93Trapped In a Bottle
Chapter Two
Enjoy
X-_X-_X
When Rogue walked into the kitchen the next morning she was deeply disappointed. Nearly all the students and staff were already there eating and talking quietly amongst themselves. She'd have preferred to avoid a crowd, but it was a constant reminder that she needed to find herself a place in humanity at some point.
She noticed immediately that the Professor and Logan were in deep conversation.
It was a pity too; she had wanted to eat breakfast quietly, not squeezing into a seat between two kids that would eventually try to edge away without her noticing. She hated being around so many people at once.
She decided to leave for school early on a whim, and maybe grab something to eat from some place in town. She had to pick up a final transcript for the Professor to keep in file. 'Definitely a good idea,' she thought to herself, unconsciously weighing the pros and cons in her mind.
What surprised her a bit though was when she turned to leave, intending to sneak right back out of the room, the Professor and Logan's head both turned in her direction. Both of them looked at her, more or less unreadable expressions on their faces.
'Rogue I'd like a word after you return from the school, if you'd please,' came the Professors polite but slightly strained projection in her head. She nodded and left the kitchen, just in time to see the Professor nod in turn to Logan.
'Ah wonder why he needs to see me so bad?' she questioned herself. 'He was talkin' to Logan…" all at once what before seemed like simple fears made Rogue stop dead in her tracks just outside the kitchen door.
'Logan's abilities…what if he smelt the swamp rat and meh?' she had a slightly panicked moment before she remembered that it would not be good to be caught loitering in the mansion entryway by a younger rookie. She didn't want to be accused of 'talking to the demons in her head' again.
Everything in the school went as was to be expected. She was made to wait for an exorbitant amount of time and was glared at distastefully when she snatched the white envelope out of the secretary's hands, leaving the room without a word.
Her worry only intensified as she grabbed a muffin from a corner store, and caught herself thinking about the night before. She'd be in deep if those thoughts kept recurring once she was home.
Rogue had a rather disturbing walk home, every time she would here a motorcycle she would wheel around expectantly. She was scolding herself internally because of this.
'Why am Ah looking forward to seein' that Cajun again? It's not like Ah like him or somethin'. An it's not like Ah'm anything more than a challenge.' Her thoughts went round and round in her head, all of them with varying degrees of cynicism or optimism.
The rest of the way home she continued to have her internal conversation. Trying to believe that she was only a challenge, but secretly hoping she wasn't, trying to convince herself that he wasn't worth liking, and at the same time admitting that she already did. She had to admit that she was ready to buy into simple teenage things, even though in just a couple years she wouldn't be one anymore.
She started to climb the stairs before she remembered her meeting with the Professor, surprised that it even slipped her mind. She slowly made her way back down them, thinking of what the Professor wanted to talk about with her.
She heard Scott's car pull in the driveway in the distance, it always had a unique way about riding on the gravel. 'Probably picking out wedding rings,' she mused to herself, before shaking her head and half scolding herself.
Rogue approached the door with slight caution, dumping her bag on the ground before raising her hand to knock on the door, though she wasn't surprised when she felt a vice in her head.
'Please, come in Rogue,' the Professor began. 'You'll find that it is unlocked.'
She took half a breath and opened the door.
X-_X-_X
"May I help you sir?" asked the cheery women behind the jeweler's desk.
Gambit hated talking to people like her. The overly cheery, I-only-do-this-for-the-money-and-my-boss-is-waiting-in-the-back-room-so-we-can-be-inappropriate, type people.
"No t'ank y'" replied Gambit with a small smile. Being nice did have its perks. "I'm jus' lookin' 'round."
"Well if you need anything don't hesitate to call!" the women replied 'cheerily' before heading in the (surprise, surprise) back room.
Gambit took a breath, rolling his eyes, and began to appraise the jewelry with a well experienced eye.
X-_X-_X
"Rogue, please have a seat," said the Professor, this time using his vocal cords, as she entered the room. He gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk, and smiled at her kindly.
Rogue complied.
