The letters were the only things that kept her afloat. He was the only person to get close to her. She had many friends, but they were a distance away. Logan touched her once so deeply, it was intimate to her. That closeness, she wanted to feel it again. She needed to talk to him and see him. She longed to tell him everything that had happened over the year. The accident especially. She still had nightmares about it but didn't tell anyone. She had killed, and that changes a person forever.
He was out there and she was here. She wanted to run to him but knew he had his own life he was trying to find. He should be here. He could do so much good. She knew Logan's mind and understood his quest but...AAAHHH, she wanted to scream, fly away into the night and not look back. She was scared. Scared of a life she'd never have and no one to share it with.
She wasn't going to go tomorrow when the Friday plan was put into action. She would hide out and they'd go on without her. She'd been sober and killed a man. Drunk and out of her mind, she couldn't begin to think of the horrors she could do. Dancing was physical and she didn't think she could dance with anyone that close and personal. Movies really depressed her too. They'd always have those love scenes capturing the tender moments where hands would touch, faces and lips. She'd never experience a kiss again. Her first kiss was the last.
She hugged her dog tags and a warm blanket surrounded her. It was Logan's arms. Love filled her again as the memories came back and Logan was fresh in her mind. His arms around her and him telling her everything would be okay. Her head was mixing both her thoughts and his. Together like symphony they connected. She couldn't explain it. His words of comfort gave her peace as she stared into the heavens.
Inside the mansion, two more lives were changing...
Scott had planned it all so perfectly for tomorrow night: he had the campaign, dinner reservations, and the ring. His life was with Jean. She was his world. Wiser, energetic, and more beautiful then any other woman he'd met. He wanted to make her his.
He knew Logan wrote to her. How many times he didn't know. He found just one letter. He would put this fear of losing Jean to old razor-man away from his mind forever.
Friday finally arrived. To the students, they didn't sleep a wink the night before and classes were just too long. For Scott, he was just as bad as they were. So anxious to start the evening he felt sick to his stomach. The final class was dismissed and amazingly Scott belted out the door before his students. Professor Xavier and Storm watched all this increased action with curiosity and a touch of worry. Neither of them knew any of the hidden agendas. Xavier wouldn't meddle to find out.
Finally, six o'clock hit and the group piled into the jeep.
"Where's Rogue?" Bobby asked.
"I don't know," Jubilee added.
"Katherine?" Gambit asked.
"She wasn't in her room," she answered.
"We'll just have to head out without her," Gambit said.
"No, let me go check." Bobby was bound and determined to prove to Rogue that she could have a somewhat normal life. He was going to take her out. He ran to her room and then searched the library and the rest of her hangouts. She was hiding, but where?
Rogue didn't want to miss out on everything but she thought it better. The stars were her friends tonight. She sat back on the school roof and contemplated a way to get a message out to Logan. He was never in one place for long. She didn't like these one-way conversations anymore. She wanted to talk to him. Oh, this was going to be hard...
She leaned back and in doing so knocked over her book bag. It fell backwards and began to tumble downward off the other side of the slanted roof. "No, no, no--" She tried to slide down after it but no use: over the edge it went.
Bobby thought to himself, She wants to hide were no one can find her. She's on school grounds. Where is one place none of us students can go? He thought of every room and then moved to outside. Tennis courts, the pool, nothing.
"There you are," Jubilee whispered. "Come on, we have to go or we'll miss the movie."
"Fine," Bobby gave up. He would find her later and yell at her for missing this. They ran outside and as they passed the edge of the roof something fell on him. "Ow!" A book bag knocked him to the ground, leaving a mark upon his head. And it was not just any book bag.
"So that's where you are," he said with a smile. He and Jubilee looked up and there was a small head peering over the roof, about five stories up.
"I know that's you, Rogue," he shouted softly. "Get down here, we're going!"
Oh no, she was caught. Dang it. Nothing she could really do now. She didn't want her friends mad at her, and they would be if she stayed up on the roof. She stood up and floated down ever so gracefully. She landed in front of Bobby with a determined not-going-to-budge look.
