"Where are we?" asked Scott, realizing that he and Rogue were in a much seedier part of the city.
"Ah heard about this new club that opened up a few months ago," Rogue replied. Ah'd been meanin' to go check and out, but then y'know, savin' the world an' all."
"You got to learn to plan around these things," Scott said jokingly, causing Rogue to grin. "Anyway, what makes you think we're going to get in? Is it an 'all-ages' club?"
"Uh, ah don't really know," she responded.
"And what exactly are we supposed to do if it isn't?" Scott asked crossly.
"We'll lie of course," Rogue replied, with a dismissive tone in her voice. "D'uh!"
Scott was not interested in getting involved in any controversy. He wanted to convince Rogue that sneaking into a club underage may not be the best course of action.
"And what will you do if they ask for ID?"
"They won't ask 'cause we're mature for our age," Rogue replied. "They'll see us an' think, we don't need to card these two. We exude maturity."
"Some of us more than others," Scott retorted acerbically.
"You're confusin' 'fun' with 'maturity'," said Rogue, with a barb of her own. "Which is what you don't know how to have. So ah'm takin' it on myself to show you how."
"I don't know," Scott said with uncertainty.
"Ah, don't be such a wet blanket," Rogue said, annoyed by Scott's hesitance. "Just once will you allow yourself to loosen up and have a little fun? Once yer on the dance floor you'll have a good time."
"Rogue, you've seen me dance."
"Yeah, ah've seen you do somethin' that resembles dancin'."
"My point exactly," Scott countered. "Are you sure you want me doing that in public?"
"Look at it this way," Rogue said. "You can't get any worse, so there's nowhere to go but up. Yer bound to learn somethin' out there."
"Maybe you can to," Scott retorted. "As I recall, you're not exactly the best dancer either."
"You don't have to be," Rogue responded. "You just have to have fun doin' it, that's all. You don't have to be the best at anythin' to enjoy it."
"If you say so," Scott grumbled pessimistically.
Rogue stopped in her tracks, grabbed Scott at his shoulders and turned him towards her. She looked him straight in his eye, despite his ruby-quartz glasses, with all seriousness.
"Look," she said. "Ah know that both of us could be the 'poster-child's' of self-consciousness. But sometimes people like us gotta let our hair down. So you look like a goof on the dance floor, so what? We both make fools of ourselves together, ok? There's nobody else that ah would like be an embarrassment with."
Scott smiled in response to Rogue's words.
"Ah gee, thanks Rogue." he said comically.
"So you on board?" she asked, hoping that Scott would come around.
Scott nodded in agreement. In his mind, he knew Rogue was right. Sometimes it's good to let yourself go, even if it opens you up to ridicule. It was hard enough for the other kids at the mansion to really know Scott at a personal level, let alone strangers outside. You can't always go around being afraid of what people might think of you. You deny yourself the opportunity to have fun and try new things. Perhaps this too would be a new experience. Or it could be an unmitigated disaster. Whatever the case, Scott was going to have fun, and when you can't allow yourself to have fun, you won't know who you really are.
Both of them made a quick run towards the club, expecting it to be a long line-up. From a distance the building seemed like it had been there for decades. It wasn't dilapidated or falling apart, but it seemed that it had been a fixture here for a long time. As Rogue and Scott drew closer, they didn't see any signs of a line-up. More precisely, they didn't see anyone at all. It was still relatively early for a club to close, or be this inactive. You would at least expect to find some kids stumbling out of the building, drunk or otherwise. Rogue was confused and on the verge of disappointment.
"How could this place be all deserted?" she thought to herself.
"Wow," Scott uttered. "There's no one here."
"Ah don't get it, Scott," Rogue remarked. "This place is totally dead."
"I think I do," Scott replied, pointing to a notice posted on the door. "Take a look at this."
Rogue looked at the posting on the wall. Apparently, the club had been closed down since last week. There were health code violations that the ownership didn't bother to consider.
"Ah, come on!" Rogue exclaimed in dismay.
"It's official," Scott announced, "This place is done and done."
"Well that's just great!" Rogue spat in disgust. Uncertain of what to do with herself, she dropped herself at the edge of curb, seating herself with her chin in her hand and a scowl on her face.
"Just great," she repeated, mumbling in disappointment.
Scott, who was naturally awkward when it came to comforting people, slowly moved to where Rogue was sitting and sat down beside her. He placed his hand her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Rogue generally recoiled from people touching her, but in this case, she didn't seem to mind.
