It was during the early hours of the morning when she left, escaping through her bedroom window and flying out into the dark cover of the night taking only what she worea bag stuffed with a few changes of clothing, the credit cards and forged documents Xavier had drawn up for her, and the directions to a cottage in the country side of Ireland. She also carried a cell phone that Xavier had the number to, in case of an emergency. He was quick to explain that, while the closest village was a few miles down the road and the people were mutant friendly, they would be curious of the new resident among them and may show up from time to time to see if she needed anything. But, once she was established, then, for the most part, she would be left to herself. He urged her to be friendly and well mannered, and the community would look over her need to be left alone. He had also phoned ahead to inform some of his connections in the area that she would be arriving, and not to be alarmed.
She was grateful for what he was doing for her and said her goodbyes. She asked him to let Scott alone know where she was and apologize on her behalf for not saying goodbye in person and asked him to give her the note that she had written hastily with instructions on how to handle her disappearance with the rest of the school. And then she retreated to her room to pack, feeling a sense of joy she couldn’t remember having felt before.
She left without looking back, looking forward to shedding her life as Rogue for the moment, and looking towards the temporary life of Hannah Deveron.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Where the hell is she?” Logan growled as he barged into Xavier’s office. He had paced the halls for hours, waiting for her to emerge from her room. When it became apparent that she wasn’t coming out, he had gone in, ready to force her to talk to him, to clear things up between them. But, as soon as he entered, he realized she was gone. Most of her things were still there, but it was evident that her bed hadn’t been slept in and her window was left wide open. What she did leave behind looked as if it was rifled through, and her bag was gone, along with her cloak. No one had seen her since the day before, when she finished her sparring session with Piotr and gone to see Xavier.
“Calm down, Logan,” Xavier said sternly, looking up from what ever he was working on. “She’s perfectly safe and able to take care of herself. Why don’t you take a seat and we will discuss this like rational people?”
“Fuck rational, Chuck. Where is she?” Logan began to pace the room, racking his brain for anything he might subconsciously know.
“Gone, Logan. She needed some time alone and so she left,” Xavier replied, ignoring the other man’s hostility.
“And you won’t tell me where, will you?” Logan stopped pacing, locking eyes with the man. “Listen, Chuck, this is between me and her. Now, I’ve got some things to say that she needs to hear, so quit hiding her.”
“If she wanted you to know where she was, she would have told you, Logan. She needs sometime for herself.” Xavier paused, waiting for the man to continue his rants.
“I need to fix this.” The look in Logan’s eyes said more than any words could. Xavier felt his heart go out to him. He wondered if Logan had yet to acknowledge the feelings that had sparked within his tortured soul. Never the less, he was bound by the promise he had given.
“I’m sorry, Logan, but I can’t tell you anything more.”
“Charles…” Logan growled, but was quickly cut off by the fierce look Xavier threw him.
“Logan, if you do not remove your self from my office and find yourself something more productive to help you calm yourself,” Xavier said quickly, his voice full of promise and threat, “then I will be forced to have you prance around the front yard like a ballerina by lunch.”
“A ballerina?”
“Tutu and all. Now, if you will excuse me, I called for Scott just before you barged in here like a mad man, and he has been waiting patently outside while you prove your immaturity.” Xavier knew what he had said was uncalled for, but he couldn’t help himself. Logan wasn’t the only one who could lose his temper when provoked.
Logan stormed out, throwing the door open wide. Scott only barely stepped to the side quickly enough before he was run over.
“Ah, Scott. Do come in,” Xavier said as he mentally shook off the anger Logan had stirred. “I’m sorry for the wait. Logan was unexpected.”
“Isn’t he always?” Xavier had a feeling that Scott was rolling his eyes behind his visor. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes,” Xavier said slowly, trying to handle this as delicately as possible. He had once had hopes for the two, but it looked as if fate had another plan. “As you may have already guessed, Rogue has departed from our school.”
There was no denying the shock coming off of him in waves. “I wasn’t aware that she was gone at all, Professor. Is this something we should be worried about?”
