-1Disclaimer: I don't own X-men

# 3345671

Chapter 3

Rogue sat in an oversized armchair with her legs pulled up under her, a book open in her lap. She was currently concentrating more on the fire in the fireplace then the words printed on the page. She sighed, it was only her, Logan, Kitty, the British girl, the Professor, and him here now. There was absolutely nothing to do. She frowned as she watched some of the wood spark. 'Stupid Gambit…' She thought, 'Always sneaking around and coming up to me out of nowhere, like he thinks I actually want him around…' She frowned at the wood as it began to crack. 'All he could say when he left was…' "Mon Ami?"

She jerked and turned her head as the log she'd been watching cracked in half and sent a shower of sparks up the chimney. She stared at what she thought was Gambit for a moment then blinked and saw Dodger looking over her shoulder at the book. He hadn't even flinched when her head had narrowly avoided his. "Wha' did you say?" She asked.

"I said, what cha reading?" He said, looking up at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh…" She felt rather stupid and looked back at the book, "I's Dracula." She felt her cheeks turning slightly pink as she realized just how close to her he was.

"Ah." He said with a grin, "No wonder you're so jumpy, first time you've read it?" He asked, glancing at her.

"No." She made herself look up at him without turning pink. "Ah read i' before i's a good book." She couldn't help but notice how much better he looked, and smelled, now that he had gotten a bath.

He nodded, "But cha can't read a book too much or it loses it's appeal right?" He grinned and dropped a book onto the open pages of the leather bound volume. "Read that instead?" He asked pleasantly.

She looked at the cover. "The Perks ah bein' a wall flower?" She asked him, staring at the cover which had a picture of a boy facing away from the camera and at one of the ugliest wallpapers she had ever seen. "'Zit any good?" She asked, looking up at him.

He nodded, "Least, I think it is, whether you like it's your opinion right?" He winked and straightened up. "The kitchen's that way right?" He asked, pointing across the room at a door.

"Yeh." She said with a slight smile, "Through the door and down the hall, firs' door on the righ'."

"Thanks." He said walking across the room and pausing as the door opened. He inclined his head as Kitty and the British girl walked in, giggling slightly. "Evening." He waited till they had come into the room before he walked out the door.

Kitty looked over and saw Rogue closing her copy of Dracula and opening the book he had given her. "Rogue!" She said, leading the British girl over to the couch across from Rogue's seat. "Who is that guy?" She asked with a grin. "He's pretty hot." She looked at the door to make sure he wasn't still there or coming back in.

"His name's Dodger." She said unenthusiastically as she opened his book and turned to the front page. She stopped when she saw a folded sheet of paper in the binding.

"Dodger?" kitty asked, looking at Rogue in confusion. "What kind of name is Dodger?"

Rogue shrugged and used a finger to open the note without letting them see it.

'If you want to know how to get him to notice, meet me in the kitchen at 10:30.'

She felt her cheeks turn slightly pink and didn't notice Kitty look at her friend for a moment. "Well, his name isn't what matters anyway, right Rogue, I mean just lookit Gambit's name, you and him can have a thing even with his name all weird like that…"

"We don' have a thin' !" She said, looking up from the note in the book. "He keeps following' me around, you say tha' like I wan' him to or something'."

Kitty blinked, "Oh, wow, well I assumed…" She grinned, "Sorry." She then glanced at the gothic girl sitting beside her. "Oh, I totally forgot, Rogue, this is Julia, Julia Rogue." She smiled.

Julia grinned and nodded her head, "Nice to meet you."

Rogue looked at her and nodded back. "Yah too." She glanced at the clock, it was ten fifteen. "Ah gotta go though, sorry." She said, standing up and walking out the opposite door that Dodger had taken.

Kitty watched her go and shrugged. "What do you think got to her?" She asked Julia.

Julia shrugged, "Maybe she just had better things to do?" She glanced at the clock as well, "It is getting kind of late." She leaned back against the couch.

"So, what do you think he does exactly?" Kitty asked glancing at the door Dodger had gone through. "Maybe he's got some cool power like seeing through things!"

Julia rolled her eyes, "That's only cool if he doesn't look at us Kitty."

Kitty laughed, "You've got a point."

Rogue was walking up the stairs toward the girls rooms. She glanced at the grandfather clock in the hallway between the stairs and her room. It was ten twenty. If she went back to her room and dropped the books off, then went the long way down to the kitchen to avoid Kitty and Julia, she'd be there in about five minutes. If she decided to go at all.

She opened her door and walked in, setting the books on the nightstand by the bed. She sat down and stared at the wall for a moment before she picked up the smaller book he had given her and took the note out, looking at the surprisingly neat hand writing. "Why should I go?" She said, leaning her head against her headboard. "He's a psychopath. I's no' even safe goin' there I be'." She tilted her head forward and let it fall back against the headboard again. "Bu' he could jus' be tryin' tah help…" She glanced at her small electric clock. Ten twenty three. "You're gonna regre' this…" She stood up and walked out of her room, stuffing the note into her pocket as she shut the door and turned right, going toward the back staircase that led to the rec-room.

As she went she stuck her hands in her pockets. "I's no' like there isn' anyone around. Kitty's in the other room and the Professor's here." She looked up as she came into the rec-room and saw Logan playing cards in a corner with his back to her. She walked quietly through the room and he didn't seem to notice her.

'Why should I have tah sneek?' She thought, 'I'm almost 20, i's no' like I'm doin' anything' wrong….' She opened the door that led to the dinning room. She looked at the long table and sighed, 'Besides, even if he is being weird, I can take care of myself…' She paused in front of the door and looked at it's white front. She took a deep breath and walked through it, pushing the door open. 'Here goes nothing'.'

She looked around and saw him sitting on the small tale near the window with an apple in his mouth. "Oh, you showed up…" He grinned, "I wasn't sure if you'd see the note or not." He pushed some of his hair out of his face and took another bite out of the apple, "You're early though."

She looked at him, "Early? You're talkin' like this is an appointmen' or something'…"

She watched as he sat the apple on the table and stood up, "Well,it kinda is…" He grinned, "Least for you it is." He walked over and stopped in front of her, "So you wanna know how to get mono-eye to notice you right?" He asked with a grin, pushing his hair out of his face again.

She felt herself turn slightly pink. "Well, tha's wha' the note said I should come for…" She looked at the wall to one side. "Don' screw around if you're jus' bein' funny…"

She heard the door open but before she could look over he had put an arm around her and was kissing her. Her eyes widened and she pulled away, looking over at the door. There stood Scott looking extremely surprised.