Three Days Later

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Rogue lay on her bed with one leg crossed over her raised knee as she simultaneously read her latest vampire novel and listened to her CD Player. She tapped her foot to the beat of "Tourniquet" by Evanescence as she leaned heavily against her piled up pillows and sighed.

The blare of her music was rudely interrupted when the CD started to skip – courtesy of the pounding feet parading down the hall to the main foyer.

More feet raced down the halls, causing the bed and walls to vibrate slightly – just enough to throw her CD player out of sync again and it flashed "Disc Error" briefly before Rogue's music killed completely.

Disgusted at her nearly ancient music device, Rogue tore the headphones from her ears and angrily pounded on the electronic equipment.

"Anti-skip mah butt," she growled as she reached for a different CD. She was in the mood for something a little more hard-core and angry right now anyway.

After all, it was mail time. And it was the holidays.

Right about this time of the year, the other students would start getting little letters, Christmas cards and goodies from home in the mail. They would ohh and ahh over the various cookies and candies and cute family pictures of their aunts and uncles and cousins, and Rogue…

Well, she'd just rather avoid all that disgusting crap.

It wasn't like she'd be getting anything anyhow. She hadn't spoken to Irene since… Since a while. Rogue had asked that all mail from her one time caregiver be sent back and she had even sent a short note to Destiny asking both her and Mystique to kindly "stay the he** out of my life."

The phone calls had started soon after the letter was sent, but a sharp warning from both Rogue and Logan seemed to have done away with those too. That, or the students had finally realized that no one else really called for Rogue.

Ever.

Rogue sighed again as she hit the button to pop open her player and frowned when nothing happened.

She hit it again. Harder.

Still nothing.

"Son of a …." Rogue cried and sat up suddenly, her book falling to the floor beside her bed, as she examined the fickle machine.

"You have got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed and threw it on the bed beside her angrily.

Heaving another great sigh, Rogue rubbed her hands over her face and cracked her neck, heading downstairs to find a small screwdriver so she could try to fix her CD player.

And, if that didn't work she'd get a hammer. Hopefully someone would buy her an Ipod or something for Christmas.

Not LIKELY, but one could hope.

Sardonically, Rogue grimaced to herself and wished she still believed in Santa Claus. After all, she had been a VERY good girl this year – what with saving the world and everything.

Last year had been a different story… but this year. Rogue couldn't help the small self-satisfied smile that toyed slightly at her lips.

She had gotten a lot of praise and attention for her not so small role in stopping Apocalypse and she had to admit that part of her had enjoyed it. Of course, she had CAUSED the crazed mutant to escape in the first place, so any congratulations were really more of a reminder of her initial role. Then, as soon as the victory cries had died down, everyone just went back to being afraid of her.

In fact, they were probably more afraid of her now than ever before. It was like they were realizing for the first time that she was powerful and really, truly dangerous at times.

It was as if the reality had finally clicked – 'if Rogue is powerful enough to resurrect Apocalypse and bring him down too, then what can't she do?'

Unfortunately, no one else really bothered to understand that she would generally never hurt anyone unless she had no other choice.

Heck, she couldn't even kill a spider! But, if she told anyone in the mansion that she made it a habit to carefully scoop up all of the eight-legged creatures she found in the house and put them safely outside, well, they'd laugh at her and think she was joking.

Rogue pounded down the stairs in her thick combat boots and winced as she heard shrieking coming from the main living room.

"Oh my gosh, how cute are those!"

Sighing, she dared not even chance a glance inside the room for fear of being called to "join the fun," to which she would promptly decline and would yet again look like a jerk to everyone.

As Rogue reached the door to the dining room, however, Kitty's head suddenly appeared through Jubilee's torso.

"Hey Rogue, wait! You've got a package!" She held a large, brown box about 2 feet long and 1 foot wide toward Rogue.

Jubilee's cry of protest was suddenly forgotten as she and most of the other students turned toward Kitty in surprise.

"Rogue got a package?!" the perky Asian girl exclaimed as Kitty finally phased completely through her.

"Wow, really?" Tabitha chimed in, peeking over Jubilee's shoulder.

"It's like, got her name on it," Kitty retorted as she walked the box over to Rogue - the other girls trailing behind her.

