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thoughts
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NINE TO FIVE: Chapter Fifteen - Step on it, bub!

"I can't believe you're actually going to try and sneak out tonight," said Kitty Pryde, sitting Indian style on her bed with her school books spread out around her. For the last hour she watched her broken roommate that had spend the last hour struggling to stuff her bed one-handed. "You are so going to get caught. Kurt doesn't think you'll get past the oak, but my money is on the front gate."

"Ya'll are bettin' on mah failure?" Rogue pretended to sound insulted. "So do ah win the pool if ah make it?"

"No, actually Jamie bet that you would make it," Kitty told Rogue.

"Jamie?! Who all is in on this?" she poked her head out from underneath her bed where she was searching for that mannequin hand she stole from the Gap.

"Me, Kurt, Evan, Jamie, Bobby, and Sam," her roommate replied. "Only five bucks each. We're low rollers."

"Huh," Rogue got out from under her bed and carefully placed the hand halfway out of her covers. Then she headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Kitty asked Rogue, whose good hand was on the door knob.

"Ah'm gonna go ask Jamie what he's gonna do with his thirty dollars." Rogue smiled and closed the door behind her.

A slight breeze blew Rogue purple scarf as she leaned up against the balcony railing looking out across the yard bathed in moonlight. She was dressed up for the concert, black leather English riding boots, black knee-length skirt with a slit up the leg and decretive chains, black camisole tank top, long black gloves, and her favorite purple scarf wrapped around her neck. Oh, and don't forget her mismatched sling holding her left arm. Rogue ground her teeth every time she thought about it. Her eye was very black, but she covered it up decently with makeup. Her ribs still hurt like hell and sometimes the white bandages would poke out from underneath her tank top. Her pain killers would kick in soon, and by the time she got to the concert she would be as good as golden.

She glanced back inside her room at the clock: 8:26pm. John an' Wanda will be here soon. Can' wait for Logan ta catch meh here. Time ta make mah escape. Rogue snatched up the manila envelope sitting on her bed and secured it in her boot. Rogue again stood out on her balcony and took a deep breath despite the stinging. After exhaling, a gloved right hand braced itself against the balcony railing and a black boot secured itself on the same railing. Pushing off the balcony, Rogue's legs flew over into the air, followed by the rest of her body. Her toes made contact with the ground first, then her weight rolled back onto the balls of her feet then heels. Simultaneously her knees and leg muscles contracted and extended into a grande plie, and her good hand felt for the ground for balance. An unsuppressed grimace came across her face after her left knee hit her slinged arm. Rogue bit her lip so she wouldn't cry out.

Ah've spent too much time here. Rogue took another deep breath, then sprinted from her position to the grove of trees that followed the wall of the institute grounds. She knew of one elm near the gate that was extremely easy to climb and conveniently had a strong branch that extended over the brick encasement. On the other side John and Wanda would be waiting for her. Rogue didn't pause or cover her tracks as she ran toward the tree. When she got to the tree she did not climb it. Instead she walked past it to the iron gates of Xavier's School for the Gifted. She picked a spot and leaned her back against the bars and waited

Two minutes and forty-two seconds later a stocky man with unruly black hair dropped from a tree, right in front of the escapee.

"Took ya long enough." Rogue pushed herself off the iron gate, standing straight up.

"Stripes," Logan said. "You didn't really think that stuffing your bed would fool me?"

"Ah knew it wouldn' at first," Rogue bent down and pulled out the manila envelope from her boot. "But Ah hoped after ya saw this it would."

Logan scrutinized her, wondering what had gotten into her. "You tryin' to blackmail me?"

"No, Ah'm tryin' ta bribe ya." Rogue paused for a moment. "What have ya done lately that's blackmail worthy?"

If Logan was any other man he would have blushed or sheepishly avoided her eyes, but, since he wasn't, he just crossed his arms. "Come on, kid, let's go back to the mansion."

"No!" Rogue objected. "Ah can't stand it anymore! Ah feel like ah'm suffocating in that house all day."

"Look," Logan laid down the law. "You're grounded. Being grounded is a lame punishment, but in some cases it prevents kids from doing stupid stuff like going out with a man you hardly know after curfew and not tell anyone. You did the deed, you do the time."

"Bein' grounded is one thing, but bein' grounded in that house with hormonal teenage mutants an' Jean an' Scott is another thing." Rogue pleaded her case. "They are drivin' meh insane! Please, just one night out. Ah bought these tickets way before ah ever got grounded. Ah just wanna enjoy one night of teenage normalcy before ah have ta go back ta disrupting Ray's plots ta steal mine an' Kitty's underwear an' Kurt bamfin' inta the bathroom without knockin' first an' walkin' inta the room Bobby turned inta an ice skatin' rink. Not ta mention Jean's constant nosing inta mah life. Please!"

Logan looked like he actually considered it for a second. She's gone through hell the past few days and didn't get a relief when she comes home. Logan can at least take off every few nights to get away from madhouse. But Logan is not a soft man. "Sorry Stripes, you have my sympathy but I can't let you go. You just got the crap beat out of you yesterday, you should be recuperating."

