Spun
By Liz Wyatt
Chapter Seven: It's Too Late
Ride on, ride till early morning sun
Ride on, like the dawning of the day
It's too late, to let all your feelings show
Go on, til the night is swept away
-Evermore
Rogue was woken up by a hard pound on her door. She heard Jubilee yelling her name, but she desperately tried to ignore the girl's high-pitched noise. That is until Jubilee said the words Storm. Pissed. Meeting.
Rogue quickly got dressed and tried to wash away her drooping eyelids.
Walking down the stairs she was surprised that all the students were gathered around the TV room. Logan was off in the hallway while Storm stood by the fireplace talking.
"Is it true? Is he really back?" Kitty's voice trailed out onto the staircase.
Rogue was suddenly very curious just what had everyone's attention. She walked towards the room, but before she entered her eyes caught Logan's. He motioned for her to come over to the hallway.
He had his arms crossed and a furrowed brow, which usually meant something, was up.
"Logan what the heck is going on?" Rogue asked dumbfounded.
"The professor isn't dead." Logan said it so simply that Rogue wasn't sure if her friend understood what this news meant.
"But how? I mean Jean…" at the use of her name Logan flinched and quickly responded.
"Apparently the professor's got himself trapped up in a new body. Transferred his mind into some coma patient."
"Is he coming here?" Rogue leaned against the doorframe to look in on the other students.
Logan leaned on the other side and said, "he will be coming back to stay, but no word if he's going to up and running. Not like he's going to tell the news stations that he's come back from the dead. Especially looking completely different."
Rogue tried to wrap her mind around all this. She wondered how the professor could even know how to transfer his mind into someone else's body. She also wondered why Logan was as happy as all the students. Storm seemed to be off as well with this news. Rogue assumed that Storm was probably nervous about what the professor would do in terms of chain of command and with the school now.
Rogue had been listening so closely that she missed Kitty staring at her. When she finally noticed neither girl wanted to fake a smile for the other. As soon as the meeting was over Kitty quickly filed out and came around the corner. Rogue caught on to her intent and tried to walk further down the hallway, but Kitty grabbed her by the elbow and pulled Rogue into a classroom.
"Okay about Bobby-" Rogue started, but Kitty cut her off.
"This isn't about Bobby." Kitty said in a hushed voice.
"Oh." Rogue sat on a desk and watched Kitty staring her down. After a few awkward moments of silence Rogue pressed further, "well not that I don't enjoy this but is there an actual reason why you pulled me in here?"
Kitty eyed her closely while saying, "Last night I heard some noise in the hallway. I ignored it the first time, but then I opened my door to see you walking down the hall with a former friend of ours."
Rogue felt as though she had been sucker punched. How was she meant to respond to this news? She wondered if Kitty had told anyone already.
"I'm not sure what you think you saw-" Rogue began, but Kitty cut her off once again.
"I know what I saw!" then Kitty lowered her voice, "I didn't tell anyone because I figured you should be the one to do that. Just answer me this, have you been keeping him here in secret? Is that why you haven't been hanging around Bobby?"
Rogue stood up from the desk and looked down at Kitty. "I am being completely honest with you here Kitty. Last night was the first and probably the last time that John will be coming back here. I didn't know he was coming and he didn't come here for me." She then paused to let that sink into Kitty's head before continuing on, "and the reason I have been avoiding Bobby is because it's all too complicated… I know you like him Kitty."
Kitty tried to cut in but Rogue wouldn't let her this time. "Please don't pretend that you don't. I am sorry about this whole situation. I don't blame you for this. Bobby is going to go on what he feels. Please don't take out your hate of me by telling anyone about what you saw last night. The two have no connection and there doesn't need to be one."
Kitty was at a loss for words. Rogue looked for confirmation that Kitty understood, but the girl began walking towards the door.
"Rogue, I won't tell anyone but John wouldn't risk coming here unless he had a plan. That or he was desperate enough to do it. And just for the record…I never hated you. I hate being caught up in all this." With that she walked out into the hallway.
