A/N (6/27/05): Good Lord Almighty! It's been TWO flippin' years since I even lifted a finger to update a fanfic. I swear, this chapter was originally scheduled to debut on January 4, 2004!
Hello, everyone! You may not remember me, but I am the authoress Onyx Eyes, recently raised from the grave! I am SO sorry for this. I started this fanfic my sophomore year in high school and now I'm going into my senior year a better writer!
Today I reread this fic and my reaction was this: I pushed the keyboard away, slammed my forehead into my desk, and cried. Yes, cried. I was absolutely appalled at the ooc-ness and the weak plot and the occasional spelling errors. What an insult to X-Men! Shame on me. I promise all of you, from this chapter on, it will be better. (I really don't feel like rewriting and reposting the previous chapters…what's done is done, and what's lost is lost…like all my readers, for example, lol. Come baaaaaack!)
Also, after much consideration, I have decided that I no longer like Hakan and I will go ahead and take a previous reviewer's advice and kill him off. Well, not really. But I'll tell you now that he's not gonna be a happy camper by the last chapter.
Lemme see if I still have it ((cracks knuckles)) Here we go!
Sunday morning dawned and Rogue rose with the sun. She'd arrived home past twelve and found that Evan had gone to sleep. Following his example, she had escaped into the arms of slumber as her head hit her pillow. But something had been bothering her. She rubbed her eyes and tried to remember what it was. There was something missing from her room…ah! Yes, her journal! It wasn't in its usual place under her pillow when she'd groped for it last night; only, she had been too tired to clearly grasp the devastation of its absence.
Now she jumped out of bed in alarm, her eyes desperately scanning the floor, desk, and bed for it. She fell to her knees to peek under her bed and under the other furniture in the room. Nothing, except for the occasional lost sock and dust bunny.
What was she going to do? The thought of someone reading it, especially someone she knew, turned her stomach. She'd die! The humiliation and embarrassment she would face…argh, she didn't even want to think about it. But where could the journal have gone? She never took it out of her room since she'd gotten there. Never! But…
Her eyes widened as she slowly straightened up, horror filling her being. One name screamed in her head, the name of a dead man if he was found guilty.
EVAN.
As exhausted as he was, Evan could have slept through any natural disaster. Well, the heavy hand that delivered a painful smack to the side of his head was no natural disaster, and it was effective in rousing him from sleep. He groaned and brought a hand to the throbbing spot as he reluctantly opened his eyes to look at his attacker.
Rogue's expression of dark anger quickly dispelled any lingering desire he'd had for sleep. She was still in her orange and green pajamas, her face free of makeup and her hair tousled. Had she not been glowering at him like she wanted to strangle him at that very moment, he would have asked her if she wanted to join him in bed.
"I'm gonna ask you once, Evan Daniels, and you'd better tell me the truth," she growled, her hands clenched into fists. "Did you take a white journal from my room?"
Evan's heart skipped a beat and he started to sweat as his mind flickered to the little journal that was hiding comfortably beneath his underwear in his drawer. He was in for it now. He'd read every single one of her entries with all the eagerness of an irrespective snoop, and he had learned a few things he was sure she didn't want anyone to know. It was wrong of him, and he deserved the merciless pain she would surely bestow upon him. That would be the only way he would come close to repenting, and that would be the only way he could walk out of this as a man.
"No, I did not take a white journal from your room," he said finally.
Well…so much for walking out of this as a man.
She leaned forward a bit, her face shadowed with suspicion. "You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure, I'm sure."
Sighing, she whirled around and marched toward his door, her hands rubbing her temples. "Fine, I believe you." She left the room muttering about the lost object and what she would do if someone had even cracked it open.
Evan shuddered at the colorful descriptions of her fading words as she walked down the hall. Technically, he hadn't fully lied to her. The question was "Did you take a white journal from my room?" No, he did not take a white journal from her room. He found one on the floor. So he was only a half-liar. Right?
Wrong. He sat up and buried his head in his hands. He'd have to own up sooner or later…that was inevitable. She was going to hate him, and that was the thing he feared the most. Never mind that he would spend the next few weeks nursing no less than twenty bruises and perhaps a broken bone or two. She was going to hate him.
Truth be told, he had liked her for a long time, even when they were still at the institute. It was just that he had done everything in his power not to acknowledge it. He could just see everyone's reactions if they'd known. The new recruits would probably have teased him to no end. Scott, Jean, and Kitty would have immediately escorted him to be examined by Mr. McCoy, thinking that he'd most definitely lost his mind. And Kurt…he would have popped Evan into another country. That is, after suitably beating him up.
Anyone would agree that it was actually dangerous for people to know about his feelings. Well, for him, anyway. Even he was questioning his own sanity. He couldn't remember exactly when he'd begun to like her or why. He just…did.