"Who's it from?" Amara asked from the back of the posse.

Kitty stopped and turned the box over, examining the labels. "It doesn't say," she announced after a thorough inspection.

Now even the boys were interested and began to gravitate toward the group of girls.

Jean and Scott, who had been quietly discussing their own letters, suddenly pushed past the crowd of students. "Let me see that," Scott commanded, and Kitty quickly handed the mysterious package over to the team's leader.

Meanwhile, Rogue still stood in the doorway, motionless. She didn't get packages, or letters or gifts - not from Irene, not from anyone.

Suddenly everyone's attention was drawn to the front doors as Logan stormed inside.

"Where's this package?" he growled.

The students instantly parted, and Scott surrendered the large brown box without protest. Jean spoke up as Logan silently took it and began sniffing vigorously.

"I thought you would be the best one to check it out. After all, you'll probably be able to tell what it is or who it's from."

Logan paused. "Smart thinkin' Jeannie, but I think it's okay. I don't recognize the scent, but there is one there. Doesn't smell dangerous either, just smells like -"

"HEY!" Kitty shouted as she quickly phased the box out of Logan's hands. "This is ROGUE'S package. No fair giving away what's inside!"

With that, she bounded over to Rogue and thrust the box into her friend's arms. "So open it already; I can't wait to see what it is!"

"Yeah, not to mention who it's from," Bobby chimed in. "Who in the world would be sending something to Rogue?"

A few students muttered in agreement, but Rogue just glared at the blonde boy. "And just what's THAT supposed to mean?!" she demanded ferociously.

Tabitha pushed Bobby aside, "Oh who cares!? Just open the blasted thing! The suspense is killing me!"

"Ya'll want me to open it... here?" Rogue's expression was a mixture of horror and disgust as she gazed out at Xavier's entire student body.

"Well like, yeah!" Kitty yipped, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

"Probably better that way, darlin'" Logan added quickly. "That way we'll know right away if it's a trick or not."

Rogue eyed the package warily. "Ah thought you said it didn't smell dangerous."

"Don't. But that don't mean it ain't," Logan deadpanned as he folded his arms and took a stance close to Rogue and the package, ready to rip it from her hands if need be.

Rogue rolled her eyes again. "Fantastic. You uh, you wanna get the tape for me at least?"

The other students, including all the girls, took a giant step back as Rogue held the box out to Logan. He popped one claw and deftly sliced the tape across the top before retracting the blade and folding his arms again.

"Well," Rogue said as she pulled on the flap with one hand, "here goes nothin."

As she slowly pried the top open, the other students began inching forward again, straining their necks to get a look at what was hidden inside.

After what seemed like an eternity to Kitty and the girls, Rogue reached in and pulled out a smaller gift box. It was a deep, hunter green clothing box tied with a bright red ribbon and adorned with a large white bow in the middle.

Rogue stared at it - a look of pure confusion written across her face. "It looks like a Christmas present. Are you sure this was addressed to me, Kit?"

The preppy brunette held up her hands. "Hey I read it like, six times. It's definitely for you."

"Well," Jubilee interrupted, "go on and open it!"

With a sigh, Rogue gently plucked off the bow and untied the ribbon. Holding her breath, she pulled the lid of the box off quickly, expecting to see something horrible or hideous inside. After all the trouble at the high school lately, she wouldn't be surprised to find a dead cat or something...

Instead, she found a small card nestled atop some red tissue paper. Wordlessly, she handed the card over to Kitty to read aloud. After all, privacy was a moot point now. Eventually the whole school would know what it said - might as well get it over with while Logan was there to keep the whispers to a minimum.

Kitty opened and read the card as Rogue unfolded the tissue paper to reveal the contents within. The brunette cleared her throat for dramatic effect and began reading loudly for all to hear.

"My dearest Rogue…" The girls all squeaked – "You looked stunning in this the other day (minus that hat of course) and I thought you should have it. I hope you like it as much as I did." Kitty stopped reading and turned the card over quickly.

"Who's it from? Who's it from!?" Jubilee screeched, plucking the card from Kitty's grasp.

"It – it's not signed," Kitty replied, stunned. The girls stared at each other for a moment in confusion.

