A/N: Songs belong to Avril and Stroke 9. What do you all (y'all) think about alternate endings? Huh, huh?
I had a long somewhat bitter speech here, but I'm going to keep it short. Sorry that you hated chapter 5. If you read properly, rogue did not help kitty, Tess or jubilee steal the boxers. Chapter seven won't be up for a while, cuz I'm grounded (using school comp. right now). I need ideas for chapter 7, too. Back off bobby lovers. Some of you might know my first ff.net pen name was drakezgurl. He's is one of my fav X-Men, but I can make bobby a fucking psycho killer if I want, and I expect to get no shit from it. Know why? Cuz it's my story, and I can write want I want. People who want another iceman/rogue (not that they are bad) stop reading. I realize that this isn't all that short and that it is bitter. Thank you for you reviews, and thank you Rio.
Friday, 9 August 2002 – Monday, 12 August 2002
VI. Pajamas
The boxers Kitty gave me were now in Logan's possession. Not only was Logan convinced, now, that I liked Scott, he thought that Scott had mutual feelings, and had given me the boxers to show them. No doubt in his mind, I was the naive teenage girl that craved the attention of the hot older guy, but how believable was that. Why did this sound like I was describing a certain neighbor of mine? The chances of him not paying Scott a visit were close to nothing. I wondered if he would do it tonight or tomorrow. Jean would be the first to know. Either way, one thing would lead to another, and the trip down to the sublevel would be revealed. Just two more reasons to visit the professor. If Logan told Scott, not only would that be embarrassing, it would make things strange between Scott and me, but then again we had gotten pass the rumors of us dating each other. But that was completely different. He might think that the reason I hung around him was because I was obsessed with him, like I was… Kitty or something.
"Rogue?" Tess called from her bed. I turned in my bed towards her voice.
"Yes?" I answered groggily.
"Come with me downstairs, please? No questions, right now," she asked. Why did she want to go downstairs? I thought about it. Should I go with her, so she would not have to be alone in the dark, downstairs, or stay right where I was, in my warm comfortable bed.
"No," I answered, turning back around.
"Ouch, watch where you're going," Tess said, as she pulled me down the dimly lit hallway towards the stairs.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I replied sarcastically.
"I think these are the stairs," she said, holding my arm tighter as she tested them with one foot.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Shhhhh," she whispered. We walked carefully down the stairs, and when we got to the bottom she stood there, silently. I nudged her.
"This way," she said pulling me to the left, away from the dining room, lounge and kitchen towards the class rooms, the library and the front entrance.
"What do you and Scott usually talk about?" she asked me. I shrugged, and realize she could not see.
"I don't know," I answered.
"How do you not know?" Do you talk about school?" she asked.
"Not really," I answered.
"Logan and Jean?"
"Not really."
"Have you talked about why Scott broke up with Jean?" she asked curiously.
"No…."
"Sex?"
"No."
"Doesn't sound very exciting."
"We're not usually alone long enough to start a real conversation, with Logan, Jean, Bobby, Kitty and you coming in all the time."
"Sorry for being thirsty."
"And trailing along after Logan, and sending people-"
"I do not trail."
"If saying that makes you feel better," I said.
"Whatever."
"Which way?" I asked. She looked around.
"I think she said this way," she answered.
"Who?" I asked.
"Shhhhh. Do you think I should date Sam? He's sorta cute," she commented.
"If he wants to date you."
"What do you mean if? Logan said he liked me, didn't he?"
"Yeah, okay, sure."
"Here we are."
"What do you need from the garage?" I asked when she opened the door. We walked in, and she perused the key holder.
"Come on," she said grabbing one, and then pulling me through the garage. A car beep and flashed its lights, startling me and making me scream.
"Calm down!"
"Sorry, I thought we got caught or something."
"I pushed the alarm, so I could find the car," we walked towards a SUV.
"What'd you forget in here?" I asked. She opened the door, stepped on the car's footrest, sat down in the driver's seat and closed the door.
"What are you doing?" I whispered loudly. It was dawning on me. She started the engine. I quickly ran to the other side of the car, opened the door and hoped in, closing the door behind me.
