"Where is Rogue at Pryo?" Bobby abruptly shoved John down onto the glass table had just been wiping down.

"Not here Ice-prick." John commented back snidely pushing off the table and shoving Bobby away from him. "I knew you were stupid but I didn't think you were blind too."

"The girls outside she was with you last! Why she bothers lowering herself to talk to you I don't understand."

"Is this about wanting to fight with me or wanting to find your pathetic excuse for a girlfriend?" John kicked the leg of the table to straighten it back out.

"I wouldn't lower myself to bother with you if I didn't have too." Bobby spat back at him.

"Yeah yeah yeah. You all need to come up with some new insults. The whole, you're lower than me, too bad they wont expel you you're just a nuisance, the idiot should learn to change his ways, what a freak, its all pretty worn out."

"Where is Rogue?! I wont ask you again nicely."

"You did a first time?" John coughed a laugh back.

Bobby shoved John back in attempt to make him lose his balance on the table, but it failed.

"How should I know?! I left her pathetic butt sitting outside." John growled at him, jumping forward to match Bobby. "Tell her to quit trying to have stupid conversations with me! I want nothing to do with someone who is as much of a weakling and disgrace as her."

"Don't you ever talk about her like that! You don't know how strong she really is!" Bobby's finger was suddenly pointing into John's face.

"It doesn't matter. She gave up the one thing that could have made her great." John pushed Bobby's hand out of his face and walked past him in a huff.

How in the hell should he know where Rogue is?! He put as much distance as he could between them after her comment. Why couldn't she just be snide and crude to him like everyone else? Why did she have to actually pretend to care about his feelings? It was driving him mad. All the attention from her. How on earth did Bobby take it?

Well wait, after what he saw under the robe…maybe that's why Bobby took it. Bobby had two girls though. John knew for a fact that all the time Rogue spent with him was the time Bobby was spending with Kitty.

"Why don't you go to Bobby and talk to him?"

"Cause, he said I should take a stroll around. That once it gets cold I cant go out anymore. Plus, being from the country and all, being outside relaxes me. Which is a good thing." Rogue laughed.

She had found John while he was tucked away up in a tree pouting. Sucks that she keeps finding all his hiding spots.

John knew what 'go outside and take a stroll to relax' code was to Bobby. That meant he wanted to have a go-around with Kitty so he needed Rogue to be gone.

"Don't you have any friends?" John asked from his branch as Rogue leaned back against the tree trunk.

"Ha. Not ones that don't pity me. That's why I have you." She smiled up at him.

"I'm not your plaything or buddy. I don't like you." John shook some leaves down onto her.

Rogue laughed as the leaves fell on her face. "But I can relax with you!"

"That's your fault not mine so don't make me pay for it." He said with a hidden chuckle.

"Too bad. You're going too." She added as she shook some of the leaves from her hair.

Why did she always come to him saying he wouldn't pity her? Of course he didn't pity her. She wasn't worthy of his pity or even his thoughts, so why was he thinking about her?!

He tore his

gaze from the floor to the nearby window, stopping from his march to his room to look outside at the growing night. He carefully touched the window pane, it was much colder outside now than it had been earlier.

Dang! He'd left his Zippo in that tree! If it rained tonight like predicted it would be ruined!

Hurriedly, John ran through the hallway and across the lawn, back into the woods a bit until he found his tree. With skill, he climbed the tree until he found the hole that was holding his precious Zippo.

"Almost lost you." He told the item when he reached the ground again.

Then a small movement caught his eye. He flicked his Zippo open and grabbed the flame, illuminating the area of the movement.

"What the-" John put the light closer to look at the person. "Cure?"

Rogue was curled up against an opposite tree, holding her chest and shaking.

"J-john." She gasped with pain.

"What's wrong?" John got closer to her with the flame.

"Your fire, it feels s-o g-ood." She chattered.

"Hey, Cure, look at me. You need to get inside. The way you're dressed you'll freeze to death."

"Pl-ease help me. It hurts to move."

"Are you joking?" John drew back, taking his fire with him.

"I know you hate me, but if I stay calm I cant hurt you. Just help me in, I can take it from there." John could see it now as she talked, her teeth were tinted pink as if there had been blood in her mouth.

"Fine. But you don't tell about it ANYONE." He put his fire out and helped her stand up slowly.

"I wont." She coughed and began to walk, while leaning on him for support. "you're so w-arm. It feels nice."

