Rogue leaned into Kurt's chest, listening to him breathe.

She'd woken up scared, without knowing why, and realised she couldn't possibly go back to sleep. She looked at Kitty, wrapped up in her own dreams, then swallowed hard and left the room.

She wandered the halls, looking for something to do. Eventually she saw Kurt's light from under his door and knocked.

"Rogue…?" he had opened the door, concerned. "Are you alright?"

"No, I don't think so. Mind if I stay in here, for a while?"

"Go ahead." He had smiled and went back into the bed, shuffling over so she could lie on the sheet beside him. She had curled between the sheet and doona and leant back on his pillow, watching him. He'd picked up his black book again. "What's wrong?"

She sighed. "I dunno. Just stressed, or something." He set pen to paper thoughtfully. "What about you? Why're you up so late?"

"Couldn't sleep either." He shrugged. "Bad thoughts, I guess."

"Like what?"

"This week's been verdamnt hard on all of us, Rogue." He said. "And this thing with Kitty…" he sighed. "I'm just waiting for her to change her mind."

"She's not going to, Kurt."

"I know, I know." He stopped writing, but didn't look at her. "But I've just been hanging on for so long. And there have been so many times that I thought… and then she'd go back to Lance or something… and just because someone thinks they care about you, that doesn't mean they can't hurt you."

She leaned her head against his arm carefully, only her hair touching his fur. "Yeah, I know."

He shrugged and set the book on her stomach, leaning across to open a drawer and place it inside. "It's not just Kitty. Have you noticed how everyone's been weird since David killed himself?"

She nodded, absently noting that he used the kid's name. "It's like they're all waiting for something to happen."

"Ja." he settled into the pillows and she moved so her head rested on his sleeve and shoulder as he lifted his hand to his forehead. "Scott's been all military nervous… Jean's been… is it just me or has she been sad?"

"She's really stressed." Said Rogue. "She has to do that eulogy tomorrow, and she didn't know what to write. She didn't want to lie in it. Didn't want to just follow what the school wanted."

"Gott…" he whispered. "Evan's been weird, too. Like he's ticked off or something."

"Yeah, I thought he was a little angrier than usual." She closed her eyes. "And Kitty's all guilty over you." She smiled, nudging him gently.

"So what's your angst?" he grinned gently, nudging her leg with his own.

She made a small noise in her throat. "I dunno. You know, everyone expects me to be all depressed over everything. But I'm not. That's my main depression these days."

He chuckled. "What happened to you being my 'no-touch' angst buddy?"

"Yeah… but when you get over that…"

He looked at her, surprised. "And the memories?"

She sighed. "That's something I haven't even told the professor. Do you know I can barely remember anything about my past?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. I guess that's kinda why I didn't remember about Mystique and that whole family thing we have until I absorbed her." She lifted her gloved fingers to look at them. "I don't remember much about anything, or anyone's life before they were twelve."

"Huh." He said. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Why didn't you tell anyone about the promise?" she challenged.

He smiled. "Touché, Rogue. No one asked."

"Exactly. Everyone just assumes I'm so fragile just because there's the CHANCE I might lose it." She shook her head. "Everyone just assumes I've got all these voices and memories. Why deny them their chance to be helpful?" she grinned.

Kurt chuckled. "And the ice cream therapy." He added.

"Yeah." She giggled.

They fell silent, and Rogue leaned into his chest, listening to him breathe.

"Are you going to the school funeral tomorrow?" she asked.

He nodded. "Ja… for Jean."

"Me too. And hey, it's what's expected."

Kurt shook his head, smiling grimly. "What's expected. Great." He rubbed his eyes, irritated. "Remember to be strong, Scott."

"Don't mess up, Jean."

"Always remember you're a mutant, Evan."

"Be normal, Kitty."

They exchanged glances. "Remember to hide." They told each other.

#######====######

Scott eased the door open, still knocking. "Kurt? You aw- huh?" he blinked at the sight.

Kurt was curled up like a cat around Rogue, her head resting on his arm, that hand reaching behind her hair to rest in his own. She was smiling in her sleep, her arms drawn up against her cheek. It was amazing that they were so close without touching.

