Unspoken: Unaccountable

Unaccountable
by Rei Kinneas

Rating: PG-13

Summary:Picking up where Victoria left off with “Unbalanced”. In her search for new living quarters Rogue has an unexpected encounter.

Notes: This is my first X-men fic. Ever. Unbeta´d. Quite short. I couldn't get this scene out of my head, so here it is. Thanks a bunch to Jenn for inspiring me with this series and looking at it and giving me the confidence to actually post it ^_^

Date: September 24, 2001

Rogue whispered to herself as she drifted down the empty hallways. Find an empty room. Go to sleep. Get up in the morning. Teach class. She didn´t allow herself to think past the mundane tasks she had before her. Tonight had already been too much; too much emotion, too much thinking, too much everything. She needed a bed and the oblivion of sleep.

She turned a corner and found herself in a familiar corridor. I wonder if my old room is empty, she thought with a small smile. She could use the comfort. Passing by a window she could just see the moonlight gleam off the front gates of the mansion. Her body itched to be out on the open road, wind in her face, stars above her, destination unknown. But she shook her head and started towards her old room again. That was the Logan in her. She had classes to teach the next day, and shit, how late was it anyway? She smiled ruefully. That was the Scott in her. The Scott in her that she didn´t even have to absorb through her skin to have in her head.

As she approached the door that had once been hers, she heard footsteps coming from the opposite end of the hall. She paused only a few inches from the door as the footsteps approached.

Even in the dark she could make out the red hair. Shit.

Jean stopped on the other side of the doorframe and looked uncomfortable.

“So this is your room now?” Rogue asked, and cursed her hoarse voice.

“Um, yes,” Jean answered. Rogue nodded. Of course it was.

“Used to be mine.” Jean looked uncomfortable at that and Rogue felt a little satisfaction, despite knowing that nothing was her fault.

“Oh.” What am I doing here? Rogue asked herself. Scew this, she had to get some sleep. She took a step to walk right out of there, but Jean stopped her.

“Rogue.”

“What?” Rogue looked down the hall, refusing to meet her eyes.

“We didn´t do anything.” Rogue turned her head and slowly met Jean´s eyes.

“Didn´t you?” Jean dropped her gaze to the ground and had the grace to look a little guilty. Rogue felt a swell of pity and cursed herself for being a softy. “I know nothing physical went on between you,” she added. Jean nodded, still flushed. “I gotta get to bed,” she said and walked past Jean, not trusting herself to look at her.

She had taken four steps when she stopped and, heaping piles of more curses on herself, turned around.

“Jean.” Jean turned around and Rogue took a moment to really study the younger girl. Almost as tall as Rogue herself, way too thin, a nervousness that came from too much time unshielded on the road, and of course, the red hair. Shit, Rogue could have been looking at herself, three days after Logan brought her in. She had no idea why she said what she did, but it was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

“Scott and I,” she took a deep breath. “Scott and I aren´t engaged anymore.”

“What?” Jean seemed genuinely schocked and Rogue just held up her left hand.

“Just so you know.” She turned around and walked away as quickly as she could while still being dignified. She began jogging as soon as she was out of sight. That was it. She had just let go completely. She wiped a few stray tears angrily from her eyes and stopped when she ran by another familiar door. She walked back and stepped into the room, nerves tingling.

“Marie? What the hell are you doing here?” Logan's voice, gruff from sleep asked her out of the darkness. He could probably smell her smile.

“Do you wanna go for a ride?”

~*~

Strange Comfort by jengrrrl

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Disclaimer: All X-Men characters belong to Marvel and Fox; this piece of fan-written fiction intends no infringement on any copyrights.