Disclaimer—I have no rights over these characters etc.
Chapter 15-Fireworks
"Yo, I think we should take a short cut through the park," said Toad. Rogue glanced up from the cigarette she was lighting to eye Toad and Fred squarely in the eyes. They had been forced to walk home today because a certain Lance Alvers had gotten after school detention; and Pietro claimed to have a hot date with a cheerleader.
"I guess," replied Fred running a hand through his blonde Mohawk. Rogue nodded in agreement and proceeded to follow her companions. It had been a couple of days since her run in with Wolverine and Storm, and now the X-Men seemed to avoid her at all costs. Which was something to be thankful for in Rogue's case; now she didn't have to worry about all the preaching those kids did. She was officially the enemy.
"How long till we get there?" asked Fred after a while. "I'm hungry."
"Walkin' does ya good, sugah," murmured Rogue as she flicked the cigarette butt to the ground.
"Easy for you to say, Roguey. Freddy's always hungry," called out Toad as he caught a couple of flies. The trio continued walking until they came across a girl sitting on a bench. Her long black hair hid her face, but judging by her shaking body the girl was crying. Fred stopped in indecision. Toad and Rogue watched him to see what he would do.
"Something wrong?" he demanded gruffly. The girl looked up and shrank as far back as she could on the bench.
"I…I…I'm lost!" she sobbed.
"Ya gotta be kiddin' meh," groaned Rogue making a face.
Toad chuckled. "Who the hell can get lost in Bayville? It ain't that big."
"I'm not from here!" snapped the Asian girl defensively.
"No kiddin'." Rogue rolled her eyes. "Where ya headed?"
"Um…" The girl pulled a scrap of paper out of her pocket. "Xavier's Home for Gifted Children?"
Fred, Toad and Rogue exchanged looks. Sitting in front of them was a wannabe X-Freak. Chuckling darkly, Fred cracked his knuckles. "Looks like we got a new toy."
"Yo, I've always wanted to pick on an X-Geek."
"She ain't one of them yet," pointed out Rogue with a smirk.
"Well then, maybe we should give her a warm welcome. Kinda like I got when I first got here." Fred turned to look at the girl and set about picking the bench up off the ground.
"What are doing?" shrieked the girl tearfully. "Put me down! Who are you people?"
"Your worst nightmare, sugah," answered Rogue as Toad jumped up onto the bench beside the girl.
"We're the Brotherhood of Mutants—you don't want to mess with us," added Toad sticking his tongue out at the terrified teen. He gave her a wink and then hocked a blob of green plasma-like goo into her face, knocking the Asian off the bench and onto the ground hard. Fred roared in triumph and tossed the bench aside, breaking it into a million pieces.
Rogue chuckled and came to stand beside the girl's body. "Welcome to Bayville, hope ya like your stay."
"Leave me alone," whispered the girl, her eyes flashing dangerously.
"You didn't say please," warned Fred.
"Sorry, that isn't part of my vocabulary!" With those words the girl shot forth a stream of sparkling energy that hit Fred in the gut, sending him flying into a tree. The teen scrambled to her feet and shot another jet of sparks at Toad, barely missing the reptilian mutant as he jumped out of the way.
"Well, now," murmured Rogue to herself. "This is somethin' different. Too bad Ah ain't impressed."
"The name's Jubilee, don't mess with me!" shouted the girl angrily.
"And mah name is Rogue, don't taunt meh." Rogue neatly demonstrated her skills with a powerful roundhouse kick to the girl's legs, knocking her off her feet. Jubilee was taken by surprise, and her shower of sparks flew into thin air.
"Please…" begged Jubilee clutching Rogue's ankle as the southern girl pushed down on her throat. Rogue raised an eyebrow while pulling off a single glove. In silence she bent down and placed a cold hand on Jubilee's face. Jubilee's eyes widened as she felt herself be drained.
"Stop that!" cried out a male voice. Rogue let go of Jubilee without knocking her unconscious to see who had issued the warning. Standing a ways down the path were Evan and Bobby.
"We've got company, boys," said Rogue standing tall and pulling her glove back on. Fred grunted as he and Toad came to stand beside Rogue. Evan and Bobby hurried towards the Brotherhood trio, stopping a few feet away.
