X3: The Ace Of Spades

Disclaimer: X-Men is owned by Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox. I do not own X-Men, nor am I making a profit from this work of fan-fiction. So don't sue me! Not that you'd get a whole lot from me anyway ;)
A/N: Hey, here’s the next chapter for y’all. Not much action (actually none really at all), but a lot of character development, and plenty of Romyness. Please, read and review!

Chapter 24: Return

Remy stirred slowly, his mind still wrapped up partially in the pleasure of sleep. He yawned slightly, enjoying the warmth of the bed. Remy rolled his neck slightly, and started to stretch, when he realized the bed had one more occupant than it had when he’d gone to sleep last night.

Sarah was still cuddled up against him, and he could feel the bony growths that studded her forehead pressing into his chest, but the warm body plastered very closely against him from behind was definitely new, and definitely…. female.

He took in a breath, and then relaxed, smelling the faint apple-cinnamon of Rogue’s shampoo that always reminded him of his Tante Mattie’s apple crumble. He smiled mentally, wondering when she’d joined them. Normally he’d be worried he hadn’t snapped awake at the slightest movement near the bed, but he’d come to realize over the past month, that his unconscious mind knew when something near by was unknown, and when it was someone he trusted completely.

Remy shifted in the bed slightly, trying to not wake either of them, and pulled away from Rogue slightly so he could lie on his back on the bed. Rogue mumbled something that sounded grumpy even in her sleep as she shifted to press back up against his side and regain the warmth she’d momentarily lost when he’d moved.

He shifted his arm so he was comfortable, and leaned to his right to lightly kiss her forehead, careful that it was short enough a contact that she didn’t begin to absorb him and wake up because of it.

He blinked, the morning sun bright even through the blinds on the large picture windows near the couch. When he glanced over to his left, he nearly jumped when he spotted Peg standing near the base of the stairs, a smile on her face as she watched the three of them.

“Good morning,” she mouthed to him. He started to move, trying to sit up, a slight blush on his cheeks, but she shook her head and gestured for him to stay where he was.

“’Mornin’,” he mouthed back, raising his free hand in a short wave.

She smiled, and moved closer, leaning against the back of the couch portion that faced the part they were sleeping on. “Breakfast in ten,” she whispered. “Figured you’d want to wake them up for it yourself.”

“Thanks,” he said, and she backed away, back toward the kitchen. As she did so, he realized he could smell waffles cooking – something that hadn’t registered with him when he’d woken. And then moments later he heard the faint sizzle of bacon being slapped on a frying pan or griddle.

Remy stretched in place, the muscles of his calves aching slightly from the exertion they’d been put through over the past two days on the slopes. While he kept in shape, exercising at least once a day, there were some muscle groups simply not used much during normal activities, and skiing revealed one of them in his case.

He’d already given Sarah some Tylenol before they went to bed to help ease her own aches and pains, which had been much worse than his own.

Remy reached up to brush Rogue’s hair to the side, behind her ear, and gently stroked her face. “Wake up, Rogue,” he whispered into her ear.

A frown crossed her features for a moment, and he shook her shoulder gently. She groaned, and then her eyelids slowly blinked open, treating him to a close-up view of her warm brown eyes struggling to focus in on his face.

Once they did focus, she smiled, and shifted slightly on the bed. “G’mornin’, Remy.” She said, her voice soft and slightly hoarse from sleep.

She glanced down and then around at her surroundings, and realized she was basically draped across his body. She blushed slightly, and cleared her throat. “Sorry, Ah woke up last night an’ got some water, an’ you were havin’ a bad dream, so Ah decided ta stay down here.”

“Thanks. Pleasant surprise wakin’ up,” Remy said, grinning and leaning down to kiss her nose.

Rogue smiled, and then pulled back slightly, raising her arms over her head in a full-body stretch.

“Figured I’d wake y’up now, Peg says breakfast’ll be ready in ‘bout ten minutes.” Remy said as she settled back.

Rogue’s eyes darted to his, shocked. “Peg? She… saw us?” Rogue asked somewhat nervously. She wasn’t sure if Peg would or wouldn’t approve of her sleeping in the same bed with her boyfriend at her house – she really liked Peg and hoped she wouldn’t be upset. “Was she, y’know, okay with it?” Rogue whispered.

Remy chuckled slightly. “Yeah she saw us, an’ she was fine – had a huge grin on her face when I realized she was lookin’ in on us. It’s not like we were naked in bed t’gether or something,” he said, realizing why Rogue had asked the question.

Rogue flushed darkly at that, and swatted him in the chest. “Swamp rat,” she muttered darkly.

“I do enjoy it y’use yer pet name for me, my Miss’ippi River Rat,” Remy shot back quietly with a grin.

Rogue gasped. “Ah ain’ a rat,” she said, swatting him again.

This time he winced slightly. “Chére, remember, you got t’watch y’strength.”

Her smile dimmed, and regret filled her eyes. “Sorry, Remy. Sometimes it’s hard t’do. Ah’ve been workin’ with Carol on it, but sometimes Ah forget.”

He smiled, and cupped her cheek with his hand. “S’alrigh’, Rogue. Just remindin’ you.”

His gaze moved to the still sleeping Sarah on his other side. “Better wake her up too, else I’ll get hell ‘bout makin’ her miss breakfast.”

Rogue laughed softly at that as he pulled his hand back from Rogue, and moved it down near Sarah’s side, and poked her once before gently tickling her in a spot just below her ribs that he knew always got her.

She twitched several times, her arm coming up to try to swat his hand away, and then her breathing changed as she came fully awake. “Time t’get up, petite,” Remy said softly.

Sarah rubbed at her eyes, and blinked rapidly, trying to clear them. “Somethin’ smells good,” she said, sniffing the air.

“Oui, dat would be Peg makin’ breakfast for us. Dat’s why I woke you up.” Remy said.

“Thanks,” Sarah said, turning her head. “Good morning, Rogue.”

Rogue smiled at her, sitting up in the bed, but still clutching the blanket to herself. “G’mornin’ sweetie. How’d you sleep?”

Sarah smiled widely at that, a twinkle in her eye. “Really good,” she said, refraining from making a comment hinting at what she’d heard the previous night.

Remy started to sit up as well, with Sarah no longer resting on him. “Let’s get up an’ help Peg set de table an’ get everythin’ ready, hein?”

Sarah nodded and then froze, staring at Remy when he let the blanket slip off of him. Her face went pale. “R-Remy, did I hurt you?” She asked.

His brow furrowed until she reached up a shaky hand to the t-shirt he’d worn to bed. Glancing down, he saw that the front had numerous places slashed open, some of them running across the front completely, and others merely holes, all caused by the bones on her forehead.

“Non, you didn’ hurt me, Sarah.” Remy said, smiling reassuringly. “Jus’ poked a few holes in an ol’ T-shirt.”

She let out a relieved breath when she couldn’t see any obvious scratches through the torn T-shirt. “I’m sorry, Remy.”

He smiled and shook his head. “Nothin’ t’be sorry for, petite. I used t’blow up my toothbrush ev’ry night an’ every mornin’. Puttin’ a hole in a shirt is nothin’ compared to dat.”