"I do believe you already have a hint of what I would like to talk about," said the Professor. Rogue looked unusually nervous at this.
Rogue turned her chin up determinedly, she was from Alabama, and women from Alabama didn't take the time to be nervous about trivial things like this.
"Maybe," she replied. She would ever the stubborn one.
"When Logan got home the other night," began the Professor. "He smelled something unusual. It seems one of Magnetos men had been around, Gambit his name is? Irrelevant. But then to Logan's immense shock…he smelled you as well."
Rogue heard several students parade on up the stairs, and she heard the creak of the kitchen door echo through the wood of his office door as well.
Rogue highly doubted Logan had been 'immensely shocked' but she declined to comment on it. (Even though she was sure the small smile on the Professor's face meant he had already 'guessed' what she was thinking.) He actually looked like he was waiting for Rogue to comment.
"Yeah," Rogue said wearily. "I was out front with Remy."
Now if the Professor noticed the use of 'Remy' and not 'Gambit' he didn't comment on it.
"And what were you doing out front with…Mr. LeBeau?" asked the Professor. He didn't exactly sound like he was pushing her for any specific reason, but his tone did leave the impact that this was something that he felt was necessary to be concerned about.
"Nothin'," Rogue said, crossing her arms. She would later lament that her defensive posture hadn't been the best route to embark on.
The Professor raised an eyebrow.
'Damn telepaths!' Rogue thought inwardly, she knew she'd been thought out.
The Professor cracked a smile again. His eyes crinkled some, and the light from the window didn't hide the dimples formed from the upturn of his smile either.
"We went out on a date, 'kay?" Rogue said sitting forward protectively. If she was going to be punished or forced to leave, this would be the moment. Her omission would be the clarification, not that a telepath would damn well need any.
"That is all I needed to know, Rogue," the Professor said with a smile, Rogue's shock traveled all the way down her spine, making her lose her focus for a moment. "You may leave now if you wish."
Rogue got up and walked out the door, feeling ten times happier than when she walked in. The Professor only wanted to know. He wasn't going to punish her or prevent her from going on anymore-
STOP
'What makes me think there's gonna' be anymore?' Rogue thought inwardly. She started to climb the stairs. 'It's not like the Cajun would wanna' date me again… and it's not like Ah'd wanna' date him again.'
Sadly she entered her room feeling ten times less happy than she had on her way up the stairs to her room.
X-_X-_X
The Professor watched as Rogue left his office with suppressed emotions almost showing. He ran a casual hand over the cool wood of his desk, retreating to his own thoughts.
'Maybe this was a good thing,' he thought to himself. 'Magneto, my old friend, is gone. Perhaps the opportunity for peace without chaos has finally arrived.'
The Professor wheeled himself over to his window.
Whenever he sat over by the window and looked out, out at the grounds and usually the kids (younger ones) playing, he felt a strange peace. But underneath it all he knew it wasn't true peace. True peace could only be obtained when the peace he wanted came.
Peace between humans and mutants.
He sighed and turned back to his desk. He didn't know it then, but even if his old friend wasn't stirring up problems within the mutant community, the humans had strife building within their very own capitol.
Peace would have to wait.
X-_X-_X
When Rogue walked into her room she noticed something.
Kitty was waiting for her. Sitting right on her bed. Looking right at her.
"What do ya' want Kit?" asked Rogue tiredly. All she wanted to do was listen to some music and maybe do some reading, before Logan decided she needed DR.
"Like how was your date?" asked Kitty smiling benignly. The girl rolled over onto her stomach and looked up at Rogue with her head on her hands.
"Why would ya' wanna' know?" asked Rogue walking into the room and getting a pair of sweats distractedly, they were on the bed next to Kitty.
"Because…," Kitty trailed off, turning around and laughing bubbly. She seemed to find some sort of humor that Rogue hadn't quite grasped yet.
"Because…why?" Rogue was O.K. playing this game. It was a piece of cake really, even if the game was with Kitty. She bent over and retrieved her bathing supplies from where they currently rested on the floor next to her dresser.
"Because…..I want to know!" said Kitty sitting up.