"You are not hiding out on this one." Bobby reached for her hand and she followed with ease. "You helped plan it and you're going to be apart of it. You'll have fun, trust me." Jubilee ran to the jeep.
"Come on darlin', you don't want to miss all the fun." Gambit smiled at Rogue. She wanted to go and should relax, but nothing with her friends was ever as easy or normal as they planned...
They packed into the jeep and to the movies they went. Destination number one.
8 p.m. now hit and Scott was ready for his night with Jean.
"Your carriage awaits, madam," Scott raises out his arm to for Jean to take. He was polished in a black suit and tie and Jean was like an angel in her red dress, which accented her hair and brought out the color of her eyes. Scott was in heaven. He escorted her to the fabulous sports car, one he borrowed from Prof. Xavier's garage, opened the door for her, and they were off. He'd booked dinner reservations at the Shabrtou in the city. Reservations set for 8:30 sharp. It was one of the classiest places in town.
They arrived and the table for two was perfect, by the window on the balcony. The night was clear and the music was playing below. A stringed orchestra help make the atmosphere more elegant, like out of the early movie era. Marble floors and pillars draped in endless satin. Candles filled the tables and the crystal chandeliers sparked.
"This is wonderful, Scott," she said. "Thank you." She leaned over for a soft kiss.
He ordered wine and dinner. He stared into her eyes and was lost.
"We haven't done this in so long, had a night, just the two of us."
"I've missed it," Scott agreed.
The movie ended and the team headed out to destination number two, the Retro, a new night club that had just opened. Gambit, the streetwise man, had wonderfully made the group fake IDs. After exiting the jeep, Gambit gave everyone a once-over. "Rogue, you're gonna have to lose the superhero cape."
She was so used to it. To be without it, she felt naked.
"Don't worry, we won't let anything happen to ya." Katherine tried to reassure her. But it wasn't a comfort. She took it off. Everything was covered; she even wore a turtleneck top. Only thing was her head. She tucked in her dog tags and was ready.
Gambit's fake ID system was good and everyone got in. It was crowded but not too bad. It eased Rogue's fears only by a microbe. "Let's get something to drink shall we?" Bobby smiled. He had been saving money for tonight.
A few beers for the guys, a long island ice tea for Rogue and Katherine and a whiskey stone sour for Jubilee. The music was jamming and after one drink they were all a little loose for the dance floor. Rogue was having the time of her life. What was she ever afraid of? She would soon see, as another group walked in through the doors.
Scott carried Jane to the dance floor and they held each other close. Some people were staring at Scott with his eye mask on, but the two lovers could care less. They seemed to float on air that night. The band moved from slow classical pieces to zesty jazz music. Scott was a great dancer -- Jean had to give him a point there. She couldn't ever picture Logan in a tuxedo, slow dancing. The thought made her giggle.
Dinner was fabulous and the dessert was sinful. Afterwards they went down to dance some more. "Unforgettable" was playing and Scott knew of no better time. He leaned down and kissed her softly on her lips. Gliding his hand from her waist up to her shoulder and down to her hand, he kneeled down and proposed.
"Jean, you have made my life everything it is. You are the reason I wake up every day and try to make each one better then the next -- for you. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He slid the ring on her finger. "Jean, will you marry me?"
She was stunned, breathless, yet knew Scott was hers forever. She needed no time to think of an answer: "Yes."
Scott stayed on his knees in utter joy until Jean brought him back to reality. "You can get up now." With that he stood up and kissed her. This night was perfect.
"Let's adjourn for a nightcap," suggested Jean.
Scott needed no second thought there.
A small group of guys entered the bar and had a round or two. The students were already getting exhausted from dancing and drinking. One big gentleman in his mid-20s went up to the table where Rogue and Katherine were sitting and asked Rogue to dance.
"Excuse me," he said with ease, "might I have the pleasure of one dance?" He picked up her hand and placed a small kiss upon her white glove.