Rogue nodded, and reached behind Remy to squeeze Sarah’s arm. “It’s fine, sweetie. Let’s go help with breakfast.”

Sarah looked down for a moment, and then back up again. “Okay,” she said quietly, throwing the sheets off, and getting up as Remy and Rogue did.

“Good morning,” Peg greeted them warmly as they walked into the kitchen.

“Morning,” Rogue said smiling hesitantly, still a little worried deep down about Peg seeing her and Remy – she remembered staying at a friend’s house when she was fifteen, and her friend’s parents being rather angry… not violently angry, but an anger you could see in their posture… when her friend’s older sister had her boyfriend over in their guest room and then was caught sleeping in the same bed with him. It was something that always stuck with her, mainly because her friend’s mother reminded her so much of her own, and she was certain her own would react in much the same way.

“Good morning, Rogue, did you sleep well?” Peg asked, smiling back, as she pulled several strips of bacon off of the skillet.

“Y-yeah,” she said, and then a look passed from Peg to herself, a knowing look that showed she didn’t care about it, that it didn’t bother her, and Rogue felt herself relax.

“What can we do ta help get breakfast ready?” Rogue asked.

“Well, I got all the plates and silverware out,” she said, nodding to the pile of dishes at the edge of the countertop. “You guys can put those out, and by then I should be just about done with breakfast.”

“Alright,” Rogue said, as she grabbed the pile and handed dishes to Remy and Sarah, and began setting the table.

***
Two days later

Rogue sat on the bed of the guest room, packing up the last of her things for the trip back to New York. She was shoving a thin case that held her toothbrush and toothpaste into her duffel, when she looked up at hearing a soft knock on the doorframe.

Peg was standing in the doorway, and smiled at Rogue. “Hey.” She said.

Rogue straightened up, letting go of the case which had only made it halfway in to the duffel. “Hey Peg. What’s up?”

“Just wanted to talk to you before you guys left,” she said smiling, moving into the room to sit down next to Rogue.

“Uh, sure.” Rogue said, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

Peg patted her hand. “I just wanted you to know that you’re welcome back here any time. Remy and Sarah too. It’s been a lot of fun meeting you guys and spending time with you.”

Rogue blushed slightly, and looked down at her hands. “Uh, th-thanks.”

Peg grabbed her arm. “Hey, I really mean that. Anytime.”

Rogue nodded. “Thank you.”

Peg smiled. “I also wanted to talk to you about something else…. I don’t… I don’t want you to think I’m being nosy, but I wanted to talk to you about Remy.”

“Remy?” Rogue asked in surprise.

She nodded. “Yeah. I… I haven’t seen a relationship like yours in quite a while. You both just seem to fit perfectly. It reminds me of Will and myself.”

Rogue blushed. “Ah-we’re… It just feels right, y’know? Like we’re s’posed t’be like this.”

Peg nodded, grinning. “I know exactly what you’re talking about. Listen, I just wanted to say… He’s really something, and… most people aren’t lucky enough to meet someone like him. And the way he is with Sarah… It’s not just adorable, it’s really touching. A lot of people would have maybe helped her out and then dropped her off at a hospital or an orphanage, but Remy….” She trailed off.

Rogue smiled back, her eyes warm. “Ah know. He’s pretty much taken her in as his own. That’s just – Ah guess it’s just th’way he is. Guess it doesn’ hurt that he was an orphan too.” She said softly.

Peg’s eyes widened. “That might have something to do with it,” she said, and then shook her head. “Sorry, didn’t mean to get sidetracked into that. I just wanted to tell you that your Remy’s special, and not to let him go.”

Rogue smiled, the edges of her eyes crinkling slightly. “Ah won’t. Ah…. It’s so weird. Ah’ve known him for about a month, an’ now Ah can’t ever imagine him not in mah life. S’long as he doesn’ get tired of me, Ah’m not gonna let him go.”

Peg nodded. “Good. And he won’t get tired of you. Just the way he looks at you, I’d be jealous if Will didn’t look at me the same way.”

Rogue blushed again slightly, remembering her sleepy “confession” a few nights before. “Thanks.” She said quietly. “Ah know he won’t, but… sometimes mah mind starts goin’ places with my mutation an’ all, an’ Ah worry that he will until Ah can knock some sense back inta mahself.”

Peg looked at her sympathetically. “I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you. No one should have to go through something like that.”

Rogue shrugged. “Ah get by. It was really bad till Ah met Remy. We’re workin’ with mah powers, an’ Ah can actually touch him for about two minutes now. Slowly gettin’ better,” she said with a small smile.

“Good luck.” Peg said gently, starting to stand, but then stopped, and sat back down. “I also wanted to thank you. You’re such a great friend to Dani and… I’m glad she met you. She had a few friends here in Boulder, but once everyone found out she was a mutant…..” Peg trailed off.

Rogue nodded. “Dani tol’ me. Ah had the ‘pleasure’ of meetin’ Pat when Dani an’ Ah went to the grocery store on Monday,” Rogue said wrinkling her nose.

Peg frowned. “Yes… Dani was so devastated after that. She wasn’t the same until she went to Xavier’s and made friends with you and the others there. So thank you for helping bring our Dani back.”

Rogue smiled awkwardly, and scratched the back of her head. “Dani’s been a good friend to everyone there, too.”

Peg beamed at that, and then finally stood up. “I’ll let you finish packing. Just wanted to talk to you before you left.”

Rogue nodded, casting an eye over her remaining things. “Thank yah for havin’ us.”

Peg leaned down and gave Rogue a warm hug, shifting carefully when Rogue tensed up to make sure she didn’t touch her. “No problem,” she whispered.

Rogue sighed and closed her eyes, smiling once Peg released her and left the room. She was, Rogue thought to herself, exactly the sort of person she wished her own mother had been like. Dani would never realize just how much Rogue envied her for that.

Rogue shook her head of that subject, and glanced back to her duffel, and proceeded to try to fit everything back in – just like always, once it came out, it was hard to get back in later, she thought, shoving another shirt into the already bulging bag.

*****************************************************************

Charles directed the wheelchair to the end of the sidewalk where the drive circled around in front of the mansion as several black government vehicles pulled up in front of him.

The door to the middle one opened, and a tall, attractive blonde woman dressed smartly in a professional-looking blouse and dresspants climbed out of the car, and walked over to greet him.

“Charles Xavier?” She asked, and he nodded. “I’m Agent Sharon Carter. It’s nice to finally meet you. Director Fury talks about you a lot.” She said, shaking his hand.

“It’s a delight to meet you, Miss Carter,” Xavier said with a smile. “I hope most of what you’ve heard is good?”

Sharon grinned. “Please, just Sharon. And yes, I’ve heard naught but good things.”

She glanced around at the grounds of the mansion. “Not exactly what I was expecting for a mutant school,” she said, an eyebrow raised.

Charles nodded. “Yes, that is the reaction of most people when they first see it. Looks can be deceiving, as they say. I inherited the property from my father when he passed away, and I’ve been trying to bring my dream to fruition ever since. This was simply the most convenient place to start the school.”