He smiled, then looked over his shoulder, wondering if he could get his camera before they woke up.

'_ Hey, Jean… can you see my camera near by? _' he said, mentally.

He could almost see the confused expression. '_ Your camera? _'

He tried to think the image at her.

'_ Don't you dare embarrass them like that! _' she snapped, the amusement tingling along the thought.

Scott smirked, and closed the door. He banged loudly. "Hey! Kurt! You ready yet?"

"Ich bin wach!" came the startled reply, followed by a yelp.

Kurt shook his hand, wincing at the odd feeling that came from touching Rogue. "Ach… trau- I mean, sorry, Rogue."

"Was ist los?" she muttered, blinking sleepily. "Oh, shiesse."

He snickered. "Just have to love half-awake people."

Outside, Scott smirked. "Yo! Kurt! What's going on? You talking to yourself?"

Kurt glanced at Rogue. "You want him to know?"

"Nah, I'll get out of here." She winked and teleported.

He scowled, he hated it when she could do that. "Come in, Scott."

Scott opened the door, leaning on the doorframe. "Hi, there, Kurt."

"What are you so happy about?" asked Kurt, stretching with a yawn. "You look like Jean just told you she was planning on-"

"Don't finish that." He ordered, holding up one finger.

"I'm a fifteen year old guy, I can't help it." He replied, crawling out of bed.

Scott raised his eyebrows. "I've got some serious blackmail on you, don't even try it."

"What blackmail?"

Scott just grinned, disappearing. Kurt furrowed his brow, and followed. "No, no, no! What blackmail!"

#######====######

Jean looked down at the paper in her hand, then at Scott, smiling encouragingly beside her.

She stood up and walked up the stage, then looked out. I am so not going to survive this one…

She glanced at the schoolteachers, arranged around the rows where there was space. She blinked, realising how many people there were. There shouldn't have been. David didn't have any friends, especially not such popular friends… took a deep breath.

"Hi, I'm Jean Gray. You probably already know me… I seem to do things like this a lot." She smiled nervously. "Uhh… I didn't really know David. As a matter of fact, I'd never even spoken to him, like most people here today. I was asked to do this, and there's nothing I can say that will please everyone. If anyone."

She looked around at the others. Only Scott and Kitty were smiling. The others were watching her carefully.

She looked back at the teachers, her face hard. "I was told to come up here and tell you that what David did was wrong, and no one should ever do what he did. He was selfish, he was a coward… I was told to come up here and insult him." Her voice was rising, her confidence becoming less of an issue. "Or if I couldn't do that, I was supposed to make some sweet story about how he was such a great guy with so many opportunities, and what a shame it was that he gave up so early."

Rogue looked at Kurt, and he bit his lip. "This could get dangerous." He muttered.

"No…" Rogue shook her head, smiling. "I think Jean's gonna pull through."

"You're cheering for Jean?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Jean looked down at her sheet of paper, then folded it up and put it in her pocket. "Please, feel free to let your minds wander." She said, smiling. "I've been talking to my friends lately. I'd forgotten how bad things could get, because I've never really thought about it. I am one heck of an optimist, my classmates, and I've never considered what life could be like if I wasn't. But I've got things in my life that could get me down. That could make my life terrible. Sometimes I can't take it, I just collapse in on myself in the pain, and no one knows, because I hide it.

"I have a friend. An incredible friend, that always looks on the brighter side of life. A guy that gets so sick of things being bleak sometimes that he has to laugh at it all." Her eyes flickered to Kurt, who had started glaring at her, Kitty's grip on his hand painfully tight.

'_ Don't you dare, Jean. Name me, and I will make sure Scott thinks you're sleeping with Duncan. _'

She fought the smile off her face. Now was not the time. "He's an amazing optimist, and even when things look like they couldn't possibly get any worse, he has a joke. But I tell you, if I had to deal with what he has, I would have given up, too." Her eyes drifted to Scott, who she could only guess was gazing into her eyes too. "He almost did. One stupid little mistake, and he came closer than I care to remember. We had to make him promise us. But he never promised himself.

