Rating: PG-13 - scattered curse words.
Summary: A fellow mutant at Xavier's School - Mirage - helps Pyro figure out how to express his feelings to Rogue.
Spoilers: For the first movie. It's set the night before the beginning of X2, though.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stan Lee, Marvel and their many, many well-paid lawyers. I am NOT making any money off this, nor am I trying to infringe on anyone's copyright. Believe that.
Authors' Notes: I usually write Iceman/Rogue/Pyro themed ficlets based in the movie-verse. This fic - Pyro/Rogue themed - was written mostly for my friend, Amy. I promised her het fic, and I like het fic, too. Fic is told more or less from Dani Moonstar's POV. Mirage is my all-time favorite comic character and she does appear in the first movie, for about three seconds. Blink and you'll miss her.
Questions, Comments, Suggestions: Send to donnacsopranonetscape.net. All flames are read, laughed at then deleted with extreme prejudice.
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The Value of a Dimensionless Mirage
-
"Peel back my skin/So that you can see/What I really am/The true colour of me ... " - "I Want It All", The Eurythmics
-
"You're a good boy, aren't you, Brightwind?" Dani Moonstar - aka Mirage - said as she brushed the mane of the horse she'd come to call hers. In actuality, it wasn't her horse ... or her stables or her mansion - they all belonged to Professor Charles Xavier. She was only a student at his school for gifted youngsters. The "gifted" part being a euphemism for "mutant".
The Cheyenne girl, who was known for her ability to pull the deepest fears or desires from another's mind (and, in some cases, make them tangible), had fooled someone tonight. She'd managed to convince herself this horse was hers, she was back home in Colorado, and everything was the way it had been before her mutation manifested.
The sound of the barn door being thrown open, followed by a muttered curse, shocked Dani out of her daydream. She placed a hand on the horse's neck to steady him when he began to stir at the clatter.
"Shh, boy," she gently whispered. She stroked his neck a few times then placed the brush on the nearby ledge. "You stay here," she said as she opened the stall door. "I'll see who that is."
The horse whinnied.
She smiled. "I can take care of myself," she assured him. "Besides ... it's unlikely it's anyone dangerous." As she neared the end of the stall row, she heard the person - a boy - continuing to mutter. Once she recognized the voice, she came to a stop before she reached the open area then listened to him.
"So perfect, aren't they?" A clicking sound accompanied his voice, as usual. "Don't know what she sees in him, anyway."
Dani peered around the last stall. Another student - John Allerdyce - sat on a bale of hay, clicking his lighter off and on. He was upset about something and Dani had a decent idea of what it was, too. Hardly a secret around the school that John had taken a liking to Rogue. For the last few months, though, Rogue's relationship with Bobby Drake had become more serious. The usually cocky Pyro had gone from being bad to worse. Every chance he could get, he did something to try to catch Rogue's attention. Unfortunately, he latest attempt almost burned down an entire wing of the mansion.
She'd never really liked John since he'd arrived at the school via Dr. Jean Grey. He treated most people as though they were lesser beings. Back in Colorado, Dani had known plenty of people like him. Except they thought they were better because they were "true" Americans, not "natives". Also, he constantly complained about how humans had ruined his life, forcing him to end up at Xavier's school for mutants. That's what it was, day in and day out - negativity.
Tonight, Dani felt sympathetic towards John. He thought he was alone out there. He wasn't afraid to show his true feelings about the matter. She had to admit, she was amazed he did have feelings other than the negative ones.
"If you're not careful with that thing, you're gonna burn down the barn," she said. She half-smiled when John startled, nearly dropping his lighter onto the floor. "Professor Xavier wouldn't like that," she finished as she came a little closer to him.
John narrowed his eyes at the Indian girl. "Since when do you give a shit about what Xavier thinks?" he asked. [How long has she been standing there?] he angrily wondered. His hand gripped his lighter tightly. [If she breathes one word about anything she heard me say ... ]
"I don't," Dani answered as she came to a stop about three feet away from him. "I do care about the horses he keeps in this stable, though. Why don't you put that away before I take it away?"
He laughed, genuinely amused by the boast. "Hey, Chief, I'd love to see you try it." He held the lighter up, waving it from side to side as if to say, 'I dare you'.