He shook his head. “I never imagined it would grow into what it is becoming today, nothing nearly this big.” He nodded over to a wing of the mansion behind him. “I just had that wing built this year for the influx of students we will be having this fall, and already I’m beginning to think of further expansion.”

Sharon nodded politely. “Sometimes things don’t go as we planned – fortunately sometimes it’s a good thing. Speaking of expansion, Nick hinted that I should ask you about the thing the two of you spoke about.”

Charles sighed. “Tell him I’m sorry, but those he wants answers from are only coming back today. He’ll have his answer by Wednesday at the latest.”

Sharon nodded in acceptance. “I’ll tell him that. Now, Jimmy is in the limo. Would you like to meet him now?”

Charles nodded. “Yes. Is there anything additional I should know about him before we take him in?”

Sharon shrugged slightly. “Just that he’s quite the sweet boy. And that his mother has divorced his father over his agreement with Worthington to let his son be used. She has custody now, and just wants him safe and wants him checked out to make sure this power is his only one, and perhaps get some help for him in controlling it.”

Charles smiled. “Well, let her know she’s sending him to the right place for that.”

Sharon reached up, surreptitiously pressing a finger to the stud earring of her right ear, and then brought it back down. Almost instantly the first tinted-windowed sedan opened its doors, two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents exiting the car, hands near their holstered weapons, and then Jimmy emerged warily.

Sharon walked back over to the car and rested a hand on his shoulder, walking him toward Xavier. “Jimmy, this is Charles Xavier. He’s in charge of the mutant school we talked about.”

Jimmy looked almost shyly at him as he neared Charles. Charles smiled warmly, and stretched out a hand. “Hello Jimmy it’s very nice to-“

He stopped, a strange expression on his face as he came within range of Jimmy’s powers. “Oh, my…” he said softly.

“Uh. Sorry,” Jimmy said. “That’s my power.”

Charles shook his head, and then shook Jimmy’s hand. “No, don’t be sorry, Jimmy. I was just a little surprised at the sensation, despite knowing your ability. I am a telepath, you see – I can hear thoughts and read emotions that people’s minds broadcast whether I try to or not, and it has been many, many years since everything has been this quiet. What a truly marvelous ability you have.”

“Th-thanks,” Jimmy said, looking up at the older mutant.

Sharon smiled. “Jimmy, I have to go now. I hope you like it here. If you ever need anything, let us know,” she said, reaching out to slip a business card into his hand.

Jimmy took it and nodded, the morning sun glinting slightly off of his head – still shaved yet beginning to grow a dusting of hair back. “Thank you, Sharon.” He said, blushing slightly, and as Sharon said her goodbyes to Xavier, Charles hid a smile at the obvious crush he had on the much older woman.

As the three cars pulled away, Charles slowly turned his wheelchair, gesturing for Jimmy to fall in step next to him. “Welcome to the School for Gifted Youngsters, Jimmy.”

Jimmy’s eyebrows rose. “This is actually the school? I thought it was just your house!”

Charles laughed. “As a matter of fact, it is both. I hardly needed this much space for myself, so what better use of the space than a school for fellow mutants?”

“It’s big,” Jimmy said, looking up at the vaulted ceiling of the entranceway.

“Yes, it is. But you get used to it.”

Jimmy looked around as Xavier led him toward his office. “Where are all the kids?” He asked. He heard what sounded like a television playing down the hall, but it wasn’t noisy like he’d expected, being used to public school himself.

Charles smiled, and offered him a seat as they entered the office. “I’m afraid you’re arriving right at the end of a week-long break. Most students won’t be getting back here until this afternoon and this evening. The only ones here right now are those who arrived early or those that did not travel back home.”

“Oh.” Jimmy said, nodding slightly. “So…. Um, what do we do now?”

Charles leaned back in his chair. “Well, I’ll make sure an announcement goes around the school, letting people know we’ll have a new face around here. I’ll introduce you to the Professors tonight at dinner. We’ll let you settle in a few days before we really get into anything, but I was wondering if you’d be willing to assist me on something important.”

Jimmy looked at him uncertainly. “Uh, sure.” He said.

“I was wondering if you would be willing to sit in with me for a few of my sessions with other students having trouble dealing with their mutations. I think your ability could be useful in helping them to gain control if they have some sort of idea what ‘control’ feels like after experiencing your nullifying ability.”

Jimmy shrugged. “Sure, I guess, if they don’t mind. I know some mutants I’ve met don’t like being shut down by me.”

“That would be excellent, I will be sure to get their agreement beforehand - Now, I’ve looked over your school records that Mr. Fury provided me, and I thought we could discuss a class schedule for you, and set some times to work on your powers. You’re quite a smart student, and I think you’ll do well here.”

Jimmy blushed slightly. “Thanks. It was a bit harder the last year when I went to the lab and they had tutors. No friends to get in trouble with,” he said, smiling lightly

Charles laughed, and then grabbed a folder he’d placed on his desk. “Indeed, that is something that home-schooling and tutoring sometimes cannot replace. Now, I see you like art. At the moment we have no formal class for that, but if you stay on for next semester, we’re expanding the school and will have quite a few new classes, including art. But I’d like to talk to you about chemistry…..”

*****************************************************************

Rahne Sinclair hummed a song softly to herself as she walked back from the student annex hall where she’d put all of her things. Her father, Reverend Thomas Craig, had dropped her off and spoken with the Professor for a few minutes, and said his goodbyes to her as she went to her room to unpack.

Her stomach growled, sounding much like her wolf form, and reminding her of why she was heading toward the kitchen. As she passed the door to the library, she was reminded that that was where she’d last seen Dani, and she wondered how her friend was doing.

Dani had befriended her not long after she’d begun school, and since then they’d been the best of friends – Rahne always enjoyed doing things with her. And aside from Sally, and now Sarah, she was one of the few good friends she had at the Institute.

Rahne was always shy around people she didn’t know, and was slow to open up to others. And she felt far more comfortable opening up around other girls than with boys, due in part to her upbringing – before Xavier’s, her father had had her attend private all-girls religious schools. Unfortunately with the advent of her mutation, those schools were reluctant to take her in, and her father had turned to Xavier, and the change to a coed school was a bit of a shock to her, although she was now getting used to it.

Rahne had wished she could have gone along with Dani to Colorado after Dani had invited her, but her father had told her she was too young to run off across the country on her own with a friend, being only thirteen-almost-fourteen.

Rahne moved into the kitchen, and went to the cabinet, getting out two slices of bread before she got several deli meats from the fridge and began to assemble a sandwich.

It was only when she finished and began to walk over to the tables that she realized she had been so zoned in on getting something to eat that she hadn’t noticed one of the tables was already occupied by a young boy, not much older than her. His head was shaved, and it gave him an instantly noticeable appearance.

He looked up from the sandwich he was slowly eating, and smiled at her when he saw her start to walk over to the tables. “Hi,” he said.

“Uh, h-hi,” Rahne replied. “Yuir new here,” she said hesitantly.

“Yeah, my name’s Jimmy. Professor Xavier told me to get something to eat before he gives me a tour of the school. Just got here a little bit ago.”

Rahne nodded, standing by his table. “I’m Rahne.” She said.

