Rogue sighed as she looked through the millions of letters she had wrote Bobby but had never given him. She finally found the one she was looking for. It was the letter when she told Bobby she was letting go.

Dear Bobby,

I wrote you about two years ago how I made a new friend. His name was Richard. He made me feel home here. He made me feel like I wasn't going to die here. He was there when I needed him to be. He was there when I needed a friend. He was a very good friend to me. Yesterday he asked me to meet him for coffee, which I accepted. He ordered my favorite kind and was waiting for me when I got there. I looked up at him and he lightly smiled.

"How are you doing today Marie?"

"I'm better."

"Marie, there's something I have to tell you."

"What is it, Rich?"

"I'm in love with you. I think I always have been."

Then for some reason tears started streaming down my cheek. I couldn't help it. I felt horrible. At that moment someone was confessing to being in love with me and all I could think of was you and when you first told me you loved me. I was so lost in my thought I barely felt him wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Marie, please don't cry. I hate it when you cry."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I- this is just so unexpected. I'm just overwhelmed by your declaration," I said.

"Marie, will you- can I take you to dinner. I- know this is very sudden but can we just try it?"

"I- I don't know. I'm so sorry Richard but I need to get home. I need to think about all of this. I am so sorry for the way I am behaving but I promise that I'll call you tommorow."

All the way home I shook Bobby. Bobby, I still shake as I write this. Oh, God I don't know what to do. And you're not here to help me out on this one, now are you? I am crying even harder because I know what my decision is. Bobby, I came here to find a life without you, a life on my own away from the mansion. I've found that life. I didn't realize until today that my goal also meant I had to move on. I have to move on. I left you so you could someday get married and have children. Perhaps you have reached that dream I have for you. If you are to move on I must too. I can't let myself hold back. I have to get on with my life. I'm sorry Bobby. I want you to be happy. You're happiness means everything to me.

Six years ago I believed I couldn't live without you. I had forgotten what it was like to be on my own. Now I know I can live. You were my heart. I thought I couldn't live without my heart. Now I know I can. I can make it on my own. I can live. I can breathe. I can love again too. Goodbye Bobby. I will always love you. At least I can breathe again. I stopped crying myself to sleep every night. This is my life now. I'll be seeing be seeing you Bobby.

Please don't hate me for this when I see you someday. Please don't hate me. Please have moved on. Please have had a family. Oh god. I have got to stop writing before I change my mind. I can't back out now, can I? I have finally found my strength. It disappeared throughout the last six years but now its back again. And this time I am never going to let it go. I promise.

Love,

Rogue

Rogue and Bobby taught their English class with expertise. At first students found it completely odd to see Mr. Drake laugh or smile. Eventually they got used to it.

Bobby acted like Rogue was just another colleague, just another friend. Sometimes it would hurt because he would brush her aside but then she reminded herself that she loved Richard and Bobby was just a person she dated. He acted like they never had anything special, like they were never friends.

The truth was before they went out they were friends, friends who flirted with eachother. They were friends whom everyone was always saying they would end up dating. When they had ended up dating and told people, people seemed not to be in the least surprised. They said things like "Obviously," or "Took you long enough."

Then there were times she would teach the students and he would stand in the back and just stare at her. Sometimes she couldn't breathe and she couldn't look away. She would turn around and tell the students to read their books. They would comply.

One day it was his day to teach the classroom. He was teaching his students the work of Shakespeare when Rogue walked in. He stared her up and down and smiled softly.

"Can I help you with something, Ms. Marie?"

"Yes, today we are both teaching the class if I remember correctly. I am surprised that you managed to forget," said Rogue testily.

Bobby raised his eyebrows accepting the challenge.

"Why, ofcourse I didn't forget. You're twenty minutes late. On days we co teach kindly remember to be on time. We may teach together but I am the teacher they've known longer," said Bobby.

"Excuse me, Mr. Drake? May I have a word with you outside?"

Bobby was about to tell her that was impossible seeing as he was teaching a class but John walked in. That man seriously had the worse timing.

"I'll take over the class."

Rogue walked with him out to a garden in the school. When they faced eachother her look was one of fury. His look was one of dwindled patience. HE was so tired of being patient and acting like he didn't care.

"Never speak to me like that ever again, at least not in front of those students. How dare you talk to me like that? I was what, ten minutes late?"

"You know what? That is My class! You wanted to teach English! You get to teach English! That doesn't mean you can take over my class! I have had it up to here with you. Considering what we had I think I have been nice to you," said Bobby.

"You've been nice to me? Oh, yeah, you've been real nice. You ignore me everytime I say anything. You act like it doesn't matter what I say."

"It doesn't matter what you say! You were gone for ten years. You can't just come back like it's okay, like nothing happened! I have tried everything. I've even tried ignoring you. Nothing works." said Bobby.

"Excuse me?"

"Why you've picked up quite the temper. I wander if Richard knows about it"

Rogue watched in confusion as he got up and started to leave. She ran and caught up with him.

