Teaser: An evening walk for Rogue.
Rating: PG
Genre: drama

 Rogue went out for a walk one evening by herself. Her head was swarming with different things she never believed she'd be able to sort through. She hugged her arms around herself tightly as she strolled off the pathway. Snow was falling all around her and she found comfort in that. All her layers protected her and warmed her body.

 School started again tomorrow. Yuck. She was ready for it and she missed having classes. But, as her role as a teenager she still had to say yuck.

 She went out to the pond in the back and glanced over its icy surface. She loved her powers to defy gravity. Aaron allowed her to dance on air, water and ice. He had loved it and shared the sense of freedom and release with her that floating and gliding created. She'd sometimes find herself flying in the air and letting the Aaron in her mind break free and dance with her.

 Rogue went out and hovered above the pond. Her toes barely sliding over the surface as she moved. She glided, spun and leaped around like a figure skater. Grace filled her movements. It was therapeutic. As she danced around she allowed her mind to open up just a bit to let her thoughts flow.

 This next fall she wouldn't be going on to college like Bobby, St. John, and Katherine. She didn't want to deal with fitting in all over again. Meeting people that would accept her seemed impossible. They'd want to know why she dressed funny or why they couldn't touch her. They'd easily know she was a mutant. The rest had nothing to worry about. Her friends would do just fine. As for Bobby and St. John, the two would go to school close by and stay at the mansion to help out and train.

 Rogue thought she'd stay right here. Helping the X-Men would be her main focus, her purpose in life. She could continue studying under Jean, Scott, or Storm in higher-level subjects. Xavier even said she could teach the younger kids too. She didn't think she was old enough to do that even though she felt well beyond her eighteen years. Rogue thought maybe a class every now and then at a local school would be okay too. She could study and no one would have to find out about her being a mutant. She could sit away from others and just focus on the class. That was a still a ways off in time. No need to worry about it now.

 She knew was that this last semester together as students, so they'd have to make it count. Some wild adventure together would be a fitting way to end. The gang still had time to plan that later. The only thing she was certain of right now was staying here. Behind these walls that protected her form the outside world. This was her family and here was Logan.

 Logan. Thinking about him made her stomach do flip-flops and she couldn't help but smile. He was a friend with arms that touched her. She wanted him to touch her, put his arms around her forever. She dreamed about it often and about what a kiss from him would be like. So? She thought he was gorgeous. His bare chest, what would it feel like against her own. Many other girls in her class all though he was cute too in that rough and tough sort of way. Scott wasn't too bad either. He was the handsome Hollywood pretty boy as Jubilee called him. They all thought he had a dreamy smile, especially with his techno glasses on.

 Rogue was always partial to Logan. How could she not? He saved her life so many times. He gave her hope and love when she felt so alone in the world. She rummaged through the file marked Logan that she placed in the back of her head. Confusion is what she found. His feelings were mixed about her. These were over two years old, though. She guessed they were fairly the same. In them she was a friend to him, a kid sister to take care of. Yeah, he looked at her once before leaving as more then friends. He thought she was cute with her white hair and pretty face. Still not the same as he saw Jean. She had to face it: he had adopted her from the streets like a stray pet you bring home to love and take care of. Not much more. Rogue suppressed a lump in the back of her throat that wanted to make her cry. Maybe he'd change.

 She remember the New Year's Eve dance. His hand lightly caressing her back, his fingers entwined in her own. Those eyes of his pouring into her soul as he stared at her. He pulled her body closer to his, she could feel every muscle. Was she just imaging it all? Is that just what she wanted to be real or was it.

 Get real! she thought to herself. It was all in her head. If so, she still liked it. He at least didn't call her "kid" anymore. Thank goodness. Would anyone, like the man she wanted, ever come into her life? After finding out he couldn't touch her, would he stay? She drove those thoughts out of her mind. She didn't want to think about that anymore. It was too depressing.