"It's alright, Rogue, there's no need to get all bent out a shape."
"But ah really wanted to go dancin' with you," she said with a sigh.
"Then we'll go to another club," Scott said reassuring her. "There's bound to be another one nearby."
"Ah been meanin' to tell ya Scott, Jean has us on a time-clock. We gotta to be gettin' back real soon. By the time we go to another club an' wait in line, the night'll be over."
"I see," Scott replied. He didn't know he had curfew and that annoyed him.
"Remind me to plan ahead next time to research on what clubs are still in existence," Rogue announced, still in a state of disappointment.
"Next time?" Scott asked in surprise.
"Well," Rogue said coyly. "Ah was hopin' that maybe if you go year feet wet dancin', you might wanna do it again sometime."
"Uhh," Scott spluttered in discomfort, slowly removing his hand away from Rogue.
"Oh, knock it off, Scott!" Rogue grunted in annoyance. "Ah meant as friends!"
"Uh, I just thought…"
"You thought what?"
Scott didn't know what to say that would make things better. So he went with the old standby.
"Sorry."
"Are you gonna be like this from now on?" Rogue asked disappointedly.
"No, I…"
"Ah'm not tryin' to change anythin'," she said. "Ah told ya before, you can trust me."
"I know but…"
"But you don't. That's what yer sayin'."
Scott struggled to find the words to counter Rogue's assertions, but to no avail. He didn't really trust her motives, not fully.
"It's just that, this isn't really normal. I mean, how can it be?"
Rogue also found it hard to explain how any of this could be construed as normal. Most people would label their date as a sign of infidelity. Even if nothing would or could happen, the fact that they were together and Rogue's feelings were out in the open, it would seem that way. Unbeknownst to Scott, there was also the matter of Rogue's underhandedness in arranging this situation. While she never intended to do any harm, it seemed that harm was inevitable.
"Ah already told you all this…"
"And it might be fine on paper, but I can't help but feel the way I feel. So if I seem a little gun-shy, will you cut me some slack?"
Rogue paused, keeping her head down and her eyes averted. She spoke her answer softly.
"Only if you'll do the same."
Both of them remained silent again, each trying to find a way to reduce the tension and difficulty between them. Things were still for several moments until Scott took the initiative to mend things. He unexpectedly grabbed Rogue's hand as a means to reassure her. He squeezed it tightly, not in an overt way, but in a way that was almost compassionate in its scope. Rogue was a little shocked by his actions and quickly turned to face Scott. She was greeted with a warm smile; Scott looked upon her with compassion, and seemed to communicate his feelings with his action. Rogue squeezed his hand back and gave a smile of her own. Without words, they seemed to reconcile issues that they couldn't resolve with words. The awkwardness seemed to pass away.
"Are we okay?" Scott asked.
"Yeah," Rogue answered. "Yeah, ah guess we are."
"We're friends, Rogue, no matter what."
"An' ah never wanted to change that. Ah'm glad that you said that."
"Do you still want to be more than friends?" he asked, his voice revealing an undertone of concern.
"Ah'd be lyin' if ah said otherwise," Rogue confessed. "Ah know there are feelins' deep down that ah would want to act on. But ah would never do anythin' to hurt you…or Jean." She turned away but Scott still held on to her hand.
"We'll work on it together," he said. "We'll work past this. And we'll be better for it."
"Did ah mention that Jean is luckiest gal on earth?" Rogue said, overwhelmed by emotion.
"I'm the lucky one." Scott retorted.
"Ah would beg to differ, but ah would like to move on to some dancin'."
"Well, you don't think we have time to go to another club, so what do you want to do?"
Rogue looked at him with a sly grin on her face. Her eyes then darted in the direction of the closed down club.
Scott, knew instantly what she was thinking. His response was obvious.
"No way!"
Rogue still had a grin on her face. The look in her eyes suggested that Scott could not convince her to do otherwise. And Scott knew that he was too much of a pushover to talk her out it.
"I think you're trying to get into trouble." he said, begrudgingly.
"Then you'll do it?" Rogue asked, already aware of the answer.
"You know this is 'Breaking and Entering', right?"
"Yes!" Rogue replied gleefully.
"Why do I think that I'm going to get in major trouble over this?"