Rogue was stunned. She didn't really want to dance with him but the thought of some strange guy asking like Prince Charming was flattering. "Thank you but no thanks. I'm just not in the mood."
"It's just one dance, nothing more," he tried again. He flashed a Tom Cruise grin at her. Should she? Katherine was giving her an are-you-crazy-he's-gorgeous-go-for-it look. Rogue was going to regret this.
"Okay. Just one dance," she replied. He smiled victoriously.
A slow song came on and he held her close. She was trying not to be too close but he held her firmly in place. The rest of the gang went back to the table.
"You guys, I think I made a slight error in judgement." Katherine saw how uncomfortable Rogue was with this guy. One of you guys go cut in, she thought.
She didn't have to ask twice -- both Bobby and Gambit were jumping up. They stared at each other, wondering who would make the first move. Jubilee drove them to their senses:
"Quit the macho act and one of you go!"
Gambit stood down and signaled for Bobby to go.
The room was swirling and she felt so light-headed from her two-and-a-half long island ice teas. She wasn't sure what was in those but they tasted great and packed a punch. His face was getting closer to hers and she tried to pull away.
"What's wrong?' he asked. She didn't want to sound stupid or childish. "Nothing," and she smiled. Some hair got in her face and he went to brush it away. She was watching a blurred figure she believed to be Bobby come and rescue her from this guy... Finally she felt him touch her face. It was just for a second but it felt like an eternity. He screamed as if a knife had stabbed him through the heart and them it was gone. She instinctively pulled away, stumbling and falling backwards to the ground. "What did you do to me?" he cried, stumbling himself a bit and trying to catch his breath. The touch he'd given had been very light. She knew something like this would happen...
Bobby helped her up. "You okay, Rogue?" he asked.
"Sorry about that," she slurred out.
"What are you some kind of freak?" This guy was getting really furious.
Bobby spoke before thinking. "She's not a freak!" His hand curled and inside was forming an ice ball.
Gambit, taking that as a cue, ran over there, as well as St. John. He placed a hand on Bobby's shoulder and turned to the big guy. "Relax, pal. We're just leaving."
For some reason, with the pain the man had endured and the alcohol mixed in, that apology wasn't good enough. He threw a punch at Gambit. That did it. Bobby threw the ice and knocked a big lump on the guy's head, enough to knock him out. His goon friends started to descend -- Gambit fired up an ace of spades and they stopped moving.
"You don't want any of this," he warned.
But yes, they did. They started to fight anyway. He threw the card, exploding a table in front of the two men. Jubilee and Katherine joined in. One guy threw a chair at Katherine. She closed her eyes and it went right through her. Some people stayed far away from the brawl as possible, especially since mutants were involved. The barkeep hit the alarm for the police. Punches were thrown and even Rogue got into it. Wolverine's attitude and brawling experiences floated to her mind. She even growled at one guy before breaking a bottle over his head. This was so weird for her. She was not herself--
Then someone grabbed her from behind to try and drag her out of the fight. She screamed and he covered her mouth. A load roar followed from the man holding her -- he let go and dropped out on the floor into spasms. She felt weird; there were now more unwanted memories, energy, personalities and emotions in her head, swimming around. She felt like she was going to be sick. She clutched her stomach and leaned on a table for support. She looked at the man she had hurt. He was out cold, probably in a coma. She had done it again. Tears began to fall and she fell to the floor. This man had only been trying to stop the fight and now look what she did. Another accident, another reason she was a menace to the world.
Finally, the cops walked in.
Scott and Jean were heading back to the mansion when something caught Jean's eyes.
"Scott, stop the car," she said quickly.
"What?"
"Pull over please."
He did what he was told. Jean got out of the car and Scott joined her. "What's wrong?" He was very much confused.
"Do you recognize that jeep?"
He looked and saw the car. The license plate read X-TERRAIN. That was the school's jeep. It was around midnight and parked outside a bar. The kids should have been back by now. The bar had two cop cars in front with their lights flashing, and two men were being loaded into ambulances.
"You don't think..."
