“Is he gone?” she whispered softly as he sat next to her in the common room. She was channel surfing and he was supposed to be babysitting her while Logan was away.
She had been home for three months, and was going stir-crazy. Logan wouldn’t allow her out of his sight, much less off the grounds. It was as if he was afraid that she would disappear again, and as much as she loved him, she didn’t think she could take it any longer. The only time she felt any type of comfort was when he was off checking to some clue about where their daughter might have been. Scott was usually in charge of her while he was away.
“Yup. He thinks it will be for about a week,” he said as he smiled at her. She allowed her tears to slip free finally, knowing that she was unable to do the same thing in front of Logan. He wouldn’t understand the pressure and anxiety he was putting on her. She needed room to breathe and think, and it seemed that she was unable to do that. At least Scott understood this. He gathered her in his arms, not sure what exactly he should do. They had become closer since she had returned, both knowing that no one would ever understand what they went through.
Although John had survived being shot in the head, he hadn’t remembered anything from their ordeal. It was as if his mind completely blocked out the entire seven months. She couldn’t blame him, though. Some times she wished that she could forget, also. But that would mean that she wouldn’t remember her daughter, either.
“Thank you,” she whispered softly, straightening herself. She knew better than to break down in front of anyone. If Logan found out, she wouldn’t be able to get any peace. “Don’t say anything, please.”
He let a small smile play on his lips as he brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “I never do.”
She allowed the brief moment of stillness before forcing it away. As much as she loved Logan, he wasn’t the same man anymore. Before he had been supportive, even of the stupid decisions she had made. It wasn’t that he had approved of every stupid thing; he just gave her room to make her own mistakes. She understood that he was still skittish about what had happened, but he wouldn’t even allow her to go with him to find their daughter.
She shook off the emotions that were flowing through her. She had always thought Scott was an attractive man, but she had never dwelled on it. He had always been too much of a boy next door. She had always preferred the bad boy, deep down. That was probably why she had remained with Bobby for so long. Under his golden boy façade, he had a mean streak. That had blown up in her face, though.
Since Scott had returned, she had found he wasn’t the same man as before. He also wasn’t filled with a deep depression or sadness any longer. He had a mysteriousness that she found intriguing. He had refused to accept control over the Xmen, wanting to take on solo missions, only. The only class he had gone back to teaching was mechanics, only because he was the best choice. He wasn’t so cocky, any more. In other words, he had forgotten his leadership position completely. The strangest part was the way he seemed to treat every other woman in the mansion a little coldly, except her. It was as if he was a whole new person. Suddenly, Rogue felt herself more and more attracted to him every time Logan left him in charge of her. It was almost as if they had switched roles, with her in the place of Jean.
“So, what’s on the agenda for the week?” She asked quickly, pushing the odd moment away. She loved Logan, but Scott was a puzzle to her.
“I figured you would want to continue going through the paper work we found on our return trip after you were brought home.” Scott flashed a sly smile that she had never seen before. It was almost exhilarating.
She spent hours in the office, sifting through papers she had been over many times. She was certain there were clues in these pages that would lead her to her daughter. Until she could get Logan to allow her to go with him, this was all she could do.
At around nine o’clock that evening, she finally gave up, realizing that it was fruitless to search like this. She could recite the damn pages word for word. There was nothing leading to where they would take her child.
The knock on her door shouldn’t have been as loud as it was. Her eyes snapped open with the intrusion.
“Who is it?” She looked at her clock and noticed that it was only a little past ten. She must have been asleep before she hit the pillow.
"Can I come in?" Scott asked softly from the door. This wasn't unusual. Logan had ordered him to check in on her through out the night, and, usually, Scott, Jubilee, and Ororo would take turns. The strange thing was he usually just knocked and yelled out that he was just checking one her. He never wanted to come in before.
Thankful that she had fallen asleep in her clothes, she yelled for him to enter. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she yawned loudly. Scott walked in casually, dressed in a plain t-shirt and jeans. He had gone through his entire wardrobe and threw out everything that even resembled slacks or sweaters.
“How’re you feeling?” He asked quietly as he shut the door behind him.
“Alright, I guess. Just a little tired.” She folded her legs under her, giving him room to sit down.
“Have you heard from him, yet?” He asked quietly. She wasn’t sure because of the visors he had to ware, but she could almost sense his gaze shifting as he asked about Logan.
“At about six. Fortunately, Jubes answered the phone. I get worried that one of the students might tell him about what I’ve been doing.” She gave him a sad smile, wishing that she didn’t have to lie to Logan like this. What was she supposed to do, though? He wouldn’t even allow her to think about the child she had stolen from her.
“I know. It will get better, someday. It just takes a lot of time.” He as looking straight at her again and she could feel his gaze studying her.
“Can I ask you a question?” She asked softly. She didn’t know if it would work, but she thought it was worth a try.
“What?”
“What color are you eyes?”
“They’re…” He paused for a second, and she could feel the pain coming off of him. “I don’t remember. It’s been a long time.”
“You’ve never tried to gain control?” She had always felt he was a kindred spirit before she had gained control over her own mutation. He always made sure she never felt alone in her skin. She wasn’t the only one with a vise to wear.
“Never got the chance,” he replied as he looked away from her again. “When I was a kid, a couple of years before I developed, my family was in a plane crash. My parents died in the crash. I still haven’t tracked down my brother. I guess I hit my head and it jolted something. I will never have control over it.”
Rogue tore her gaze away as she whispered, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
“It’s alright. Not a lot of people know about it. You should have seen me before Xavier found me.” He touched her cheek gently, making her look at him. “The foster home I was in made me wear a strip of cloth over my eyes, and I wasn’t allowed to open them. That was ridiculous. Of course, everyone was really nice about it. They still treated me well. But, they just didn’t understand what I was going through. There were other mutants, but they all had control. I didn’t even realize what had happened until Xavier brought me here and had Hank take a look at me. They had Forge fashion me these glasses.”
She understood the turmoil he must have gone through. Although she had never lost her sight, it had been a long time before she could even take the risk of being uncovered while alone. All her other scenes had expanded during that time, but it hadn’t been the same.
“I came to talk to you for a reason,” Scott said, interrupting her thoughts. “I’m thinking about taking a leave of absence. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but it will be a while.”
“Why? Where are you going to go?” She was stunned by his admission. She knew that he had changed, but she hadn’t realized that he would want to leave.
“Don’t know yet,” he replied, a far away tone in his voice. “I guess I just need to move around a lot. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me.”
Her mouth dropped open. She didn’t know what to say. Would Logan be willing to go? They could look for their daughter, the three of them together. But could the two men stand any time alone together?
“I don’t know if Logan…”
“He’s not invited, Marie.” It was the first time he had ever used her real name. She almost forgot that he had been one of the few she had told. More importantly, Logan couldn’t come. “You don’t have to give me an answer now. Just think about it. I mean, I won’t leave you behind.” He was hinting at the fact that twice, Logan had let her fend for her. The first time had been when he had left her to go find her past, and not even giving her the choice to go also. The second had been when she had left after practically been shunned by the rest of the school; he had blatantly told her that they were more important and watched as she walked away. Rogue felt her heart tug. “There might be less here than you think.”
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