Disclaimer: I don't own, don't sue.
A/N: I'm going strictly by the movie here, so if my backgrounds don't match up with the comic or the show backgrounds, please forgive. With the movieverse versions, I was given a lot more freedom, so I went with that.
***
Talking out my issues in the middle of the night, even to someone like Allerdyce, had actually helped a lot, and I slept through the rest of the night easily with Dr. Grey's psychic assurances of our safety and Rogue's health. The Professor went from class to class that morning, informing us in turn what I'd already learned about Rogue's powers, how she couldn't be touched, how she would absorb your power, etc.
Admittedly, hearing the Professor's grave, serious tone reinstated some basic fear in me of Rogue and her powers, but unlike the other students, I pushed it aside. She was so quiet, so shy, this sweet Southern belle, and that image of her in my mind didn't compare with the one that Xavier was trying to set up for us, that she was dangerous.
She wasn't in any of my classes that morning, but I'd asked Dr. Grey and she'd said that Rogue was in the Med Bay, getting checked over.
"She asked if she would be out in time for lunch," Dr. Grey said with a kind smile, which led me to believe that she'd probed Rogue's mind enough to know about our lunch date. Which I was now looking forward to. Screw Allerdyce and everyone else. I'd gotten to know Rogue briefly yesterday, and I wasn't afraid of her.
But when lunch rolled around, after searching the institute, I hadn't been able to find her anywhere. I came across Piotr in the hallway. "Have you seen Rogue?" I asked. "She was supposed to meet me for lunch."
He shook his head. That was when I overheard it: "Rogue's gone missing."
The news distressed Dr. Grey some, clearly during her probe she'd believed Rogue to be completely stable, at ease, and now that wasn't the case. I wanted to follow the teachers to wherever they were going, find out what was going on, but it wasn't my place to. Instead I went with Piotr to the cafeteria, where he joined Kitty, Jubilee, and Allerdyce at a table.
"You hear?" Jubes said in a hushed tone. "The psycho went missing."
"Livin' up to her name, at least," Allerdyce commented, and the girls just stared at him. "A *Rogue*?" he said, and when they continued to look bemused, he sighed and shook his head. "Completely wasted on you two."
"Stuff it, John," Jubes threw back at him.
I leaned forward. "She's not a psycho, guys. You heard what the Professor said."
"Read between the lines, Bobby," Jubes said impatiently. "What the Prof said was that she absorbed your powers and left you comatose. As in, she's freaking dangerous."
"How is she *dangerous*?" I said, my voice raised in annoyance. "Because she used her powers in a life-or-death situation? Like you wouldn't do the same."
"So, what? You're all buddy-buddy with her, now?"
"That's not what this is about."
"Can we just drop this?" Kitty spoke up suddenly, and we all turned to look at her. I wasn't sure exactly why she was upset by our line of conversation, maybe she was still stressing about her onetime roommate's most-wanted-list activities, or because of my possible crush on Rogue. Either or, Jubilee and I were both close enough to Kitty to let it drop.
Piotr crossed his big forearms on the table and leaned forward. "That new Kate Hudson movie is coming out this weekend," he said quietly, "would you like to go, Kitty?"
The four of us all stared at him, agape. I was probably the only one who knew about his sort-of crush on Kitty, but even I was taken completely aback by this. He had just asked Kitty out, in front of all of his friends, completely casually. He didn't look disturbed in the slightest.
Kitty glanced furtively at me, but Piotr only sipped at his soda, like her answer was inconsequential. "Um...yeah, sure!" Kitty said cheerfully. "That'd be cool."
"Cool," Piotr echoed, then turned to Jubes and said, "You were doing really well in your training session yesterday."
How did the guy *do* it? I'd practically had a panic attack having lunch with Rogue, and here he was, asking Kitty out, and then talking about the Danger Room.
"Thanks," Jubes said brightly. She smiled at the rest of us. "Cyclops had me working on speed training. Petey here nearly kicked my ass."
"Don't call me that," he said, biting his sandwich, still nonchalant.
"I will call you damn well whatever I want, *Petey*," she said, and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Oh, that's mature," I said, but was surprised to hear my voice in chorus. I looked over, and discovered that Allerdyce was saying it with me. We raised our eyebrows at each other, and Jubes, Kitty, and Piotr all started laughing. I couldn't help it; I joined in. So did John.