Rogue gave Scott a quick hug, grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the entrance of the club. Although he didn't have his visor on him, Scott could control his optic blasts somewhat with his ruby-quartz glasses. He allowed his glasses to fall slightly while aligning his line of vision with that of the lock. Within a millisecond the optic blast broke the lock. They were in.
"We'll have to disable the rest of security system," Scott instructed.
"Uh-huh," Rogue replied, still grinning.
"You're enjoying this way too much." Scott snarled in annoyance.
"Ah love that ah'm seein' squeaky-clean Scott Summers commit a felony right before my eyes. Ah'm sorry but that's just too rich!" Rogue laughed out loud which made Scott more perturbed.
"You can at least help me shut down the alarm system before it goes off and we're sharing a jail cell."
"Okay, okay," Rogue said, calming herself down. "Let's get started." She cheerfully made her way to the alarm panel and proceeded to disarm it. Scott shook his head.
"I must be out of my mind," he muttered.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Well, Gambit checked wid de cashier an' it look like those two left here 'bout two hours ago."
"Shoot!" Jean grumbled disappointedly. "We were so close, I could feel it!"
"We getting' closer, chere," Gambit remarked. "But we are still so far away."
"I can't believe they came here," Jean uttered in disgust, feeling the stickiness of the floor beneath her soles. "This is the most disgusting movie theatre I've ever been in."
"Gambit seen worse."
"What, worse than this?" Jean asked in surprise, only now realizing how bad the smell really was in there.
"Oui, chere, compared to some of de places Gambit been holed up in, dis is de Ritz Carlton."
"Anyway, we're getting nowhere fast," Jean said dismissively. "We got to keep our minds on the task at hand. Where are they?"
"Dat's your department," Gambit responded, shrugging. "You is de psychic. Get a premonition goin' or somethin'."
"Easier said than done," Jean murmured as she tried to make a psychic connection. She focused and entered into her mindscape in an attempt to pick up a psychic trail: mental residue that could reveal whether someone was in a particular place and hopefully lead to where they are. So rather than try to find a needle in a haystack and try to read Scott's mind directly, Jean could follow him using his 'psychic footprints'. She was unable to attempt this before since Jean didn't know for certain where Scott was. Now that they knew that both he and Rogue were at this theatre. Finding them could be a whole lot easier, if they were still close by. Jean began to see in her mind's eye the swirling energy patterns of Scott's psychic residue. While the visual colors were stimulating to look at, they represented the nuances of the person in question. The spectrum of colors revealed a person's thought patterns and emotional states, things that a psychic could instantly recognize about a particular person. Jean stared in awe at the Scott's resonating patterns, seeing aspects of the boy she loved on the psychic level. It seemed almost as real as his actual presence. She reached out to touch the patterns seemingly unaware that people were staring at a young girl in a seemingly hypnotic state reaching out at nothing. Gambit found the behavior to be just as strange as everyone else.
"Uh, you alright, chere?"
"Yeah, yeah," Jean answered, seemingly annoyed by the distraction. "Hush up, I've got Scott's trail. It might lead us right to them."
"How come you didn't use dis before?" Gambit inquired.
"I didn't know where they were in the first place. It would be almost impossible to pick up a psychic trail with so many people in the city. But they were here for some time so we at least have a starting point."
"But you coulda used it when we was at de diner."
"Not really. They were there for a while but they took the car. It wouldn't have mattered, the trail would be too weak to hone in on. But they were both at the movie theatre for a long time; it might be strong enough for us to follow, even if they drove off soon after."
"You is a regular bloodhound, chere. But you is far, far, prettier."
"Thanks, I think."
"Lead on, chere."
Jean moved slowly out the theatre like a zombie in a trance with Gambit walking close behind. He was ready to pose a question or two but didn't want to break Jean's concentration. They were drawing some unwanted attention with her strange-looking behavior, but Gambit did his best to act aloof as if Jean was just acting normal.
"Is okay, chere. You doin' just fine. You is goin' in the right direction."
"Gambit, what are you doing?" Jean asked, somewhat perplexed as she focalized on the trail.
"Makin' you look less strange, chere." Gambit replied. "Nobody knows what yer doin' an' you attractin' an audience."
"So you're making them think I'm crazy?"
"Gambit was goin' for visually impaired but crazy works too, non?"
"Remind me why I put up with you."
"Gambit's got charm and devilish good looks."
"Not that good." Jean quipped.
