Time line: Between X 1 and X2

Summary: This is one of those infamous what if… What if Rogue began to receive the attention of a secret admirer after Bobby left her for Kitty Pride? I just love what if.

Disclaimer: The X - men and Marvel don't belong to me. I just took them for a little while to play with them and soon as I finish, I would give them back.

Please, my mother tongue is Spanish, I ask you to be patient with me. There are two persons I wish to dedicate this story: tHe TrUtH aBoUt RoSeS; you asked for it, here it is. You gave me the little shove to write it in English. I hope you enjoy it.

And to my special friend, Evening Falls, without your help I wouldn't dare to post it in English. She is the author of a great story, Rogue Ambitions. If you haven't read it yet, what are you waiting for?!

----- xoxo-----

Sometimes we make mistakes and take the wrong decisions that could change our lives forever. This is my story. I made that mistake. But I was one of those few with luck. Yes; I was lucky that someone near to my heart… No; let's scratch what I just said; someone who is everything in my life and is my heart helped me to see my errors. I'll always be grateful and my heart forever will belong to him.

Now, you're wondering how this genesis to my redemption began? I don't know the exact date but how it happened is etched in my memory eternally. This is how I will retell it…

Day 1

That day began the same way that the days previous to that. When opening my eyes that morning my first wish was never to leave my bed. Facing another day of seeing Bobby and Kitty together was utterly depressing and humiliating. Let's be honest, no woman is pleased to know that she has been replaced by someone else. It is simply an idea that plays around with your self esteem and ends it. And to make it worse, I missed my wolf. When you have someone in your head it isn't difficult to grow fond of that person. How I wished for his return!

I was on my second period of my afternoon classes. I tried to seat as far away as possible from the sickening couple. Next to me was John. It was surprising how well he took everything. After I accepted to be Bobby's girlfriend, John began to flirt with the little pussycat, the same that showed her claws to snatch my boyfriend away. He was slightly annoyed the first couple of days but just as suddenly forgot everything. How I wished I could have done the same.

There was a soft knock at the classroom door and Mr. Summers went to answer it. A young man came inside carrying a pretty bouquet of colorful flowers.

"Very well, which one of you lover boys ordered these flowers?" Mr. Summers asked.

I gave a cursory glance around the classroom, my curiosity taking the best of me. I wanted to know who sent them and for whom. Nobody answered.

"We are a little shy, aren't we?"

Mr Summers took the note from the flowers and read it. In his face appeared a fleeting expression of confusion. My biggest surprise was when he looked at me and said, "I think they are for you, Rogue."

"For me?"

"Well, the note reads To my sweet and beautiful southern dame. There is no one else in the room from the south except you."

Feeling my cheeks going pink, I went to pick my flowers and came back to my chair. By my side, John opened and closed his zippo. With indifference, he asked me: "Do you like them?"

Briefly, just for two or three second, I suspected John was behind everything but I discarded the notion. I couldn't visualize him as the romantic guy. Besides we were only good friends

"The flowers are beautiful."

"Who do you think send them to you?"

"I don't know." I said lifting my shoulders.

"He must be deeply in love with you, those flowers look expensive." And he smirked, "At least I wouldn't waste my money like that."

"You are a kill joy, John."

"But you love me like that, don't you?" He smiled at me arrogantly.

I sent him an annoyed look and decided to ignore him. In a barely audible whisper, he said to me: "Enjoy them. You deserve them."

Not really sure if I heard correctly, I looked at him. He was writing in his notebook, completely engrossed. I doubted if he spoke at all. I listened to Mr. Summers, trying to concentrate in his words.

Day 4

The little commotion of the flowers was already vanishing. My two good friends, Jubilee and Siryn almost forgot everything and stopped bothering me with their interrogation. It had been replaced by another tidbit, one involving a quarrel between two friends over a lost Justin Timberlake compact disc. How we young woman love to gossip! We were seating in the table of the kitchen devouring a chocolate ice cream, when Bobby entered with a strange character in tow. We looked curiously at the peculiar man.

"He is looking for the beautiful southern dame." Bobby said.

My face lost all color. The man was dressed with a Middle Age custom; a hat full of feathers, long cape and short pants with some sort of red pantyhose. He bowed down to us.