"Leave the girl alone," warned Evan harshly. Rogue peered down at Jubilee who was struggling onto her hands and knees.
"Ah don't think she's gonna be much help," acknowledged Rogue carefully.
"Man, you really are something, aren't you?" hissed Bobby shaking his head. Rogue shrugged.
"Get lost, freak-o's," growled Fred flexing his arms. Toad snorted as Evan produced a stake from his arm.
"Make us," he returned. Rogue put her hands out to stop her comrades from rushing the two X-Men.
"Ladies first." Rogue put out her hands and shot a sizzling ball of sparks at Evan, breaking his spike in half. "Compliments of little Jubilee." Rogue motioned to the ground where Jubilee was staring at Rogue in a mixture of horror and disbelief.
"Why are you like this, Rogue? I thought you weren't taking sides," said Bobby hoarsely.
"Ah wasn't plannin' ohn it, but you ahn your friends don't play nice, Bobby. Hurt someone Ah care for, ahn Ah promise you'll pay. That's how Ah work."
"We're your friends, too!"
"Really?" Rogue shook her head. "Ah don't believe ya. See, from what Ah cahn recall, y'all tried to hurt Fred. He was innocent. But ya tried to hurt him anyway. Is that what friends do? 'Cause if so, Ah'm better off without ya as a friend."
Bobby took a couple of steps closer to Rogue so there were standing face to face. His voice can become soft and coaxing in desperation to convince Rogue he was telling the truth. "Rogue, I meant it that night when you walked me back to the mansion. I really am here for you. Just because we're on opposite sides doesn't mean I don't know what it's like to be a mutant."
Rogue sighed. Bobby was being sincere, she knew that. But she was still afraid. It wasn't as though she had endeared herself to the X-Men the last couple of days. They would never accept her for who she was. Jean had been nice enough to point that out to her at the mall. "Look here, Popsicle, Ah like things the way they are. You have it easy, you cahn hide your powers…meh, Ah cahn't hide who Ah am. Ahn there's a lot you don't know about meh. Ah'm not the person you want meh ta be, Bobby."
"You only have to be yourself, Rogue, that's enough for me. That's how it's been since we first met."
"Ah know ahn that's sweet, but…" Rogue bit her tongue as she contemplated telling Bobby the truth. "There's somethin' ya need to know, Bobby. 'Bout why Ah'm with the Brotherhood, see, Mystique—" Rogue never got any further, because out of nowhere Lance came flying and Bobby was thrown to the ground with a powerful punch. Rogue stared with her mouth wide open as Jubilee began screaming at the sight. The Asian got to her feet and dashed over to Evan as Bobby put a hand to his bleeding lip.
"Stay the fuck away from my girlfriend, Drake!" ordered Lance menacingly.
"Yeah, no problem, Lance. It's not like she was listening anyway." Bobby didn't move a muscle as Lance eyed him warily. Rogue was furious.
"What the hell is your problem?" she demanded. "Ah cahn take care of mahself!"
"Yeah, well it didn't look like you were gonna stop him from kissing you!" retorted Lance evenly. Fred and Toad sucked in breaths of air, taking steps back from the feuding couple standing over Bobby.
"Excuse meh? Is that what ya think was goin' ohn? Lance, Ah told ya not ta worry. Ah have morals, remember? Ah like you, not the Popsicle!"
"Oh really?" Lance didn't wait for a reply as he yanked Rogue by the arm and pushed her down the pathway to be out of hearing distance. He pushed her away from him in disgust. "You know, it was one thing to cozy up to Summers, but with Bobby Drake? That's real low, Rogue."
"You think Ah'm gonna cheat ohn you? Ah'd never do that, Lance. Ya gotta learn that real relationships are based ohn trust ahn honesty! Ah like ya, Lance, but Ah ain't gonna stand for this bullshit you're tryin' ta pull."
"Me? Me! Fuck you, Rogue! I'm sick of your bullshit! Always disappearing for hours at a time! What the hell do you take me for? A chump? If you're gonna be my girl you gotta learn to live by my rules!"