"Well ya' don't need to know," said Rogue defensively. All she wanted to do was take a shower, maybe read a little and go to bed, for some reason she was exhausted. Why did her nosy roommate, admittedly her best friend, have to do this now?"
"But I, like, want to know!" Kitty whined pitifully. Was this one of those girly teenage rituals that Rogue had never been part of? Some sort of girl code that said the best friend needed to know everything about everything in her life?
"Ya' don't need to know!" snapped Rogue moving towards the door.
"But Rogue…" Kitty trailed off.
"Fine! It was fine! It was good! It was great! Got it?" Rogue yelled stalking out the door and slamming it behind her.
"Yup!" said Kitty, smiling, as she got off Rogue's bed and moved to her own. She popped in a CD and sat content to listen to music until dinner. She had accomplished what she set out to do.
X-_X-_X
Most people would have though Rogue had drowned if they knew the amount of time it took before she got out. But she loved to just stand in the shower and think, letting the hot water run over her. Today she especially hoped it relaxed her.
She just couldn't get that date out of her head!
She was a challenge, nothing more, at least that's what she had herself thinking as she walked out of the bathroom door.
When she entered her shared room she found that Kitty wasn't there anymore.
'Probably down at dinner already' she thought to herself.
So she turned her bedside lamp on and sat herself down with a book in her hands.
It was a wondrous thing, a book, especially to Rogue. When she read she was not only transported into the story as if she were there, but it also seemed that the voices in her head were dimmer when she read. She could finally be herself.
But before she could lose herself in her book-
BAM! BAM! BAM-BAM!
"What do ya' want?" Rogue yelled in the direction of the door. She put a finger in the book and then let it close to look over her shoulder at the door.
"Stripes! It's time for dinner!" came Logan's gruff voice.
'Like Ah didn't know that' Rogue thought but decided better on actually saying it aloud, instead she yelled, "Ah'm not hungry!"
"Suit yourself but don't let me catch you wandering around at midnight for a snack!" Logan's voice didn't sound any particular emotion, but Rogue was almost waiting for him to tear her door down and interrogate her about enemy activities.
"Fine!"
She was going to waited for Logan's footsteps to fade away before returning to her book, unfortunately destiny decided she need not wait that long.
"Bonjour, chere," came a silky smooth voice.
Several things happened in the next few minutes.
One, Rogue screamed but managed to hurriedly contain it. Two, a certain Cajun stepped out of the shadows of her balcony and into her room. Three, she chucked her book at said Cajun which, four, he caught it.
"What the hell are ya' doin' here!" Rogue demanded once she regained her composure. She quenched the urge to throw a blanket over her lounge wear clad body.
"Why else would Gambit be here if not ta' see his chere?" The man was wearing his usual grin, and Rogue had to thank the deities for that. She needed to make herself feel some normalcy and then figure out why the hell he was in the mansion.
"Ah'm not your 'chere'!" Rogue protested no matter how weak the argument was she was still stubborn.
Gambit continued as if he had never heard her, "It's not exactly healthy if y' don' eat, cheer."
"Since when have Ah ever been exactly healthy?" Rogue said as if it were an almighty 'Duh!'
"But still…" Gambit trailed off looking at her. (Whenever Gambit gave Rogue that look butterflies flooded her stomach, not that she'd ever admit it) "Y' jus' might want to be healthy in two weeks," Gambit grinned.
"Why would ah want to be healthy in two weeks?" demanded Rogue, a bit of curiosity creeping into her voice. It was obvious that he would wait for her to ask the question, but she didn't fell too annoyed at that.
"Fo' our second date o' course!" Gambit said cheerfully. Though, in his eyes you could see a carefully hidden emotion that had not been there in quite some time.
"Second d—date?" Rogue exclaimed. She furrowed her brow. All the day's misgivings and mind numbing anxieties spoke up at once, along with the din of all her inner psyches.
All her walls fell instantly.
How could there be a second date? She was the Rogue, the untouchable…the unlovable. And he was the Cajun, the filthy playboy that only wanted a good challenge. Why would he want a second date when he'd already gotten what he wanted? He got a date with the untouchable, never before had a feat been accomplished….he conquered. So why would he want a second?