“Nice to meet you. That’s a neat name.” He waited a few moments, and looked at her with a grin. “You don’t have to stand there, you can sit down here if you want.”

Rahne’s eyes widened, and she blushed. “Och, I’m sorry.” She said, putting the plate down, and sitting down quickly in front of him. While she was usually this awkward around others she didn’t know, Professor Xavier had been working with her at overcoming her shyness, and talking with this boy might be a good step toward doing it, she thought to herself.

“W-where are ye from?” Rahne asked, her hands fidgeting in her lap before she consciously stilled them.

“Well, I’m from Ohio, actually. But this last year I lived in San Francisco. What about you?”

“I’m from Scotland. My father brought me over here when I became a mutant.”

Jimmy smiled. “That’s cool. Never been to Scotland before. How is it?”

“It’s very nice. Much diff’ren’ from here in the States. Mebbe a bit more rainy – I, I cannae describe it well. The people are much diff’ren’ here. I dinnae get all of the American jokes and things like that – ye have a diff’ren’ kind of humor here.”

Jimmy laughed. “Yeah, I’ll bet. I’ve watched some British comedies – I know that that’s not really Scottish, but at least for that it was a lot different than our comedies.”

Rahne took a bite of her sandwich, and he set his own down, too nervous about his new surroundings to eat much. “Do you like it here? At the school?”

“Aye,” Rahne said, swallowing so she could talk. “It’s a very nice place. I wasnae sure at first because it was very diff’ren’ from the schools I went to in Scotland, but now I think I like it better here.”

Jimmy nodded. “Yeah, it seems a bit different – unique, you know? I’m still not sure what to think but my mom wanted me to give it a try. I’m just…” He looked away for a moment.

“What’s wrong?” Rahne asked.

He shook his head. “Sorry, I just hope that no one reacts badly to my mutation. I’ve… met other mutants and it really freaked them out.”

Rahne set down her sandwich and looked at him. “Nae, I cannae think of anyone here that would do that. We all know what it’s like to get that sort of reaction from other people. And it cannae be that bad, can it? It isnae visible at least – ye look normal t’me.”

He shrugged. “I figured you might have noticed it…. I – my power turns off other mutants powers when they’re around me.”

Rahne frowned at that, her brow furrowing in concentration, and then her eyes widened when she realized she couldn’t shape-shift to her wolf form. “Och, I dinnae notice it because my mutation isnae active. That is an interestin’ ability. How far does it work?”

“Not very far. Maybe eight feet.”

Rahne gave him a comforting smile. “So almost three meters.” She mused softly to herself before replying. “I dinnae think people here won’ like ye because of yuir mutation. There are actually some people that might really like it – some of us cannae control our mutations an’ sometimes it make is very hard for them.”

He smiled back. “Thanks. Uh, so what is your mutation?”

“Well,” she said hesitantly, “I can shapeshift.”

“Can I see?” Jimmy asked. “Y’don’t have to,” he quickly added.

Rahne shook her head, and stood up, walking backward until she was outside his range. “Is this far enough?”

Jimmy nodded. “It should be.”

Rahne took a deep breath, and then concentrated, pulling on the wolf inside of her, bringing it to the surface. Jimmy’s eyes lit up as she began to change in front of him, her jaw lengthening to a muzzle, the close-cropped reddish hair on her head spreading down and across her body, lengthening slightly as it did, her hands shifting into paws, until in mere moments, a reddish-brown wolf sat on its haunches in front of him in place of Rahne.

She stood from her crouch and walked forward on all fours until she hit the invisible bubble that surrounded him constantly, and she instantly reverted to human form, and stumbled slightly at the sudden shift, pushing herself up from her hands and knees before sitting back at the table.

“Wow,” Jimmy breathed. “That’s awesome. A lot cooler than mine. You’re like a werewolf!”

Rahne flinched visibly when he said that, and her eyes became shuttered, and her hands shook visibly where they rested on the table. “Nae, dinnae call me that. I’m just Rahne, not a werewolf. I... have nae had a good experience with that word.” She said softly, remembering the wild mob that had chased her out of town and hounded her for days in the forest around her small town.

“Someone thought I was, an’ decided to see if some of the myths about werewolves are true,” she said, rubbing unconsciously at a whitish circular scar on her forearm where that single person of that mob had fired his silver bullet.

Jimmy’s eyes widened when he put her words and the scar together and realized what she was talking about. “Oh! I- I’m sorry, I didn’t know…”

Rahne took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment, and her hands stopped shaking. “S’alright. Ye couldnae have known.”

He nodded slightly. “Just Rahne then. I won’t mention that word anymore now, ‘kay?”

Rahne smiled at that, and nodded. “Thank ye.”

Jimmy toyed with his sandwich as she finished hers off. “How’re the classes here. Any fun ones?”

Rahne shrugged. “I dunno. I like all of them. The teachers are all very good, very helpful, an’ they teach well. Sometimes there are nae enough though, it seems. They are very overworked, but the Professor is hirin’ a lot of new ones next fall.”

She tapped her chin with a forefinger. “I think my fav’rite is probably Professor Gambit. He’s new, an’ he’s very nice, an’ funny. It’s like he’s a teacher, an’ yet he’s a friend, too – I dinnae know how to describe it. Right now he’s teachin’ shop and…” she lowered her voice. “I like it a lot better now than when Professor Summers taught it. I dinnae think he was as comfortable with the younger group like with the older kids.”

She chewed on her lip. “Professor Logan substitutes sometimes, an’ I like him too, but sometimes he makes the wolf part of me feel scared because he acts like a wolf too sometimes, an' he’s much bigger than me.” She said, a soft laugh in her voice.

Jimmy smiled, and then something over her shoulder caught his eye. She twisted around in her chair and saw Professor Xavier in the doorway to the kitchen. She blushed slightly, not sure when he’d come in, but she saw a large smile on his face as he watched them.

“Sorry to interrupt you two, but I came by to see if Jimmy would like a tour.”

Jimmy nodded. “Sure.” He glanced to Rahne. “It was nice t’meet you Rahne.”

She smiled. “Nice meetin’ ye too, Jimmy. I’ll introduce ye to my friends later if ye like.”

“That’d be great, thanks,” he said, grabbing his plate.

Rahne grabbed the edge of his plate with a slight blush on her cheeks. “I-I can take care of it for ye, I’m puttin’ mine away anyway.”

Jimmy let her take the plate. “Thanks.” He said, and began to walk over to Xavier.

As they left, Rahne let herself relax, and began to clean the plates – the Professor had been right, she mused, if she just let herself forget about the stress of talking to someone new, and just talk as if she was speaking to one of her friends, it was a lot easier than she thought it would be.

*****************************************************************
Remy nudged open Rogue’s door, a “goodnight” ready on his lips, but the room was empty, the only evidence that she’d been there a half-emptied duffel sitting on the bed.

They’d gotten back to New York at around six, and Remy had treated Rogue, Dani, and Sarah to a meal at a small restaurant downtown before they’d come back to the mansion. After that Rogue had disappeared, along with the others in her class, to study for the physics exam that they had tomorrow.

