A/N: Okay, sorry it took so long. I just got out of school and I've been really busy. But here's a new chapter. Enjoy!!
Disclaimer: I only own Tristian, that's it.
Chapter Twenty
Rogue did a back kick, knocking the dummy over before flipping forwards and using the wall to leap off of and kick the other in the face. She stood back up, surveying her work. Six of the machine dummies lay strewn across the floor. She smiled at Tristian who stood in the far of corner, arms folded across his chest.
He gave her a smile and brought his hands up, clapping them together a few times. "Good work. Looks like you were paying attention after all when I taught you how to fight."
"I'm not John or Bobby," she teased.
He chuckled. "No you're not. John failed his combat test and Bobby ended up using his freezing skills. The dummies got the best of them in other words."
"You taught us for two weeks and they can't get down the basic. Maybe it's because they have a better gift and think that it doesn't matter. They'll neve' need to find."
"But you learned and you use it," he countered.
"Of course I did," she nodded, taking a few deep breaths to steady her heart beat. "When ya have powers like mine it's all ya can do to defend yaself." A sad smile crossed her face then. He had no idea what it was like for her never to be able to touch someone else. The simplest things like hugging or touching skin were impossible for her.
He nodded his head. "I'm sure it is hard for you," he pushed off the wall with his foot walking slowly towards her. Rogue stood frozen as he got closer. "Not being able to touch anyone has to be hard."
Tristian stood just in front of her now, Rogue was holding her breath without knowing it. She reminded herself to breath and took a slow draw in. "Have you ever tried?"
She brought her eyes down and nodded, "Yeah, I have." She swallowed. "A couple years ago, before I came here, I had a boyfriend."
"What happened?"
"I kissed him," she told him. "And it put him in a coma…I can still feel him inside my head." She touched her temple. "They're all there. Everyone I've ever touched or tried to."
"And Bobby?" he asked.
She nodded, "A while ago. It didn't hurt him as much, but it weakened him enough. I had to touch John once cause he was out of control."
Tristian nodded. "Anything since?"
She shook her head. "I can't be intimate with anyone."
Tristian sighed, rubbing his eyes and dropping his hand back to his side. "Never say can't, Rogue. Because you can."
She frowned. "What?"
"You can, Rogue,' he looked into her eyes. " All you have to do is gain control of your powers and will them to do as you want." He brought his hand up touching her cheek. "All you have to do is try."
Rogue jerked back on reaction, waiting for the overwhelming sensation of thoughts and memories to fill her head. But it didn't come, none of it came. She could only feel his hand touching her cheek, smooth and warm against her skin. Rogue relaxed, confused by it all. She slowly brought her hand up, touching his hand making sure it was real. It was. She could feel him, touch him.
She let out a gasp and reached her hand up touching his face. He smiled at her. "See."
"But how?"
"I'm blocking your powers from reaching me, but you can do this too. You can touch with control, it's not as hard as you may think."
"I-I can do this,' she asked.
He removed his hand. "Yeah, I'll teach you if you like?"
"Of course," she said excited. "more than anything I want to be able to touch Bobby, to touch anyone and be rid of these gloves."
"Alright," he nodded. "I'll teach you, starting tomorrow morning." He jerked his head to the locker rooms. "Why don't you go clean up and find you friends? I'm sure they'd love to hear about your success."
She nodded and left, leaving Tristian alone in the room. Once she was gone, Tristian cleaned up, moving everything back into place. Rogue was definitely improving in the combat field of things. The bigger conquest was going to be vectoring her power. Time was a definite factor with it and Bobby and John were going to have a count of endless headaches from being her test dummy. But with practice, he was sure she could do it. She'd gain control of her power so she could gain control of her love and life.
He took a seat on the bench against the wall, leaning forward, hands on his thighs. If only it were that easy for himself. John, Bobby and Rogue knew he was a trimutant now, they just didn't know what he was capable of. In two weeks he'd gained friends as well as enemies, meaning Scott. The mutant had a serious disliking to him still. Tristian only wondered if he knew about the kiss he'd shared with Jean on the roof two weeks ago.
He smiled at the memory. The kiss had been innocent enough but it held a hunger deeper than anything they knew. It was the mystery of what could happen if they pursued it any further. Nothing had happened since the two weeks they kissed. They continued their friendship like nothing happened, but both knew, both of them felt it, they just feared it and ignored it. Too afraid of what could happen.