“Not at all, Scott. Rogue just needed some time away, a little breather, you might say.” Xavier smiled softly, showing his lack of concern. “Actually, we should be more concerned about Logan right now. He’s not taking this well, and I fear for what ever it will be that crosses his path that he decides to take his frustrations out on. But, then again, if he doesn’t get his ear away from my door, I might have to make good on what we spoke about earlier.”
No one could deny the muffled curse as Logan backed away from the door, no doubt stalking off to fight something.
“Now, as I was saying,” Xavier continued after a moment, just to be sure that Logan was really gone. “Rogue left early this morning to sort herself out. She’s been under tremendous pressure since she returned to us. I regretfully have to admit that our therapy sessions haven’t been going well, as she adamantly refused to tell me just what happened to her. I’m still not aware of any of the details, although she did inform me of the abilities she acquired.”
“I wish you had better luck, Sir,” Scott replied swiftly. “If you had, maybe she would have stayed. Been able to get through this obstacle with your help.”
“Honestly, I have my doubts about that,” Xavier replied nonchalantly. “We both know that Rogue will have to come to terms with everything on her own. I only take comfort in the knowledge that she was able to confide in you. Now, I will not pry and ask you for any information that she has shared, nor do I expect you to volunteer it willingly. What she has told you is between you and her. But, be warned; Logan will, without a doubt, try to corner you on the subject. I have faith that you will keep it to yourself.”
It wasn’t a question, but a statement of the expectations Xavier held. Scott only shook his head in reply.
“Now then,” Xavier continued quickly, reaching into one of his desk drawers. He produced a sealed envelope. Scott could clearly see his name written in Rogue’s elegantly messy hand. “Rogue did leave this for you. I haven’t opened it, respecting both of your privacy. I only hope that you will practice discretion and consider burning it after you read it if Rogue reveals her location or any other information she knew you would not want to share.”
He handed him the letter, not surprised by the quick movements Scott took to snatch it out of his hand.
“That will be all, Scott. Thank you.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
Scott locked himself into his room, not wanting to be disturbed. It was Saturday, meaning no classes, and he should be left alone to do as he pleased for the next few hours, as long as there were no big emergencies waiting to happen.
He took the envelope out of his back pocket, studying the handwriting again. She hadn’t said a word to him yesterday about leaving, not even when she had seen him after her session with Piotr. She must have gone straight to Xavier from there.
He opened the letter slowly, taking care not to rip anything. He wasn’t sure what was inside, but he didn’t want to take the chance of ripping anything.
Unfolding the paper, Scott began to read;
‘Dear Scott,
‘First of all, let me just apologize now before anything else. You’ve been a wonderful friend to me these past few months, and the least I could have done was say goodbye. Rude of me, I know.’
He could almost hear her speaking these words in her smooth southern accent.
‘Thank you for being there for me, when I couldn’t rely on anyone else. It means a great deal to me, and I owe you big time for it, but I had to leave, for now. I’m not going to tell you where I am, even if I already know I am going to miss you before you get the chance to read this. I left in a hurry, I know, but it wasn’t planned, and if I had said goodbye, I think it was likely you or someone else would have talked me into staying. I couldn’t take that chance. I need this little escape from your world to pull myself together.
‘I know that Logan will be hounding you incessantly. Tell him what you want about who I am now, tell him about what they did to me. He might find comfort in knowing that he’s truly not alone.
‘I’ll return soon. Promise. Once I clear my head and find myself again. I just need time, I guess. Take care of yourself, Scott. Be careful and be safe.
‘-R-
‘p.s. Don’t forget what I told you. Find someone you can fall in love with and be good to her.’
He refolded the paper in his hand, watching out of the window as he did. He only hoped that she would find the peace she was seeking.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I’ll return soon. Promise. Once I clear my head and find myself again. I just need time, I guess. Take care of yourself, Scott. Be careful and be safe.
Chapter End Notes:
I'm going to get back to Rogue in the next chapter!