I drowned this morning. Thought I was dead at the bottom of a river. Then the lights came on and I was still in this cell.
Xavier came by to talk. He thinks my mind is still playing tricks on me. We talked about my time travel again. He doesn't say anything, but I can tell he thinks I'm insane.
Hank's tests of my sanity are easier. He brings in a chessboard, or something else that requires concentration. We talk as we play. Since I have yet to eat the pieces or think it is anything more than a chess game, I've passed.
Jean comes in and does her doctor thing. Scott sometimes chats from the doorway. They wear matching wedding bands. Nice to know fixing the past worked out for somebody.
Marie, on the other hand, has no test for me. She is simply here. I've even heard her question whether I should be kept in a cell at all after being in a chamber that deprived me of all sensory input.
I know it bothers her, but as long as she continues to come I'll bide my time until the others feel safe. We eat together and now that they allow her to stay longer, she reads to me.
She brought down a book I was reading. I hate to tell her, I remember this one. I don't say anything, cause it's nice to hear her voice as I lay back and relax. Pausing she takes a drink from her water.
"What made you decide to look for me?"
Dog-earing the corner of the page, she sets the book down. "You promised to be back for my graduation and you didn't show."
I raise an eyebrow at her. Even in my mind that's not enough justification for the X-Men to search for someone.
She pauses, fiddling with the book as her cheeks begin to color. "In the year we've known each other, you have yet to break a promise. They told me you'd wandered back to your old life or lost track of time, but I knew you wouldn't let me down like that."
Getting up, from the floor, she sits down on the edge of the platform at my hip. "We talked the week of graduation. You had one thing to check out and you said no matter what you found you'd be back mid-week. Plenty of time." She looks at her hands, blushing a little. "I badgered the Professor into using Cerebro the day after the ceremony. He said you were a hard man to track. Even got Hank to locate your cell phone, and it didn't move for days on end."
She fidgeted with the bottom of her sleeve, a habit left over from when she wore gloves. "Anyway, I'm supposed to be learning to fly the jet." I must have smiled; she gives me a half-hearted punch. "Don't look so surprised. We took a test flight and I begged Hank to fly to the coordinates of your phone. He was suspicious enough when we got there to look around."
"Thanks." My sanity hanging on the whim of a girl. "Sorry I missed graduation."
Smiling down at me, she puts her hand on my chest. "You're here now."
Heat spreads out from her hand, warming my entire body. Her eyes slide away, but the smile and the hand remain. She sits with me quietly until her time is up.
I decided not to talk about time travel anymore. Not with the Professor. Today I told him I'm not sure it happened after all. He looked pleased.
I'm playing along and making progress in leaps and bounds. Everyone smiles as I grunt or get surly. My drastic improvement meets with everyone's agreement.
Except Marie's. Now she questions me. I tell her when I'm out of here we'll talk. She looks at me with her juice box conspiracy smile.
~*~
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000