Every time Tristian got close enough, he backed away. He liked her, he truly did, but with Frost out there somewhere, he didn't want to take a chance of history repeating itself. Even though he hadn't seen so much as a fleck of them the chance was still there and so was the danger. He wouldn't risk her. He couldn't. The thought of losing Jean or any of the others tore at him from the inside. He wouldn't take the chance.
A hand touched his shoulder and he turned his head to the side, already have guessing who it was next to him.
"Hey," her green eyes glowed as she said the simple word.
"Hey," he told her with a little smile, folding his hands together, leaning forward still.
"So how did it go?" she asked, eyes flicking to the training equipment.
Tristian snorted, "Bobby and Pyro failed, I think they depend too much on their power to care for combat skills and Marie, as I thought, passed with flying colors."
"I knew she would, she's swift that way," Jean agreed.
"Yeah," he nodded his head, bobbing it up and down. "I'm working on special cases with them tomorrow. I want to focus on their powers and enhancing them to their full capability."
"Sounds interesting," she told him.
He rubbed his face with both his hands, feeling tired and glanced at his watch. No wonder it was past eleven o'clock at night. He hadn't realized how long he had Rogue training or any of them.
"Tired already?" she smiled.
"Getting there," he nodded.
"They tend to wear a person out," she told him with a laugh. "Try teaching a class full instead if three."
He laughed, "I'll pass, thanks." He found himself staring into her eyes and couldn't pull away from the green spheres. He brushed a strand of hair behind her ears and turned his head away.
"Tristian, ya coming with me," Rogue asked, stepping out of the locker room.
He nodded his head, standing up. "Sure, I need to talk to John and Bobby any way." He looked back at Jean. "I'll see you tomorrow then."
She nodded, "I got some papers to go grade. One of them being yours Rogue."
Rogue made a face, "Gee, thanks for the anxiety. Now I'll be thinkin' bout that all night."
"You did great, I'm sure," Jean assured her. She gave one last look at Tristian and left.
He watched her go, letting his tension out with a sigh. Rogue grabbed his hand in her gloved one a moment later and dragged him out of the training area and up the elevator to the common room. Tristian thought of the kiss the entire way, praying and dreading it would happen again before too long.
R&R PLEASE. LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!!
Disclaimer: I only own Tristian, that's it.
Chapter Twenty
Rogue did a back kick, knocking the dummy over before flipping forwards and using the wall to leap off of and kick the other in the face. She stood back up, surveying her work. Six of the machine dummies lay strewn across the floor. She smiled at Tristian who stood in the far of corner, arms folded across his chest.
He gave her a smile and brought his hands up, clapping them together a few times. "Good work. Looks like you were paying attention after all when I taught you how to fight."
"I'm not John or Bobby," she teased.
He chuckled. "No you're not. John failed his combat test and Bobby ended up using his freezing skills. The dummies got the best of them in other words."
"You taught us for two weeks and they can't get down the basic. Maybe it's because they have a better gift and think that it doesn't matter. They'll neve' need to find."
"But you learned and you use it," he countered.
"Of course I did," she nodded, taking a few deep breaths to steady her heart beat. "When ya have powers like mine it's all ya can do to defend yaself." A sad smile crossed her face then. He had no idea what it was like for her never to be able to touch someone else. The simplest things like hugging or touching skin were impossible for her.
He nodded his head. "I'm sure it is hard for you," he pushed off the wall with his foot walking slowly towards her. Rogue stood frozen as he got closer. "Not being able to touch anyone has to be hard."
Tristian stood just in front of her now, Rogue was holding her breath without knowing it. She reminded herself to breath and took a slow draw in. "Have you ever tried?"
She brought her eyes down and nodded, "Yeah, I have." She swallowed. "A couple years ago, before I came here, I had a boyfriend."
"What happened?"
"I kissed him," she told him. "And it put him in a coma…I can still feel him inside my head." She touched her temple. "They're all there. Everyone I've ever touched or tried to."
"And Bobby?" he asked.
She nodded, "A while ago. It didn't hurt him as much, but it weakened him enough. I had to touch John once cause he was out of control."
Tristian nodded. "Anything since?"
She shook her head. "I can't be intimate with anyone."
Tristian sighed, rubbing his eyes and dropping his hand back to his side. "Never say can't, Rogue. Because you can."
She frowned. "What?"
