Title: Homesickness
Author: Me
Summary: On Rogue's first night at the school, she becomes suddenly intimidated by the new surroundings, and finds comfort in an unexpected place.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men. (I also got lazy about finding an interesting way to put this disclaimer)
Authors Notes:
1) I realize this is slightly AU, I'm not exactly sure of the chronological order of events, but I wrote it like this anyways.
2) I also know that I posted this before, but I was unhappy with it and wanted to edit it quickly. Don't feel the need to review; I just didn't want to leave it on the site with it looking the way it did before.
3) This is NOT a Scott/Rogue fic, despite what some people may think. This was originally written at a time when I was naïve to the effects that putting two people in the same story could have on a reader.
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What was the best thing about being at Xavier's school?
That was one thing Logan had asked her the last time she had seen him.
She had pondered the question for a few minutes, and gave him the straightest answer she could.
"It feels like home."
Quite possibly the lamest answer she could have given, but it was true. Even thinking about it now, it amazed her how someplace so different and far away from her home could make her feel so comfortable.
She remembered going away to camp as a child, and lying in her bunk at night, trying to hold back her tears so that the other children wouldn't know how homesick she was. She would have given anything at that moment to have her mother there, stroking her hair until she fell asleep.
She remembered feeling the same way on her first day in the mansion. Unsure of the rules, she had lain awake until quite late, unsure of whether or not she was allowed to wander the halls. She had met two of the girls in her room late last night, but once she started thinking about it, she couldn't remember their names.
She started to feel tears well up in her eyes at this new feeling of uncertainness. She had been so sure when Professor X had explained to her about this special school, that this was a place she could fit it. It was a feeling she hadn't had for several months now.
But nights have a way of bringing out your fears, and right then her fear was of doing something that would get her kicked out of school. She buried her face in her pillow, when she heard something at the door.
"Psst...Rogue!" It was that teacher, she realized, when she sat up in surprise. Scott, or something, she had heard Xavier call him.
He motioned for her to follow him out into the hallway.
"Are we...I mean, am I allowed?" She whispered. He smiled reassuringly.
"Of course. Come on." He had started walking down the hall and she scurried to catch up with him.
"How did you know I'd be awake?"
"One of the benefits of having a telepath for a girlfriend."
"Where are we going?" She asked him, shivering as her bare feet hit tile floor.
"Just thought we'd take a little walk," He replied, turning down a hall, and opening a door that led to a whole new set of stairs. Scott finally lead her outside onto a small patio, and onto a path that seemed to zigzag though the sprawling gardens, small pools, playgrounds, basketball courts and more that made up the front lawn of the mansion.
"It's amazing, isn't it? When I first came here, this was my favorite place to go.
"It must've been hard for you."
He glanced at her. It was hard to read his expression behind his glasses. "Why do you think that?"
It wasn't a denial, or a question that demanded and answer.
"Well, I mean, being in new place, with all these new people...its kind of...daunting I guess. Didn't you worry that you wouldn't fit in? That people wouldn't like you? Or..." Her voice caught in her throat. "That they made a mistake? And it turns out that you're not so special after all...you're just a..." She couldn't continue, her throat was too constricted.
"Shh...shh..." He said as he wrapped his arm around her. She buried her face in his shirt, noticing how comforting it was to not have someone pull away from her when she came near them.
"You're not a freak," He whispered. "You have a gift. And although it may not seem like it now, someday you're going to realize that."
"How can you be so sure?" She lifted her head up. He didn't answer, and she was suddenly scared that she had offended him. "I mean...sorry, that came out the wrong way, didn't it? That's not what I meant."
He looked down at her. "I know. But believe me, you'll figure it out on your own. At this time..." He looked at his watch. "You should be getting back to bed. You'll have busy day tomorrow, and I wouldn't want to be the one responsible for you falling asleep in class."
They headed back up to the girls room. When they got to the door, Rogue turned to him.
"Thanks," She said. "It…it meant a lot to me."
"Goodnight, Rogue." She slipped in the door and closed it quietly, not wanting to wake up the other girls. She started when she saw the three of them sitting on their beds, waiting for her.
"Oh! Oh...Sorry, I was just...um, yeah..." Then she realized something. "It's not what it looks like, I swear," She tried to explain.
"Of course it's not," replied the girl she was pretty sure was Kitty. "If it was, you'd already be kicked out...I'm joking!" She said when she saw the look on Rogue's face. "Come on," She patted the spot on the bed next to her. "We didn't get a chance to talk before. Tell us about yourself." She smiled warmly.
Rogue returned the smile.