"What are you doing!" I yelled.
"Shhhhh," she pulled the visor down, revealing the garage opener. She pushed the button, and the garage door opened, showing the pitch black sky twinkling with stars.
"It's so pretty. There were never this many stars in Beverly Hills with all the light and pollution, which ever is the cause."
"That's nice! What are you doing?! I shouldn't have even gotten in. I'm leaving." I told her trying to open the door. She pushed the lock button, and started to pull out from the car's parking spot in the garage.
"Stop freaking out! Don't you know that you're not supposed to jump out of moving vehicles!"
"Did you just lock me in?" I yelled. "What are you doing? Is there something I should know about you, Tess?"
"Calm down! We're going to the mall. I saw one on the way down here with Logan. It looked really big!"
"You forced me, against my will, out of me bed, in the middle of the night, to go to the fucking mall!" I screamed. This is what I needed to know, that she was a fucking psychopath.
"Watch you language," she said, as we drove down the drive towards the gate. I pulled my seatbelt on.
"Never again," I mumbled. I could have killed her.
"Uh huh, sure."
"I hope we don't even make it out of the gate," I told her.
"Shut up! So pessimistic! That's bad luck." The gate opened as we pulled up to it.
"Haha, it opened!" She revved the engine, and we pulled out of the drive, turning on the road that led us off of Xavier's property. I looked out of the window, and saw the sleeping mansion get smaller and smaller.
"Don't be mad, Rogue," Tess said, as I ignored her, and glared straight ahead through the window.
"When did Logan bring you here?" she questioned.
"Three days before he left," I stated.
"Did he find you in Canada?" she asked.
"Yes," I answered.
"Is that where you're from?"
"Mississippi," I answered.
"You ran away?" she inquired. I nodded.
"Me too," she said. "Do you like John?"
Well, I did not not like him. I shrugged.
"Scott's sorta sexy in a non-Logan way," she added.
"Uh huh," I replied not paying her any attention now.
"I knew you liked him," she added giggling.
"Did you? I thought you knew I liked John?" I said mockingly.
"Oh yeah," she mumbled. "do you?"
"You'll be the last to know," I laughed, knowing it was torture for her.
"What?" she screamed. "After all we've been through?"
I rolled my eyes. A trip to the sublevels and dinner, and we're soul sisters.
"Which one do you like better?" she asked.
"You can't ask that. Two completely different types of relationships."
"Yeah, whatever. I better be the first to know when you and John get together."
"What are you going to buy? Do you even have money?" I asked when we walked into the mall through the J.C. Penny's department store, down the aisle.
"Who says we have to buy anything? Let's go upstairs," she said. We kept walking and stepped onto the escalator. Someone cleared his throat as we stepped onto the second floor. We turned around and three guys were staring curiously at us. I realized we were still in our pajamas.
"Midnight shopping?" a guy with blonde hair asked.
"Exactly," Tess answered pulling me towards them. What the hell was she doing? We did not even know these guys. She started flirting with the blonde and one of the other guys.
"I'm Tess," she said. "This is R-Marie."
What was wrong with her?
"I'm Todd, this is Zack, and that's Ben," Todd, the blonde, said. Tess released my arm. Ben stood there, looking at me.
"Hi," I said. He reached out. I stepped back, but he took my arm anyway, pulled me over with him a couple of meters away from Tess, Todd and Zack.
"So what are you two doing out so late?" he asked. I shrugged. I really did not know.
"What are you doing out so late?" I asked him. He smiled.
"Hoping to meet someone like you," he replied. I could have walked away just then, after that cheesy line.
"Hold on," he told me, walking over behind one of the counters. He picked up a perfume sample card that was laying around, and found a pen. There was not a cashier in sight. He came back around, leaned over the counter and started writing something. I looked back at Tess, who was still flirting with the other two guys. I swallowed nervously. How long were we going to be here? Ben finished his note and looked up.
"We'll be right back," he told Tess, Todd and Zack. Who was we? He walked over to me, turned me around and slipped an arm around my waist.
"What-" I tried pulling away.