"You can, Rogue,' he looked into her eyes. " All you have to do is gain control of your powers and will them to do as you want." He brought his hand up touching her cheek. "All you have to do is try."
Rogue jerked back on reaction, waiting for the overwhelming sensation of thoughts and memories to fill her head. But it didn't come, none of it came. She could only feel his hand touching her cheek, smooth and warm against her skin. Rogue relaxed, confused by it all. She slowly brought her hand up, touching his hand making sure it was real. It was. She could feel him, touch him.
She let out a gasp and reached her hand up touching his face. He smiled at her. "See."
"But how?"
"I'm blocking your powers from reaching me, but you can do this too. You can touch with control, it's not as hard as you may think."
"I-I can do this,' she asked.
He removed his hand. "Yeah, I'll teach you if you like?"
"Of course," she said excited. "more than anything I want to be able to touch Bobby, to touch anyone and be rid of these gloves."
"Alright," he nodded. "I'll teach you, starting tomorrow morning." He jerked his head to the locker rooms. "Why don't you go clean up and find you friends? I'm sure they'd love to hear about your success."
She nodded and left, leaving Tristian alone in the room. Once she was gone, Tristian cleaned up, moving everything back into place. Rogue was definitely improving in the combat field of things. The bigger conquest was going to be vectoring her power. Time was a definite factor with it and Bobby and John were going to have a count of endless headaches from being her test dummy. But with practice, he was sure she could do it. She'd gain control of her power so she could gain control of her love and life.
He took a seat on the bench against the wall, leaning forward, hands on his thighs. If only it were that easy for himself. John, Bobby and Rogue knew he was a trimutant now, they just didn't know what he was capable of. In two weeks he'd gained friends as well as enemies, meaning Scott. The mutant had a serious disliking to him still. Tristian only wondered if he knew about the kiss he'd shared with Jean on the roof two weeks ago.
He smiled at the memory. The kiss had been innocent enough but it held a hunger deeper than anything they knew. It was the mystery of what could happen if they pursued it any further. Nothing had happened since the two weeks they kissed. They continued their friendship like nothing happened, but both knew, both of them felt it, they just feared it and ignored it. Too afraid of what could happen.
Every time Tristian got close enough, he backed away. He liked her, he truly did, but with Frost out there somewhere, he didn't want to take a chance of history repeating itself. Even though he hadn't seen so much as a fleck of them the chance was still there and so was the danger. He wouldn't risk her. He couldn't. The thought of losing Jean or any of the others tore at him from the inside. He wouldn't take the chance.
A hand touched his shoulder and he turned his head to the side, already have guessing who it was next to him.
"Hey," her green eyes glowed as she said the simple word.
"Hey," he told her with a little smile, folding his hands together, leaning forward still.
"So how did it go?" she asked, eyes flicking to the training equipment.
Tristian snorted, "Bobby and Pyro failed, I think they depend too much on their power to care for combat skills and Marie, as I thought, passed with flying colors."
"I knew she would, she's swift that way," Jean agreed.
"Yeah," he nodded his head, bobbing it up and down. "I'm working on special cases with them tomorrow. I want to focus on their powers and enhancing them to their full capability."
"Sounds interesting," she told him.
He rubbed his face with both his hands, feeling tired and glanced at his watch. No wonder it was past eleven o'clock at night. He hadn't realized how long he had Rogue training or any of them.
"Tired already?" she smiled.
"Getting there," he nodded.
"They tend to wear a person out," she told him with a laugh. "Try teaching a class full instead if three."
He laughed, "I'll pass, thanks." He found himself staring into her eyes and couldn't pull away from the green spheres. He brushed a strand of hair behind her ears and turned his head away.
"Tristian, ya coming with me," Rogue asked, stepping out of the locker room.
He nodded his head, standing up. "Sure, I need to talk to John and Bobby any way." He looked back at Jean. "I'll see you tomorrow then."
She nodded, "I got some papers to go grade. One of them being yours Rogue."
Rogue made a face, "Gee, thanks for the anxiety. Now I'll be thinkin' bout that all night."
"You did great, I'm sure," Jean assured her. She gave one last look at Tristian and left.
He watched her go, letting his tension out with a sigh. Rogue grabbed his hand in her gloved one a moment later and dragged him out of the training area and up the elevator to the common room. Tristian thought of the kiss the entire way, praying and dreading it would happen again before too long.
R&R PLEASE. LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!!