Dani's gaze shifted to the stable doors as they flew open and a very perturbed Jean Grey entered. "John, what have we told you about playing with that thing on school grounds?" the teacher declared, motioning towards the lighter in his hands.
Surprised at the sudden appearance of Dr. Grey, John stumbled for an explanation. [Shit. She said she'd take it away if she caught me with it again,] he thought, panic washing over him. [Shit.]
While John was distracted by Jean, Dani closed the space between them, then easily snatched the lighter from his hand.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, turning his attention to Dani once more. "What the hell are you -?" He saw the smirk on Dani's face. Whirling around, he saw that Jean was no longer in the stable. In fact, she'd never been there. "You used your power!" he snapped, looking back to her. "That's not fair."
She shrugged. "You never said how I could try to take it," she simply replied. She took a seat on the bale across from him. "You really should work on your people skills, John. Maybe if you weren't such a jerk all the time, Rogue would take you more seriously."
"Why don't you shut up and mind your own business, Chief?" Turning his back to her, John continued to wallow in his self-pity.
Dani sighed, her expression softening. "I'm sorry," she quietly said. "It's just ... you're not exactly the friendliest person in this school, John."
John snorted. "Whatever," he grumbled.
"You know what she's like," Dani continued. She sat up a little straighter, his lighter passing from one hand to another. "How tough it's been on her the last couple of months, especially with her particular mutation. Then here you are ... acting like a moron, trying to impress her in the dumbest ways. That's not how to make friends, certainly not how to tell somebody you really like her."
"Excuse me, but didn't I tell you to shut the fuck up a minute ago?" John snapped over his shoulder at her. He narrowed her eyes a bit. "I came out here to be alone. So why don't you leave?" He faced forward again.
"I was here first. You wanna be alone, you leave."
He stood up, turning to face her as he did so. "Fine. Give me my lighter and I'll leave. You can stay out here and play with your friends." He held out his hand, palm up. "C'mon, Chief. I don't have all night."
Dani looked him in the eyes. For the first time, she felt sorry for him. The situation with Rogue had him tied in knots. Underneath all of his BS and bravado, he really was a person. One who was hurting, too. Shaking her head, she thought, [Too bad this isn't the side that Rogue sees. Maybe she'd give him more than a passing glance.]
Then she had an idea. A most brilliant idea, at that.
John noticed the expression on Dani's face change. "What?" he asked. "Are you gonna give me back my lighter or not?" She continued to stare at him, this time she nodded a bit. "What's wrong with you?"
"What if ... I could help you?" she finally said. "With your problem?"
His hand dropped to his side. "What problem?"
"What if ... "She stood up, coming closer to him. "... I could help you with Rogue? Help you in dealing with her? Get her to want to get to know you?" She could tell that the idea intrigued him, even if he wasn't saying anything. [This could really work, Dani,] she thought. [Given he takes it seriously. And, judging by the way he was moping a minute ago, he just might.]
John stared at Dani, suspicious. Not in the few years he'd attended Xavier's school with her had Dani Moonstar ever spoken this civilly to him. Granted, he'd never given her much cause to do so, but it still spooked him. Now, she offered to help him out. [Tread carefully,] he thought as he studied the Indian girl who was so eager to come to his aid. [She might be getting back at you for some of the shit you've pulled on her.]
"Okay ... how do you plan to help me?"
"I'll teach you how to talk to her," Dani replied. Off of his blank look, she added, "You know ... talk to her, like a person? The way Bobby does?"
He gave her a look that was far from amused. "So this idea of yours - it's a bunch of play-acting?"
"Sort of."
He laughed. "I get it." He poked a finger in Dani's shoulder. "You're going to pretend to be Rogue and I'll be me. Right?" He shook his head. "This is a waste of my time."
"If I had you pretend to be somebody, it wouldn't be you," Dani shortly replied. She folded her arms across her chest. "I'd have you be someone who's less of a dumbass."
His laughter stopped. "C'mon, Chief. What's the big plan?" He threw his arms open. "Hit me with it."
Her arms fell to her sides. "Okay." She gave a nod of her head, an indication for him to turn around.
He did. Standing in front of him was Rogue - that bright smile on her face. He glanced back at Dani. "You're doing this?" he cautiously asking, gesturing to 'Rogue'.