"Who is the beautiful lady that has captured the heart of the gallant gentleman whom has sent me?"

I reddened when I heard Jubilee and Siryn giggling.

"She is the one!" And the ones who called themselves my friend pointed their fingers at me.

"Lady of beauty without equal. Now I understand why thy gentleman is lost; whoever lays eyes on your beauty could not continue to own its heart."

Bobby cleared his throat. Strange; I could almost swear that he was somewhat bothered with the man: "Is that all?"

"Oh no, my good man!" He looked at me and I thought to myself that he must be receiving a good pay to do something so embarrassing, "He has chosen me to give thy lady this message:

The sun will be able to darken itself eternally;

The sea will be able to dry itself in a moment;

The axis of the Earth can break like crystal;

Everything will happen!

Maybe death could cover me

With its funeral blanket;

But never in me will die

The flames of your love."

By my side I heard an "Aawww" and sighing. I must be honest; the beautiful poetry left me speechless. Now I felt a prevailing necessity to know who my secret admirer was. The man approached me and just from nowhere he made appear a rose. He gave it to me, saying: "For the sweet and beautiful southern dame."

I took the flower, not holding back the desire to take it to my face and smell its delicious fragrance.

"Thanks."

The man bowed again and left the kitchen.

"Oh my God, Rogue! That was…"

I began to laugh when seeing Jubilee making a gesture of throwing air to her with an imaginary fan.

"We must begin to make our own investigation…"

"I can't believe you're taking this like some kind of game." Bobby interrupted Siryn. "By all we know, it could be some crazy dude with some compulsive obsession over Rogue."

I looked furiously at Bobby. How dare he ruin this moment which I considered a special one?

"Do you feel threatened, Drake?"

That throaty voice I would recognize anywhere. St John Allerdyce. Now, what surprised me was the pleasant tremor I felt when listening to it. It had to be the peculiar affection I was beginning to feel for him. In addition to Jubilee and Siryn, I was spending almost all my free moments with him. We looked toward the other side of the kitchen. Reclined against a wall, he looked at the fire dancing in his lighter.

"What do you mean, Dyce?"

"You know what I mean, Drake."

For a moment I was scared. The aquamarine eyes challenged the blue ones. I didn't need to see Bobby to know that he closed his fist to change it into ice. That part of me that still belonged to the Wolverine could feel it and smell it.

"Do it, please." John spoke with a veiled provocative tone in his voice.

Then I realized how mistaken I was, that perhaps that image of indifference of losing Kitty was a false one. There couldn't be other reason why John was so eager to confront Bobby. I felt fear before the possibility of a fight between those two… and a certain melancholy, which I didn't understand. I couldn't stand there and do nothing before those two decided to kill each other.

"St John Allerdyce! What in the hell do you think you are doing?"

To my total surprise, he closed his lighter abruptly. In his eyes I caught a certain look of repentance. He straightened up from the wall and said to me: "I'm glad you have a secret admirer. A girl like you should have them, contrary to what the ice prick here thinks."

And he left the kitchen.

"Geez, for a moment there I thought there was going to be a war in the kitchen." I heard Jubilee say, but it felt like she was miles away from me. I didn't even notice that Bobby also left the kitchen. I was thinking of John and what he must be going through for Kitty. I tried to fight against the strange sensation that seized me. I feared to recognize them for what it was… jealousy. But I couldn't be feeling it; John was a good friend, the brother I never had. Right?

"Earth to Rogue." Jubilee was waving her hand in front of my face.

"She must be dreaming with her secret admirer. I know I would." I caught a dreamy tone in Siryn voice.

"We have to do something." Jubilee was speaking in a way that made me suspicious of her intention, "We must sit down and design a plan; become into investigators like… Law and Order."

I rolled my eyes, Jubes sometimes can be so over dramatic.

That night, in my bed, I thought about my secret admirer trying to discern who could be of the boys. And seconds before I went to sleep, a pair of aquamarine eyes came in to my head.

----xoxo----

The poetry is from Adolfo Gustavo Bécquer, a recognized poet from Spain. Is titled Rima LXXVII