 She prayed for tomorrow to come swiftly. Tomorrow class would help take her mind off her woes and she'd have to focus on her homework. Logan would be teaching. He'd oversee physical training for the older students and he was alone in trying to teach the younger students how to drive. Scott stuck him with that and Logan was not too happy. They'd either kill him or he'd kill them.

 Rogue laughed out loud to that thought. It helped to cheer her spirits a bit. She could picture him trying to instruct driving lessons and yelling "Look out!", grabbing the wheel from the poor kid next to him. She could see him ripping the student from the driver's seat and throwing him or her out on to the pavement and taking over. That would certainly be a challenge for him.

 Rogue had trouble with the fighting part of these training sessions with Logan. She could picture having class with him but the combat workout would be difficult. Would she have to fight him? Scott and her had it all down to a science but it would be weird having Logan attack and hit her. Hell, he would knock her out cold with all his metal.

 She glanced around up at the windows of the mansion. She could make out Bobby and Katherine in her room. She didn't want to go back just yet; let them have time together. The two were hooking up. Rogue had caught the glances and smiles they gave each other. She knew what it was like to fall in love. She just couldn't do anything about it. Gambit and Jubilee were a match in Rogue's eyes but nothing came of those two yet. Poor St. John. He was so crazy, she wondered if there was a girl out there that could handle him. Still, Rogue continued to think about things she couldn't have. Why did they linger in her mind so much? She didn't want to think about it but it was like a bad song. It was in there repeating itself over and over again.

 At least her head was finally back in some order. She discovered that it took her longer to organize all the memories and emotions the more people she had shoved into her head. They all screamed and shouted, trying to break out. Some wanted to dominate her thinking and tried to constantly persuade her mind. In time she's able to suppress them all and file them away. Sometimes they crept out, though.

 Nightmares came back every time a new mind would meld with hers. They'd all come out and she'd have to reorganize. Recently the nightmares came from the two men in the alleyway from her trip into New York City. What were their names? Ethan and Tuzo. Whatever kind of name is Tuzo? Their fears were created in her dreams, being so real. She'd wake up, startled, in a cold sweat. She'd feel like darkness was staring at her watching her every move lurking in the shadows. Silly, she knew, but she couldn't help but get chills when she woke up in the middle of the night. She'd hug Wolvie and it would all be better again. They'd fade soon to the back of her mind eventually. She couldn't wait.

 Magneto gave her another worry. He was quiet, too quiet. What ever he was up to, he would keep it silent until it was ready. She wanted to find out what he was doing. She tried every now and then to see if she could guess what he was planning, using what she knew of him. She actually had some ideas but wasn't sure if she should bother the others or not with mere guesses. She just hoped they would be ready to stop him when the time came. Hopefully no one would get hurt trying to end his plan before it went past the point of no return.

 This therapy walk wasn't much but a depression walk. Saddening and worrying her to weariness. Once school started her mind would be distracted. It would stop roaming free, hopefully.

 She felt wonderful with the cool air blowing in her face as she floated around the pond. All good things must come to an end, or get put on hold till another day.

 She'd better get back inside. It was getting dark. Classes were at nine a.m. sharp tomorrow. That didn't bother her, but a six a.m. running session and workout with Logan would be just too early. She never liked mornings, but with Logan being with her she could bear it. She wanted to make him proud of her.

 Walking back in, she realized her unconscious movements to shake off the snow and move her body to her room without any real thought. Her life just moved forward and she wasn't able to guide it. She was a passenger in her own life, it seemed. Hopefully, it would lead her where she wanted to go. Right now, it was to bed.

 She walked back through the halls and saw Logan. She smiled and said "'Night." She couldn't get him out of her mind. He was there; cute, sweating and shirtless. He was dreamy. That face and smile with his muscles so well defined. Crush on a best friend -- it's so hard. She felt so much more for him then he probably did for her. It was unbearable and weighed on her heart.

 She set her alarm for way too early, and her and Katherine stayed up talking about Bobby till they finally fell asleep.