Rogue tried to replay their conversation. She knew now that Kitty and her would never be best friends, but they could at least stop pretending to be naïve to the other.
Rogue tried to go about her day as normal as possible. She sat in classes even though she was nearly graduated. Logan had told her before the fight that she should just skip out on the last term and look at colleges. College seemed so far away now, which was ironic because as a new human girl college should have been her main focus.
Instead Rogue was plagued by barely boyfriend bobby and friend/enemy Pyro aka John. It seemed that whatever changed in her life this internal triangle would not budge.
Storm found Rogue a bit after dinner. Rogue was sitting on a bench next to a few oak trees. Storm sat down slowly next to the younger girl.
"You alright Rogue?" Storm asked. Rogue almost blurted out all her musings because she was so fed up with it all, but she restrained herself.
"Yeah. Peachy keen."
Storm shifted to look at Rogue's face. "I know that you and I haven't talked much since everything happened… since you took the cure." Rogue felt as though Storm had to force herself to say the last part. As though Rogue's choice had been painful for everyone but the choice maker. Rogue was silent, waiting to see where Storm was going with her speech.
"I was told that the kids have been giving you a rough time and I just wanted to clear everything up."
"Logan told you that?" Rogue mused.
"Well, Logan really doesn't have to do with this. I just wanted to talk to you face to face about what I heard."
Rogue was getting frustrated. This was the second vague conversation that she had walked into today so she could feel herself getting angrier.
"If you are talking to me as the head of the school I will tell you that your students are behaving as they should. I think some of them fear me from before and others are scared that I'm going to rat them out to the humans or something. Either case you don't need to be involved. Whatever Logan has told you is his understanding of it all. I, on the other hand am just fine."
Storm looked like she wanted to press on, but Rogue cut her off.
"I really need to get back inside." And with that Rogue stood up and left the bench.
She decided that the best way to deal with her day was to work it out in her newfound therapy. Changing into sweatpants and a cami, Rogue walked into the Danger Room. A program had already been left up; so Rogue ventured further to see if anyone was still in the room. Avoiding flying flaming cars Rogue ducked behind a steel structure.
It was then that she saw Bobby standing face to face with John. Then realization hit Rogue that she was back in Logan's simulation because this was the battle all over again. With that in mind Rogue desired nothing but to get out of the room before Logan noticed. Moving a ways she was still trying to avoid falling debris. She watched as Bobby hit John left and right until John was bleeding all over his face. The John simulation stared at Rogue. She looked behind her to see what John could have been looking at, but saw nothing there. Bobby peered over at her and softening his contorted face he yelled over the noise, "rogue? What are you doing here? Program End."
Rogue stepped back a bit as the walls began to fade away until she was left in the empty room. Empty except for Bobby who stood there staring her down before approaching.
"So you come down here to beat up a John simulation?" The words were out of her mouth before she could think.
"What? No. I mean yes because I need to train and going over my mistakes are helpful."
"Mistakes? Like leaving him there to die?" Rogue crossed her arms.
Bobby rolled his eyes and sighed, "this again?"
After a long pause Rogue replied coldly, "you done?"
"No! Dammit Rogue you have to stop fighting with me about Pyro! He's gone! Done! Dead! And you know what I'm glad because this image of a friend that you have in your mind of him was dead long before that. You have to know that if he came back here today, alive and regretful that it would all still be a game to him. He'd play us the same way he did before. He can't be trusted." Rogue let Bobby's words sink in.
"I actually meant, were you done with the room…" she said quietly.
He looked like a deer caught in headlights. She had to control an inappropriate laughter that was building in her throat. Even with all the truth about John that Bobby had said Rogue always knew she couldn't trust the Pyro. He was too slick for his own good.
Hours later Rogue had fought her way from level 1 to level 10. Using her palm to break her opponents nose before aiming a side kick to his legs, Rogue was caught off guard when the alarm began to sound and the door flew open. Colossus told the program to end and he looked at Rogue as she ran to him.
"What's going on?"
