Disclaimer: John was hurt slightly during the production of this chapter, but he was quickly removed from harms way and efforts are being made to ensure his further safety
Chapter three – Goodbyes
Marie always packed light, so it should have been no surprise to the guys to see only a small suitcase when they went into her room.
"That's it?" John exclaimed, surprised that she didn't need to pack ten pairs of shoes as he thought most girls did. "Are ya only going for the weekend?"
"Actually I don't know how long I'll be gone. Maybe a few days, maybe a few weeks." Then looking at Bobby with a nervous expression she added, "I may be back tomorrow."
"You won't be back tomorrow," Bobby said sternly but reassuringly. John was somewhat confused but gathered from the expressions on their faces that Marie may not be well received by her parents. He could tell she was a bit nervous about this.
"But to answer your question," Marie said turning to John, "I have my backpack with homework, textbooks and some money in it too." She pointed to a small bag that was lying on the floor by her desk.
"Oh, well I'll take the suitcase down," John added. He offered only because Bobby was holding Rogues hand and couldn't do that and carry the suitcase too. John also thought that they both probably wanted some privacy, even if it was only during the trip down the stairs to the car.
"Thanks John," Rogue said smiling as he walked out the door with the luggage. She went over to pick up her backpack but Bobby snatched it before she could.
"I'm not an invalid ya know, I can carry stuff myself."
"I know but I may not see my Rogue for a while I have to baby her until she leaves" he said flashing a smile that only toothpaste commercials could match.
They walked downstairs and out to the car. Logan had the evening free so he volunteered to drive Rogue to the train station. They opened the trunk and John immediately threw the suitcase in. Bobby gave him a disappointing look, but John didn't care. Despite the bad boy image, he was a nice guy, but he wasn't a saint.
Bobby carefully placed the backpack in the trunk and closed the door. The car started and a country radio station began to blare through the open passenger window.
"Ugh, damn Cyclops!" Logan said, quickly changing the radio station to find something better. Unable to do so he hit the off button on the dash and waited patiently for Marie.
"I guess I better go," she said turning her gaze from the commotion in the car back to the boys.
"You don't want to miss your train," John said hesitantly.
"Before you go, we have something for you," Bobby held out his hands, one over the other. When he opened them she saw a rose made from ice, Just like the one he made her the day they first met, but this one was bigger.
"It's beautiful," Marie said reaching out to touch it.
"Hold on there missy," John said and stepped forward, a fireball in one hand, lighter in the other.
Bobby held the ice rose on both sides and John moved the fireball about two feet under the rose. Bobby let go of the rose just as the fireball shot up in what looked like a waterfall of fire, only flowing upward. The rising fire caught the rose and held it in mid-air and quickly moving the fire formed leaves, thorns and a stem. The heat from the stem began to slowly melt the ice. The glaze of water on the outside of the flower made it shine against the sunlight. The fire seemed to spin and dance, making the rose do the same. Marie was mesmerized at the burning yellow and icy blue of the dancing object and watched it until the ice-rose had melted and died completely. She looked up at Bobby and John, who were grinning, obviously proud of their gift. She couldn't think of anything to say, but her smile and the single tear that grazed her cheek said it.
They both gave her a hug as she cried out, "You both are the best thing that ever happened to me."
John kissed Rogue on the cheek before she could back away to stop from hurting him. She was shocked because she was so used to no contact that his kiss caught her off guard.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of Icy here," John said pointing to Bobby.
"That makes me worry more!" Marie replied chuckling. John backed up to the door of the mansion and Marie turned to stare at Bobby.
"You are the best thing that ever happened to me too," He said quietly to her as he reached his hand to the nape of her neck and bent in for a quick, but no less passionate kiss. Rogue was left wanting, wishing she could have more, but knowing that was impossible. "I love you Marie," Bobby said and walked her to the car's front door. He opened the door for her and held her hand as she got in.
"Goodbye Bobby," Rogue said wishing she didn't have to tell him goodbye.
"Goodbye Marie," Bobby was wishing the same thing. He closed the door, stood back and watched her mouth, "I love you" to him as Logan drove away.
He stood there in the driveway watching as the car turned with the road through the trees and out of sight.
"Are you okay?" John asked walking up behind Bobby.
"Yeah I'm okay," Bobby replied still gazing at where the car drove out of sight.
"Are you okay?" Bobby said finally turning around facing John. He knew at once that Bobby was talking about when John kissed Rogue.
Why did he kiss her? He had been asking himself that question since it happened. He did not like her "in that way" at all. Sure she was attractive, but as John thought about it he realized he thought of Rogue more as a sister than anything else. That was why he kissed her. The impulse to do so was also prodded by the curiosity of what would happen to him when they touched. She had only touched him skin to skin once before, and that was to purposely take his power away from him. That incident left him doubled over on the ground, grabbing his stomach and gasping for air.
"I'm sorry," John quickly said. He was hoping Bobby wasn't too mad at him, but figured he most likely was. "I didn't mean it like that. I..." but Bobby quickly cut him off.
"It's okay. I trust Rogue and you. I know you meant nothin' by it. So calm down." Bobby thought he had heard an audible "whew" from John, but he wasn't sure. He could see John didn't want Bobby mad at him, and Bobby wasn't mad at him in the least. Up until that point Bobby was the only one who dared to touch Rogue, except Logan when he saved her from Magneto. He knew she was in all probability starving for human contact, which was something that he could not feed all by himself.
"But you did touch her," Bobby continued, "Are ya okay?"
"I'm fine," John said. "I had a pain in my gut, and I couldn't breathe for a bit, but I'm good now."
"That's good." He looked back toward the road seemingly hoping that the car would reappear.
"Wanna go in and play foosball?"
Bobby turned from the road and said, "Sure," and with that they went inside.
