to mention his plans to help Rogue to them, he knew they'd tell him to leave Rogue to herself – at least until she felt less broody than usual.
"You the only one home?"
"I think so – apart from Rogue," Kurt stated, "Where are all the New Mutants?"
"They're on a field trip with Ororo," Hank answered, "they'll be gone until tomorrow morning," he added absently.
"Professor…this scanner is picking up something…" Logan stated, not knowing enough about technology to know exactly what it was, but it was beeping loudly.
Professor Xavier wheeled over, and glanced at the monitor, he tapped on one of the keys and a Map of the US appeared up, "Right there, in Boston…a distraught Mutant, look at the power on this chart, its high." he motioned to another one of the screens.
"Right, that's all I need to know," Logan stated, "we going?"
"Me, you and Hank will go, Kurt and Rogue will stay here, informing the others of where we are if we have not returned or been in touch within a certain amount of time," Professor Xavier stated, "Lets go."
Kurt looked at them, "what if something happens while you are away?"
"Security systems are going to be activated as normal, you'll be quite safe," Hank stated.
"Okay," Kurt nodded, and he watched as the three adults made their way off, leaving him and Rogue in the mansion – totally alone.
Kurt waited a while, he ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and watched fifteen minutes of a Documentary on Brainwashing during World War II that was on the Discovery Channel. Then, finally, he headed upstairs, hoping Rogue would be in a better mood.
He transported himself to outside her door, and tapped sharply with his knuckles, "Rogue?" he asked.
The door opened a moment later, and Rogue looked at him, confused, "I thought you were going to see a movie."
"I changed my mind. I just wanted to tell you that the Professor, Logan and Hank have left to go find a mutant in Boston – and Ororo took the New Mutants on a field trip."
"Okay," Rogue didn't even know why these things concerned her.
"Do you want to watch some TV with me?" Kurt asked.
Rogue looked at the floor, "Maybe later, Kurt, I really want to be by myself for a while," she stated, she tried to be more civil to him than she had been the rest of the day.
"Alright," he smiled, "I'm in the Rec room when you want to come down."
"Alright," she gave a nod, when he left the room she smiled a little to herself, her mood lightening.
Kurt returned to the Rec room, and watched the rest of the documentary on Brain Washing, and he waited, it got dark outside, but Rogue did not come downstairs.
He looked at his watch, and sighed, wondering when the others would be back home. Already he felt lonely. Kurt could not understand how Rogue could actually enjoy solitude – he didn't not even understand if she really enjoyed it at all, or if this was just a tactic of hers to keep the others safe from her powers.
Kurt lay on the couch, his eyes on the Television, he flicked through channels absently, and finally settled on an old rerun of 'Friends'. He felt himself drifting, his body winding down, and his eyelids growing heavy, and soon, he was sleeping.