Rogue cocked her head dangerously. "Oh really, sugah? Ya think Ah follow the rules? You should know meh better by now. Ah ain't anyone's property. Ah chose to date ya, not be your own personal slave, ahn if this is how you're gonna treat meh, then maybe we don't have so much in common as Ah thought."
"Is that how it's gonna be?" Lance cracked his fingers, fuming. He was tired of Rogue playing around. He didn't like the idea of settling down. Not even for Rogue.
"Yeah, so what's your move, Lance? You gonna be an asshole, or you gonna trust meh?" Rogue lowered her voice and waited. She loved Lance, but she wasn't going to stand for his petty jealousy over every little thing.
"I think I'll stick with being an asshole—at least that way I ain't gettin' two-timed by some bitch," he spat out. Lance pushed past Rogue and stalked down the path, back to where his jeep was waiting. Rogue watched him get in the jeep and drive away, tears streaming down her face. She turned around to watch as Jubilee and Evan were helping Bobby to his feet.
"Ya god-damn, son-of-a-bitch!" she shrieked heading towards the blonde X-Men. Bobby was too shocked to move as Rogue hit him in the gut. "Ah hate you! Ah hate you!"
"What the hell?" questioned Evan as Toad and Fred pulled Rogue away.
"What the hell? Ah just lost the most important person in mah life 'cause the Popsicle couldn't stay away from meh!"
"I'm sorry," murmured Bobby. He had no idea Lance would dump her for something so trivial, or that Rogue would freak out.
The southern girl shook her head. "Ah'm gonna make ya pay for this, Bobby. You just wait ahn see." With those words she freed herself from Fred's arms and continued down the path and towards the boarding house. Fred and Toad ignored the X-Men as they ran after their hurting friend.
Man, I've screwed up big time, thought Bobby as he fingered his face once more.
The Movie Theater:
Lance shifted from one foot to the other impatiently. He already had the tickets, but his date was late. He was still pissed about Rogue. Mainly, he was pissed at himself for falling for her. How had he been so stupid to think Rogue would be loyal to him? She had dated Summers, hadn't she? If he wanted a loyal girlfriend, then he needed someone who wasn't part of the Brotherhood. Someone like…
"Kitty! What took you so long?" asked Lance as the petite brunette finally joined him.
"Like, sorry, Bobby and Evan brought in some new girl, and I had like this horrible time trying to sneak away." Kitty beamed up at Lance triumphantly. Apparently he had decided to take her up on her offer and hang out.
"Whatever. C'mon, let's go." Lance slung an arm around Kitty's shoulder and led her into the theater. Yet, even as the movie started, his mind was still on Rogue.
At the Boardinghouse:
Rogue sniffed again and gratefully took the offered Kleenex box from Pietro. Fred and Toad had filled in the speedster to the events of the day, and they were all trying to help Rogue cope with the sudden break-up.
"Aw, Roguey, don't let it get you down. Lance is no good," murmured Pietro soothingly. "He's a hard ass, forget him. Look at it this way, now you can kick his ass if he tries to hurt me."
"Sure," mumbled Rogue wiping more tears away. Pietro sighed.
"Look, I ain't the best of friends with Lance, but…he'll calm down, and you guys'll make up. Trust me, the guy's nuts for you. He tried to kill me in your name on more than one occasion, ain't that right, Toad?"
Toad nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, Lance thinks of you as some kind of princess. Just without a crown…and a castle…"
Pietro interrupted, "Point is, Lance is gonna come back here and try to beg for your forgiveness."
"You sure?" hiccupped Rogue with a shimmer of hope in her green eyes. Fred nodded along with his other two comrades. Rogue sighed and brought her legs up against her chest as she snuggled into the couch cushions. "Thanks, fellas; y'all know how ta make a girl feel better."
The boys breathed in relief, and one by one drifted off to their respective bedrooms. It was close to ten that evening when Rogue heard Lance pull up in his jeep. Outside Lance was pacing on the front porch, trying to decide his next move. Technically, he hadn't cheated on Rogue since they had been officially broken-up during his date with Kitty, but all in all, he still felt miserable about the whole ordeal. Of course, that might have had something to do with the fact that Kitty had gossiped a mile a minute about the new girl, Jubilee. The second Kitty said that Jubilee seemed to be attached to Bobby for saving her from the crazy mutant girl; Lance had known something was fishy. And his fears were confirmed when Kitty told him Rogue had tried to attack Bobby for ruining her life.