He frowned slightly, and decided she musn’t have gone to her room like he’d thought. He’d already tucked Sarah in several hours ago, and it was now past one o’clock in the morning.

He wandered down the hall, and down the stairs to the main floor, and stopped by the kitchen and living room with no luck, until he reached the library. He pushed open one of the large, wooden French doors, and nearly laughed out loud when he looked inside.

Kitty sat in an armchair, her physics book on her lap as she nodded off to sleep over it. Dani and Jubilee looked to be sound asleep, their heads angled back on the headrests of their own chairs.

Rogue had been lying on her stomach on the larger couch in the room when she’d fallen asleep, her feet kicked up in the air, and her hands folded in front of her. Her book was open on the couch in front of her along with a notebook, and her pencil was still loosely grasped in the fingers of one hand while the side of her face rested on the other.

He shook his head, suppressing his laughter at the positions she and the others had fallen asleep in. He knelt down next to her, quietly closing the book and the notebook and setting them to the side of the couch. He gently pried the pencil from her fingers and placed it alongside the books.

He carefully turned her over onto her back, and slipped his arms under her knees and behind the small of her back and lifted her from the couch. Her head lolled to the side against his chest as he slowly made his way out of the room, and carried her upstairs.

As he reached her room, Rogue suddenly jerked in his arms, and her eyes snapped open, revealing a familiar hint of blue around the irises. He almost dropped her in shock, but managed to keep his grip.

“Remy?” Carol asked, looking around in confusion as he let her down onto her own feet.

“Sorry, Carol. Rogue looked a bit uncomfortable dere, an’ like she was way too worried ‘bout studyin’ for dat test, so I figured I’d bring her to bed. Didn’ ‘spect you’d be takin' over.”

She shook her head, blushing slightly. “It’s alright. Rogue’s been asleep for about an hour, and since it seemed to work pretty well last time we tried, I decided to take over and study while she sleeps, and I just finally decided to take over.”

“Ah, sorry den, all her stuff’s downstairs. I’ll go get it for ya. Was goin’ back down t’wake up all de rest of de over-achievers down dere.”

Carol laughed and shook her head. “They really are. Sometimes it’s good to know when you’ve had enough and you need to stop.” She said. “Rogue, especially, needs to catch on before she works herself into exhaustion every day.”

Remy nodded, grinning ruefully. “I’ll keep tryin’ de best I can t’make sure she don’ overwork herself. I was thinkin’ she’d went t’bed an hour or two ago. Didn’ realize she was still worried ‘bout dis test.”

Carol shrugged. “Yeah. Don’t know why though, it’s not like she hasn’t been studying on and off for most of the break.”

Remy shook his head. “Okay, I’ll go get de books for you. Jus’ make sure she gets her sleep.”

As Remy left the room, Carol glanced automatically to the mirror – it was strange seeing herself in someone else’s body, but she was slowly starting to get used to it.

She walked over to the bed and flopped down, slowly pulling off the gloves Rogue wore, wondering how she could stand being covered up constantly. Rogue was stronger than her emotionally – she couldn’t imagine living like she did – but even as strong as she was, her mutation seemed determined to beat her into submission, and she knew now that if Remy had not come to the mansion, there was a good chance that Rogue would have taken the cure, and Carol’s psyche would have died with herself rather than having found a place in Rogue’s mind.

She was grateful it was Rogue and not someone else that had had this power and had absorbed her – Rogue was completely understanding of Carol, and her occasional need to get out and experience things in a body, and willingly let her take control. Carol could still remember the giddiness of skiing days before, something she’d for a while thought she’d never experience again.

Carol carefully placed the gloves on the nightstand next to the bed, so they’d be easy for Rogue to find when she woke up in the morning, and was broken from her thoughts by Remy coming back through the door, a large physics text and notebook in his hands.

“Here y’go, Carol.” He said, setting the books down. “Make sure you get some sleep too – don’ wan’ to deal wit’ two exhausted girls in de same body.”

Carol chuckled, and folded her legs, sitting cross-legged on the bed. She looked down at the book, and then at her hands as Remy started to turn and leave, and an intriguing thought came to her.

“Wait,” she said, grabbing his arm while he was still in reach. “Remy, could I try something with you?”

He stopped, and turned back. “Oui, sure. What is it?”

“Just…. Hold still,” she said, slowly moving her/Rogue’s bare hand toward his right cheek. “Let me know if it starts hurting you.”

Remy stood in place, and let her hand settle on his cheek, more than used to it from Rogue. What he wasn’t used to, was the complete lack of… anything. No tingling, no absorption, no pull at his powers.

Carol let her hand remain there for nearly a minute, her eyes wide. “Am- am I absorbing you, Remy?”

He shook his head. “Non, not one bit.”

She grinned, looking breathless. “Wow, this is – this might be what we’ve been looking for. I’ll tell Rogue when she wakes up, and we can talk to Professor Xavier. If all it takes is another psyche taking over, maybe he can help her learn something to trick her brain into thinking she’s a different psyche.”

Remy’s eyes widened at the implications, and then grinned. “Good idea. I ain’ sure how all dem psychic things work, but if anyone could do it, it’d be Xavier. But… don’ get her hopes up too much ‘case it don’ work.”

Carol’s expression sobered. “You’re right. I’ll just tell her what I discovered, and say we should talk to Xavier about it, and not mention anything he might be able to do.” She glanced back up to Remy, and smiled. “Thanks for bein’ my guinea pig – well, I guess our guinea pig.”

Remy bowed exaggeratedly. “Any time, ma’moiselle,” he said. “Tell Rogue I said goodnight.”

Carol laughed as he exited the room, and then turned to the ominously large physics text, and slowly cracked it open to the page Rogue had left off at. Time to fry our brain with Newton’s Laws, she thought, ignoring the fact that Rogue couldn’t hear her at the moment.

***

Carol yawned, and looked blearily at the clock, which read seven-thirty. She tapped the blaring alarm clock off, and set down the physics book onto the bed. She leaned back, resting against the bed, and let her self fall down the mental link to Rogue’s mindscape.

Rogue must have heard the alarm in its brief shrillness, because she was getting up from the spot she had been lying in, underneath the shade of one of the recovering trees (now becoming more numerous with each session they had together) of her mindscape.

“Hey sleepyhead,” Carol greeted, and Rogue looked up, a smile and a yawn mixing together on her face.

“Hey. It time t’get up?” Rogue asked.

Carol nodded. “Yep, just turned seven-thirty. Plenty of time for you to get a big breakfast and make sure you absorbed everything I worked on last night.”

Rogue smiled. “Thanks, Carol. Ah shoulda done more durin’ break, so thanks for helpin’ me out.”

Carol shrugged. “No problem.” She hesitated then. “Remy came by to say goodnight. Actually was carrying you to your room when I took over.”

Rogue blushed and hid a smile. “I’ll have t’thank him for that. Not that ah need t’come up with a reason to kiss him.”

Carol bit her lower lip. “Rogue, I tried something – an experiment – with Remy last night before he went to bed. I… touched his skin without your gloves on, and, well, I didn’t absorb him. Nothing happened – it felt normal.”

Rogue’s eyes widened. “Really? How… how long did you do it?”