"Ah chere, you hurt Gambit's feelins'."
"You mean your ego don't you?"
"What did Gambit do to deserve that?"
"Sorry, just having fun."
"So you finally havin' some fun."
"Only a little."
Gambit once again had a mischievous smile on his face.
"Is a start, non?"
Jean didn't know how to interpret what Gambit was implying, but it was true, she was indeed having fun, strange as that was. She was still determined to find Scott and confront Rogue with her deception but she just wasn't as angry as she initially was. Did it mean that she wasn't taking this seriously now? Was she wrong to revel in the moment? This was supposed to be serious business. But partnering up with Gambit kept levity in the air. She hated to admit it, but he was charming, annoying and persistent as he was. Still, the bad boy image was starting to grow on her a little. She could see why Rogue would find him appealing, if that were at all true. What was obvious was that Gambit was drawn to Rogue. As to how serious he was, that was the question. But Gambit seemed willing enough to expose Rogue's cheating and follow her on this wild goose chase. He appeared to have some designs for Rogue, which suited Jean just fine. But she wasn't going to let Rogue off the hook for that. It was going to get nasty. These feelings gave Jean a great deal of unease; it was so uncharacteristic of her. But Scott was her blind spot when it came to her civility. Those irrational feelings of jealously and insecurity would boil to the service. Maybe she was acting a little too possessive. Maybe she was a little too controlling. But it seemed to Jean and to the casual observer, that she had just cause.
"Why do they always want him!" she thought to herself in quiet frustration. "D'uh Jean, it's obvious. I always have to be on my toes. They're so many girls out there who want someone like Scott. I can't blame them, I guess. But it's not fair! It means that I have to fend off girls left and right all the time. Sometimes I think it's both a blessing and a curse to be with Scott. Am I going to have to fight other girls off for the rest of my life? I mean if I wasn't such a dunce we would've been together sooner than later. Well, I'm not going to let anything fall out of my hands again!"
Jean, almost shuffling like a zombie, continued down the city sidewalks, with Gambit walking closely behind. The trail seemed to stop at a strange but eclectic café.
"The trail seems to continue inside this place," Jean announced plainly, yet with a hint of perplexity.
"Yer boyfriend took her here?" Gambit asked in surprise.
"Apparently," muttered Jean. "I guess this was the closest place for them to sit down and have a cup of coffee, I guess."
"Well den, let's go in."
"In there?"
"Where else would Gambit mean?"
"Won't we be, uh…just a little bit conspicuous in there?"
"You wanna find Scott?"
"Yeah."
"Den we go."
Jean agreed with Gambit's assessment of the situation, although the thought of being in a room full of what seemed to be, without hyperbole, a bunch of freaks, didn't appeal to her. At least, no the non-mutant kind, since mutants aren't usually strange by choice. She wondered what in the world would possess Scott and Rogue to enter such an establishment.
"Maybe it's because I'm too reserved," Jean thought.
She was well aware that she was rather tentative. To be fair, she had more excitement in her life than most people, so to want a little less adventure would be excusable. In retrospect, she was having more of an adventure this evening than she had even anticipated, with an even more unexpected companion. Although he was at most times downright infuriating, Gambit could also be quite appealing. Maybe it was his rebellious nature, his picaresque approach towards life or his striking features. But one could never be certain what exactly it is about another person that draws you to them. As convenient as it would be to quantify emotions into simple discernable volumes, it is that intangible quality of an individual, that mysterious core of being that creates intrigue and wonder, this wonderful uncertainty. It's not say that Jean had any serious intentions towards Gambit. She only wondered about the prospect. Suffice it say, she could do a lot worse. But Jean saw how incorrigible Gambit could be. And it was also clear that if he did have any intentions towards her they would be less than noble to be sure. As it was, there was only one guy for her and it would be better for her that Gambit got Rogue out her hair once and for all, nobly or ignobly. It didn't matter. Jean wondered if Gambit would object to her beating the tar out of Rogue. It was going to happen regardless of his protests. But it would be interesting to see how he would react and maybe figure out what his stake was in all of this.
"Chere?" Gambit asked. "You here or in a galaxy far, far, away?"
"No…I mean, no," Jean responded, waking up from her stupor. "I'm awake. Let's go in."
Both mutants walked into the establishment. Because they weren't regulars, the strange congregation of the café turned their attention to the two strangers that walked in. Jean was a little unnerved by the stares, but Gambit if he were, definitely didn't show it.