Logan, you're the biggest asshole who ever walked the face of the earth. I hate you, Rogue thought heatedly. This is all your fault.
How was it that he'd gotten two underage teenagers living by themselves in an apartment? This wasn't even legal! But then, there was Professor Xavier, who could mold officials' minds to making an exception in their case. Why had the professor gone along with this stupid idea? Evan's attitude hadn't much improved and his behavior was still far short of gentlemanly, not to mention that his eloquence was just about as charming as mud. What were they trying to prove?
She hadn't undergone a miraculous improvement, either. Sure, she'd met and befriended Hakan and Eyrie, but she was still Rogue. Besides, when she and Evan returned to the institute, she'd probably be forbidden to hang out with Hakan again. The guy was twenty-one, for crying out loud. He was old enough to drink while she couldn't even vote yet. Was this a bit criminal?
Overall, the disappearance of her journal was solely Logan's fault. If he hadn't sent her here, it wouldn't have been missing! She was ready to march back over there and slap him silly. Not that it would do much good. He'd barely feel it and she'd just end up hurting her hand. It was so unfair.
She was driving around town absently, not caring where she went. It was when she stopped at a red light that she heard a familiar voice calling from the sidewalk.
"Hey, Rogue! Like, I'm totally glad I found you!"
Rogue looked to the right and found the valley girl running toward her, waving. Luckily for Kitty, there were no other cars driving up the other lanes. Well, she could probably have just phased right through them if there were.
She reached the side of the convertible and hopped in. "I was worried I was gonna get lost and this part of town is so, like, creepy."
"What are you doing here?" Rogue asked her as she put on her seatbelt and fixed her hair.
"Oh, I just wanted to come visit you guys. You know, to see how everything is and how you're holding up," Kitty replied, grinning cheerfully. "Actually, I snuck here by myself because everyone at the institute was so, like, stingy and wouldn't let me borrow their cars."
The light turned green and Rogue stepped on the acceleration. "That probably wasn't such a hot idea, Kitty. It could have been dangerous."
"Don't be such a worry wart. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," Kitty said, waving her hand dismissively. "So anyway, how are you and Evan doing?"
"I'll tell ya. Ever since we got here, all I've been thinking about was murdering Logan," Rogue told her in a hard voice. "Evan and I are getting on each other's last nerve, the school is filled with students who were shipped straight from hell, and my journal's lost!"
"Your…journal?" Kitty asked, her ears perking up in interest. "As in…a diary?"
"No! It's a journal! A journal!" Rogue insisted as she turned a corner. "I don't keep wussy things like diaries!"
Nevertheless, Kitty was giving her a wry look and a knowing smile. "Like, it's okay, Rogue. You're allowed to be girly once in a while."
The older girl's hands were tightening on the steering wheel and she was seriously contemplating just driving off the nearest bridge.
"Anyway," Rogue said through gritted teeth, "I think this whole idea is a waste of time. I don't even know how long we're supposed to stay here."
"According to Logan, you're stuck here until you and Evan die from misery," Kitty chirped unsympathetically.
"That's what he told you?"
"That's what he told everyone who crossed his path."
Emerald eyes narrowed and glinted dangerously. Wolverine was going to pay dearly. Very dearly.
"What about Storm? Did she have anything to say about this?"
"Yep. She told me to tell you and Evan, 'Good luck.'"
Damn Logan! He even had Evan's aunt brainwashed!
Just wait till I get back there, you smartass punk. You're going to regret sending me here…
Kitty was looking out the side of the car at the shoe stores that beckoned to her temptingly. "So where are we going?"
Rogue snapped out of her thoughts and glanced sideways at her. "I wasn't really planning on a specific place. Where do you want to go?"
She instantly realized that she'd made a mistake in asking that question, for Kitty was slowly turning to face her with a maniacal look of pleasure in her eyes.
"Oh, come on, Rogue! Like, lighten up and try something on!" Kitty whined, pushing an armful of flimsy summer dresses at her friend.
"Kitty! I said no! And they're pink! PINK! I hate pink!" Rogue yelled and pushed them back. "Why the hell did you bring me here?"
"You're the one who drove, silly," the younger girl reminded her, grinning. She placed the pile on a nearby chair and picked up a flowered one to examine it.
"Yeah. I drove to the parking lot. I parked the car. But YOU dragged me to this store!" Rogue glared distastefully at the dresses surrounding her. "Ugh…they're all pink!"
Kitty was now holding the dress in front of her, gazing at her reflection in the full-length mirror. "I think you'd look good in pink."
"I think I'd drop dead if I ever wore that damn color."
Kitty only laughed and tossed it back in the pile. "Same old you, huh? Well hey, there are other stores in the mall. I'm gonna be here for like another hour so you can go ahead and check them out if you want."