“At least a minute. Remy said he didn’t feel it either. I thought maybe after your test today, we could go talk to Professor Xavier about it, and see what he thinks, see if it could help you.”

Rogue smiled. “Ah hope he can do somethin’ with this. Ah – thanks for thinkin’ of that, I’da never thought to try it.”

Carol shrugged. “No problem. Guess two heads are better than one – or two minds at least,” she said with a grin. “The reason you never would have thought of it is you’re so used to living with your powers, but I’m not and that gives me a different perspective.”

Rogue nodded, and gave Carol a brief hug. “Still, thanks. Ah hope this helps. Ah better get goin’. Remy’s probably already got a huge breakfast goin’ for me.”

Carol smiled, and sat down in the spot Rogue had been lying in. “Alright, see you later. I’m gonna get some rest,” she said as Rogue disappeared from the mindscape.

*****************************************************************

Remy killed the engine of his motorcycle, and set up the kickstand. He pulled off his helmet, and ran a hand through his hair. He shifted in the sat so he was only leaning against it, with both of his feet shifted to one side of the motorcycle, and looked curiously around the buildings of the Community College campus, seeing students come and go from building to building.

A car pulled up behind where he’d parked and he turned to look at it when the driver’s door opened. “Hey Cajun,” Logan said, nodding to him. “Didn’t expect t’see you here.”

He closed the door to the van he’d just parked, and walked over to Remy.

Remy shrugged. “Figured I’d pick Rogue up an’ make it less crowded for you takin’ dem back from de test.” He ran his eyes appraisingly over the school minivan Logan had “volunteered” to drive – or rather Charles had convinced him – so that everyone went in one vehicle rather than one for each person.

Remy smirked. “Charles’s getting’ you started on y’transformation inta a soccer mom, eh?”

Logan growled. “Don’t even start, or I’ll get him an’ ‘Ro to double team you for their final’s week.”

Remy looked at him with a horrified expression, and then mimed zipping up his mouth and tossing a key over his shoulder. “Non, I’m done. No startin’ from me,” he said with a grin.

Logan laughed and shook his head. “So how was yer trip? You guys have fun?”

Remy nodded, his fingers tapping unconsciously against the seat of the bike. “Oui. We had a great time. Sarah an’ Rogue both had a blast on de slopes, an’ Dani’s parents were fun t’hang around with. Went ridin’ out on their ranch, too.”

Logan nodded. “Good.” He tilted his head slightly. “That sound’s like the bell,” he said, listening to something Remy could not here.

And less than a minute later, the doors to the Physics department building in front of them opened, and a large crowd of students began to exit, finished with either their test or with whatever class they had been in.

Finally they saw Dani, Rogue, Sam, and the others walking out in a group, talking animatedly amongst themselves. Remy grinned, seeing Rogue’s face light up when she saw him as they neared the street where Remy and Logan stood.

She finished what she had been saying, and then walked quickly over to him, tossing her arms around him. “Remy,” she said, “Ah didn’ know you were comin’.”

He leaned down and kissed her nose. “Figured I’d surprise you. Give you a ride back,” he said, tapping a second helmet he’d strapped to the seat behind him on the way there. “How’d your test go?”

She bit her lower lip, and shrugged. “Okay, Ah guess. Not as good as Ah wanted to, but probably at least a B. Mah brain feels like it’s baked, though.”

She turned in his arms to wave to the others who were piling into the van, and she shot a smile at Logan. “See ya back at the mansion, Logan. Thanks for givin’ us a ride out here.”

“See ya.” Logan said, smirking at the two of them before he turned back to the van with a sigh.

Rogue giggled softly as he drove away. “Poor Logan. You can tell he feels like a chauffer now.”

Remy chuckled. “Jus’ don’ let him hear you say dat. I tol’ him he was becomin’ a soccer mom, an’ he wasn’ too pleased ‘bout dat.”

Rogue laughed, almost uncontrollably at that, envisioning Logan as a doting soccer mom. She caught her breath, leaning her head against Remy’s chest, and stayed there, quietly.

“Alrigh’,” Remy said softly, “You ready to go? Figured we’d take de scenic route back.”

Rogue nodded against his chest. “That sounds good,” she said, pulling back.

Remy unstrapped her helmet and handed it to her and then slid his own on. He straddled the bike, and settled in contentedly as Rogue climbed on, pressing closely against him.

He started the bike, and patted her hands where they’d slid around his chest, making sure she was ready. She nodded against his chest, and he slowly drove the bike through the campus, stopping for the crowds of students to cross at the numerous crosswalks on the way off the main campus.

Finally he was able to pick up speed, and took the back road out of the campus, away from the main highway that was the usual route back to the Institute, and ran along several roads until they reached a country road that circled around the city and eventually toward the Institute.

Remy suddenly slowed, and took a small road off, entering a small state park, and parked in one of the few parking spots. He climbed off, and Rogue already had her helmet off, looking at him quizzically.

He grinned, and took the helmet from her, setting it on the seat of the bike alongside his own. “C’mon,” he said softly and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward a bench that faced the woodlands of the park.

He sat down, and pulled her down next to him, letting her settle her head against his shoulder before putting his arm around her and pulling her closer. “Figured you could use some time away from school after dat test, an’ I couldn’ resist spending some time alone wit’ ma Chére,” Remy murmured next to her ear.

Rogue shivered at his warm breath, and then shifted on the bench so she was lying on her back, her head on his lap, looking up at his sunglass-covered eyes.

She reached up, tipping his shades up enough so that she could see his eyes. “Thanks, this’s really nice. Ah’m glad Ah have such a sweet boyfriend.”

Remy smiled, and his hand found her forehead, brushing against it gently. Looking up under the bottom of his sunglasses, she could see his eyes noticeably darken in color, becoming a much deeper red on top of the black as he looked down at her. “I’m glad I’ve got you, Chére. Always take care of you.”

Rogue closed her eyes, drinking in the warm sun on her skin, and the spring breeze, and she grabbed his hand in her own, brought it up to her lips, and pressed kisses to his palm.

She sighed contentedly, and smiled up at him, her eyelids cracked open slightly to see him. “How’d yah know about this place, Remy?” She asked softly.

Remy smiled slightly. “Happened on dis place on m’way to de mansion. Back after I got shot an’ landed in de river. Went backroads all de way toward de mansion, an’ happened on dis place. Actually sat on dis very bench an’ took a rest, an’ decided I really liked it here.” He looked off into the forest, his voice slightly bitter when he mentioned the trip to the mansion.

Rogue smiled softly, and reached up to brush his cheek with the back of her gloved hand. “Yah know no one blames you for what happened, right Remy?”

He nodded, and she saw the muscles of his jaw tighten slightly, and then he sighed, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tightly. “I know. ‘Least anyone that knows so far. I gotta tell Sarah eventually – can’ hide somethin’ like dat from her forever. Dieu, she’s gonna hate me.” He said softly, and Rogue was shocked to see a tear trickle down his cheek.

