Disclaimer: I do not own X-men, Fantastic Four, or any related characters. Somehow, I'll deal with it. Read, review, and, most importantly, enjoy! And now time for some Sue ad Rogue bonding. Because as the only two women in a household, they would need to talk sometime. Oh, I may have changed some ages around. Bear with me.
Rogue stared at the computer screen in front of her. Time seemed like a blur to her. The letters on the screen seemed to mesh and fold together. But that didn't matter. She still knew what they said. Your boyfriend just kissed me. I think he misses you. The world was shaking. She didn't know what to do in this situation. Did she sit down? Was she supposed to get sick and run towards the bathroom? Or was she simply supposed to sit down and cry?
Really, she didn't think that she would be able to do any of those. Silence and anger were more of her thing. Sometimes she cried, but mostly anger won out. Your boyfriend just kissed me. I think he misses you.
Someone walked into the room. Rogue didn't particularly want to have to deal with Johnny at the moment. It would have been too much. Her boyfriend kissing her best friend? She couldn't help but wonder whether it was really the other way around. The southern girl saw how Kitty looked at her boyfriend when she thought that no one was looking.
No… Kitty wouldn't have kissed him. Not when it was Rogue's boyfriend. She would have been tons more likely to wait for them to break up than to make a move like that. Still she couldn't count anything out.
"Please leave meh alone, Johnny."
"I know we're related, but we definitely don't have the same name."
Rogue whipped around to see Sue Storm standing behind her.
"Sorry."
Sue seemed to take everything in, from the shocked, blank look on Rogue's face, to he computer that was trembling in her hands.
"Want to talk about it?"
Rogue looked down, not sure what to say. Boy troubles were things that she had grown accustomed to handling on her own, but advice would be nice in this situation.
"Ah- ah, sure. That would be nice."
Sue smiled as she took a seat on the couch and glanced around. "Just seeing if there's any guys in the area," she told Rogue with a wink.
"How do ya know it's guy trouble?"
"When you've been involved in the game of love as long as I have, you know when it's guy trouble and when it's not."
"Oh." Rogue didn't necessarily consider herself new to the dating scene. She just hadn't had the best experiences with it in the twenty years she had been living. Not being able to touch your boyfriend did that to you.
"Now tell me what's bothering you," Sue ordered as she swept her long, blonde hair into a ponytail.
"Mah power is not being able to touch," Rogue explained.
"We know that. That's why we're extremely careful around you."
"Yeah, well, it's kind of hard when ya have a boyfriend."
"Oh," Sue's eyebrows lifted, "Oh."
"Yeah," Rogue said, looking around, "Oh. As in 'Mah god, Ah'm glad Ah don't have ya'r power.' Ah wish Ah could say the same."
"I never thought," Sue shook her head, "I never really thought of it in terms of when you're trying to have a relationship."
"Bobby's nice. He's been my boyfriend for almost three years now. But there are times… he wants to touch me. He can't. It angers him. It's one of the things he won't admit to me. He doesn't want to admit that he's sick and tired of not being able to touch me." Rogue curled her legs up under her chin, "That's why I originally came here. I wanted to get the cure so that I wouldn't have to live with that look anymore. I want to touch him. I want to be able to kiss him for more than five seconds without him almost dying. I want to be normal. But when I came here, I didn't want this for me. I wanted this for him.
"And I was stupid enough to actually think that that'd be fine. Our relationship was already unsteady, but I left at the worst possible time, y'know? Him and my best friend, Kitty, have been exchanging looks. She denies it. I can tell that she doesn't want to be in love with a taken guy. And Bobby would never admit to it… but you can just tell. They have something going with every look that they give each other.
"Me and Kitty have been talking. She worries about me and likes to help me feel better and all of that. She tells me everything. Today she told me that my boyfriend kissed her. And I don't know how to react," Rogue finished.
Sue shook her head thoughtfully, "Do you love him?"
