Title: The twist inside: Can I go now?
Author: Autumn
Summary: Rogue grows discontent with the way things are progressing with the men in her life.
Rating: PG-13 this part (heats up a bit later on)
Main characters: Marie, Logan, Bobby, Kurt/Ororo
Setting: Post X2
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Bryan Singer, 20th Century Fox, Marvel etc. Maybe if I give them money I could buy them?
Archive: API, DH, others please ask first.

Chapter 2: Can I go now?

I was torn between finishing what I'd started with Logan and going after Bobby. Truth be told the first option was infinitely more appealing. The hurt on Bobby's face only registered for a micro- second before something more rebellious took hold and I leaned in and kissed Logan hard on the mouth. Before he had time to react I pulled away and grabbed Bobby. "We need to talk," I said and pulled him down the path.

We hadn't even stopped walking when Bobby started ranting about my little stunt. "I can't even pretend to be surprised."

He began surprising me with the tactics he was employing. I had quite expected something else.

"John was right about you. You were too hung up on Logan, you always have been."

My temper flared again, who the hell did he think he was? "You stupid boy. Your friend went off and joined the Caped Wonder of Evil! And you think you have good judgment?"

"Shut up. Shut up!" Bobby yelled.

"Or you'll do what?" I have to admit I was enjoying this.

The color had flamed in Bobby's cheeks, he looked pissed. "I'm breaking up with you."

"So?"

Bobby looked me over once, his eyes as cold as his breath. "You're not who I thought you were."

"Yeah well life's tough."

The silence between the two of us was beyond uncomfortable. He shot daggers at me through his eyes, while I glared back at him. I cracked under the pressure first. "Can I go now?"

I knew that would set him off, sure enough Bobby gave a final stare and took off.

After Bobby left, despite myself I felt drained. Now that I'd gotten things off of my chest with Bobby and Logan, I felt somewhat annoyed at myself. I've always been a hothead, and I always feel somewhat guilty after I vent my frustrations and my anger. The worst part was that I didn't have anybody to talk to about all of this now. Nobody will listen to anything about Saint Jean, since everything I say is fairly treasonous. Bobby and I never talked about anything besides surface things like music or the weather. Since we're ex now I can say that I always questioned weather he was actually capable on anything deeper than `me want food, TV good.'

"Rogue, can I talk to you for a minute?" I was interrupted from my internal diatribe by Storm.

I love being in her office. It always smells like freshly cut grass after a rainstorm. It's a weird description, but I mean that it always smells fresh and clean. Storm has all sorts of artifacts from all over the world. She's a history teacher, so that makes sense but she has things from African and European countries that most people can't pronounce. There's a new addition since the last time I'd been in here. "Nice picture of Kurt. Where was that taken?"

"Prague. Near the Charles Bridge"

"That Bamfing he does must come in handy."

"Yes. We save a lot on air fare as well." Storm gave a small smile.

"Do you wanna tell me what's going on? You've been so distant since the lake."

I didn't know what to say to her. Jean was her best friend, and while she wasn't close with Logan, she respected him. As if reading my thoughts, Storm said, "you should talk about whatever it is that's making you so angry Rogue. Even if you think nobody wants to listen."

"Jean is ruining my life." The words flew out of my mouth before I could think about them-but I knew them to be true.

"Go on." Storm said, her face impossible to read.

"I just feel like I'm the one who drowned. And I keep fighting to reach the surface, but everything I say and everything I do is wrong so the undertow just keeps pulling me down. It's like I'm supposed to feel guilty for trying to get on with my life and not focusing on the end of hers."

Storm's face clouded over and I braced myself for a thorough tongue-lashing. "I know how you fee. Nobody will talk to me about Jean because they are afraid of how I'll react. It feels just as bad as bottling up your feelings, eventually you can't hold it all in anymore."

I felt a huge rush of relief wash over me. The last person in the world I expected to talk to about this knew how I felt.

"I know you didn't like Jean very much and I appreciate your honesty to how you feel. People here that didn't care for her much aren't honoring her memory by pretending that they like her now." She spoke quietly.

Once we got talking, we continued on well into the evening. It was just such a relief to hear somebody else voice the thoughts that I'd been having. "Bobby dumped me."

"I'm sorry." Storm sympathized.

" I'm not." I added after a beat, realizing how bitchy it sounded.

"He was-not a mistake exactly, but I shouldn't have gone out with him."

"Perhaps you should try to patch things up with him though. Especially if you intend to work together on the team."

Kurt's arrival brought an end to our discussion as he and Storm had a `romantic night in Venice' planned. I left feeling better about what had happened earlier that day. I wasn't really concerned or looking forward to talking with Bobby, but at least I had a better idea of how to handle Logan. The waiting game was over, and I strode towards his room