"Do you know what that means?" Tabitha asked solemnly.

Silence resonated through the foyer.

"Rogue's got a secret admirer!" The blonde screamed, jumping up and down. The other girls (aside from Jean) quickly joined in the screeching while the boys (aside from Scott) began whispering furiously to one another.

Meanwhile, Rogue still stared silently at the contents of the gift box.

"So," Jean asked when the shrieking had died down to a dull roar. "What is it?"

Tabitha, too eager to wait for an answer, snatched the box from Rogue's hands and pulled out the contents.

"Hey!" Rogue shouted, snapping out of her stunned silence. "Give that back!"

Tabitha ignored her. "It's a denim half-jacket," she explained as she passed it to Jubilee, who inspected it quickly before handing down the line of girls. "And a cute green blouse," (this she also handed over before Rogue could snatch it away) "a belt, a pair of boot-cut blue jeans and some super cute brown leather boots – all from Abercrombie and Fitch!"

Rogue made a desperate grab for the jeans and boots, too, but wasn't nearly quick enough as Tabitha tossed them over to Amara.

The girls squealed over each item before Tabitha ended up with the lot once again.

By this time Rogue was seething mad. With her arms folded tightly across her chest, one hip jutting out defiantly and a dark scowl across her face, everyone could see she was about to go postal.

But that certainly didn't stop Tabitha.

"Oh my gosh Rogue, I can't believe you actually tried these on. They're so cute! I didn't think you had ANY fashion sense." She held the top up to Rogue's torso, "And this color is just fabulous on you!"

With a menacing growl, Rogue quickly ripped all the items from Tabitha's grasp and stalked over to Logan, dragging him by the arm as she stormed from the room.

"Ah need t' talk t' you," she demanded, heading for the kitchen with Logan in tow. As she pushed open the door, she shouted over her shoulder. "And if any of ya'll even THINK about eavesdroppin' ah'll put you in a coma!"

With that, she dragged a semi-deaf Logan through the door and into the (relative) safety of the kitchen.

"Sheesh," Tabitha commented as Rogue and Logan left, "does she really think we'd invade her privacy like that?"

….

"What?" she asked as everyone stared at her incredulously.

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"You REALLY don't know who it's from?" Rogue asked Logan skeptically as he pulled a soda from the refrigerator.

"Nope."

"Ya don't recognize the scent at ALL?" Rogue cocked one eyebrow as she watched Logan lean casually against the counter and shake his head.

"So you mean to tell me you know absolutely nothing about the person who sent this?" She was getting mighty ticked off over his flippant attitude.

"Never said that," Logan replied with a grin. "I just said I didn't recognize the scent."

Rogue glowered at the man for a moment before she slowly removed one glove and took a step toward him.

"Alright then, 'bub', you got about 10 seconds t' tell me everything ya do know before ah take your powers and find out for mahself!" By this time Rogue was standing right in front of Logan with one long, bare finger pointed directly in his face.

In response, he simply lifted an eyebrow and set his can down on the counter. Slowly, he began to smile.

"That's the most spunk I've seen outta you in months. Bravo, kid. Yer obviously bluffin', but you got guts all the same." Logan folded his arms across his chest as he grinned down at the enraged girl.

Rogue growled as she removed her other glove. "Maybe ah'm bluffin' and maybe ah ain't. Now spill."

Logan regarded her pensively for a moment before picking up his beverage and taking a swig.

"First of all, it's from a girl."

To his credit, Logan managed not to chuckle at Rogue's bug-eyed, open mouth reaction. "She ain't a mutant, far as I can tell, but she is young – maybe 16 or so. Works in retail – around a lot of clothes."

He took another sniff of the denim jacket. "Smells like the Bayville Mall." He gave Rogue a moment to mull over the information. "You know anybody that fits the bill?"

Rogue's eyes darkened as she pulled her gloves back on. "Ah think ah've got an idea."

Ripping the clothing from Logan's hand and stuffing it back into the green gift box, Rogue tucked the offending articles under her arm as she headed for the garage.

"Stripes," Logan called after her, "What're ya doin'? The X-Van's still bein' repaired and you ain't 'borrowing' Scott's car again."