She sat up quickly, contorting her arm so she could keep grasping his hand, and she leaned up against him, kissing his cheek. “No, she’s not. Ah’ll bet she already has a damn good idea of what really happened – yah already tol’ her what it is yah did for a livin’, an’ it ain’ that hard to guess how yah knew ta go down there and save her. She’s so smart, Ah’m sure she’s already connected most of th’dots, Remy. An Ah don’ think she could ever hate yah. She loves yah to pieces.”

Remy nodded slightly, and then blinked rapidly, letting Rogue pull him into a closer embrace. “M’sure you’re right, but, still worries me, y’know?”

She kissed his cheek again, her lips hovering near his ear. “Ah know. But yah don’ have anythin’ t’worry about.”

Remy sighed, and closed his eyes, “I hope you’re right, Chére.”

Rogue smiled, and hugged him. “Of course Ah am. Ah’m th’woman here, an’ that means Ah’m always right. Didn’ your Tante teach you that?”

She gave a mental sigh of relief when that drew a chuckle out of him. “Oui, I seem to remember dat one pretty clearly.”

“Good.” She said, looking at him with a faux haughty expression. “Ah wouldn’ want t’have to take mah time teachin’ that to yah.”

Remy laughed, and she could feel the vibration of it in his chest against the back of her head. “You’re une si belle femme, Chére. Y’know dat, right?”

Rogue blushed darkly at that, and turned, burying her face in his chest.

He grinned, and tucked his chin over the top of her head. “Specially when you’re blushin’.”

“You’re not half bad y’self, Sugah,” she mumbled into his chest – unable to understand how it was that he could affect her so with just a simple compliment.

“Sugar?” Remy asked, an eyebrow rising.

Rogue dared to look up as she felt her cheeks cool down. “Yeah. Just sorta clicked. Yah not like it?”

Remy shook his head and smiled. “S’fine. I get t’call you ma Chére, so I guess it’s only fair.”

Rogue smiled, and buried her face in his chest again. “Ah-“ She broke off. “Thanks for bringin’ me here, Remy.”

“Y’welcome. We can come here whenever you want if y’just wanna get away from school.”

“Ah’d like that,” she said.

“Speakin’ of bringin’ you somewhere, I feel like a bad boyfriend – We ‘been together two weeks an’ we’ve only been on one date. So… you doin’ anythin’ tomorrow night?” Remy said.

Rogue shook her head against his chest. “No, Ah’m completely free. Where’d yah have in mind?”

Remy grinned, and winked at her. “Dat’s a surprise. I been plannin’ it all break. Jus’ wear somethin’ nice, an’ meet me in de garage at six.”

Rogue rolled her eyes at his secrecy, and settled back against him. “Alright. Already lookin’ forward to it, even if y’won’ tell me where we’re goin’.”

Remy pressed his lips against the nape of her neck. “Y’know, Chére, I think we been doin’ way to much talkin’, an' not enough unwindin’. I don’ want you still havin’ a baked brain on our date t’morrow,” he said, his lips curving upward against her skin as he felt the tingle of her powers kicking in.

“Ah think you’re right,” Rogue said, almost breathlessly, and twisted in his arms so that his lips were easily accessible, and pulled him into a deep kiss, that she knew would unfortunately end far too soon for her liking.

*****************************************************************
“I must say that is a very intriguing idea,” Charles said, nodding to Carol. “Unfortunately, the thing with shortcuts, mainly when you are talking about something as complex and complicated as the mind, is that they often come back to haunt you sooner or later.”

He sighed, and rubbed his forehead, looking at Rogue from where he stood in her mindscape. “Changing your psychic signature to trick your mind into thinking you are another psyche could very well work. You could easily not be affected by your powers, which we’ve found to be mentally triggered.”

“The problem is,” he continued, “is that in time your mind would come to resent its lack of control and the taking over by another psyche, and would likely begin to attack itself, much in the way that in an autoimmune disease, the body mistakes itself for something foreign and attacks itself. And I think that while perhaps it could give you a year or two of control, the response by your mind against itself could damage it beyond repair, and you would lose all possibility of control – along with the possibility of brain damage.”

Rogue paled. “Well… Ah’d say that’s out. Figured it wouldn’ end up workin’,” she said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Xavier nodded, smiling sadly. “It was an excellent idea though. Don’t hesitate to bring things like this to me, either of you. The worst that can happen is a bit of disappointment if it won’t work.”

Rogue nodded, and looked away for a moment, the fingers of her hands fidgeting together. “Thanks for hearin’ it out, Professor.”

“You’re quite welcome. I’m more than happy to listen to any of your suggestions. I’m not some all-knowing person like many seem to view me as – I learn things all the time from my students. Frankly I hadn’t even thought of this before you brought it up.”

He smiled, and nodded to Carol. “If there’s nothing else, I should be going. The first day back after a break is always quite hectic for me, especially now that we have several new students here. I shudder to think what it will be like when we open fully in August,” he said, a wry smile on his face.

Rogue nodded, and stood up from where she sat next to Carol. “Ah’ll go back with yah.”

Carol waved, and then mouthed ‘Sorry’ to Rogue who smiled gratefully at her and shook her head, mouthing an ‘It’s okay’ back, before Rogue and Xavier disappeared from the mindscape.

Carol frowned, shoved her hands in her pants pockets, and wandered aimlessly off into the forest, a bit disappointed her idea hadn’t helped Rogue.

***
Rogue blinked as she returned to control of her body, and looked up to Xavier who pulled his hand back from where it had rested on her arm.

Xavier frowned slightly when she remained silent. “Rogue, I need to head down to try to catch Ororo before she starts class – would you mind walking me there?”

“Sure,” Rogue said, standing up, and falling into step with him.

“While you might be disappointed by this, you should know that each time you come to me for one of our sessions, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the progress you and Carol have made in healing your mind. I think that if you keep it up like you have been, it could very well be not very long until you achieve what this idea would have given you only temporarily.”

Rogue nodded unconvincingly, and he knew she thought he was trying to just cheer her up, so he continued. “I’m quite serious about this, Rogue - Perhaps… I don’t want to get your hopes up, but perhaps by the end of the year you could have conscious control of your absorption abilities. By that I mean, you can control it by thinking specifically about controlling it, and for more than a few minutes. Unconscious control where thought is not needed, especially while you are sleeping, will likely take longer but you’ve improved more in the past month than we have since you arrived here.”

Rogue glanced over to him, surprised by his comments – she knew he’d been impressed by how she fought off Jean’s dark psyche, but hadn’t realized how much progress he thought they were making.

He cleared his throat. “Aside from unconscious control, I think there may be more to your powers than absorption to be developed in the future, as we’ve seen with your retention of Carol’s powers. Perhaps the ability to recall the abilities of all those you’ve absorbed in the past. After all, there likely is a reason those psyches still remain in your mind.”

Rogue pursed her lips, a thoughtful look on her face. “Thanks for tellin’ me that, Professor” she said softly, “Ah hadn’t thought Ah was gettin’ that far – an’ Ah haven’t really thought of other things mah powers could do.”

Xavier smiled, “Give it some thought. And I wouldn’t say what I did if I didn’t think you were improving.” Then he sighed when they reached the closed doors of a classroom. “It looks like I’ll have to catch Ororo after this class,” he said, seeing her already talking animatedly to the students that sat at the desks in front of her.