She nodded. "Pretty easy to do, considering she's your deepest desire." [One of them, anyway,] she added in her head. "She's going to help us." She gave him a shove forward. "Get to it." He was still uncertain about this ... this mirage in front of him. Rogue appeared real enough - from the two strips of white in her hair, to the rest of her body, right down to her feet. It was amazing how lifelike Dani's creation was. [If I had this girl's power, I'd never leave my room.]
"Can I touch her?" he asked, looking from 'Rogue' to Dani. When Dani nodded, he extended a hand to the other girl. His fingers brushed over 'Rogue's' flesh by accident, but the tingle he would've felt from skin-to- skin contact was not there. He jerked his hand away, terrified now of Dani's mirage. [She feels ... real.]
"I can't duplicate Rogue's power in my mirage," Dani explained when he looked from his hand over to her. "I do have my limitations."
"That's all right," he murmured as he turned back to 'Rogue'. "I ... I don't miss that part of her, that's for sure." How could Bobby stand to be so close yet so far away ... and not go crazy? He laughed a little. [Now, that's a situation that doesn't sound familiar, John.]
Dani clasped her hands together then cleared her throat. "Time to start the lesson. How To Talk To Rogue 101. Also known as How Not To Be A Complete Idiot 101." She flashed a grin at him when he merely glared in her direction. "Ask her to sit down. Pretend you're outside of the school and you just happened to find her. Alone."
"Okay." He rubbed his hands together, preparing himself for this 'lesson' to come. "Okay." [It's not really Rogue,] he reminded himself. [So don't feel bad if you say something really fucking stupid.] Yet, when he looked at the girl, that expectant smile on her face, he was at a loss for words. "I ... don't know what to say."
Dani rolled her eyes then stepped between John and 'Rogue'. "Let's pretend that you're already sitting down with her ... somewhere. I don't care." She placed her hands on John's shoulders then forced him to sit down on the hay bale. Using her power, she made the Rogue mirage take a seat across from John. "Now ... "She gestured to 'Rogue' before taking a step back. "Tell her how you feel."
John opened his mouth and it shut almost instantly. [What do I say? 'Hi, Rogue. I like you more than I should. So ditch Bobby Drake and go out with me.'?] He gazed into the eyes of the girl sitting across from him. [No. Somehow, that's probably not what she'd want to hear.]
He cleared his throat. "Uh ... hi, Rogue." [That part still works.] He glanced over to Dani, who waited for him to go on. He continued to rub his hands together, waiting for the rest of the words to come, then something occurred to him. "Hey ... is she gonna be able to talk back?" he asked of Dani.
"Only if I make her," 'Rogue' replied. The girl smiled again when John looked to her. "Just talk to me."
[You better be the one doin' that shit, Dani,] John thought as he regained what composure he had left.
"Hi," he said again, quite comfortable with that part of the conversation now.
"Why, hello, John. How are you?" 'Rogue' cheerily responded. "Hmm. I hope you haven't done anything boneheaded today ... like catching Professor Summers' classroom on fire?"
John shot a nasty glare to Dani, who smothered her giggles with one of her hands. "For Christ's Sake, would you stop screwing around?!" he snapped at her. "Rogue doesn't say shit like that, that's you talking!"
She held up a hand. "I'm sorry," she apologized in between snickers. "I couldn't help myself. It was too easy." She broke down into giggles again. The look on his face was worth it. He had that one coming.
"Fuck this." He stood up, holding out his hand to her. "Give me back my lighter. I thought you were going to help me, not make fun of me."
"Oh, sit down." Dani pushed him back down onto the bale. "I said I was sorry. I'll be serious." She saw the expression on his face. "I promise."
"One more trick like that outta you ... and you'll be on the next horse to the Happy Hunting Grounds, Chief," he bitterly muttered. He turned his attention back to 'Rogue'. She sat before him, relaxed and looking much like she did when she had something on her mind. "So ... Rogue," he began. His fingers kneaded together nervously as he avoided eye contact with the mirage Rogue. "I've been meaning to tell you something. For a while now."
"Why don't you look at me when you say it, John?" 'Rogue' suggested. She offered a small smile when John's eyes met hers. "What did you want to tell me?"