The rest of lunch passed like it normally would, except without as much sniping between John and myself. I was actually starting to almost *like* the kid. But nothing could erase my worry over Rogue, something that hovered over me like a black cloud, something that the others probably noticed.
We got up as a group. Kitty, Jubes, and Piotr all had European History this afternoon, and John and I were being paired up in the Danger Room. We started towards the sub-basement elevator, but Mr. Summers cut us off. "No practice today," he said hastily.
"What's wrong?" I said.
He frowned, like he didn't want to tell us. He turned to look in both directions, and apparently satisfied that it was just the three of us in the hallway, sighed and said, "Rogue disappeared an hour ago, and Logan's already gone out looking for her. Storm and I are going in to save his stupid ass."
I tried to hold in my surprise; I'd never heard Mr. Summers swear before. I mean, I knew he must've on many occasions, but he never did it in the presence of students.
"Jean and the Professor are both going to be in the mansion, but all classes are cancelled for the afternoon. Could you two help keep an eye on things?" he said, looking at me and not John. "Kitty and Piotr, too, please. You're our oldest students and I'm trusting you to hold some sort of responsibility."
"Um, sure," I said, casting a sideways glance at John, who was looking bored as usual. "Sure, yeah," I said. "Um, be careful out there, I guess," I said, as he stepped into the elevator. What were you supposed to say in a situation like this?
"Thanks." And with the push of a button, he was gone.
John and I turned to each other. "So what now?" I said.
"Seems to me like there's something going on between Logan and Rogue," he said, raising one eyebrow at me and smirking.
"That wasn't what I meant."
"Well, I *guess* our esteemed High and Mighty would recommended that we go find out partners in crime. Then I suppose we institute some sort of communist regimen."
I rolled my eyes. "Some days, I *really* don't like you, Allerdyce," I said, starting back to find the others and spread the word.
John appeared at my side. "I thought that was all days."
"For a brief moment in there, I'd changed my mind."
"Drake, I am *touched*," he said mockingly, touching his chest and blinking rapidly, like he was blinking back tears. "That was so moving."
I sighed. "And he left *us* in charge? We must really be screwed."
A/N: I'm going strictly by the movie here, so if my backgrounds don't match up with the comic or the show backgrounds, please forgive. With the movieverse versions, I was given a lot more freedom, so I went with that.
***
Talking out my issues in the middle of the night, even to someone like Allerdyce, had actually helped a lot, and I slept through the rest of the night easily with Dr. Grey's psychic assurances of our safety and Rogue's health. The Professor went from class to class that morning, informing us in turn what I'd already learned about Rogue's powers, how she couldn't be touched, how she would absorb your power, etc.
Admittedly, hearing the Professor's grave, serious tone reinstated some basic fear in me of Rogue and her powers, but unlike the other students, I pushed it aside. She was so quiet, so shy, this sweet Southern belle, and that image of her in my mind didn't compare with the one that Xavier was trying to set up for us, that she was dangerous.
She wasn't in any of my classes that morning, but I'd asked Dr. Grey and she'd said that Rogue was in the Med Bay, getting checked over.
"She asked if she would be out in time for lunch," Dr. Grey said with a kind smile, which led me to believe that she'd probed Rogue's mind enough to know about our lunch date. Which I was now looking forward to. Screw Allerdyce and everyone else. I'd gotten to know Rogue briefly yesterday, and I wasn't afraid of her.
But when lunch rolled around, after searching the institute, I hadn't been able to find her anywhere. I came across Piotr in the hallway. "Have you seen Rogue?" I asked. "She was supposed to meet me for lunch."
He shook his head. That was when I overheard it: "Rogue's gone missing."
The news distressed Dr. Grey some, clearly during her probe she'd believed Rogue to be completely stable, at ease, and now that wasn't the case. I wanted to follow the teachers to wherever they were going, find out what was going on, but it wasn't my place to. Instead I went with Piotr to the cafeteria, where he joined Kitty, Jubilee, and Allerdyce at a table.
"You hear?" Jubes said in a hushed tone. "The psycho went missing."
"Livin' up to her name, at least," Allerdyce commented, and the girls just stared at him. "A *Rogue*?" he said, and when they continued to look bemused, he sighed and shook his head. "Completely wasted on you two."