As they walked slowly back towards the school, John listened carefully to Rogue's wheezing and coughing. Her comments were making it impossible to talk to her.

"Did you catch something?" John asked when they were halfway across the lawn.

"Nun-uh." Rogue squeezed out.

"So is this part of-"

"John…please. I want to talk to you---but right now it hurts---and I cant." In corner of his eye, John witnessed Rogue clutch her chest once more.

He kept quiet until they made it into the foyer. Once safely inside he eased her into a chair, where she kept breathing shallowly.

"I'll go find Bobby or something." John muttered.

"Find me to what?" Bobby rounded the corner just then. His eyes widening at the scene in front of him. "You knew where she was and you left her out there?!"

"I just found her when I went to look for something! If you keep better track on your damn weakling girlfriend I wouldn't find her about to kill over in the woods!" John barked back. "You should be thanking me."

"That'll never happen." Bobby hurried over to the side of Rogue's chair. "Honey, are you okay?"

"Take me to my ro-om please, Bobby. I'm freezing and just need to chill out for a while."

Bobby laughed at her statement, "You're freezing but you need to chill?"

She managed a smile for him, then told him she really wanted to be taken her room before Logan came through.

"Thank you, John." She weakly smiled over at him before Bobby carried her off down the hall.

There was that feeling again! An uneasy squeeze in his stomach that made him tingle all over. He was getting so sick of this feeling. Maybe it was hanging around her and her damn Cure blood so much. It was infecting him.

How was he supposed to stop it though? No matter how much he insulted her, she kept coming back for more. Like a puppy he kept kicking and throwing things at, that still wanted to follow him around.

"She is driving me CRAZY!" John slammed his room door.

He threw himself down on his bed and dug out his Zippo out of his pocket. He was never going to admit, but he was grateful she gave it back to him. The only object he ever found happiness in.

"Still!" He tucked the Zippo back into the nightstand drawer, stashing it safely under everything else he had in there to avoid someone finding it. "She just….Argh!"

* * *

"I hope John isn't too mad about having to help me." Rogue coughed as Bobby helped her change into some flannel pajamas.

"He should feel honored I didn't pound him for touching you at all. You shouldn't worry about how he feels about anything." Bobby added with an unhappy tone.

"I would have died out there if it hadn't been for him coming to get his-" Rogue caught herself.

"His what?"

"Notebook. He had left it by the tree where I was." She covered her blunder.

"Well, it was luck on your part." Bobby helped her over to her bed, pulling the blankets back then easing her down.

Just before he could stand back up, Rogue made an attempt to kiss him. An attempt he pulled away from.

"Bobby, I'm fine and calm now. Its okay." She smiled then made another attempt.

"Not now Rogue. Just go to sleep." He ordered, standing up and away from her.

"That's not fair!"

"Rogue, you're not feeling well. Just go to sleep and I'll talk to you in the morning."

"You had better not be mean to John!" She yelled hoarsely as he shut the door.

Even though her boyfriend had just left her; right now, she wanted John. His heat was so nice when she had gotten that small opportunity to lean against him. She did falter on her emotions when John was helping her. In that split two seconds, her entire body was warmed and she felt so at ease. It would be nice right now if he would snuggle up against her right now and just be with her. He could wrap his heater arms around her and make snide comment, while she enjoyed the warmth and poked fun back at him.

She hugged her pillow tightly. She had grown so attached to him lately. Even though he hated that she sought him out to talk to, he did talk to her. He tried not to, but laughed with her. He didn't try to hide mean comments, just let them blow at her. He didn't try to hide her from his thoughts and didn't shield her from anything, unlike Bobby who shielded her from everything.

Oh Buddha. Was she really laying in bed thinking about John? The one that hated her? Everything she just…envisioned…could never happen. It shouldn't either, she was with Bobby! The guy who had stood with her through everything. The one that…protected her from everything?

"Ahh!" She smushed her pillow against her face. It was tempting to think about how John might act in some given situations. Think about how he wouldn't treat her so cold and indifferently. Of course Bobby didn't mean to be like that. He was just doing what he thought was best for her. Trying to make sure she didn't get sick or anything.

Despite it all, she was cold and wanted to snuggle up against John's heat. It would be very nice and might make the cold ache in her chest ease.

Yay! Please tell me what you think! I'm glad you all are liking it! It's getting closer to a revelation. Who is gonna realize it first? I think that's a hands down thing. Enjoy it. I'm loving the feedback. Keep it coming!

RAWR