As he considered what he wanted to say, he temporarily forgot that this wasn't the real Rogue and that Dani was standing just behind him in the stable. "I've been acting pretty damn stupid lately, Rogue," he quietly said. "And I haven't been the best friend to you. Or Bobby." He paused. "Mostly not to Bobby, but there's a reason for that."
He stopped to draw in a deep breath, searching for the courage to continue to speak his feelings to her. Once more, his eyes found 'Rogue's'. "I like you. More than you know." He laughed uneasily. "Well, you know now ...but that's beside the point. Or it is the point." He shook his head. "What I'm trying to say is ... I know you're Bobby's girlfriend, but I had to tell you how I felt. I can't keep walking by you everyday and not have you know."
'Rogue' gazed at him with eyes full of compassion and, to an extent, wonder. A gloved hand reached out until it found one of his.
John stared at the hand on his then he looked at her once more. "I don't expect anything from you. You don't have to say anything, if you don't want to. I just needed to say it." His head dropped again, his jaw tightening. "That's it. That's all I'd have to say to her, Dani."
Gingerly, Dani placed her own hand on his shoulder. She couldn't believe she'd heard such sincere words come out of John's mouth. She'd never given him credit to have the potential for this level of selflessness. The Cheyenne saw him through different eyes now. If Rogue would, that was another story.
"It's a really nice thing to say," she softly said to him. As her mirage of Rogue melted away, Dani withdrew her hand from his shoulder. "And you shouldn't change a word of it when you do tell her, either."
He shook his head. "I couldn't say any of that to the real Rogue," he replied. "That wasn't her. It's why I was able to say it. I can't tell that to her, the real her."
"I'm sure if she were given a choice between that and a four alarm fire, she'd take that." She raised her eyebrows when John looked up at her. A slight smile appeared on her face then she offered him back his lighter. "You don't need any more help. At least, not the kind I'm qualified to offer."
The mood of friendliness between the two of them was gone. "You're really fucking funny, Chief," he flatly replied, snatching the lighter from her open hand. With that, he stood and left the stable, slamming the door shut behind him.
"A real laugh riot," she murmured, shaking her head.
Fini!
Summary: A fellow mutant at Xavier's School - Mirage - helps Pyro figure out how to express his feelings to Rogue.
Spoilers: For the first movie. It's set the night before the beginning of X2, though.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Stan Lee, Marvel and their many, many well-paid lawyers. I am NOT making any money off this, nor am I trying to infringe on anyone's copyright. Believe that.
Authors' Notes: I usually write Iceman/Rogue/Pyro themed ficlets based in the movie-verse. This fic - Pyro/Rogue themed - was written mostly for my friend, Amy. I promised her het fic, and I like het fic, too. Fic is told more or less from Dani Moonstar's POV. Mirage is my all-time favorite comic character and she does appear in the first movie, for about three seconds. Blink and you'll miss her.
Questions, Comments, Suggestions: Send to donnacsopranonetscape.net. All flames are read, laughed at then deleted with extreme prejudice.
-
The Value of a Dimensionless Mirage
-
"Peel back my skin/So that you can see/What I really am/The true colour of me ... " - "I Want It All", The Eurythmics
-
"You're a good boy, aren't you, Brightwind?" Dani Moonstar - aka Mirage - said as she brushed the mane of the horse she'd come to call hers. In actuality, it wasn't her horse ... or her stables or her mansion - they all belonged to Professor Charles Xavier. She was only a student at his school for gifted youngsters. The "gifted" part being a euphemism for "mutant".
The Cheyenne girl, who was known for her ability to pull the deepest fears or desires from another's mind (and, in some cases, make them tangible), had fooled someone tonight. She'd managed to convince herself this horse was hers, she was back home in Colorado, and everything was the way it had been before her mutation manifested.
The sound of the barn door being thrown open, followed by a muttered curse, shocked Dani out of her daydream. She placed a hand on the horse's neck to steady him when he began to stir at the clatter.
"Shh, boy," she gently whispered. She stroked his neck a few times then placed the brush on the nearby ledge. "You stay here," she said as she opened the stall door. "I'll see who that is."
The horse whinnied.