"Heh, cool," Gambit uttered in amusement. "Dey allow smoking in here!"
He immediately lit up another cigarette.
"Don't you think that's a filthy habit?" Jean asked, waving the smoke away from her face.
"Is a hard habit to break, chere," Gambit countered. "Ah well, c'est la vie!" He continued to puff away.
Jean grunted in disapproval of Gambit and proceeded to look for signs for Scott and Rogue in this weird café. Gambit was too busy flirting with the female patrons, forcing her to grab him by the hand in order to keep his mind on the job. Jean sensed something at the table near the corner.
"They were definitely here," Jean said, feeling the psychic impressions emanating from the table.
"Excuse me, lady," said a bearded man with an eye patch, sitting at the table. "We're sittin' here!" And he pointed to his female friend with a multitude of piercings on her face along with a prominent nose chain that extended from her ear to her nostril.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Jean stated apologetically. "We were just looking for someone."
"Well, they obviously ain't here, so, get lost!"
"Sorry," Jean said, less apologetically, as she was seething in anger due to his rudeness. "We won't bother you again."
"Bonsoir," stated Gambit, giving both patrons a salute.
As they left, Jean telekinetically pushed the bearded man's coffee unto his lap. As he cried out in pain, the rest of the patrons turned to see what the problem was, while both mutants made their way out.
"Dat was naughty, chere," said Gambit, who was really amused by her actions.
"Under normal circumstances, I would never use my powers in an inappropriate way," Jean admitted, feeling some remorse. "But he deserved it."
"Mebbee so, but it don't make it right to scald a man down dere."
Gambit paused to think about what he just said.
"Non, on second thought, you were right chere, de man had it comin'"
Both them started to laugh, savoring Jean's moment of mischief for a while. Then, both Gambit and Jean composed themselves an got back on track.
"Well, we're back to square one," Jean stated flatly.
"But we're close, chere," Gambit replied. "We still on track."
"But at this rate, we're always going to be two steps behind," Jean lamented.
"You givin' up, den?" Gambit inquired, doubted that very notion.
"Not on your life!"
"Didn't tink so," he replied. "Now, what do you suggest we do?"
"I'm going to see if I can focus on Scott's emotional state and follow it as it gets stronger. It's a shot in the dark."
"Is not much of a psychic link is it?" Gambit asked, getting a little frustrated with the lack of effectiveness.
"If my telepathic skills were as strong as the Professor and I had Cerebro, it would be a piece of cake," Jean retorted. "But we don't have either, so this is the best I can do. Besides, our link is more emotional, empathic in nature. I can sense Scott's emotions more directly than his thoughts. If he's feeling any strong emotions, such as panic, it will be even easier. But it's doubtful he'd be in any danger."
"Depends on what you'd call 'danger', chere," Gambit quipped. "Mebbee Scott might be into some kinds of 'danger'."
"Cut it out Gambit!" exclaimed Jean, who was not at all appreciative of Gambit's insinuations. "They couldn't possibly be doing anything!"
"Mebbee nothin' you can sense," Gambit countered.
"Look, I know Scott! He's a loyal, trustworthy and loving person!"
"Sounds more like a puppy dog, chere."
Suddenly, Gambit found himself hoisted in the air by his trench coat. Gambit attempted to look down and met the eyes of a deeply-offended Jean looking up him in furious anger.
"Don't you dare talk about him that way! You don't have the right to talk about him that way!"
"All apologies, chere," Gambit replied in a panic. "Gambit take back all his words, wit all sincerity."
Jean felt that Gambit was somewhat remorseful (or terrified), so she promptly dropped him from her telekinetic grip. Gambit, however, being nimble like a cat, landed on his feet in relative safety. Despite this, his was a little shaken up. Jean felt bad about her actions and felt the need to apologize.
"I'm sorry too, I was out of line."
"Gambit understand," Gambit said, still off-balance. "Cyclops is your man, you his woman, is only natural you gonna defend him. But dere is somethin' Gambit don't understand in all of dis."
"What don't you understand?"
"You say you love him?"
"Of course I do. With all my heart."
"An' you say he loves you."
"I feel that he does. He just hasn't said it out loud."
"So mebbee, dere is some doubt on his part…"
"Stop it right there!" Jean ordered aggressively. "I trust Scott! He'd never…"
Jean stopped in mid-sentence and considered her incomplete thought.