"Guess ah'll just have t' take yours then," Rogue tossed over her shoulder as she reached for Logan's keys, which were hanging conveniently next to the garage door.

Before she could even pull them from the hook, however, Logan's hand was gripping her covered wrist tightly.

"Excuse me?" he asked with a low growl.

"Less of course you wanna drive me," Rogue added with a knowing smirk.

Logan shifted his weight as he released Rogue's hand, the keys tinkling lightly as he did. With a sigh he jerked his head toward the lobby. "Go grab our coats," he said at last.

"And yer buyin' my gas," he called as she dropped the box on the kitchen island and dashed towards the closet. "And lunch!" he added, trying to sound annoyed.

Truthfully, he wouldn't have let her go alone anyhow. Xavier had already filled him in on Rogue's encounter with Duncan and his gang of dunderheads, and he wasn't going to risk them having another shot at her alone.

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Rogue stormed into Abercrombie and Fitch, her eyes dark as she glanced around. She quickly spotted her quarry and stalked closer, the bright green gift box still tucked under her arm.

Slamming the box down on the sales counter, she glared at the young blonde behind the register.

The clerk turned toward Rogue with a bright, surprised smile. "Oh goody!" Mandy exclaimed. "I'm so glad you got it!"

The girl was not in the least put off by Rogue's angry scowl.

"Yeah," Rogue replied darkly, "ah got it all right."

Mandy jumped up and down in excitement, her blonde ponytail and beaded green necklace bouncing exuberantly. "Wasn't it fabulous?!"

"Uh… sure. Fabulous." Rogue's scowl faltered under the girl's happy countenance.

"Look," Rogue began before her anger fizzled out completely. "Ah appreciate the gesture and all, but ah can't accept this; it wouldn't be right."

Mandy looked puzzled, "Why on Earth not? I thought it was SOO romantic!" The blonde sighed dreamily as she gazed out toward the doors.

Rogue straightened, uneasy. "Ah'm uh, ah'm sure ya did, but look – ah just… don't swing that way."

Mandy's head cocked back to look at Rogue quizzically, her brows crunched in confusion. "You mean you don't like boys?"

Rogue shook her head, perplexed. "What? No! Ah mean yes. Ah mean – what?" She pinched the bridge of her nose – there was a major headache coming on. "You mean it's not from YOU?"

The blonde giggled again. "Of course not, silly!" She leaned in conspiratorially, her eyes dancing suspiciously around the room. "It's from a boy. A HOT boy…"

Rogue's shoulders tensed. "What? Who?"

Mandy was leaning with her elbows against the counter and her chin resting on her fists. A dreamy, romantic look was plastered across her face as she sighed happily. "He didn't say. Just said he wanted to send you that." She pointed to the box on the counter. "I've never seen him before, but he said he saw you wearing it the other day and thought you looked very beautiful. He had me box it all up and write the note and everything; said he didn't want you to have any clues about his identity."

Rogue considered Mandy's words. "Can you at least tell me what he looked like?"

The Southerner's voice carried a mixture of annoyance and intrigue. She'd been at the Institute for the last four years and not one of the boys had so much as blinked an eye at her. In fact, the only boy who'd even shown ANY interest in her at all was Cody Robbins from back in Mississippi and he wasn't likely to come callin' anytime soon.

Mandy stood up, shook her head vigorously and headed back to the cash register as another customer approached. With a characteristically bright smile, Mandy spoke kindly to the woman, who quickly paid for her merchandise and left.

"Have a nice day!" Mandy called after the woman as she exited the store. Turning back to Rogue, she said, "I'm not going to tell you what he looked like - that would be a clue. No clues. Except this: he's not done yet - he said a 'beautiful girl' like you deserves LOTS of beautiful gifts."

"Lots?" Rogue asked, horrified.

"LOTS." Mandy repeated with a knowing smirk.

Rogue gaped.

"Well," Mandy said, looking around the store at the increasing number of customers, "it's been awesome chatting with you. We'll have to hang out again soon, but I've got to get back to work." She walked out from behind the counter and headed towards a small pre-teen girl who looked absolutely baffled by the jeans selection.

"Let me know how the next one goes - I'm sure it'll be a total gem!"

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