"What," Rogue looked taken aback, like she had never been asked the question in her life.
"Do you love him?"
Rogue thought for a minute. Did she love Bobby? Did she love the cute boy she had met when she first began at Xavier's? "Maybe. Maybe not. I think that it's too soon to tell."
"And you've been dating for three years?"
The questions were becoming personal. They were hitting way too close to home. "Yes, Ah mean-"
"If you don't know, then you don't love him." Sue smiled, "I knew the second that I met Reed that he would become an important person in my life. When I finally fell in love with him… it hit me like a tidal wave. I felt dizzy and strange and everything made sense while everything fell apart. The world was collapsing and changing. My heart was pounding and my pulse was quickening. I was in love with Reed Richards, geek extrodinaire."
Rogue couldn't keep the smile off her face at hearing Reed called a geek by Sue. But then she frowned, "Ya guys have been together for, like, ever."
Sue's smile grew wider, "Not exactly. Five years ago I wasn't even dating Reed. Instead I was dating his worst enemy. That worked out well, let me tell you."
"This was the space accident, wasn't it?"
Again Sue nodded, "Yes, it was."
"It was the first ever experiment, on purpose or otherwise, that turned normal humans into mutants."
"Yes," she replied, "That was a while ago. Before any of this had happened. We came and people thought that we were superheroes. It wasn't until the bad guys really start piling up did people think otherwise."
"Ya were twenty-five at the time…"
"Yes, Reed was twenty-seven. Ben was thirty."
"And Johnny was twenty."
"An extremely immature twenty."
Rogue grinned, "He's an immature twenty-five."
Laughing, Sue said, "Yes he is. But back to the subject. Do you feel anything when you look at Bobby?"
"Maybe. Sometimes. Ah do when Ah think of how it used to be."
"But not how it is now?"
Rogue groaned as she sat back on the couch, "Ah can't tell, actually. Some days everything feels so right, some days so wrong…" Something seemed to occur to her as she said this, "Ah don't normally open up to people like this."
It seemed more surprise than anything.
Sue shrugged nonchalantly, "When I'm the only woman you know and can talk to for long periods of time, it happens."
The elevator opened and shut. Quiet footsteps echoed softly off the walls in the hallway.
"Would you like to continue this conversation over dinner?"
Rogue smiled, "Ah'd like that."
Maybe things weren't so bad, Rogue thought as Sue got up to greet Reed. Maybe things were how they were supposed to be. Maybe this was how things were supposed to be. Talking to Sue about her problems, grinning when Reed came through the doors, great dinner and good friends, maybe it was her destiny.
"Hey Granny, you've got another doctor's appointment coming up."
"You are so charming," Rogue spat at Johnny.
Or, maybe not.
To: whitestripes
From: KitKat
Subject: Please
Rogue? Are you going to answer me? Please! You're my best friend. You know that I wouldn't do this to you. At least let me explain what happened. The last e-mail you sent me wasn't exactly very nice, you know. All that swearing and cussing. I thought that you were supposed to be a southern belle. Please e-mail me Rogue. Soon.
-
To: whitestripes
From: KitKat
Subject: Don't Die On Me!
Like, I know that its only been an hour, but it has been one of the longest hours of my life. I know that you have got to be mad at me. I would be freaking pissed at me, too. But I'm worried. With all that trouble going on over the cure, you could be dead. E-mail me ASAP.
-
To: whitestripes
From:KitKat
Subject: You're Dead, Aren't You?
I'm freaking out. I might have a heartattack. Look, don't commit suicide or anything stupid like that. E-mail me immediately, Rogue!
-
The restaurant they went to was a slightly nicer one, a diner, but one that served things like Triple Chocolate Cake topped with freshly topped strawberries and ice cream rather than a homemade apple pie. Although, they had that, too.
Sue was digging into a huge salad while Rogue took bites out of her oversized burger. "How long have ya been seeing Reed?"
