Chapter 2: Pining

            The day had been uneventful, apart from the antics from earlier that morning, and by seven in the evening, the Mansion had calmed down considerably, the sun had begun to set casting a soft orange light over everything.

Rogue stood by the windows of the recreation room with the blinds open and the slats pulled slightly open, orange light spilling into the room and onto her as she stood peering out, watching as Jean and Cyclops left to go on a date.  She watched Scott open the car door for Jean, and the close it for her once she was in.  Rogue felt her heart sink a little.

There wasn't a day that went by that she somehow didn't wish that things would change and Scott's affections would turn towards her.  Her feelings towards him were so strong that the longing in her seemed to be sated.  However, every time she witnessed him and Jean together, her heart became terribly empty, and felt as if may break.

            "Rogue?" Kitty's voice broke through Rogue's thoughts.  Rogue looked over her shoulder at Kitty.

            "Yeah?" she asked, her voice cracking with emotion.

            "Evan and Kurt are out renting some DVDs and getting snacks and stuff, we're gonna sit in and watch movies tonight – you wanna watch with us?" Kitty asked.

            Rogue pondered just going off on her own to sulk, but she'd grown weary of it, she'd felt so much happier since she'd begun to open up more to the X-men, since she'd begun to participate more with them.  "I uhm…sure…" she closed the blinds at the window and walked over.

            "Are you pining after Scott or something," Kitty asked, looking at Rogue curiously.

            "What?" Rogue asked, she pretended to be dismayed, "are you crazy…"

            "Oh…I guess so, I…" Kitty laughed, "I dunno, I've seen that look before…" Kitty shrugged, "You'd tell me if you were though, right?"

            "Duh," Rogue lied, she gritted her teeth, "what do you think I'd want with that boring fuddy-duddy?"

            "I dunno," Kitty walked over to the window and pulled the slats of the blind open a little and peered out, "he's kinda cute, I'll admit it, and he's kind, and smart – and brave," Kitty stated, "But it's more fun sometimes to like the bad boy," she looked over her shoulder at Rogue.

            "Is that what you liked about Lance?" Rogue asked casually.

            "Kinda, I dunno, it was dangerous and exciting, and it seemed sometimes that even if he was on the 'other side', that it'd work out.  I guess I was wrong.  But it was nice while it lasted…" Kitty gave shrug.

            "Are you into anyone, right now?" Rogue asked curiously.

            "Sure, but he's not available," Kitty stated, "and I'm not gonna tell him I like him – it wouldn't be fair to put him in that position…"

            "He's one of us?" Rogue asked.

            "Sometimes its hard fighting along side someone and living with them day by day and trying to not tell them how you feel…" Kitty sighed, "but it wouldn't be fair on him and his girlfriend…and besides, its my own fault, I didn't see what was there when I had the chance…"

            "Are you talking about K—" Rogue was about to say Kurt's name but when Kurt and Evan walked in at that moment, she shut up instantly.

Both boys wandered in holding various bags of chips, popcorn, dips, and sodas, plus three rental DVDs.  Rogue glanced over to Kitty who's face was beginning to go scarlet, Rogue knew the answer without having to ask again.

            "Okay, so what are we watching?" Rogue asked, she walked over and leaned on the back of the couch casually.

            "Uhm…I can't remember, here," Evan tossed the bag of DVDs to Rogue. 

            Rogue opened the bag and pulled out the DVDs, "Lets see…'8 Mile'…Eminem sucks, guys?"

            "Look, I heard it was good, 8 out of 9 Grandmas liked it…" Evan advised.

            "What?" Rogue looked at Evan. 

            "Well this guy on TV sent 9 grandmas to watch '8 Mile' and 8 out of them liked it," Evan shrugged.

            Rogue looked at the other two DVDs, "what else, hmmm 'Die Another Day', what IS it with boys and James Bond movies?" Rogue glanced over to Kitty.

            "God I asked myself that question every other day when the hype started up about the new James Bond movie," Kitty rolled her eyes, "I mean, you see one, you see them all, right?  He does spy work, he has his way with some big boobed babe, he shoots a gun, escapes somehow from an impossible situation, and saves the day…" Kitty shrugged.

            "Kitty!  Don't give the plot away!" Kurt gaped at her.

            "Sorry…" Kitty rolled her eyes and smirked to Rogue.  "What's the other movie?"