Gambit watched the emotions flicker on her face sadly. She didn't want to go on a second date with him? Fine! He'd try and try and dis be what he get! He steadied himself the next moment, as much as he wanted to retreat to petulant thoughts, he was a man that didn't give up on getting what he wanted
He'd give her some space, for now. Gambit turned to leave throwing a last glance at Rogue; she had distress written all over her face.
Gambit had set his mind on continuing to walk but stopped at the sound of a voice.
"Why?" came a surprisingly weak voice. "Why would you want an untouchable?"
Gambit turned around. What was that she had said?
"Y' not an untouchable, chere," he began, slowly. He turned around and Rogue could see a pitying sadness in his eyes. "Y' t'ink y' are. Y' gon' and buried the real Rogue, but I've seen 'er cher, I've seen 'er! When y' get angry, letting the thrill of the fight overtake y', or when y' jus' let yer shields slip for the tiniest bit o' time…tha's when I can see the real y'…not another mask o' yers."
He stopped and looked down at Rogue silently pleading for her to make a decision. He told her what he'd been dying to tell her since the first time he fought her…now it was up to her to make the decision. He may have not been an important person to her life like he imaged these X-Men were, but couldn't he take the time to tell the woman that he had admitted from afar something important?
She matched her eyes to his. Her mass confusion to his…sincerity? This was the raging Cajun! He wasn't supposed to have sincerity, at least not in matters such as these. He wasn't supposed to be standing in her shared bedroom, apparently willing to continue associating with her, the untouchable.
"The real me?" she questioned quietly. The whole situation was making her feel more and more less like the invulnerable X-Man that she was supposed to ber.
"Oui, cher, the real y,'"
"Then tell me what the real Marie's like?" She looked up at him. She tried channeling some anger, and wanted to make her voice righteous, but it didn't come. Could she really have this conversation with someone she really knew nothing about?
"Marie?" he questioned quietly, taking a couple steps closer to her.
"Me, Cajun, me."
"Chere, y' name's Marie?" a quiet astonishment came over him. He guessed that he never really thought he'd ever know anything so intimate about the woman.
"Ya' so if you can see the real Marie tell me what she's like!"
Gambit was the slightest bit concerned. Rogue was coming close to what he considered near hysteria for the woman, and he was sure that if he didn't calm her down she would have a breakdown of some sort. It looked as if she had finally reached her point.
"Marie has a hot temper," Gambit starting, not focusing on Rogue but choosing to direct his attention to a point across the room. "She has an instinct like feelin' o' loyalty. She likes to be generous, that probably goes along with the most important thing about Marie, she needs people around' 'er. She needs t' feel secure, safe, and wanted. She likes dat feelin' even if she doesn't always communicate dat fact."
Sometime during when Gambit was speaking he found himself down next to Rogue, holding her close and speaking directly in her ear. Good thing he wasn't about taking advantage of some intimate emotions to make a reason to touch the girl.
"Is Marie really like that?" asked Rogue tentatively. She held her face away from him, damned if she wanted to make eye contact with him when she was feeling so weak.
"O'course!" Gambit replied almost immediately. She could hear his grin in the voice.
"And does Gambit really like Marie?"
"Oui."
"Marie thinks she likes Gambit too...but she's so far down..."
"Remy's gonna' help you get Marie back, chere, Remy promises," Remy looked directly at Rogue and watched some of the color return to her pale cheeks. He was happy that she wasn't retreating from him. She just might be past that on the road to recovery.
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I guess I'm trying to over haul these first few chapters. To anyone who'd read this before, who called by giant, enormous, humongous mistake? I nearly laughed off my chair, it's what I get for only have an update a year for the first four years. Did anyone catch that this entire chapter had scenes about school in it originally when I very obviously talk in the rest of the story about them having graduated? I had to delete and rewrite entire sections, lol.
Thanks for reading; I hope you all can spare a moment for a review!
-AnimeSiren