She smiled. "I can take care of myself," she assured him. "Besides ... it's unlikely it's anyone dangerous." As she neared the end of the stall row, she heard the person - a boy - continuing to mutter. Once she recognized the voice, she came to a stop before she reached the open area then listened to him.
"So perfect, aren't they?" A clicking sound accompanied his voice, as usual. "Don't know what she sees in him, anyway."
Dani peered around the last stall. Another student - John Allerdyce - sat on a bale of hay, clicking his lighter off and on. He was upset about something and Dani had a decent idea of what it was, too. Hardly a secret around the school that John had taken a liking to Rogue. For the last few months, though, Rogue's relationship with Bobby Drake had become more serious. The usually cocky Pyro had gone from being bad to worse. Every chance he could get, he did something to try to catch Rogue's attention. Unfortunately, he latest attempt almost burned down an entire wing of the mansion.
She'd never really liked John since he'd arrived at the school via Dr. Jean Grey. He treated most people as though they were lesser beings. Back in Colorado, Dani had known plenty of people like him. Except they thought they were better because they were "true" Americans, not "natives". Also, he constantly complained about how humans had ruined his life, forcing him to end up at Xavier's school for mutants. That's what it was, day in and day out - negativity.
Tonight, Dani felt sympathetic towards John. He thought he was alone out there. He wasn't afraid to show his true feelings about the matter. She had to admit, she was amazed he did have feelings other than the negative ones.
"If you're not careful with that thing, you're gonna burn down the barn," she said. She half-smiled when John startled, nearly dropping his lighter onto the floor. "Professor Xavier wouldn't like that," she finished as she came a little closer to him.
John narrowed his eyes at the Indian girl. "Since when do you give a shit about what Xavier thinks?" he asked. [How long has she been standing there?] he angrily wondered. His hand gripped his lighter tightly. [If she breathes one word about anything she heard me say ... ]
"I don't," Dani answered as she came to a stop about three feet away from him. "I do care about the horses he keeps in this stable, though. Why don't you put that away before I take it away?"
He laughed, genuinely amused by the boast. "Hey, Chief, I'd love to see you try it." He held the lighter up, waving it from side to side as if to say, 'I dare you'.
Dani's gaze shifted to the stable doors as they flew open and a very perturbed Jean Grey entered. "John, what have we told you about playing with that thing on school grounds?" the teacher declared, motioning towards the lighter in his hands.
Surprised at the sudden appearance of Dr. Grey, John stumbled for an explanation. [Shit. She said she'd take it away if she caught me with it again,] he thought, panic washing over him. [Shit.]
While John was distracted by Jean, Dani closed the space between them, then easily snatched the lighter from his hand.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, turning his attention to Dani once more. "What the hell are you -?" He saw the smirk on Dani's face. Whirling around, he saw that Jean was no longer in the stable. In fact, she'd never been there. "You used your power!" he snapped, looking back to her. "That's not fair."
She shrugged. "You never said how I could try to take it," she simply replied. She took a seat on the bale across from him. "You really should work on your people skills, John. Maybe if you weren't such a jerk all the time, Rogue would take you more seriously."
"Why don't you shut up and mind your own business, Chief?" Turning his back to her, John continued to wallow in his self-pity.
Dani sighed, her expression softening. "I'm sorry," she quietly said. "It's just ... you're not exactly the friendliest person in this school, John."
John snorted. "Whatever," he grumbled.
"You know what she's like," Dani continued. She sat up a little straighter, his lighter passing from one hand to another. "How tough it's been on her the last couple of months, especially with her particular mutation. Then here you are ... acting like a moron, trying to impress her in the dumbest ways. That's not how to make friends, certainly not how to tell somebody you really like her."
"Excuse me, but didn't I tell you to shut the fuck up a minute ago?" John snapped over his shoulder at her. He narrowed her eyes a bit. "I came out here to be alone. So why don't you leave?" He faced forward again.
"I was here first. You wanna be alone, you leave."
He stood up, turning to face her as he did so. "Fine. Give me my lighter and I'll leave. You can stay out here and play with your friends." He held out his hand, palm up. "C'mon, Chief. I don't have all night."
Dani looked him in the eyes. For the first time, she felt sorry for him. The situation with Rogue had him tied in knots. Underneath all of his BS and bravado, he really was a person. One who was hurting, too. Shaking her head, she thought, [Too bad this isn't the side that Rogue sees. Maybe she'd give him more than a passing glance.]