"We're not going far," he said escorting me down the hall into a different section of the store. He pulled me to the side, where we were hidden by racks of clothes. He stood there, grinning at me, then put his hands on my waist. I pushed his arms away.
"Shy?" he asked. He pulled me back, closer this time. The more I resisted, the harder his grip got. It was starting to hurt.
"Did you want something," I told him, putting my hands against his stomach to push away. He obviously took this the wrong way because he grinned, and leaned over me.
"No, wait! I need to get back," I told him, trying to push him away, unsuccessfully.
"We won't be long," he replied. He pulled closer again, this time bringing both hands behind my back. He raised my shirt a little, and slipped the card down the small of my back into the waistband of my pajamas. I pushed him away as hard as I could and pulled the card from my back and holding it in my hand.
"Don't look at it until you leave," he said. I started walking away, back to Tess, as fast as I could. He caught up with me.
"You don't have to play hard to get," he whispered as we walked back to Tess, Todd and Zack. Tess was still flirting with them.
"Yeah, well, I have to go," I mumbled.
"Can I get a good-bye kiss?" he asked. I tried to think of a way to get out of this.
"I don't kiss guys I just met," I said.
"Well, we didn't just meet," he said, grabbing my arm. It reminded me the night Bobby asked, and I realized that he was going to kiss me whether I wanted him to or not.
I repressed my powers as best as I could when his lips landed on mine. It was not that bad, and I wanted to kiss him back, until I remembered I barely knew him, and until he shoved his tongue down my throat. He moaned in my mouth, kissing me harder and rested his free hand on my waist. Was this guy trying to eat me? What kind of a good-bye kiss was this? How he expected me to make out with him after only knowing him for five minutes, was beyond my thought. He let go of my arm, and brought it up to my chest, and then the asshole started to feel my breast through my shirt, squeezing and such. I grabbed his hand and pushed it away, and then tried to push him away to keep from suffocating. I would not be able to hold my powers back for very long, and I was not sure I wanted to. He finally pulled back. I do not know if he did it for air or because he felt me pushing him away, but I did not care. He looked at my lips as he pulled up, and licked his. I pushed him back harshly.
"Bye," I called quickly as I walked to Tess. She was staring at me with her mouth open.
"We have to go, bye," she said as I came up to her. She linked her arm through mine and we started walking away.
"Looks like you and Ben got along very well," Tess stated. I glared at her.
"Shut up. Remind me to wash my mouth, when we get back," I told her.
We walked towards the escalator, and sat down on the step as it carried us down.
"What's that? His number?" she asked, looking at the card in my hand. I handed it to her. She read it, and her eyes widened.
"What's it say?" I asked.
"Wow, Roguey, you work quickly… or he does," she answered. I snatched the card from her and read it.
'I hope this is what you always look like when you wake up, because I like what I see. Let me find out sometime soon. Call me babe, 555-1010. –Ben'
My mouth dropped open. Slut. We stood up, and stepped of the escalator just as someone stood in front of us. We walked straight into his chest.
"Sor-" Tess started. We looked up and saw Logan, staring angrily down at us. Tess screamed loudly.
"Don't do that again," he growled. He grabbed both of us by the arms, and pulled us down the hall.
"H-how'd you know left?" Tess stuttered.
"I heard you," he answered. "Not the only one either."
Tess looked at me. "Did we disturb you and Jeannie?"
He glared at her. "What the hell were you thinking getting up in the middle of the night using one of the cars without askin' and coming to the mall, in your pajamas?"
"How'd you find us?" she asked.
"Had to wake Xavier up," he said. "to use the Cerebro. We thought you were runnin'."
"We're going to be in a shit load of trouble," she stated.
"How'd you guess?" he asked sarcastically. Tess gasped. Todd, Zack and Ben were coming down the escalator.
"Logan let go of our arms," she demanded, trying to pull away unsuccessfully. "Oh no!"
"What?" Logan turned around. "You're not talking to those guys."
He looked at her, then me.
"Are you sniffing us?" Tess asked. He looked at Zack, Todd and Ben.
"One of them was all over you," he told me. "Damn it, did he touch you?"
