I'm back, baby!!!! Thanks for waiting for me. And for your wonderful, wonderful reviews!!! It really cheered me up on my first day back.

Sarah - Thank you!!! I really don't deserve that much praise ... Oh well if you insist *rolls around in it* I'm just glad that you guys are enjoying it.

hjh-31 - Thank you for the flowers!!! Sorry about the suspense, but how was I able to keep my edge?!!! And don't let idiots bother you!!!! I was really upset about that comment you got. Some people are just jerks! Stiff upper lip and all that!! But I'll give you this to make you feel better *hugs* And thanks for the kick up the arse!!! You owe me dessert!

fairydustcloud, your worshipfulness and K.K.L. - Glad you guys are liking it. You have been my faithful reviewers, so I'm happy that I haven't made it stale. You guys keep me fresh!!

Kestrel - Thanks!!! Glad to help someone convert!!! Another one to the flock. Thanks about the Lance/Rogue comment, wasn't sure I was getting it right. I'm still brainstorming on the whole "Untouchable" issue, but I'm heading towards something, but if it doesn't work, tell me and I'll go a different way. The whole Freddie/Todd thing, well, they don't figure much in the story and I'm not a huge fan of theirs, so I just kept them to a mention. We'll just say that they're there and keeping a low profile!!!

The op went OK, thanks to everyone who asked. Bit of a hairy moment apparently (I was asleep), when my oxygen levels dropped rapidly, but I'm still here.

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Rogue leaned against the railing and sighed loudly. Lance stood next to her.

"Are you OK?" He asked, looking at her. Rogue stared out at the harbour, The boat was still docked and not due to set sail for another three hours.

"Ah don't know. She nearly died, an' ah just stood there. It was like ah couldn't move. What kind of friend am ah?" She said, trying not to think of the 'what if's'

Lance put a hand on her shoulder, a spark shot through him, but he ignored it, "I know you wanted to help, Rogue, but what could you have done? That tide was too strong, and it was only because of Pietro's mutation, that he made it out alive."

Rogue looked at him, they were standing very close to each other, "Ah guess, but it did make me realise how every day could be ya last, ya know?"

Lance smiled, "Yeah. I've kinda been thinking the same thing."

Rogue turned to face, "An' how ya should not take things for granted."

"So what you're saying is, don't put things off. Carpe diem."

"Exactly, say what ya think there an' then."

Rogue looked into Lance's brown eyes. They were inches away from each other. She could feel the electricity between them. Lance bent his head down, as if to kiss her, but Rogue stepped back.

"Ah've gotta go, Lance. Ah can't leave Kitty. Sorry." She stammered, backing up. Without waiting for a reply, she turned and ran.

"Rogue, wait!" Called Lance, but she was gone. 'Dammit!' He thought, 'Were we about to kiss?'

He started to head back to his cabin, 'Nah, it was just the pressures of what's happened. That's all.' He reasoned to himself.

***********************************

Rogue ran into the cabin like she was being chased by a mad axe murderer.

"Someone shot you out of a canon?" Asked Kitty. She was still in bed, but she was no longer white with shock.

"No!" Squeaked Rogue. There was no way she was about to tell Kitty that she had almost kissed Lance Alvers. 'Is he tryin' tah get himself killed?' She thought.

Her attention turned to the bag, still lying on Kitty's bed, "What's that?"

Kitty looked at her seriously, "Pietro gave it to me. Look inside."

Rogue picked it up and pulled out the contents. She knew at once what she was holding.

"He gave ya this? But, it's was $250!" She cried.

Kitty sighed, "I know. We had this huge fight over I don't know what, and he just threw this at me and left."

"Why? Why would he spend $250 on ya? No offense, but ya hardly best friends." Rogue sat on her bed, still gobsmacked.

"I don't know!" cried Kitty. She was in an emotional frenzy. She had tried to work it out. She knew Pietro hated her, but if he did why would he buy her a $250 dress? Plus he saved her life, but she already knew that he was doing it for the hero reputation.

But, then there was his behavior before they started arguing. Was he starting up with the boyfriend act again? But, if he was why had he stormed out.

"Arrgghh!!" yelled Kitty. Her mind was spinning. She didn't need this. Suddenly it hit her.

"I know exactly what he's playing at!" She cried triumphantly. Rogue looked at her like she was crazy.

"He's trying to psych me out! He knows that I'd over analyze it until I go mad." She was getting herself more and more worked up.

Rogue stopped her before the madness could continue, "Kitty, this is a TWO HUNDRED AN' FIFTY DOLLAR dress! No matter how much Pietro hates ya, ah don't think he'd go tah this length tah upset ya."

"Well? What's your answer then?"

"He was in the store when ya were tryin' the damn thing on. Mahybe he felt sorry for ya or mahybe he likes ya and wanted tah show ya how much." Reasoned Rogue.