"Could he fall in love with someone else?" she thought. "Could he not be in love with her?"
The thought was too terrible for her to imagine and yet there it was. All her instincts and all her being seemed focalized on the principle that Scott was the one for her. She could find other guys likeable, even attractive, but with Scott, there was no comparison. Even when she was going with Duncan, she knew in the back of her mind that he wasn't the one. Jean reflected on all the times she had been with him. There was a security, a comfort, a reassurance that could not be duplicated by anyone else. She simply felt that if she could look inside his mind and see how Scott really felt, all of these nagging insecurities would fall by the wayside. But because she recognized his need for privacy Jean never did. Still, when she thought about, Jean felt that she might have taken too many liberties in the relationship. After all, Scott was completely complacent, almost a like a faithful puppy that would follow her around whenever she called. Maybe he secretly resented her for that. Maybe Scott resented her for her relationship with Duncan. Or maybe he was resentful of her sharp criticism of Taryn when they were dating. (Although up to now she could never fully understand what Scott saw in her). But Jean was going out with Duncan at that time so 'turnabout is fair play' as they say, right? Scott didn't have much experience with girls, despite the fact that so many would give their eye-teeth to be with him. He was so blissfully ignorant of his appeal. Jean mused that if Scott were more assertive, say like Gambit, he could be a real womanizer if he wanted to. But then again, he wouldn't be Scott, all loyal, trustworthy and dependable.
"But why?" Jean thought. "Why isn't he?"
Jean could never bear the idea of anyone else and Scott. It always brought out the worst in her. While she grimaced at the idea that she was playing out the stereotypical fiery redhead, her tendency for jealousy and possessiveness toward Scott seemed to parallel that persona. Jean didn't like that she acted the way she did, but she couldn't help herself. Her relationship with Scott was the most important thing in her life and she wouldn't allow anything or anyone spoil it. But maybe by being so jealous all the time, she might have brought about the opposite effect. Scott could fall under the spell of temptation. Maybe Rogue might have bewitched him.
"But what could they do?" Jean pondered anxiously. "She can't touch anyone without killing them. Why go to all this trouble unless…she's been faking it! She's lied about everything else so far, why not save the biggest lie of all for last?"
Jean's mind was elevating to a state of jealous rage when she considered that possibility.
"No, no wait, I'm being crazy! I'm getting all crazy over nothing. I have no proof! Whatever the case is, I'm not letting her take away my man!"
"Uh, chere?" Gambit said, who was greatly concerned about the contorted expression on Jean's face. "You look like you is lost in thought again."
Jean snapped back into reality, feeling a little flustered and embarrassed by her 'daydreaming'.
"Uh, yeah," she said sheepishly. "Sorry."
"Is okay," he replied. "But Gambit thought we was busy looking for dose two an' quick."
"Right."
"So mebbee you can use de telepathic link to find yer amour, non?"
"I'll do my best, but there aren't any guarantees."
"Is okay, Gambit is a gambler at heart."
"That's obvious enough."
Jean took herself back into her mindscape and focused all her energies on her psychic link. As she focused intently on her link, a myriad of thoughts and emotions seemed to flood her consciousness. As she waded her way through the confusion of the psychic impressions of others, Jean began to sense the familiar presence of Scott but only a faint reading. What seemed stranger to her were the thoughts that she was receiving.
"What do you see, chere?" inquired Gambit, seeing the confused look on her face.
"I sense…dancing and music?"
"Huh?" Gambit uttered, feeling a bit perplexed.
Jean gave Gambit an equally confusing stare as she couldn't believe it herself.
"I think it's…David Bowie!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It seemed that at this particular time, Rogue and Scott found an old 45" LP of 'Rebel, Rebel" by of course, David Bowie and proceeded to play it on the old turntable. As a result, they began to dance to it. But it was the only record they had so they had already at this time, danced (badly) to the song ten times in a row. While they had fun dancing, the tedium of hearing the same song over and over again began to wear on Scott and Rogue. It was well until the eleventh time that Rogue suggested that they search for anymore leftover music.
"Alright, ah'm sick of this," Rogue gasped as she caught her breath.
"Yeah," Scott replied, also panting. "I could use a break."
"No, not that," Rogue said, correcting herself. "Ah mean, ah'm sick of this song. Ah think we should look fer another one. Ah'm not tired of dancing with you."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, yer not that bad."