"Ah rested all day. At least until the Newbies came home an' Sam keep blastin' off an' vibratin' the mansion, 'cause Roberto keep sneakin' up on 'im an' scarin' 'im." Rogue reissued her plee."Just pretend that ah'm really up in mah bed. It certainly looks it. If ya don' ah guess ah'll have ta give this back ta its original owner." Rogue took out the photo of the Technicolor Sabertooth with his lucky charms from the envelope and waved it in front of Logan.

The Canadian was skeptical. "Did you have Kitty doctor that up on her computer for you?"

"No, it's genuine." Rogue let him take a closer look.

Logan stared at it in dark. Then he sighed. "Sorry kid, you have to come back to the mansion with me." He handed the photograph back to Rogue.

Rogue knew she couldn't just take off. Even if she could escape Logan with her gimp body, she would have to come back to the mansion eventually and be punished yet again. Dammit! Mah plan was good. Damn Logan and his sense of honest dealings. Now what am ah gonna do? Rogue hung her head and Logan followed her up to the mansion doors.

"Yes!" Kitty did a little jig in their shared room. "What in the world am I going to do with thirty dollars!"

Rogue buried her head in her pillow, trying to ignore Kitty's enthusiasm.

Just then the phone rang. The excited Kitty dove for it.

"Hello," she said cheerfully. Then she grew a little self conscious, "Hi, Piotr. How are you?" The brunette hopped on her bed and prepared for a long conversation.

After two minutes Rogue was sick of the giggling, "Would ya PLEASE take it outside?! Some people are tryin' ta sleep here!"

"Okay," Kitty put her hand over the receiver. "You don't have to, like, jump down my throat or anything." Kitty put on some slippers and took the cordless out into the hallway, shutting off the lights on her way out.

Rogue let out a sigh. She was so sure her plan would work. She glanced at where she put the manila envelope. It was gone.

"What are you still doin' here, Stripes?" Logan with the manila envelope in his hand was smoking in the door way of her balcony. "Figured you would have tried to make a break for it again."

Rogue, after she shut her gapping mouth, leapt up with a new found energy and started restuffing her bed hastily.

The Canadian took the photo out and looked at it. "He's gonna be there, isn't he?" Logan asked Rogue.

"Who? Sabertooth?" Rogue asked after she noticed he was looking at the photo.

"No, Gumbo. The guy who got you this picture," said Logan. He figured only one of Magneto's men could have taken the picture, and Remy was the most likely candidate.

"No, Remy doesn' even have tickets. Wanda will be there." Rogue was not about to correct him: Remy didn't give her the photo, St. John did. And she left out the part about John being there too. She figured she was still under suspicion for personally knowing two of the three new Acolytes, better not boil the hot water she was already in. Rogue then fingered the extra ticket in her sling. "And Risty is suppose ta come." He doesn't know she hasn't been back since summer break.

"Yeah, right," Logan said skeptically. Rogue finished up her bed and walked out onto the balcony to make her second escape. "Just one condition." Logan stopped her before she jumped. "Touch me." Logan held out his bare hand.

"No, Logan, ah'm fine. Pain killers kickin' in quite nicely." She turned back to the edge.

"I can't let you go without bein' able to defend yourself in case those bozos find you again. Besides you have to be able to beat off slimy Cajuns," Logan said with a small smile.

"As far as ah know, he won' be there, Logan," Rogue repeated.

"But you wouldn't be surprised if he shows up," Logan predicted. "Touch me and I won't go catch you again."

Rogue knew her ride would be taking off soon, she didn't have any time to argue the issue. "Fine. But remember that this was your idea." She struggled to take off her right glove with her slinged arm. Eventually she gave up and grabbed Logan's hand and put it on her bare shoulder. After a few seconds she lifted his hand off again. Logan was still conscious, just sat down to recover himself. The burning in Rogue's chest stopped, her arm wasn't sore, and she bet her eye wasn't swollen anymore. Rogue ripped off her sling and bandages and shoved them into the top drawer of her dresser. Gotta keep up the charade for a couple more days so no one finds out about this.

Rogue waved to Logan before she leapt off the balcony and made her escape. This time without biting her tongue.

In no time Rogue was crawling out onto the limb to her freedom. Surprisingly Wanda and John were still there.

"Took you long enough!" the Australian called out his window. Then he noticed the lack of bruises and bandages. "I thought you were beat to a pulp yesterday?"

"Logan decided ta give meh a little going away present," Rogue announced as she climbed in. "Step on it, bub."

A/N: Look at that! A new chapter less than two weeks later!!! That's a record for me! But don't get used to it.

Next chapter: Meet the Dazzlers, more Romy-ness (you had to guess he'd sneak into the show), how does Wanda react when someone shamelessly flirts with John? And you'll never guess who else comes to the concert to spy on our favorite couples!