And so now here he was, the great Lance Alvers, pacing back and forth across the front porch with some daisies in his hands. He had hurt Rogue in the worst possible way today. He'd understand if she never wanted to see him again. Lance was beginning to feel that way himself.
"Well, here goes," he muttered to himself turning towards the front door. He stopped still upon seeing Rogue leaning against the doorframe. Her face was drawn, and he instantly knew she had been crying all evening.
"You plannin' ohn making a hole in the porch?" asked Rogue with a strained voice. Lance gulped.
"Rogue." He held out the flowers. Rogue took them, but no smile graced her face. She walked over to the porch swing and sat down staring at the daisies. Lance ran a hand over his face. He was screwed.
"Ya hurt meh today, worse than any battle with the X-Men," she murmured softly.
"I…I had no right to lash out like that. You didn't deserve it—I was wrong, Rogue. I'm sorry. I…I was just so damn angry. And scared."
"Of what?"
"Losing you. It's all Summers' fault, if you hadn't dated him, I wouldn't be so paranoid."
Rogue allowed herself a small smile. Lance took that as an invitation to sit beside her on the swing. "Ya got some major kissin' up to do."
"I know. I…I've never felt this way about a girl before, Rogue. You're hard to understand. And…I just figure one day I'm gonna wake up and you won't be there. Like you were some kinda dream…a really good one." Lance chuckled to himself and leaned back to stare out at the stars.
"Ah ain't goin' anywhere unless you make meh, Lance. That's what Ah've been tryin' ta say since Ah got here. Ah care for ya, a lot. All Ah want is your trust…is that so much ta ask for?" returned Rogue quietly. Lance turned to peer into Rogue's eyes to answer.
"No. I'm an asshole, you were right about that, but I don't want to be like that. Forgive me?"
Rogue thought for a moment as she stared into his eyes. For an answer she leaned down and softly kissed him on the lips. "You know Ah will."
"Thank god, if Mystique had found out about this there would have been nothing to forgive later on," teased Lance before leaning forward to get another kiss. Rogue giggled and pulled away, allowing Lance to pull her into his arms. They would get through this; it was just one rocky hill in their relationship. And Lance was determined not to hit another one.
On The Other Side of Town:
Sabertooth growled to himself as he sharpened his claws in the alley. He had been there for almost an hour now, waiting.
"What news do you bring?" hissed a voice coming from the darkness.
"The girl is fine. She is learning more about herself every day. What the hell do you want me to say? I don't always see her. I hate kids," returned Sabertooth darkly. He didn't bother to look into the shadows; he could feel the anger seeping off the figure standing there.
"She is a pivotal role for the future. Your job is to watch her like a hawk. Let nothing happen to her in Bayville."
"The plan was never for Bayville. We'll be moving out soon."
"Need I remind you, Sabertooth, who holds the key to your past? With one word I can grant you the memories you are missing…but until then you are mine."
Sabertooth bared his fangs at the figure threateningly. "I'm tired of these games! I have a job to do! The girl is needed to finish the job!"
"Magneto's dreams are of no use to me. I need that girl alive, do you hear me?" A strong arm reached out and grasped Sabertooth by the neck, lifting the mutant off the ground. Another growl reverberated through the beast's body until he was back on the ground.
"What do you want me to do? I ain't a god-damn baby-sitter!"
"Whatever the cost, Sabertooth, the Chosen One must live past the New Year. I have another year before my plans can fall into motion. Do you understand? If Magneto kills her off in his machine, then all will be lost…and you will cease to exist."
"I understand, Lord Sinister. The girl will live…I'll make sure of it," replied Sabertooth gruffly, his dark eyes flashing in the moonlight.
"Then all is not lost."
A/N—Sometimes I surprise even myself when I'm writing. It's a bit hard trying to keep all these affiliations straight, but in the end, it will definitely be worth it. I hope you guys like this latest twist! I must say I'm growing to really like Lance and Rogue together…which makes everything so much harder in the future. Ah well, enjoy until I get the next chapter out!