"That's what gets me, I guess. This friend of mine, he's got this ability to be so positive, flirty and playful, but he's hurt more than any of us. You can never tell when he's upset. I would never have known if I hadn't been told." She paused, her eyes moving back to the popular group, who had finally started paying attention, surprised, trying to work out which of them it was.

She smiled wryly. "I suppose it's what got me thinking this morning. You can never tell. You can never tell who's going to be upset. I wasn't paying attention to David. I wasn't worried about whether one day he might make one of the school bathrooms into a death row. I wasn't thinking that maybe, one day, one of those stupid jock's remarks might send him over the edge." She shook her head. "And who am I to say that all of that had anything to do with it? Who am I to try and guess at his life story? I didn't know him. I didn't try to get to know him. And even if I had… would I have noticed?"

"That's the funny thing about all this, guys. I never knew David. But I know my friends, and I still have no idea what's bugging them half the time! David shouldn't have killed himself, because that WAS selfish. That WAS a waste. That WAS stupid. It wasn't his only choice, but… I can't say David was a great guy, but he's sure made me think about stuff. I hope he did the same for you. Thanks, David. And I'm sorry." She gave the teachers one final glare before walking off the stage.

She sat down and grinned at Kurt's glare as the assembled teenagers clapped politely. Scott told her she'd been great, then leaned past Rogue to hiss. "You and me are talking after this, alright?"

"No, we aren't." he hissed back, as one of the smarter school jocks mounted the stage.

#######====######

"Excellent, Jean. That was a brilliant speech. Very moving."

Rogue quirked an eyebrow at the maths teacher holding Jean's hand. She turned to Scott. "I thought the entire point of the speech was that she wasn't going to play the teacher's games?"

"Part of it was…" he agreed slowly.

"I was a little worried at the start, but that message was pure brilliance. Pay attention to everyone's feelings. It's just as well you never came right out and said it, would have spoiled the emotion." He beamed proudly. "Congratulations."

Another teacher came up, then another, and then a group of girls, then others… by the time Jean got to Scott's car, she was glowering, even her expression violent.

"They were supposed to hate it." She muttered, sinking down in the seat.

Kurt chuckled. "Can't have everything, Jean."

"And what did I get out of that?" she asked, turning around to glare at him.

He rested his head on Kitty's shoulder, silent. Rogue rolled her eyes, smiling. "You got to get Kurt where he couldn't run for it."

"I did?" she asked.

Scott slid into his seat and looked thoughtfully out the window. "Evan's skating." He said, absently. He turned to her, serious. "It was a good speech, Jean. Hit a lot of nails on the head."

She blinked. "But I didn't-"

"You were right, Jean. People don't see what other people hide." He smiled slowly at her, pushing her hair back gently. "But you forgot one thing."

"What's that?"

"Sometimes you can ask." He turned back to the wheel and started the car.

The other four stared at him. What an odd thing to say.

#######====######

Kitty came into the bedroom late, but Rogue was still awake, reading. She looked over the book at Kitty's self-satisfied expression. "What have you been up to?" she asked playfully.

Kitty grinned. "Nothing."

"Uh huh." Rogue snickered. "So what do Kurt's back teeth taste like?"

"Ro-ogue!" she giggled.

She shook her head, deciding to tease her a little more. "No, seriously, I always wanted to know!" Rogue laughed. "And what's it like, fangs an' all?"

Kitty made a face. "Rogue! Ew! He's like, your brother!"

"Only by adoption…" she grinned evilly. "Through a woman neither of us like to remember we have a connection to… So… technically…"

"Oh, wrong! Ew! I'm so going to bed."

Rogue smiled as Kitty jumped under the covers, hiding her face, still making disgusted noises. "Well, if you're not going to tell me, I guess I'll just have to find out for myself…"

"You sick, incestuous cow!" cried Kitty.

Rogue chuckled under her breath and went back to her book, but she couldn't get back into it. She kept remembering Jean's speech, and how people had acted over the last week. She put down her book and reached over, her hand on the night switch.

A very enlightening week, she said to herself. Incredibly depressing, but enlightening. "Kitty?"

"Mmph?"

"Kitty, I… I promise."

The younger girl was quiet for a moment. "I promise too, Rogue."

She smiled and turned off the light.

#######====#############====#############====#############====######