"Where are you going?"

"I am leaving. You did it. You should understand. Goodbye, I have a class to teach."

Rogue grabbed his hand and turned him around.

"Bobby, Bobby, please!"

Suddenly Bobby roughly turned around and pulled her to him. Rogue didn't have time to react or to even think about what he was doing because he had put his hands on her cheeks and he soundly kissed her. Rogue didn't know what to do for about a second. She had shared many ice kisses with Bobby, but this was different. In seconds she kissed him back with as much passion as he kissed her.

****************************

Rogue sat quietly at her teacher's desk. The last class of the day was over. Rogue was getting ready to leave the classroom when she saw Elektra still sitting down. She was a girl with pretty brown hair. She was around fifteen, a personal favorite of Rogue's. Rogue would never tell anyone that, ofcourse. She didn't want anyone getting jealous of any other student, but Elektra was important to her.

"Elektra why haven't you left the classroom with the other students? School is over. You may go to your room or do something else. School is over," said Rogue.

"Ms. Marie, that time you helped me with English after school you said I could always talk to you about anything. That was true, right," asked Elektra.

"Ofcourse it was. You can talk to me about anything. My door is always open to anyone here. You know that. It always will be," said Rogue to the distressed looking young girl.

"No, you won't. In a month and a half you'll go back to wherever you came from and I will never see you again. I've never seen Mr. Drake so happy before," said Elektra.

"What do you mean? What about Bob- Mr. Drake? What are you trying to say."

"I don't think I am the only one to have noticed it. Don't you see the way he looks at you when you're doing lessons? I'm the only one who sees the way you look at him."

"Elektra, what are you talking about? Mr. Drake and I- we're only friends. It's all we'll ever be, friends. He doesn't want more from me and I don't want more from him."

"You don't? I don't believe you. Every girl has a crush on Mr. Drake. He's the mysterious teacher you can't be friends with. He yells at everyone but you can't hate him for that. You want to crack the puzzle, but you can't. He finally shares one day with us about the love of his life. Her name was Rogue. He was still stern. When you came here he smiled again. He laughed. Everytime he visits the class on your days' he stares at you. He's in love with you. In two months you're going to leave. And you will break him."

"I don't have the power to break him. Only Rogue has the power to break him," said Rogue softly.

"That's why you'll break him. You are Rogue," said Elektra softly.

"How did you know," asked Rogue softly.

"It was obvious. I'm the only one who knows, Ms. Marie. What happened between the two of you? I won't tell a soul. Mr. Drake gave us very little information."

"Elektra, meet me on the hilltop by the gardens in ten minutes."

The younger girl nodded her head as she went to her room.

***********************************

It was during lunch break. Both Bobby and Rogue had eaten lunch in there as they scored papers and went over their students' schoolwork.

Rogue felt slightly uncomfortable because Bobby was leaning over her shoulder to see the paper she was looking at. Rogue could feel her heartbeat speed up. She could feel everything that was just Bobby. After all this time he still wore the same cologne. Only she would know that, only her. She suddenly felt hot.

"I think this paper is really good. I told them to do a review of an old movie. Elektra chose three movies. She wanted extra credit because she didn't do so well on her last test. She chose three good movies," said Rogue.

"What did she choose?"

Bobby was slightly looking at the paper his student wrote but at the same time he was studying Rogue. It felt good that after all this time he could make her lose her cool. She seemed so self composed these days and yet, here she was, coming undone to him.

"Please don't look at me like that," said Rogue.

"What's that movie about? Is it any good," asked Bobby softly, avoiding the question.

Suddenly Rogue got up. She knew Bobby was directly right behind her every step of the way. All she had to do was turn around and she would practically touch his lips.

"Don't do this Bobby, please. Don't- don't make me fall for you again. Don't make me come undone. Leave me be. Let me go, please. You're making me crazy."

"You think you're going crazy. I can't even do anything anymore. You are always there with me. Damn him, Rogue. And damn what I'm about to do."

Without any warning he pulled her to him. He kissed her again as he had done before. They stayed that way for ten seconds.

"We have to stop doing this. I am in love with Richard. I am with him. I-I love him."

She ran out of the classroom once more.

*********************

"I have gone over each and every one of your projects'. They were all done well. I can see that each and every one of you took your time with the project. I am very proud of you," said Rogue.

"It isn't good enough. I should have taken more time. I wish I had. Maybe Mr. Drake won't be proud of us," said Christian.

"Yes he will. He will be very proud of you. And you always have next year to make it better and make your teacher even more proud."

"What about you? Will you be proud of us next year," asked Christina.

"I will always be proud of my children. I won't always be here but no matter what happens remember that you are always in my thoughts and that I am thinking of you," said Rogue.

"You're leaving us, aren't you," asked Elektra.

"My place is with- with Richard. No matter where I go I will always remember you guys. It has been a month. As of today it is my last month here. Then I will return to California."

"Are you going to come back?"

"I don't know."

*******************************