Chapter Three
Rogue:
It was nice, sitting there talking to him. It felt kind of odd, to see him back in his room after he'd been gone for a while, but at the same time, it felt absolutely right. The room had been incomplete without him. I hadn't really thought about what I would tell him, when he came back and found a lot of his cigars gone. I guess I'd been trying not to get my hopes up in case, for one reason or another, as everyone loved to remind me, he might not come back… although I knew he would. He'd promised.
That reminded me… I reached up and unfastened the chain around my neck, taking the dog tags in my hand. My neck felt oddly light without it. I hadn't taken the chain off since the day I'd first put it on. "Here. You said you'd be back for it."
He took the chain from my hand slowly, looking at it. "Thanks." He put it on. He was about to say something else, when he jumped, startled. He shook his head, cursing under his breath. "Going to have to get used to the Professor popping in and out of people's heads whenever he wants to, once again." He looked at me. "Professor wants to see me for something."
I nodded and got up. "Ok. See you at dinner." I walked out into the hallway, him following me. I headed one way, to my room, and he went the other, towards the Professor's office. I wondered what he wanted him for. Probably to welcome him home. I opened the door to the room I shared with my two best friends, Kitty, also known as Shadowcat, and Jubilee, or Jubes, as we called her most of the time. They immediately bombarded me with questions.
"Is he really back?"
"What did you guys talk about?"
"Does he look any different?"
"Does he have a girlfriend?"
I looked at Jubilee in surprise at the last question, and crossed my arms over my chest. "What, are you interested or something?" I noticed my voice had taken a jealous edge.
She shrugged. "It's no secret that he's gorgeous. But, no, not really. Just curious. You never know, he may have picked up some broad on the road or something."
I shook my head. "I don't think so. We didn't talk about anything important, really. He asked me if Bobby was still wiggin' about that talk he had with him. Bobby told me what he said. It was so funny. Logan told him that if he ever hurt me, he'd gut him, so that the whole mansion could see his intestines."
Kitty and Jubilee paled, and looked at me like I was crazy for giggling.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Rogue, that's not funny," Kitty said shakily. "That would be horrible, to be cut open like a dead fish in front of all your friends and stuff."
I sighed. "Ya'll gotta know he was just joking. Oh, come on. Logan would never do anything like that." I thought about what I'd just said. Would he do something like that? Probably. Bobby better not make me cry, I thought, smiling.
"Whatever you say, Rogue," Jubilee said, not sounding convinced. "He looks dangerous to me. Kind of scary, too. Gorgeous though. Absolutely gorgeous."
I laughed. "You're so weird, Jubes." You're such a hypocrite, Marie, I told myself. Like you haven't thought the same exact thing millions of times.
Jubilee seemed to be thinking the same exact thing. "Oh, yeah, like that thought's never crossed your mind, Rogue. And don't lie to me, chica. I've seen the way you look at the picture you have of him."
I blushed a brilliant shade of crimson. Luckily, John knocked on the door then, breaking off any further conversation. I thought they were so cute… John and Kitty, I mean. She was so innocent and nice, and he was so… juvenile delinquentish. It was cool, though, the way they balanced one another out.
"Ladies," John asked, grinning. "Your humble escorts await to accompany you to the dinner table."
"Once again, Jubilee is the freaking fifth wheel," Jubilee mumbled, sighing. She was kidding. She was way too exciting and into things to ever be a fifth wheel.