"Gladly," Rogue muttered and stomped out of the dress shop, dodging a saleswoman who came at her with a hot pink skirt in her hands.
There were more than the usual number of people at the mall today, and their loud voices were grating on Rogue's already strained nerves. They stayed back from her as she passed, though, since she'd donned her normal green and black getup and heavy makeup. She was really in no mood to be here, but she couldn't just drive off and leave Kitty behind. So she slumped down on a bench next to the fountain and stared off into space.
"Don't look so sad, chere. Remy come here to cheer you up," someone said from behind her.
"Go away. I don't feel like dealing with you right now," she said without even bothering to turn around. This was the last thing she needed: a smooth-talking Cajun who wouldn't take no for an answer.
He walked around the bench to stand in front of her, his hands in his pockets. "Aw, don't be like that. You make Remy sad when you treat him so callously."
She glanced up at him in annoyance. "What are you doing here, anyway?"
"Could ask you the same thing." He crouched down so he was level with her face. "Why you have to go and play so hard to get, chere? You could just let loose and be with me, then everything be fine."
"Or you could get a life and get it through that thick head of yours that I don't like you," she countered. What did it take to get rid of him?
Obviously a lot. He only looked more determined to bring her around. "Tell you what, Remy follow you around for all of today, never leaving your side." He held up his hand to stop the flow of affronted curses that she opened her mouth to spout. "Then he leave you alone for good. Deal?"
She paused in consideration. Was that all there was to it? No, couldn't be. There was something else up his sleeve because there was no way that he would just let her walk off after today without trying something first. Gambit was a tough cookie to figure out, but his intentions were predictable enough. He had to have some ulterior motive to propose such a too-good-to-be-true idea.
"Hell no, why should I trust you?" she demanded. "You'd hang around me all day, then you'd just be back tomorrow."
"No, honestly. Remy true to his word," he said, crossing his heart. "Just for today. If you see him again tomorrow, you absorb him till he go into a coma."
Disbelief was still written plainly on her face. Did he think she was that gullible? She'd made the mistake of trusting the wrong people before, namely Mystique, and she wasn't going to do so again.
She abruptly stood up and glared down at him. "I don't know what you're playing at, Cajun, but you'd better cut it out before I take off my glove and put you in a coma now."
She turned on her heel to leave, but his words stopped her steps.
"But wouldn't it be a better idea to keep Remy where you can see him instead of letting him wander away to cause trouble for some Caraway fool?"
The sharp look she sent him was enough to pierce through ice. "What was that?"
Remy stood up and smirked. "Got your undivided attention, finally." He reached into his pocket and produced his signature deck of cards. Shuffling them nonchalantly, he said, "Caraway been irritating lately. I say he need to be taken care of soon. Been wanting to for a while now, but what better day than today, when he off by himself at his apartment?"
Rogue was seething as she watched the casual way in which he spoke of messing with Hakan.
"'Course, if Rogue was there to make sure Remy behave, then maybe he wouldn't–"
"All right! Fine! You can hang with me today, but ONLY for today! I'd better not catch you tomorrow or any other time following me around, OR doing something to Hakan, you got that?" she snapped, disappointed with herself at how quickly she'd been forced to give in.
"Oui, cherie. Remy got the message loud and clear," the Cajun said with a triumphant smile.
Evan wandered into the kitchen to begin his futile search for breakfast. He soon found that the cupboards and refrigerator were almost empty, killing his unrealistic hope for a big plate of bacon and eggs that morning. Not that he could cook, anyway. But at least a Poptart or a bowl of cereal would have been nice – both, of course, nonexistent in the kitchen.
So he grimly settled for a glass of orange juice.
In the middle of pouring it in, someone knocked on the door. Images of the psychotic old women from yesterday filled his head and glued him to the spot. What if they had irons and weed whackers now? They would maim him!
The second knock was more persistent and was accompanied by a kick to the bottom of the door.
What the hell? he thought as he reluctantly put the juice down and approached the peephole with caution.
There was no one there when he looked through.
Must be some kids playing a joke–
But a knock sounded again and he pulled the door open, intent on giving the knock-happy idiot a piece of his mind. However, the person who appeared in front of him rendered him speechless.
"WhatamIdoinghere? Goodquestion,Daniels. Ithinkyououghttoknow,though," Pietro said angrily and pushed past him inside.
A/N: ((sigh)) Just say it. This fanfic is doomed beyond repair. Oh well. I'll do my best to make the last half of it decent. I decided that I'd just get Logan's "idea" over with and return Rogue and Evan to the institute where they belong. I was thinking about bringing a quick end in probably the chapter after next, but I don't know. What do you guys think?