Kitty narrowed her eyes, and asked dangerously, "So he either pity's me or he wants to buy me?"

"No! That's not what ah meant." Cried Rogue. But Kitty was far too mad for any form of reasoning.

"I'll kill him. Who does he think he is? Egotistical maniac!" Snarled Kitty, climbing out of bed. Not caring about the fact that she was still wearing her bathrobe or that two hours ago she had nearly drown, she grabbed the dress from Rogue and stormed out.

Her steam had run out by the time she got to Pietro's suite. She was still furious, but exhausted.

She knocked on the door. Lance answered, looking annoyed himself.

"Kitty? What's wrong?" he asked. She was pale and breathing heavily.

"Where's Pietro?" She managed to snap.

"In the bathroom, having a shower." Lance answered. Kitty brushed past him and phased through the bathroom door.

"You can't go in there!" Protested Lance, but it was too late.

The bathroom was full of steam, but Kitty could just make out Pietro standing in the cubicle.

"Ahem!" She said, loudly. Pietro looked up in shock and cried, "Kitty!" He grabbed his towel and covered himself up. Turning a wonderful shade of red he looked at her.

"What are you doing?" He cried.

Kitty waved the dress and shouted, "So which is it? You pity me or you wanted to buy me?"

Before he could reply, she continued, "I don't really care. I wanted this dress so much, but I am neither a charity case or a whore!"

She threw the dress at him. Before he could begin to defend himself she had phased out again.

"Bugger!" He yelled, running out after her, but she had already left.

Lance looked at him, he raised an eyebrow.

"Something you want to tell me?" He asked, bemused.

Pietro went back into the bathroom and slammed the door.

******************************

Kitty refused to leave the cabin after that. She didn't want to bump into Pietro, who seemed to turn up every hour, trying to get in.

She bribed Rogue into bringing her food and the older girl was more than happy to shut the door on Pietro everytime he knocked.

Rogue was content enough to go along with Kitty's seclusion. It meant she didn't have to talk to Lance, and if she did see him, she just made up an excuse about not wanting to leave Kitty and ran back to the cabin.

By Saturday, Pietro had had enough. Kitty had caught him off guard, not to mention naked, and he wanted to tip the scales back into this favour.

Early that morning he banged on the girls' door. Rogue answered looking decidedly peeved. She was about to yell at him for walking her, when he sped behind her, pushed her out and locked the door.

She didn't even have time to blink. Spinning around she started to bang on the door. After a few minutes she realised that he wouldn't open it and that her only alternative was to get Lance to do some damage control.

'Just get him tah get that moron outta mah room an' don't think about Wednesday.' She thought, mentally preparing herself as she set off to the boys room.

************************

Kitty hadn't been disturbed by the noise, so Pietro tried to wake her.

"Pryde, wake up." She moaned slightly and turned over. Pietro went into the bathroom and returned with a glass of water. He tried once more.

"PRYDE! I want to talk to you. WAKE UP!"

Kitty mumbled something that sounded like, "Just five more minutes, Mom." And slept on.

Pietro accepted his fate and threw the water onto her. Kitty bolted upright gasping. She blinked and then focused on him.

"You! How did you get in here?" She demanded.

"I just wanted to explain about what happened." He snapped back. 'This is going to go well.' He thought sarcastically.

Kitty scowled and crossed her arms. When she didn't reply, Pietro took that as an invitation.

"I don't know why I bought the dress. If it means anything, the store clerk asked if I wanted to try it on first, to make sure it fitted."

Kitty smiled despite herself. Pietro grew more confident.

"I saw you try it on and you looked so upset when you saw the price. I ... I just.." Pietro was struggling, "I DON'T KNOW!"

Kitty looked mildly shocked, then asked doubtfully, "So you spent $250 because you .. Don't know?"

"Yes." Replied Pietro. He sat on Rogue's bed.

"All right." She said slowly, then asked, with all the patience of someone talking to a small child, "So would you like me to apologise?"

Pietro answered before his brain could stop him, "Well, it's not like I bought you a diamond necklace or anything."

"Fine! I'm sorry! OK? Happy now?" Snapped Kitty. She was annoyed. 'Why the hell am I apologising?' She thought.

"Oh, very!" Replied Pietro, sarcastically. He stood up, "Nice talking to you, Pryde."

"Later, Maximoff." She shot back, her voice full of venom.

She watched the door close and leaned back against the headboard. 'What just happened?' She thought.

****************************

Rogue had already knocked twice before she remembered that she was wearing her 'Yellow, fluffy chickens' pajamas.

'Suck it up.' She advised herself, knocking for a third time. She knew Lance was in. He never woke before noon if possible.

"Lance, open up. It's me, Rogue." She called. She heard a thud and a few seconds later, he opened the door, rubbing his shoulder.