"Storm went to pick up the professor with Logan about an hour ago and then the alarm sounded. I tried to contact her, but she isn't responding."
Rogue ran into uniform room. Bobby was already there with Kitty suiting up.
"What are you doing?" Rogue asked breathlessly as her heart began to pound with the sounding alarm ringing in her ears.
"What does it look like? We are getting ready to go." Bobby said coldly.
"Storm still isn't responding and it says that Logan has his communicator turned off." Colossus stated.
"Maybe I can bypass the communicator into the car radio." Rogue said quickly. Kitty looked perplexed. "I've been spending too much time down here." Rogue smiled.
It felt good to be useful.
"Fine. Do it. Let them know that the Kitty and I are going to check it out."
"In the jet?" Kitty asked.
"No, we'll take my car. Unless you know how to fly that thing?" Bobby laughed towards Kitty.
She didn't laugh. "Well no I don't."
"I'm going with you. I can send get them the location better if I do it from the actual place." Rogue opened up her uniform case.
"I don't think so. We have no idea what we are walking into." Bobby said firmly.
"More the reason for me to go don't you think. Peter can stay here and hold down the fort."
"This is a mutant problem, otherwise it wouldn't be sounding that alarm. Just let us deal with it and do your little tech thing here." Bobby continued. Kitty cringed in preparation for Rogue's rebuttal.
"Are you saying because it's a 'mutant problem' that it's not within my abilities!?" Rogue let her anger show.
"I'm saying that there is no need to put you out there when we don't need you -"
Kitty cut him off, "-I think Bobby means when we need you here."
"No, I know what Bobby means." Rogue had only enough time to change into leather pants when she rushed to follow them out into the garage.
"I'm not letting you in this car Rogue." Bobby said as he slid in and shut the door. Kitty gave Rogue one last glimpse before she too slipped in the seat. The engine roared and they were off.
"What are you going to do now?" Peter asked.
Rogue slipped on her ribbed leather jacket over her white cami and pushed a motorcycle off blocks.
"What do you think I'm going to do now?" She sat on the ninja bike and glanced over at him as she turned on the engine.
"Patch the signal through to my bike consul and I'll transmit it." She said.
Peter nodded. "He may not know it yet but they do need you."
"I know." She smiled before speeding out into the night.
Pulling into the city Rogue was tracking Bobby's car. She paused when she saw flames enveloping an apartment building in the blocks up ahead. She heard loud crashes as a few motorcycles roared in a distance. Rushing to the edge of the street she stopped to send the signal out on her bike. Getting it ready to send she glanced up to see a crowd beating someone in a circle. She also saw two mutants she had heard were called Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch fighting Bobby and Kitty.
Hearing her bike beep for her to send the signal she started to peer down but a loud bang and flames exploding caused her to stop.
Then she heard one of the men in the circle say, "get his lighter!"
A/N: wow another chapter up and you didn't have to wait months and months. I got inspired, but this one was to set up future events. Sorry about the lack of Pyrolove, but trust me he is still out there!
Quick Shout Outs go to my incredible reviewers!
Unenlightened: You are too kind! I'm so glad that someone appreciates John's trickier ways in using the kid. Wasn't sure how much people caught in how I write, but it's good to know that you do!
Wanda W: Don't worry Teva and Pyro will be back, but you'll just have to wait and see what hoopla he is causing. I do hope that this fic can be a bit realistic because the characters were always meant to be relatable in X-men in general. At least that is what I think.
Shadowkeyu: like you I have read MANY Pyro fics and some I loved, some I wondered why I was even bothering. Needless to say I was a bit worried with doing one myself. Ryro fans (as I can relate) have strong opinions on their relationship, friendship, etc. I'm happy you like this one so far!
Sarahroseserena: your comment was like a kick in the ass, in a good way. I mean to say that the end of your comment made me think, oh yeah I got to get on that. So thanks!
And to hughslilboo1969, MythStar Black Dragon, weebird, and anyone I missed I adore you all for commenting because that it SERIOUSLY what keeps me wanting to write. Much love for you all!