            "Uhm…lets see here…'The Ring'," Rogue's eyes widened, "Ooooh, I wanna see this, I want this one on…"

            "Me and Evan voted for 'Die Another Day'," Kurt looked at her.

            "Me and Kitty don't like James Bond…" Rogue folded her arms.

            Kurt was about to come up with a reply to that when suddenly a loud screeching sound pierced all their ears, they put their hands to their heads.  "What the—"

            "The alarms…" Kitty gaped, "Kurt, get us to the war room…"

            "Everyone, grab onto me," Kurt instructed, and reached out his arms to let them hold on, as soon as everyone had a hold, he teleported to the war room, where the alarms were also still going off, Hank and Logan were checking the security cameras of the grounds to find out where the break in was located.

            "What's going on?" Kitty asked loudly.

            "Someone is on the grounds that's for sure," Logan switched camera angles on a large monitor, "trying to find the creep…"

            "Where's the Professor?" Evan asked.

            "At a teaching seminar in California, he'll be back in three days," Hank replied, they had all forgotten about that.   Since they had all been expelled for School Professor Xavier and Hank had decided they would do the teaching.  Professor Xavier had not taught any class for years, and had gone to a seminar on new teaching methods. 

            "Turn the alarms off!" Kitty shouted at Hank.

            Hank logged onto the Mansion alarm systems, "what's the password?" he asked.

            "You mean you don't know it?" Kurt asked.

            "The passwords change every day," Logan stated.

            Kurt walked over to the computer, "do you have the alarm systems report from this morning?"

            "Yeah, right here," Logan handed him a folder.

            Kurt sifted through pieces of paper, "the alarm is in the report, it's like the first letter of the first word on each piece of paper followed the date number, lets see…try this…AWBPOP052203," Kurt read out.

            Hank typed the password into the computer as Kurt read it out.

            "Its accepted, it's asking for a command to deactivate the alarms…?" Hank asked.

            "Hit Alt, Control, Enter and Hash at the same time," Logan stated.

            "Sorry, I'm still not used to the alarm system, yet," Hank typed the key command in.

            The alarms stopped immediately, much to their relief.   

            "Any sign of the intruder?" Kurt asked.

            "Got him…" Logan replied, he found a camera angle showing a humanoid male lying face down in the grass.

            "Who's that?" Kitty asked, her voice full of perplexity.

            "We're about to find out, kids," Logan stated, "c'mon.  But be on your guard…"          

            Kurt teleported them to the area of the grounds where the person had been seen lying face down in the grass.  Rogue moved over slowly, she felt her heart pounding, something told her that she knew this man. 

            "Rogue, stay back…" Logan commanded, he walked over slowly and turned the man over, revealing a very familiar mutant to the X-Men.  He lay limp, unconscious, he'd been badly beaten, and there was blood spattered on his face.

            Rogue put her hand to her mouth, it was Gambit.  Gambit, the mutant who had attacked her that night on the very grounds he lay now, the night she'd absorbed Carol Danvers powers and Psyche.  She felt a strange nausea begin to come over her, and fought the want to be sick.

            "It's Gambit…" Kurt gasped.

            "He's one of the Acolytes…what's he doing lying here looking like he's at death's door…" Kitty asked in confusion.

            Hank knelt by him and pushed open the black leather trenchcoat Gambit was wearing, on a black T-shirt, he could see a sticky looking stain, and a hole, "he's been stabbed…we need to get him to the hospital wing right away."

            "We're going to save him?" Rogue looked at Hank, "He tried to abduct me the last time he was here!"

            "Just because he tried to abduct you does not mean he deserves to die, Rogue," Hank remarked.

            "What if it's some kind of trick or something?" Kurt asked.

            "Hank is right," Logan stated, "he might be the enemy but he doesn't deserve to die..."

            Hank picked Gambit up and began to carry him towards the mansion, Logan and Evan followed.

            Kitty, Kurt and Rogue looked at each other.

            "This can't be good," Kurt stated.

            Rogue felt a slight headache beginning to come on, "I don't believe this…" she sighed. 

            "I know it sucks, but Hank and Logan are right, he might be an asshole but he doesn't deserve to die…" Kitty sighed, "if we left him to die we'd be no less than murderers."

            "We didn't stab him," Rogue pointed out.

            "Rogue, she has a point…" Kurt stated, "lets go back to the Mansion and watch the movies, there's not much else we can do in the meantime."

            Rogue looked at the grass where Gambit had been lying, "what else could go wrong?" she asked herself and headed back to the Mansion.