The blonde smiled a pretty smile and said, "Five years, and, like Johnny said, off and on. We've almost gotten married three times, but each time something gets in the way that we need to take care of. This is after we re-met up after college. We did a bit of dating at the University, too."
"So ya've been dating a while."
"You could say that."
Silence overtook the table while they resumed eating their food. Rogue took the opportunity to look at the families eating. Children were playing with their food, making their mothers angry. Fathers were having conversations with their sons over sports. Everyone seemed so happy. Rogue decided to ignore the strange looks she got. They must have recognized her from the newsreel that had recently been put out on the attack at the line for the cure. That, and Sue Storm was pretty famous herself.
"Now, you wanted my advice," Sue had wiped her face off with her napkin and took a sip of her pop.
Rogue nodded, wondering what would come out of this woman's mouth.
"You'll need to talk to him. Find out what he was thinking. At the moment, after everything you told me, I think that it's past time you ended the relationship, but I'm not one of the ones involved in it. I've only heard the bad, never seen the good, so my advice can't be taken too seriously at the moment. Talking is very important. I also think that dating other people is extremely important to you at this moment. You're young, pretty, and have only dated a few guys, one for the past three years. While you're this young, men are like trying on shoes; you're going to have to test them all to find the right one."
Rogue resisted the urge to laugh at the way it was put. Brillant really, just like she'd expect of the scientist. "Thanks. That's actually pretty good advice."
The waitress came around with the check and Rogue grabbed her purse.
Sue smiled and shook her head, "This one was my treat."
"Ah can pay-"
"Don't argue with me."
Rogue smiled and nodded, "Thanks."
"Next time you can treat me."
They grabbed their purses and jackets as they started to head out the door and to Sue's car. "Hey, Rogue."
"Yeah," the southern girl stopped and looked at the older woman.
"Keep in mind that while my brother may act like an idiot, he is a certified genius."
A confused look formed over Rogue's face, "Why are ya-"
"Don't question it," Sue said, "Just remember it. I think that it may come into play later on."
"OK." The confused expression still played itself over Rogue's features as they entered the vehicle. What could that have meant?
To: KitKat
From: whitestripes
Subject: Have You Lost Your Mind
I went out to dinner, idiot. I'm not dead. There have been no more attacks on line for the cure. Now I'm giving you a chance to explain. Take it. But bear in mind that you're going to explain it again when I get back to the Institute.
To: whitestripes
From: KitKat
Subject: Maybe Just A Little
OK. I feel a little bit stupid now. You just went out to dinner. I should have known that you wouldn't drop everything just because… I bet that you went with Johnny Storm, right? He is a total mega hunk.
Now that I've lightened the mood a little, I think, I'll tell you exactly what happened, as closely as I remember it.
I was in the kitchen. I was extremely hungry. That happens sometimes. Just, Bobby seemed to think that I was hungry for a little bit more than just food. Or something weird like that. Because that's when he kissed me. There I was, just wanting a simple piece of pie or something and he kisses me.
Rogue, I am so sorry. You know that I would never kiss him, right? He's your boyfriend and I'm not into the whole back-stabbing bitch thing. You do realize that? I would never do anything to sabatoge your relationship with Bobby.
To: KitKat
From: whitestripes
Subject: Figures, Boyfriend-Stealer
I sort of believe you. But you have to understand that I need to hear both sides. It's not that you're not my best friend, it's that he's my boyfriend and needs a chance to explain things, too. The way I see it, I should be home soon. I'll talk to you both them. Sue has helped me come to a couple decisions about my life. Really, despite this whole thing, I can't wait to see you again. You're still my best friend, after all.
To: whitestripes
From: KitKat
Subject: So Not A Funny Subject
Thank you. I miss you too, Roguey. Come home soon (and bring that delicious Johnny with you). We'll talk more later.
To: whitestripes
From: IcekInG
Subject: Blank
Rogue, we need to talk.
A/N: And so ends chapter three.