Then she had an idea. A most brilliant idea, at that.
John noticed the expression on Dani's face change. "What?" he asked. "Are you gonna give me back my lighter or not?" She continued to stare at him, this time she nodded a bit. "What's wrong with you?"
"What if ... I could help you?" she finally said. "With your problem?"
His hand dropped to his side. "What problem?"
"What if ... "She stood up, coming closer to him. "... I could help you with Rogue? Help you in dealing with her? Get her to want to get to know you?" She could tell that the idea intrigued him, even if he wasn't saying anything. [This could really work, Dani,] she thought. [Given he takes it seriously. And, judging by the way he was moping a minute ago, he just might.]
John stared at Dani, suspicious. Not in the few years he'd attended Xavier's school with her had Dani Moonstar ever spoken this civilly to him. Granted, he'd never given her much cause to do so, but it still spooked him. Now, she offered to help him out. [Tread carefully,] he thought as he studied the Indian girl who was so eager to come to his aid. [She might be getting back at you for some of the shit you've pulled on her.]
"Okay ... how do you plan to help me?"
"I'll teach you how to talk to her," Dani replied. Off of his blank look, she added, "You know ... talk to her, like a person? The way Bobby does?"
He gave her a look that was far from amused. "So this idea of yours - it's a bunch of play-acting?"
"Sort of."
He laughed. "I get it." He poked a finger in Dani's shoulder. "You're going to pretend to be Rogue and I'll be me. Right?" He shook his head. "This is a waste of my time."
"If I had you pretend to be somebody, it wouldn't be you," Dani shortly replied. She folded her arms across her chest. "I'd have you be someone who's less of a dumbass."
His laughter stopped. "C'mon, Chief. What's the big plan?" He threw his arms open. "Hit me with it."
Her arms fell to her sides. "Okay." She gave a nod of her head, an indication for him to turn around.
He did. Standing in front of him was Rogue - that bright smile on her face. He glanced back at Dani. "You're doing this?" he cautiously asking, gesturing to 'Rogue'.
She nodded. "Pretty easy to do, considering she's your deepest desire." [One of them, anyway,] she added in her head. "She's going to help us." She gave him a shove forward. "Get to it." He was still uncertain about this ... this mirage in front of him. Rogue appeared real enough - from the two strips of white in her hair, to the rest of her body, right down to her feet. It was amazing how lifelike Dani's creation was. [If I had this girl's power, I'd never leave my room.]
"Can I touch her?" he asked, looking from 'Rogue' to Dani. When Dani nodded, he extended a hand to the other girl. His fingers brushed over 'Rogue's' flesh by accident, but the tingle he would've felt from skin-to- skin contact was not there. He jerked his hand away, terrified now of Dani's mirage. [She feels ... real.]
"I can't duplicate Rogue's power in my mirage," Dani explained when he looked from his hand over to her. "I do have my limitations."
"That's all right," he murmured as he turned back to 'Rogue'. "I ... I don't miss that part of her, that's for sure." How could Bobby stand to be so close yet so far away ... and not go crazy? He laughed a little. [Now, that's a situation that doesn't sound familiar, John.]
Dani clasped her hands together then cleared her throat. "Time to start the lesson. How To Talk To Rogue 101. Also known as How Not To Be A Complete Idiot 101." She flashed a grin at him when he merely glared in her direction. "Ask her to sit down. Pretend you're outside of the school and you just happened to find her. Alone."
"Okay." He rubbed his hands together, preparing himself for this 'lesson' to come. "Okay." [It's not really Rogue,] he reminded himself. [So don't feel bad if you say something really fucking stupid.] Yet, when he looked at the girl, that expectant smile on her face, he was at a loss for words. "I ... don't know what to say."
Dani rolled her eyes then stepped between John and 'Rogue'. "Let's pretend that you're already sitting down with her ... somewhere. I don't care." She placed her hands on John's shoulders then forced him to sit down on the hay bale. Using her power, she made the Rogue mirage take a seat across from John. "Now ... "She gestured to 'Rogue' before taking a step back. "Tell her how you feel."
