“I don’t know how they do it, but those two always leave me feeling somewhat like an awkward adolescent.”
Hank chuckled tiredly at the professor’s admission. “I, too, have had that feeling before, my friend. Added to that, they somehow have a knack for embarrassing me with their medical questions.”
“And their questions this time, Hank? Do you really think there is no need to be concerned?”
“About Logan? No, I really don’t think we should worry. What is more troublesome is young Rogue’s continuing issues with her mutation. Her inability to control it in times of stress could be dangerous.”
“Yes,” Xavier murmured, steepling his fingers and tapping them against his chin. “I have considered that, but I believe she just needs more time to get used to her abilities. In theory, she is able to do much more than we have seen so far if she is indeed capable of copying a mutations merely through observation. I believe that we can rule out any abilities related to physical mutations - it is doubtful she will ever be able to shift shape like Mystique, for example - but there are dozens if not hundreds of abilities she has seen over the years here at the mansion.”
“Hundreds?” Hank asked, startled.
“Yes. I wonder now if the school is going to turn out to have been the worst possible environment for someone like Rogue?”
“How do you mean?”
“Just think, Hank, a collection of mutations pooled into one body…there’s no telling what she will eventually be capable of. Added to that, it seems that the abilities she copies are even stronger than they appear in the mutant who possesses them. Just look at what she was able to do with Kurt’s teleporting; he isn’t even close to bridging the distance she did even though he now believes it’s possible. Can you imagine what that might mean with a copied gift like Jean’s?”
Hank caught his breath. “It could be catastrophic.”
“Exactly. Now that I think on it, Rogue’s mutation is so highly adaptive that it stands to reason that her abilities don’t work when she is stressed. It’s a failsafe. She would destroy herself and everything around her if she used an enhanced ability like Jean’s without being able to control it.”
“It’s a puzzle,” Hank rumbled.
“A puzzle indeed. I just wonder if this particular puzzle actually has a solution.”
* * *
Almost a week later, Rogue could see that Hank had been right. Logan’s back did heal, but, as expected, unaided by his healing factor. She had been quite careful not to mark him since then, but the occasional small dent from a nail would appear on one of his shoulders. Logan just shrugged and laughed it off whenever it happened.
This particular morning found Rogue watching him as he slept, her hands stacked beneath her chin, the regular beat of his heart thumping beneath her palms. She thought he looked younger and more peaceful than she had ever seen him. Perhaps it was due to the lack of nightmares all week. Logan stretched a bit, his mouth quirking slightly, and Rogue couldn’t stop her reflexive smile as she reached up and gently traced his lips with her fingers.
“Hmm…mornin’,” Logan rasped without opening his eyes. He ran his rough hands lightly over Rogue’s bare back. “What’re you doin’, kid?”
“Watchin’ you,” she answered shyly.
With a half laugh, Logan finally opened his eyes. The were the same clear gold they had been all week. “Why?”
Rogue shrugged as much as her position allowed. “Dunno. Just like the way you look Ah guess.”
Logan smiled gently and smoothed her hair back from her face. “Your accent hasn’t disappeared again,” he commented.
“No. The uh, other me Ah guess, figured Ah was learnin’ enough control on my own and kinda stepped back to leave me to it.”
“You have gotten better. Fast.”
Rogue sat up, pulling the sheet up with her to remain covered. Logan watched in amusement, finally resigned to the fact that such modesty would always be a part of Rogue. He resisted the urge to tug on the sheet and focused on what she was saying.
“It’s strange, Logan. All these mutations that Ah saw years ago Ah can pull out and use almost perfectly the first time. It’s the things that are more recent that are the real problem.”
“Makes sense when you think about it.” Unable to keep his hands to himself, Logan lightly grasped her waist. “You had all that time to analyze those abilities before usin’ them. Doesn’t matter that it was all subconscious; some part of you was watchin’ and figurin’ out how they worked from the first time you saw them until you finally tried usin’ ‘em. ‘Course the newer ones are gonna take a little more time.”
“Ah guess. It’s unsettlin’ to find myself usin’ a power when Ah don’t even know where it came from though.”
Logan frowned. “What’re you talkin’ about?”
“Well, you know, when Ah mess with the rain, we say ‘Oh, that’s from Storm,’ or the day the fire in the livin’ room started actin’ funny, we knew that was from John. But when the kitchen wall started shimmerin’ and eventually went clear like glass until Ah could see you walkin’ toward the cabin? Who’s that from?”
“You mean you never actually saw anybody do that?”
“No.”
“You sure it was you doin’ it then?”
“Positive. It happened right when Ah was wonderin’ where you were and Ah could tell Ah was usin’ an ability. Just didn’t know which one until it happened.”
“Any others you don’t know how you got?”
“A bunch.”
Logan’s grip on her waist tightened. “Make a list and we’ll send it the professor. He can probably tell us where they’re from.”
* * *
They ended up with seventeen abilities and added an eighteenth when Rogue realized she wasn’t actually holding her pen to the paper but the words were appearing there anyway.
“Should Ah be worried ‘bout this, Logan?” Rogue asked, feeling so strangely calm she thought she might be in shock.
“Don’t know,” he grunted. “No point in wastin’ time and energy worryin’ about somethin’ that can’t be changed though.” He slammed the lid on the scanner, making Rogue wince in concern over the equipment. “How the hell does this thing work anyway?”
Leaning around him, she pointed to the “scan” button. Logan merely grunted and pressed the button. When the replica of the document appeared on the computer screen, he said, “Now what?”
Rogue sighed. “Now we save it and email it to the professor.”
After she did so, Logan asked, “Why couldn’t you have just typed it into an email in the first place?”
“‘Cause Ah hate sittin’ in front of computers.”
Logan snorted. “You know your way around them just fine despite that.”
Rogue shrugged. “Don’t know how, but Ah just seemed to pick up on all the computer stuff easily when Ah was in school. Nothin’ like Kitty, though,” she added.
They were both startled when the computer gave a soft beep letting them know that they had a reply from the professor.
“That was fast,” Logan commented as Rogue quickly clicked the message to open it. They scanned through its contents quickly.
“But Ah never saw any of them use their mutations,” Rogue protested.
“You sure? Chuck says they all had classes with you at some point.”
“Ah’m sure, Logan,” she protested. “Would be kinda hard to forget seein’ somebody shape a person out o’ electrical current.”
“True,” he conceded, remember how frightening it had been when the glowing figure had wavered into shape from the outlet by the bed. Thankfully, Rogue’s fear had effectively damped the ability before anything else had happened.
Another beep from the computer drew their attention back to the screen.
“It’s another email from the professor,” Rogue murmured.
No time to explain, it read, But Kurt will be bringing several children to you this evening as soon as it is safe for them to travel. The children are in danger and I fear I cannot keep them safe here.
“He wouldn’t send them away unless it was really bad there.” Rogue’s voice was quiet.
“See if you can find anythin’ out online, darlin’.”
A quick search pulled up dozens of articles only a few hours old. They didn’t need to open any of the links. The headlines said it all. “Violence against mutants escalates.” “Bootleg mutant ‘cure’ kills entire family.” “Families rumored to have mutant children are under attack.” And finally, “Mutants are fighting back!”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Finally in the home stretch. I think it'll only be a few more chapters after this, but please let me know if you feel like things are moving too fast.