"Touch?" Tess laughed. "More like groped, petted, and some fondlation, too. I thought he was checking her for breast cancer or sumthin."
"Fondlation is not even a word," I said. Logan looked at them and yanked us towards them.
"Which one?" he asked.
"Ben, why?" Tess asked, then screamed as we started walking towards them.. "Noooooo!"
They looked at us, and she quickly straightened out her pajamas. Logan pulled us to the bottom of the escalator to wait for them.
"Which one of you is Ben?" he asked.
"I am," Ben answered.
"How old are you?" Logan asked.
"Twenty-three," he answered. My eyes widened.
"What?! How old are you?" Tess asked the Zack and Todd.
"Twenty-two," they said.
"Yeah, well you just molested two sixteen year olds," he growled, "and I'd do something about it, if I wasn't sure that they'd run as soon as I let 'em go."
They all stepped back.
"You're so rude, Logan. You're treating us like children," Tess told him as he pulled us off again. I looked over my shoulder to see them staring after us. Ben winked at me. I turned back. The pervert probably liked the idea of me being under eighteen.
"I'm not surprised the old one went after you, Rogue. I mean you being involved with Scott and all," Tess stated as we walked outside.
"Scott's not old," I said. Logan looked at me.
"What the fuck is wrong with you, Marie?!" Logan yelled suddenly. "You didn't even know that asshole. I'm not even going to start with Scott. Were you expecting to meet him in the kitchen tonight?"
I shook my head. "He gets headaches sometimes from his mut-"
"Is that what he tells you to lure you down there?"
"Whoa, Logan calm down," Tess said quietly. I felt sick, sick of everything. Logan and Ben.
"You're not going to cry, are you?" Tess asked. There must have been some tears because everything went blurry for a second, until I blinked. I shook my head. Logan sighed.
"How'd you get here?" Tess asked as we walked outside.
"Jean took the car back," he answered. Tess scowled.
"Get in the front," he told me. Tess opened the backdoor and got in. He waited until I got in, before he went to driver's side.
We had been driving for twenty minutes and Tess had fallen asleep. I was looking out my window, Ben's note crumpled in my hand.
"Marie," Logan called. I did not move, and he was quiet for a while.
"Marie, that guy… was too old for you," he told me. Was this supposed to be some sort of consolation or something? I continued looking out the window.
"You'll probably never see him again," he continued. Maybe, if I did not call him. I fingered the note.
"You probably know this… is that why…."
"He kissed me, Logan. I didn't kiss him back and I tried to stop him, but he was too strong," I answered finally. He did not say anything.
"Surprised?" I asked. "Not the little slut you thought I was?"
"I never said-"
"Doesn't matter." I looked at the note in my hand.
"A note."
"From who?" That guy? Ben?" I did not answer him. "Shit, Rogue, why-"
"He put it down the back of my pants. He was sort of aggressive. Caught me by surprise."
"What's it say?" he asked.
"What me to read it?"
"Yes," he answered. I sighed.
"You can't take it away from me after I'm done," I said.
"What's it say?" he asked.
"Promise you won't or I won't read it," I demanded.
"I won't. Read it," he replied. I smiled.
"'I hope this is what you always look like when you wake up, because I like what I see. Let me find out sometime soon. Call me babe, 555-1010. –Ben'," I read laughing. Logan's knuckles were white from griping the steering wheel to tight.
"You're not calling him?" he stated more than asked.
"I don't know," I said. He looked at me.
"You're not calling him," he growled.
"I don't know," I repeated, saying it just to play with him.
"Marie," he growled.
"Logan," I said, trying not to laugh. I went back to my window.
"Look, ki-Rogue… Marie, I'm sorry," he muttered. I looked at him surprised.
"About before. Yelling at you, and before that, back at the mansion. Accusing you of doing those things Bobby said you did.
"And not exactly talking to you when I came back," he apologized. "Seems like you and Tess are-"
"Yes," I answered. "You're forgiven."
"Maybe the three of us could… do something."
"… Sure," I answered, looking out the window.
"Did something happen after I left?" he asked.
"… Another round of reality," I told him. He nodded.
"Still have the tags?" he asked. I smiled.