"Are ya OK?" She asked, looking at his shoulder.

Lance blinked, trying to wake up, "Yeah, I fell out. Nothing major. Rogue, it's 7:30. What are you doing here?"

"Pietro's in mah room. He's locked me out. Ah need ya tah get him tah open the door." She replied, trying to ignore the fact that Lance had seen her pajama's and was starting to smirk.

"What's so funny?" She asked, dangerously. Lance turned into the room, saying "Nothing." But she could see his shoulders shaking.

'Men!' She thought, she stopped in the door way, 'When did ah start thinkin' of Lance as a man?' Worried by her thoughts, she turned her attention back onto the situation at hand.

"I swear he's getting worse." Lance muttered about Pietro, pulling on a clean T-shirt. Rogue caught sight of his muscled chest and, despite herself, blushed.

Luckily, Lance didn't notice and they set off back to the girl's room. They had just turned into the hallway when Pietro came out, slamming the door behind him. He saw the two of them and stopped.

"Oh, great. Here's Mom and Dad. Don't you two have anything better to do than follow me around, creating problems? Go back to your own private soap opera." He snapped, rolling his eyes.

"Soap Opera? What are you ." Started Lance. Rogue cut him off.

"What did you do to Kitty?" She yelled, balling up her fists, "If you've ..."

"I didn't do anything to her. She wishes!" He smirked. Catching Rogue's death glare, he quickly added, "I apologised, offered an olive branch, called a truce. Capeche?"

Rogue muttered something and went back into her cabin. The two boys heard her bolt the door.

"How do you do it?" Asked Lance.

"Do what?" Pietro said, looking confused.

"Go through life being such an ass, yet always manage to come out smelling of roses." Sighed the older boy.

Pietro grinned, "Just lucky, I guess."

*****************************

Rogue didn't know what Pietro had said to Kitty, but she noticed a change immediately. The younger girl was bubbly, to the point of sickening, again. By ten o'clock Rogue was on the verge of strangling her.

Kitty had wandered out for breakfast and came back beaming, "Guess what!" She cried, storming into the room, making Rogue smudge her eyeliner.

"What?" asked the Goth girl, reaching for a tissue and trying to correct the damage.

"I've just seen Aims and she told me that there's a dance tonight! She said it's on the itinerary." She picked it up and scanned the list of activities, "Oh yeah. Wonder why I missed that."

"Probably, cause ya've been so busy with Pietro." Muttered Rogue.

"What?" Asked Kitty, distractedly, looking at her friend.

"Ah said, ah don't know why ah bought this eyeliner." Replied the older girl, smoothly.

Kitty frowned at her, but let it go, "So what am I going to wear? It's formal dress." She asked, opening her closet and browsing through.

"Ya had the perfect dress, but ya threw it back at Pietro." Sighed Rogue, knowing what was coming.

Kitty's face fell, "Oh. And I can't ask him for it. Damn it!" She kicked the bed, in frustration.

Rogue checked her reflection, and stood up, "Ah'm goin' out for a while." She said. Kitty had laid down on her bed and was beating the pillow with her fists.

'Ah'm such a good person, ah can hardly stand mahself.' Rogue thought, leaving the room and heading for Lance's cabin.

On arriving, she knocked on the door, praying that Lance wouldn't be in. For once, the fates were working for her and Pietro opened the door.

"If you've come for Lance, he's out. And I haven't done anything." He said, crossing his arms.

"Ah didn't come for Lance. Ah came tah get that stupid dress for Kitty." She replied. Pushing past him, and opening his closet.

"Hey!" Cried Pietro. He was about push her away, when Rogue found it. She turned to him.

"Look, ah seriously doubt ya gonna wear it yaself, and ya know she looks great in it. Let's not play around. Ah'll take it an' say ya gave it back."

Pietro simply shrugged, "Fine. I mean, it wont fit Melissa. She's bigger than Kitty, if you know what I mean." He started grinning.

Rogue unfortunately did, she shook her head and walked to the door, "Ah'm sure Kit'll thank ya. But try and stay away from her tonight. She's got a date."

As she expected Pietro reacted to her lie. "I don't know why you think I care! I've got a date." He snapped.

Rogue smiled, "Just checkin'. Bye." She left the room, grinning to herself.

Pietro sat down on his bed. 'So she's got a date?' He thought, 'That Rogue's got way too much time on her hands. All she does is interfere.'

A smile played on his lips, he knew exactly how to get Kitty's annoying, self appointed 'older sister' and his patronising room mate out of the picture.

"Time for someone to take control!" He said out loud.

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I know it's been along time in coming, and I'm sorry. I got it into my head that this was crap (I've been reading a lot of other, better, Kietro's at the minute) and lost the will to continue. So everybody thank Hailey!!!! She pulled me up on it. And I realised I was letting you guys down.