"Really?" Scott asked, partially lighting up.
"No, of course not!" Rogue laughed. "But ah still like dancin' with you anyway."
"Ha, ha, very funny!" Scott replied, not appreciating that fact that his dancing was being mocked. "Anyway, we searched through most of this place already."
"We didn't check behind the bar," Rogue remarked.
"Yeah, that's seems like a logical place to look."
"You think there might be alcohol in there?" Rogue pondered aloud.
"People never abandon alcohol," Scott snorted.
"Ah well, wishful thinkin'" she sighed.
"Hey, since when do you drink?" Scott asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Since never," Rogue answered, annoyed by the insinuation in Scott's voice. "Ah just thought tonight would be a night of first times is all."
"Huh?"
"Y'know, first times. Like this is the first time we've been out on a real date. First time dancin' together. One more first time wouldn't hurt is all."
Scott couldn't help be notice the suggestive undertones in Rogue's voice. He also couldn't help but notice Rogue had sauntered closer into his personal space. Scott was finding now more than ever something provocative about Rogue's manner that didn't want to make him turn away. He could smell her perfume now, but it didn't remind him of Jean as much. This disturbed Scott greatly, yet at the same time intrigued him. He looked into Rogue's eyes, all piercing and suggestive, as if she could see his discomfort and wanted to exacerbate it further. There was a wry smile on her face now, but Rogue still had her eyes locked on Scott. And she drew closer still.
"Uh, I'll go behind the bar and look for another record," Scott blurted as he quickly sped towards the bar. Rogue shrugged in disappointment.
Scott scrambled towards the bar, trying to keep his mind occupied with trivial things as he sifted through the junk that was left behind in the various drawers and cupboards. Rogue fidgeted impatiently, still a little ticked off that Scott was avoiding her again. Scott went through the various odds and ends, until finally he uncovered another record.
"Well how about that," he said proudly. "I actually found another record."
"What? You mean another 45"?" Rogue asked.
"Looks like."
"Well, what song is it?"
Scott removed the black sheath that covered that label and read it aloud.
"''A Summer Place' by Percy Faith and his Orchestra'," he stated in almost disbelief. "No wonder it was left behind."
"Who's Percy Faith?" Rogue asked, unfamiliar with the name or the music.
"Let's just say it's real old music."
"What like classic rock or somethin'?"
"No, I mean people who would like this music are already dead."
"Oh, you mean its classical music."
"Well, sort of. You know whenever there's a movie set in the fifties and they're playing some slow romantic song, nine times out of ten, they always play this song. I think there was even a movie about it."
"Well how do you know so much about it?"
"Well, I like some of the old rock n' roll and when you're looking for something in particular you come across all kinds of junk."
"So it's not rock n' roll?"
"Hardly."
"But it's sort of like classical music?"
"Sort of."
"And it's romantic music?"
"Uh, I guess," Scott replied, quickly realizing where this was going.
Rogue had that smile again much to Scott's chagrin.
"Put it on," she stated simply.
"Well, uh," Scott stammered, hesitating.
"What's the hold-up?" Rogue asked impatiently.
"Uh, Rogue, it's not a fast song…"
"Oh really? Too bad. Put it on!"
Scott reluctantly made his way to turntable and put the record on. He put the needle down in an awkward way causing a loud irritating scratching noise, that nearly blew both mutants' eardrums.
"Sorry," Scott said apologetically.
And with that, the music began to fill the room. Rogue finally understood Scott's hesitation. The music was sappy, dated, mushy and corny. And it was a slow song. So in Rogue's estimation, it was perfect. She beckoned Scott to meet her on the dance floor.
Scott shuffled slowly towards her. He was quickly taken off guard as Rogue had grabbed his hands and placed them around her waist, and then she just as quickly wrapped her arms around his neck. Rogue rested her head upon Scott's shoulder. She could feel his heart beating faster. Rogue closed her eyes and swayed to the music and smiled. Although he couldn't see her face directly, Scott could feel Rogue smiling.
"She's enjoying this." Scott thought. "She knows that this is making me feel uncomfortable. If I question her, she'll say I'm being paranoid or something. But she's enjoying this more than she's letting on. I think she's knows that she's making me all flustered! But it's just dancing! I can do this! It doesn't have to be anything more than that for me! She can imagine it to be something else but I know the truth! I'm not doing anything wrong that's for sure! Nothing's going to happen! No sir!"