"Yes," I answered.
"Are you wearing them?" he asked.
"Yes, but… don't take it personally," I answered. He grinned.
"You're teaching a class?" I asked smiling.
"Yeah, don't have much of a choice."
"Don't expect me to be teacher's pet."
"I'd rather you weren't… how's it goin' with John?"
"Fine. Last time I was with John," I looked at the clock, "two hours ago, he was fine."
"About that last time. 'Hanging out' in your pajamas… playin' with boxers… my boxers… and Sc-"
"We weren't 'playin' with boxers'. He took them from me, and I was trying to get them back."
"Yes, I heard."
"Yeah, I know. I'll watch my language."
"Are you two dating?" he asked.
"No… it would have been lees than a day and I cheated on him with Ben…"
"You're not calling him."
"I don't know… he sorta turned me on with his tongue being shoved down my throat, and his breast squeezing," I answered, teasing Logan. He grabbed the note, and rolled down the window.
"No! I was just joking?" I tried snatching the note from him. "No, Logan, please, when's the next time I'll ever get a note like that?"
"I don't know," was he mocking me?
"Logan," I called. He threw the note at me, and rolled up the window. I grabbed it.
"Or the next time I go to the mall with Tess," I reached out and turned on the radio.
"Are you aware of what you make me feel, baby?/Right now I feel invisible to you like I'm not real/Didn't you feel me lock my arms around you?/Why'd you turn away? Here's what I have to say/I was left to cry there/Waiting outside there/Grinning with a lost stare/That's when I decided…/Why should I care?/Cause you weren't there/when I was scared I was so alone/You, you need listen/I'm starting to trip/I'm losing my grip/and I'm in this thing alone-" Logan reached out and changed the station. Tess popped up between our seats. The music must have woken her up. She looked freaked out.
"Sorry," I said. She nodded.
"No…I just don't understand why/You won't talk to me/It hurts, I'm so unwanted from nothing/Don't talk words against me/I wanted to know you/I wanted to show you/You don't know me Don't ignore me/You don't want me there you just shut me out/You don't know me, don't ignore/If you had your way you'd just shut me out/Make me go away/Make me go away-" he changed it once again.
"It sounds like you wrote those songs, Rogue," Tess said.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"I don't know," she sat back, "for Logan. Except for the holding part, of course. You gonna call Ben?"
"I don't know," I answered.
"You should get to know him. I thought was what you were doing when you went with him, but you came back too quick. Zack and Todd weren't my type. You always get the good ones. Scott, John… it's not fair. I'm stuck with Logan and Bobby. Why didn't anyone tell me about Bobby?"
"What?" Logan asked. "Did you not hear anything I told you yesterday night?"
"Doesn't count. It was after we started dating," she answered.
"The same day you meet him. You're anything but stuck with me."
"You're just like Bobby. Using Jean. She's probably using you, too. To get back at Scott for dumping her. He dumped her. Jubilee said it was very risky for him to do that. He risked his life to be with you, Rogue," she stated quickly.
"Yeah," I said. Logan looked at me angrily.
"I was joking," I told him. Tess sat up, and changed the station.
"I GET STUPEFIED! -" I changed the station.
"How'd you get the boxers?" Logan asked us. "I still want mine back, Tess."
"Kitty. Just don't tell Scott," I said.
"Does he know you have his boxers?" Logan asked. I shook my head. He did not say anything.
"Is that an okay?" I asked.
"I don't know," he said. I went back to my window, and Tess sat back.
"Don't wanna talk about it I say why not? Don't wanna think about it I say there's got to be some good reason/ for your little black backpack, up smack/turn around he's on his back/and don't wanna tangle with you/I'd rather tangle with him/I think I'm gonna bash his head in/And this shouldn't concern you, except that/just don't expect to get you bloody black backpack back/don't wanna tangle with you/I'd rather tangle with him/I think I'm gonna bash his head in/And this shouldn't concern you, except that/just don't expect to get you bloody black backpack back…."
"Sounds like John found out about Ben," Logan said.
"No, sounds like Tess doesn't want to give you your boxers back," I said.
VI Pajamas