He smiled when he spotted Dani down the hall. “I need to talk to Danielle, anyway,” he said.

Rogue nodded, and smiled back to Xavier. “Alright. Ah’ll see yah later, Professor. Next session is Friday?”

“Yes, just before lunch, if I recall correctly. Have a good afternoon, Rogue.”

“Thanks, yah too,” she said, waving, and walking off toward the kitchen, while he directed his wheelchair down the hall to intercept Dani.

“Miss Moonstar, do you have a moment?” he asked, causing her to stop in front of him, several books clasped in arms folded across her chest.

“Sure,” she said. “Just got some homework to do, but that’s not due till Wednesday, and I’m still recovering from that Physics test.”

Charles grinned. “Tough?” He asked. “Rogue said it was harder than she thought it would be.”

Dani nodded. “Yeah, it was hard. It was lie they took the homework, which was tough enough, and then supersized it. But I think I did alright. At least a ‘B’.”

“Good,” he said. “When you all get your tests back, you should bring them to one of our group sessions and we can look them over and try to pinpoint what is most difficult for you, and we can work on them.”

Dani nodded, and then he continued. “But that actually wasn’t what I wanted to talk to you about,” he said as they reached the end of the hall, near the entrance to the large arboretum classroom.

“Okay, what’s up, Professor?”

“I spoke with Rahne’s father yesterday when he dropped her off, and scanned his mind after you told me of your worries.”

Dani’s eyes widened, remembering Rogue had talked her into calling Xavier during the break about her worries about the way Rahne’s father treated her. “Did you…. was he doing anything……?”

Charles shook his head. “No, thankfully. While he appears to be a rather…. strict, and religious authoritarian when it comes to discipline and how he instructs Rahne to behave, I could find no evidence that he has ever verbally or physically abused her.”

Dani let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she had been holding. “Good,” she said quietly. “Thank you for looking into it, I just – I was hoping it was something like that but I was a little worried…”

Charles nodded in understanding. “I’m glad you brought it to me – it’s worse to say nothing and be right in something like this than it is to say something and have your suspicions shown to be wrong. I did notice he wasn’t completely comfortable with the fact that Rahne is a mutant, but then, sadly, few parents are.”

Dani nodded, relieved that Rahne wasn’t being treated badly like she’d feared.

Charles smiled. “Speaking of understanding parents, how are yours? Did you enjoy Colorado?”

Dani grinned. “Yeah, it was fun, and my parents are fine. Daddy told me to say hi.”

Charles nodded. “Tell him I hope he and Peg are doing well.”

“I will,” Dani said.

Charles nodded toward his office. “I have some paperwork to take care of for getting our accreditation for next year – I just wanted to make sure you knew Rahne’s fine.”

Dani smiled. “Thank you Professor.” She said, stopping at the kitchen door, turning the corner to go inside once he’d left

*****************************************************************

Bobby looked up at the knock on his door, hoping it was Kitty. He’d talked to her only briefly since she’d come back, and something had seemed wrong – off – about her behavior.

He was surprised, and speechless, when he opened the door to find Rogue standing there.

“Bobby,” she said softly, “could we talk?”

“U-uh, yeah. C-come on in,” Bobby said, moving back from the door and gesturing into the room.

Rogue nodded, and entered the room, glancing around – nothing much had changed since the last time she’d been here. She walked over to his desk, and turned the chair around, sitting down on it while Bobby moved to the bed and sat on the end of it.

“Sooooo……” Rogue said slowly, visibly uncomfortable. “Um, R-Gambit tol’ me yah talked t’him b’fore break. Said yah wanted t’talk with me.”

Bobby nodded, and looked down at his hands. “Rogue, I… I know it probably sounds empty to you, but I wanted to apologize for…. For everything that happened. I shouldn’t have done it, I should have kept my hormones in check, and I’m really sorry that you found out like that.”

Rogue regarded him with an unreadable expression, sitting straight up in the chair during his apology, and wrapped her arms around her midsection protectively.

She remained quiet for several minutes, before she spoke with a slightly trembling voice. “Bobby, Ah…. What happened, it hurt me so bad. To see you like that, and hear you…. If Ah hadn’t had Gambit supportin’ me through all this, Ah think it would’ve broken me. Ah probably would’ve taken the Cure or… maybe somethin’ worse.”

Bobby nodded, casting his eyes down once more. “I know, and it was unacceptable for me to do what I did. All I can do is apologize – I’m really sorry. And… I’m glad you had someone there for you. Even if it was the Cajun.”

Rogue was quiet again before she looked up and placed her hand over his. “Ah accept yah apology, Bobby. An’ Ah’m sorry for anythin’ Ah did that hurt you or pushed you away.”

Bobby’s expression relaxed at hearing that. “Thank you,” he breathed.

Rogue nodded. “Ah… Ah think we made better friends than we did boyfriend and girlfriend. It seemed great at first but Ah think we were just forcin’ somethin’ that wasn’ there.”

“I think so too.” Bobby said.

Rogue looked up at him. “Ah liked it back when we were jus’ friends, Bobby. Can we still be that?”

Bobby smiled slightly and nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that. How about we start all over, knowing now that we won’t work romantically together? I’m Bobby Drake,” he said, sticking out his hand toward her.

Rogue grinned, and shook his hand with her gloved one. “Hi, nice tah meet yah, Bobby. Ah’m Rogue.”

Bobby laughed softly, and pulled his hand back onto his lap and looked at her seriously. “Are you happy? With Gambit?”

Rogue’s eyes seemed to focus somewhere in the distance at that question, and then she smiled, and nodded. “Yeah. Ah am. Happier then Ah’ve ever been.”

Bobby smiled ruefully. “Good.” His eyes sparkled when he remembered something else. “Oh, and thank you for talking Logan out of disemboweling me.”

Rogue laughed, and stood up from the chair. “No problem. Ah should go now, though. Ah’m glad we talked like this.”

“Me too. Good luck with Gambit. Maybe he can give you what I couldn’t.”

Rogue’s eyes softened at that, and she nodded, backing out the door, a feeling of immense relief in her heart over settling things with Bobby.

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A/N: Hey, hope you guys enjoyed this one. Sort of a final wrapping up of the break (sorry for Rahne’s Scottish accent – it probably turned out horrible – never written one before so it was hard to figure out the best way to write it).

Been a bit hectic at the start of my semester, and then this Haiti quake – we put up an exchange student a few years ago who was from Haiti and we became good friends, and he was in Haiti. Communications over there are a mess, so it wasn’t until Friday that we heard from him – thankfully he and his family only have a destroyed house and none of them are injured. Such a tragedy over there – please donate to help them out if you haven’t already. :(

Anyway, back to school, one more semester after this (December graduation) – yay! Unfortunately things get tougher, so I have less and less time to write. I’ll update when I can. It’s early in the semester now, so maybe in a week and a half or two weeks for the next chapter.

Next chapter perhaps a bit more action (I think), but yet plenty of interactions at the Mansion. Lorna meets Rogue. Perhaps a Romy date. :)

Thanks for the reviews last time, see you guys next chapter!