Scott then noticed Rogue was looking up at him. Again, it seemed like she knew what he was thinking and she was enjoying it. Scott got all nervous and began to stiffen up. Her reaction changed from that of contentment to one of frustration.
"What's wrong now!" she grumbled.
"Oh, what? Nothing." Scott said, unconvincingly.
"How many times do ah have to say this, nothin's gonna happen cause it can't."
"But do you want something to happen?"
Rogue was stymied by that. She didn't think Scott would go there but he did. She broke eye contact with him, knowing what she really felt and realizing that it might damage things being her and Scott. But Rogue knew that regardless of the consequences, Scott would still want an answer.
"You know how ah feel. An' if Jean were out of the picture, ah'd be on you like white on rice."
Scott was shocked by that revelation.
"But," Rogue continued. "That ain't the case. So if ah get a little more out of dancin' with you then you'd like ah'm sorry. But it's not gonna lead to anythin'. Besides, ah think you were enjoyin' it a little too."
"That's what worries me," Scott sighed.
"Alright, how's this, ah won't let it get too far if you won't."
"But you just said that if you could…"
"But that ain't the case right now. Ah know how you feel about Jean. Ah've always known ever since ah absorbed yer powers for the first time."
"Uh, what?"
"When ah absorb a person's essence, ah get more than just their abilities, ah get their thoughts, their memories, their feelings."
"What do you know about my feelings for Jean?"
"That you love her."
"Well, I care for Jean very much but I think love is too strong a word…"
"Scott, cut it out! Ah know how you feel."
Scott stayed silent, unable to look at Rogue and unable to admit his feelings openly.
"Ah also know how you feel about me."
"You do?"
"Yeah, you only see me as a friend."
"Yeah, exactly."
"An' that really got on my nerves!"
"Why?"
"Cause all that time ah spent with you, you never once thought about me as anythin' other than that."
"But I didn't know that you…"
"That's the problem Scott, you never looked. You never asked. You don't notice the girls that are constantly throwing themselves at you! It's irritating!"
"Yeah, I can't believe it myself," Scott mused, reveling in the fact that so many girls were attracted to him.
"Let's stay focused here Scott. It's part of why ah wanted to be alone with you like this. So ah could show you that ah could be somethin' more than just a friend. That you could find me, y'know, desirable. An' ah didn't think that you'd ever see me as anythin' more until ah saw the way you were lookin' at me just now."
Scott gulped nervously, still reluctant to admit anything of the sort.
"Scott, there's nothin' wrong with admitting yer feelins'. Ah've learned that the hard way. Maybe if ah wasn't afraid about it, it might not be you an' Jean but…"
"It could've been you and me?" Scott said interrupting her.
"Is that so strange?" Rogue asked, looking hopeful.
Scott thought about it and realized that he was out dancing with a beautiful girl that was attractive, exciting, passionate and adventurous. Rogue could've been more than a friend. It might have seemed odd before, it wasn't odd now.
"No. No it's not."
Rogue seemed to beam with Scott's reply. She smiled coyly to herself.
"Thanks."
"Your welcome."
"Now let's finish our dance and go home."
"All right." Scott said with a smile.
Both mutants got into the swing of things and swayed more enthusiastically. Scott was more playful than before as if all his inhibitions were whisked away. Rogue enjoyed herself as well as they continued to dance to the archaic yet appropriate music.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Chere?" Gambit shouted, as he looked back at Jean as they were speeding down the inner city streets on his motorcycle.
"Chere? You alright?"
Jean seemed to be seething rage. Gambit sensed something was seriously wrong.
"Chere? What's wrong? You sense somethin'?"
Jean stayed silent. Although she wasn't moving, Gambit could feel her anger was rising.
"Listen, chere, mebbee we ought to pull over an' let you calm down fer a while, non?"
"We're not stopping." Jean said softly.
"Gambit don't know what you sensin', but Gambit know enough that it be upsettin' you. So mebbee…"
"I said we're not stopping!" she repeated with underlying fierceness that managed to unnerve Gambit.
"Oui, chere, you are right. We keep goin'."
Gambit thought to himself that whatever Rogue and Scott were doing, Jean did not like it one bit. He hoped for their sakes that they didn't find them. Another part thought that they might deserve whatever they're getting. Whatever the case, it wasn't going to be pretty.