Rogue and Julian -- Wednesday afternoon laundry time

[x-traction.livejournal.com]

In which Julian and Rogue finally meet up again and everything is pretty much how it was.

Laundry was so boring, Rogue thought to herself as she loaded her basket full of clean clothes, but she was basically out of any work clothes, and Adrienne was expecting her to look good for an early morning meeting. When she'd agreed to be Adri's P.A., she honestly didn't realize how much work there was involved. Being at Adrienne's beck and call was tiring, but she didn't mind. It was nice to be needed.



Her mind on a million different things, she swung her basket to her hip and walked out the door without really checking if there was anyone in the hallway.


This is how accidents happen. Walking right into someone, her basket unloaded everywhere, and clothes fell onto the floor. "Oh mah gawd," she exclaimed, covering her mouth. "Ah am so so sorry! Ah wasn't watching! Are y'all okay? Ah didn't hurt ya, did Ah?"


Julian was bowled over by the basket, having also not been paying attention to anything around him as he looked over some documents Harry had faxed over. Looking up, he smiled to see his friend, even if she didn't really remember him. "Not to worry, I'm quite durable," he looked down at his shoulder and plucked a lacy bra off himself and held it up to her.


Rogue blushed horribly as she snatched the bra out of his hand. She set the basket down and hurriedly threw clothing back into it. "Well, Ah'm pretty strong, and Ah've broke a few chairs lately, so Ah jus' wanna make sure Ah didn't cause no damage to yourself." She brushed her hair out of her face, and tucked it behind her ear. Squinting a little, she tried to place his face. He seemed familiar but the name wasn't coming through. "Ah know you, right?"


"Quite well, yes," he nearly extended a hand for her to shake, but decided better for it, gloves or no. "I'm Julian Keller," he smirked and got up off the floor.


Julian Keller. "We bought bedsheets together!,"she exclaimed happily as she put the basket onto her hip. "That's what Adrienne said. She didn't have any pictures of ya ta show me, but she said we were pretty close. Oh good! Ah'm glad, Ah couldn't figure out who you were in mah phone." She sighed. "Ah gave everyone nicknames and Ah'm not sure who is who anymore."

"What was my nickname?" Julian returned the warm smile- astonished at how much of his friend's accent had returned.


She handed him her phone and motioned to keep walking. "You tell me, sugah. Look for your number. Ah ain't got the slightest clue. Ah thought 'bout textin' everyone in there, and askin' who they were, but then Ah'd have to remind them why Ah picked what Ah picked, and Ah jus' don't know. If'n ya find yourself, then please, tell me why Ah would've picked that name. This swiss cheese brain is startin' ta get on mah nerves."


He flipped through her contacts, all encoded with nick-names, except where a few had little notes added on. Finally, he found his number, "Oh geeze, Casanova?" Julian gave Rogue a look, "I'm not saying I don't like it, but I'm not saying I do either...didn't that guy die of syphilis or something?"


"Everyone died of syphillis back then," she pointed out. "But he managed to convince a nun to have sex with him. A nun . So. Ah must find ya very charmin' ta pick that name.". She smiled widely. "It's a compliment really."


"You did find me charming," he smirked, "which is why you decided we couldn't be anything more than friends and then helped get me together with my girlfriend." A momentary pang of hurt crossed Julian's face, which he forced down. "Well, ex-girlfriend now."


Tandy. Adrienne has briefly touched on her, and Jessica had pointed out Tandy in her phone. Princess. It was times like this that she absolutely cursed her amnesia. She should be mourning with them, instead of this strange limbo.


"Sorry ta hear that, sugah," she said, hoping she didn't sound pitying. There wasn't much she could say. "And jus' so ya know, mah brain sure don't remember much, but Ah'm findin' mah heart does. If'n ya wanna chat or vent, Ah'm available."


"Your accent is so much thicker since your head trauma," Julian avoided the issue. He didn't want to talk, and it was dangerous to do so besides. "Anyway...have people been treating you well?"


Recognizing the deflection for what it was, she simply smiled. She meant the offer, and she was sure that if he needed it, he'd fine her. "Yah, everyone's been super nice. Even if Ah sound different," she teased, referencing his comment about her accent. "Ah've been researchin' brain trauma and stuff, so Ah know that with every day, mah chances are less and less that Ah'll get mah memories back. So Ah've decided to stop wastin' mah time, and jus' try to be me, even if Ah don't really know what that means," she confessed. "Ah' found all mah schoolbooks though, and Ah've been watching my master's counselling sessions an' stuff. Ah'm jus' gonna emulate tv Rogue. That should work, right?" She winked.


"So you don't remember anything about yourself, but you're still a counselor?" Julian shook his head and sighed, "I suppose there are worse things- you can completely reinvent yourself." With a smirk he suppressed the urge to reach out and touch her hair- unsure if that would kill him or not, "What would you think about dyeing this white strip?"


The first thought she had was that she must be a terrible counsellor if he was surprised she was trying that route again. But that seemed harsh, so she supposed there was some sort of joke she wasn't getting.


Brushing her hair out of her face, she gave him a wary look. "Why? Does it look bad? Ah've tried dyeing it before, but it never sticks". She'd tried once, but it had faded fairly quickly. It was as if this reminder was always going to be there, that life was fragile.


"Pre-amnesiac Rogue wore it so proudly that I thought it was a fashion statement," Julian shrugged. "I'm glad you're around in any event, Marie," he said, testing the waters of using her given name.


If she had had any doubt about how close they were, the use of her name erased that. Only a few people in the Mansion had ever known her name, and even fewer would use it with ease. "Glad ta still be heah, sugah," she responded, a true smile blossoming on her face. "And glad ta still have ya as a friend." She motioned to her laundry. "What say Ah drop this off, and we go do somethin'? Ah'm up for anythin'."

"As long as you don't drag me to Wal-Mart again, I'm in," he chuckled and followed her towards her suite.