John opened his mouth and it shut almost instantly. [What do I say? 'Hi, Rogue. I like you more than I should. So ditch Bobby Drake and go out with me.'?] He gazed into the eyes of the girl sitting across from him. [No. Somehow, that's probably not what she'd want to hear.]
He cleared his throat. "Uh ... hi, Rogue." [That part still works.] He glanced over to Dani, who waited for him to go on. He continued to rub his hands together, waiting for the rest of the words to come, then something occurred to him. "Hey ... is she gonna be able to talk back?" he asked of Dani.
"Only if I make her," 'Rogue' replied. The girl smiled again when John looked to her. "Just talk to me."
[You better be the one doin' that shit, Dani,] John thought as he regained what composure he had left.
"Hi," he said again, quite comfortable with that part of the conversation now.
"Why, hello, John. How are you?" 'Rogue' cheerily responded. "Hmm. I hope you haven't done anything boneheaded today ... like catching Professor Summers' classroom on fire?"
John shot a nasty glare to Dani, who smothered her giggles with one of her hands. "For Christ's Sake, would you stop screwing around?!" he snapped at her. "Rogue doesn't say shit like that, that's you talking!"
She held up a hand. "I'm sorry," she apologized in between snickers. "I couldn't help myself. It was too easy." She broke down into giggles again. The look on his face was worth it. He had that one coming.
"Fuck this." He stood up, holding out his hand to her. "Give me back my lighter. I thought you were going to help me, not make fun of me."
"Oh, sit down." Dani pushed him back down onto the bale. "I said I was sorry. I'll be serious." She saw the expression on his face. "I promise."
"One more trick like that outta you ... and you'll be on the next horse to the Happy Hunting Grounds, Chief," he bitterly muttered. He turned his attention back to 'Rogue'. She sat before him, relaxed and looking much like she did when she had something on her mind. "So ... Rogue," he began. His fingers kneaded together nervously as he avoided eye contact with the mirage Rogue. "I've been meaning to tell you something. For a while now."
"Why don't you look at me when you say it, John?" 'Rogue' suggested. She offered a small smile when John's eyes met hers. "What did you want to tell me?"
As he considered what he wanted to say, he temporarily forgot that this wasn't the real Rogue and that Dani was standing just behind him in the stable. "I've been acting pretty damn stupid lately, Rogue," he quietly said. "And I haven't been the best friend to you. Or Bobby." He paused. "Mostly not to Bobby, but there's a reason for that."
He stopped to draw in a deep breath, searching for the courage to continue to speak his feelings to her. Once more, his eyes found 'Rogue's'. "I like you. More than you know." He laughed uneasily. "Well, you know now ...but that's beside the point. Or it is the point." He shook his head. "What I'm trying to say is ... I know you're Bobby's girlfriend, but I had to tell you how I felt. I can't keep walking by you everyday and not have you know."
'Rogue' gazed at him with eyes full of compassion and, to an extent, wonder. A gloved hand reached out until it found one of his.
John stared at the hand on his then he looked at her once more. "I don't expect anything from you. You don't have to say anything, if you don't want to. I just needed to say it." His head dropped again, his jaw tightening. "That's it. That's all I'd have to say to her, Dani."
Gingerly, Dani placed her own hand on his shoulder. She couldn't believe she'd heard such sincere words come out of John's mouth. She'd never given him credit to have the potential for this level of selflessness. The Cheyenne saw him through different eyes now. If Rogue would, that was another story.
"It's a really nice thing to say," she softly said to him. As her mirage of Rogue melted away, Dani withdrew her hand from his shoulder. "And you shouldn't change a word of it when you do tell her, either."
He shook his head. "I couldn't say any of that to the real Rogue," he replied. "That wasn't her. It's why I was able to say it. I can't tell that to her, the real her."
"I'm sure if she were given a choice between that and a four alarm fire, she'd take that." She raised her eyebrows when John looked up at her. A slight smile appeared on her face then she offered him back his lighter. "You don't need any more help. At least, not the kind I'm qualified to offer."
The mood of friendliness between the two of them was gone. "You're really fucking funny, Chief," he flatly replied, snatching the lighter from her open hand. With that, he stood and left the stable, slamming the door shut behind him.
"A real laugh riot," she murmured, shaking her head.
Fini!