"I know," she interrupted. They walked across traffic and down the street a bit to the bar. Scott wasn't sure he wanted to know what exactly happened, but knew it ended his perfectly planned night.
An officer stopped them as they tried to enter the bar. "Sir, you're not allowed inside. Please step back."
Jean reassured the officer by saying, "I'm afraid, officer, that we know some of those delinquents inside and are responsible for them."
"What happened?" Scott asked. The officer went on to explain the story he heard from a bystander.
"I can hold them and fine them for destruction of property, public disturbance, assault, fake IDs, and drinking underage. They're in some serious trouble."
Jean made a phone call to Xavier and he in turn made a few more. In the end the kids were released and about an hour later the two were allowed in to collect the minors.
"We are so in for it," St. John said.
"They don't have to know." Katherine tried to sound confident.
"I think I'm gonna be sick." Jubilee added.
"Sorry guys, it's all my fault." Rogue hung her head and covered her face. She was still in tears.
"No, it's mine for setting all this up." Gambit put his hand on her shoulder.
"We're dead." St. John knew they would be caught for this for sure.
"They're gonna know. I nearly killed a man, that doesn't go unnoticed," Rogue whispered to herself.
"How can we be blamed and charged? They started it!" Jubilee added.
"How are they going to find out?" Gambit asked.
"We're being arrested!" St. John shouted at him.
"Well, for starters..." Bobby glared at the door and there stood Cyclops. He was not smiling. He and Jean talked to the bar tender, gave him some cash to help cover damages and lost business for the night. They came over to the group.
"I don't know exactly what happened tonight but you guys will have a lot to explain." he pointed out the door. And they left. It was a quite ride home. Half rode with Jean in the jeep and the others rode with Scott in the Ferrari.
The next morning they sat hung over in the library waiting for punishment.
"What was going through your heads?" Jean asked, "You made fake IDs, you drank, you started a bar fight and you used your powers carelessly. Serious things happened and it could have gotten even worse -- you got lucky. Professor Xavier helped get you out of serious trouble. We don't EVER expect this to happen again. You seriously disappointed us."
St. John added, "Do you have to shout so much?"
"Shut up...part of your punishment is the hangover. I don't think you'll be drinking anytime soon." Scott took the IDs and threw them in the fire. "As for everything else, you get to do community service down at the local youth center every Saturday and Sunday for the next five months, and no in-town privileges for four months."
All the students were quiet and accepted punishment without regret. It seemed harsh but it could have been worse. So much for the foolproof plan.
Rogue knew it would be a disaster but succumbed to peer pressure and went. She just wanted to sleep the day away. Finally Dr. Grey let them go. Rogue went to her room and dreamed. She awoke before dinner refreshed, the hangover gone. She thought about her message for Logan. She rummaged through her book bag and gathered a pencil and pen. She finally found the right words.
To Logan...
I miss you. I wish you luck on you journey and a safe return home. Don't ever forget that I am here if you need anything.
Your girl
Marie
Simple and to the point. She found her song as well in Katherine's CD collection. It was Crash And Burn by Savage Garden.
And the world has turned its back on you
Give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart
I know that you feel like the walls are closing in on you
It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold
When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you can't take it anymore
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone
When you feel all alone
And a loyal friend is hard to find
You're caught in a one-way street
With the monsters in your head
When hopes and dreams are far away and
You feel you can't face the day
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone
Because there has always been heartache and pain
And when it's over you'll breathe again
You'll breathe again
When you feel all alone
And the world has turned its back on you
Give me a moment please
To tame your wild wild heart
Let me be the one you call
If you jump I'll break your fall
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night
If you need to fall apart I can mend a broken heart
If you need to crash then crash and burn
You're not alone
She would request it every week until he got home. Eventually he'd have to hear it, wouldn't he? She called up two national programs, one that ran through the US radio and the other broadcast through Canada. She knew deep down he would hear it and hopefully come home.
As for Scott and Jean, she saw the ring. She was happy for them. To find love is the greatest treasure in the world. She knew. She'd found it.