Rogue tossed and turned through out the night, unable to clear her mind of all of the information she had received. Logan’s claws, Emma and Scott’s mistake, Storm’s grudge. Jean’s jealousy. How was she supposed to handle all of this along with having Phoenix in her head? How was she supposed to survive this? She finally fell into a fitful sleep just as the first rays of pink kissed the morning sky.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Logan awoke with a start, not sure what had awakened him. Looking around and at the clock, he realized that it was dawn. He couldn’t remember what is dream had been about, only small glimpses seemed to flash in front of his eyes. A lost little girl surrounded by a sea of people, trying to survive and being overwhelmed with each push she gave.

A little girl with brown and white hair. Doe brown eyes. A child who wasn’t a child, really, he realized. She may have been a child at one point, but, by the time he woke, she had been a grown woman. Her hair wild, her body developed in ways other women could only wish for. Her eyes not so innocent. Her hands red with blood.

He felt himself stiffen at the thought of her standing there in a tattered uniform, a smile of victory on her lips, and eyes lidded with lust. He had never thought about her that way, before, and he couldn’t help but wonder why he would now.

What the hell was going on?

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Alright, Rogue, just relax. We are going to get a full body X-Ray now, just to see what is going on in there,” Beast said softly as he smiled down at her. She laid on the table, a little nervous as to what they would see. Would she have his claws?

Just on the other side of the room, Emma and Logan sat, each holding their breaths, waiting for the outcome. She had told Emma about her discussion with Logan the night before, and Emma had seemed somewhat disturbed. She wouldn’t say why, but Rogue had a feeling that it had to do with the Government. What if they found out about this? To Rogue, it was just one more thing to add to the long list of reasons why she should lose her mind.

She closed her eyes and took deep breaths as she felt the table move backwards. She didn’t like the feeling of the machine, didn’t like how it felt to be trapped. She was only too happy when she felt the table jerk again. She opened her eyes, proud of herself for being able to control herself. But then she saw the looks on everyone’s faces.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“So, I’ve got bone claws, like Logan?” Rogue wasn’t surprised by this. She could still remember the itch she felt between her knuckles after every touch. How it felt as if something was missing. “I’ve got a question. All these times that I’ve touched someone, that I have taken on their mutations, why is it only now that I’ve touched someone, that I have taken on their mutations, why is it only now that I’ve been able to use them when, before, I’ve always lost them after x amount of time?”

“It’s because of your own mutation, Rogue,” Psylocke spoke up first. “When you have absorbed some one accidently, that personality comes forth. You gain their control, or lack of, with it. Once you’ve stored their personality, you have automatic control over them. You have to mentally grab them. Such as when you do with your psychic abilities.”

“In other words, for those who are born with this, they have to learn control so that they don’t have their mutations running rapid all the time,” Rogue said thoughtfully. “But I have to learn control so that I can use it. It’s all backwards.”

Rogue slouched a little at this, feeling the metal table under her hum. All this power had been at the tips of her fingers all this time, and all she had to do was reach for it. It was a little unnerving.

“Exactly.” Emma smiled at her student, proud of her intellect and ability to grasp on to the idea. It would help her to control those mutations she gained from people who could not help her themselves. She failed to notice how the girl’s shoulders slumped, or the way she looked at her bare hands.

“But what about people with physical mutations who cannot hide them? Like Angel with his wings or Kurt with his appearance?” She was starting to understand fully what this entailed, but she wanted to be certain.

“To be honest, I don’t know,” Emma admitted softly. “You have to remember, we are going on theory. There has never before been anything like this. With your mutation. The only thing we can base our idea on is what you have already gained through trial and error.”

“But, in theory, if I touch someone with wings or that’s blue and fuzzy, I might just gain that mutation.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement Rogue made as she sat up on taller on the metal table. “Will I be able to use more than one at a time? If I have children, will they gain the mutations I stole? Maybe even my own?”

Emma looked into her eyes, for the first time realizing the depth Rogue had thought about what this would mean for her future. She tore away to look at Psylocke, then Logan, before meeting Rogue’s eyes once again. “It’s quite possible. Only time will tell.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

She and Pitor spent the remainder of the day learning about his mutation. She hadn’t realized that he didn’t just become metal on the outside, but on the inside, also. He explained how the metal protected him from just about anything, including fire. When she jokingly asked if he rusted in water, he looked at her and laughed, replying that he had never thought to try it.

They also talked about the pain they were both feeling over the Bobby and Kitty situation, and both were able to feel some of the weight lifted from their hearts. Each had to admit that it felt good to talk to someone who understood.

“Will you come to the rec room at dinner time?” She asked as they took a break from their exercises.

“Will Kitty be there?” He got a sad look on his face, and Rogue felt her heart go out to the sensitive man of metal.

“Jubilee promised to bring her.”

“Then probably not. No, I don’t think I can do it yet.” He sighed, looking down.

She shook her head in agreement, understanding what he meant. She was only able to look Bobby in the eyes because, at one time at least, he had chosen her. For Pitor, this was like a slap in the face. Kitty’s way of saying he didn’t have a chance. Rogue was only sure of one thing. Kitty didn’t deserve the gentle giant.
Chapter End Notes:
Trying to point the plot in the right direction!
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