"Stuff it, John," Jubes threw back at him.
I leaned forward. "She's not a psycho, guys. You heard what the Professor said."
"Read between the lines, Bobby," Jubes said impatiently. "What the Prof said was that she absorbed your powers and left you comatose. As in, she's freaking dangerous."
"How is she *dangerous*?" I said, my voice raised in annoyance. "Because she used her powers in a life-or-death situation? Like you wouldn't do the same."
"So, what? You're all buddy-buddy with her, now?"
"That's not what this is about."
"Can we just drop this?" Kitty spoke up suddenly, and we all turned to look at her. I wasn't sure exactly why she was upset by our line of conversation, maybe she was still stressing about her onetime roommate's most-wanted-list activities, or because of my possible crush on Rogue. Either or, Jubilee and I were both close enough to Kitty to let it drop.
Piotr crossed his big forearms on the table and leaned forward. "That new Kate Hudson movie is coming out this weekend," he said quietly, "would you like to go, Kitty?"
The four of us all stared at him, agape. I was probably the only one who knew about his sort-of crush on Kitty, but even I was taken completely aback by this. He had just asked Kitty out, in front of all of his friends, completely casually. He didn't look disturbed in the slightest.
Kitty glanced furtively at me, but Piotr only sipped at his soda, like her answer was inconsequential. "Um...yeah, sure!" Kitty said cheerfully. "That'd be cool."
"Cool," Piotr echoed, then turned to Jubes and said, "You were doing really well in your training session yesterday."
How did the guy *do* it? I'd practically had a panic attack having lunch with Rogue, and here he was, asking Kitty out, and then talking about the Danger Room.
"Thanks," Jubes said brightly. She smiled at the rest of us. "Cyclops had me working on speed training. Petey here nearly kicked my ass."
"Don't call me that," he said, biting his sandwich, still nonchalant.
"I will call you damn well whatever I want, *Petey*," she said, and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Oh, that's mature," I said, but was surprised to hear my voice in chorus. I looked over, and discovered that Allerdyce was saying it with me. We raised our eyebrows at each other, and Jubes, Kitty, and Piotr all started laughing. I couldn't help it; I joined in. So did John.
The rest of lunch passed like it normally would, except without as much sniping between John and myself. I was actually starting to almost *like* the kid. But nothing could erase my worry over Rogue, something that hovered over me like a black cloud, something that the others probably noticed.
We got up as a group. Kitty, Jubes, and Piotr all had European History this afternoon, and John and I were being paired up in the Danger Room. We started towards the sub-basement elevator, but Mr. Summers cut us off. "No practice today," he said hastily.
"What's wrong?" I said.
He frowned, like he didn't want to tell us. He turned to look in both directions, and apparently satisfied that it was just the three of us in the hallway, sighed and said, "Rogue disappeared an hour ago, and Logan's already gone out looking for her. Storm and I are going in to save his stupid ass."
I tried to hold in my surprise; I'd never heard Mr. Summers swear before. I mean, I knew he must've on many occasions, but he never did it in the presence of students.
"Jean and the Professor are both going to be in the mansion, but all classes are cancelled for the afternoon. Could you two help keep an eye on things?" he said, looking at me and not John. "Kitty and Piotr, too, please. You're our oldest students and I'm trusting you to hold some sort of responsibility."
"Um, sure," I said, casting a sideways glance at John, who was looking bored as usual. "Sure, yeah," I said. "Um, be careful out there, I guess," I said, as he stepped into the elevator. What were you supposed to say in a situation like this?
"Thanks." And with the push of a button, he was gone.
John and I turned to each other. "So what now?" I said.
"Seems to me like there's something going on between Logan and Rogue," he said, raising one eyebrow at me and smirking.
"That wasn't what I meant."
"Well, I *guess* our esteemed High and Mighty would recommended that we go find out partners in crime. Then I suppose we institute some sort of communist regimen."
I rolled my eyes. "Some days, I *really* don't like you, Allerdyce," I said, starting back to find the others and spread the word.
John appeared at my side. "I thought that was all days."
"For a brief moment in there, I'd changed my mind."
"Drake, I am *touched*," he said mockingly, touching his chest and blinking rapidly, like he was blinking back tears. "That was so moving."
I sighed. "And he left *us* in charge? We must really be screwed."