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Rogue shifted uneasily. It was around nine in the morning and she had been called back to the medical bay. Their only patient was Chimaera and after yesterday, Rogue couldn't help but worry. Had she gone crazy and killed Candace? Had she become upset and used the purple energy? Rogue shivered. The energy had felt like an explosion across all of her senses. If that was normal for Chimaera, she must be in a lot of pain.

Still, Rogue brushed off the worry as soon as she entered the lab. Nothing was happening. She sidled up to Candace, inspecting the health stats with interest. "Hey, Candace. How's the patient?"

Candace jumped slightly before turning around. "I need you to touch her. Her brain activity jumped and I'm worried she's using her mutant ability to aggravate her injuries."

Rogue shivered. Touch her? After yesterday? Memories of the pain returned and she paled. "Ah don't think that's a good idea."

Candace sighed. "Please Rogue, I need to know what's going on. And Charles can't get into her head. Something about her ability blocks him."

Rogue gave in. She pulled off her glove and reached out, brushing her bare fingers on Chimaera's forehead. The first thing she noticed was the heat. Chimaera was definitely running a fever. The second thing was the dream. Without a warning, Rogue was plunged into a nightmare.


She was running. The halls were filled with smoke and a sort of urgency ran through her. Still, a rush had entered her veins. She hit something and went flying. Rolling, she came back up and continued her run. She had to get away. Staying here was a mistake. Too risky. The fire roared behind her, sending a new kind of fear into her bloodstream.

Falling to her knees, she couldn't stop the tears. Darkness surrounded her and the roar of the fire grew. Something was different about it. It was special. It was new. The rush increased and her head began to ring. She had to get away. To stay was death.

"There is no escape. I am your last hope. Just look at poor Henri and think."

The scene changed. The smoke was still there, but there was a man's body lying by her. Henri. The tears came harder and she knew she wouldn't make it out.

A warm entity hit her. She looked up. There was someone there with her. Undergoing this extreme. Seeing her nightmare. She gave in and the warm entity spread. A purple glow emanated from her, sending the smoke away. She would survive.


Rogue snapped back. Air was missing from her lungs and she gasped, trying to breathe. Someone was holding her, careful not to touch skin. She heard a familiar Ukrainian accent.

"Breathe, Rogue," Chimaera said, holding Rogue upright. Logan was by the door, his claws still retreating back into the skin. Candace was standing a ways back, ready with a thermometer.

Rogue took a breath and another one. Within a few minutes, she was breathing normally. With wide eyes, she stared at Chimaera. Was that her dream? Her nightmare? Fire? And a man named Henri?

Chimaera simply sat back down. Rogue bit her lip to hold back an apology after realizing that Chimaera had ripped her stitches in the hurry to get to her.

Chimaera simply held her arm out while Candace took care of it. Remembering the reason she had touched Chimaera, Rogue turned to the doctor.

"It was just a nightmare. Nuthin' bad."

Candace nodded, finishing up the stitches. "Alright."

"What do you mean?" Chimaera asked, her eyes narrowed. Rogue swallowed before answering.

"Well, ya see, Candace here was worried 'bout yer fevah an' an increase in brain activity an' that's why ah had to touch ya, so that we could know if ya were maybe using yer mutation to do something bad," Rogue said, not pausing for breath.

Understanding registered on Chimaera's face and she turned away. Rogue breathed a small sigh of relief. All was fine.


Kitty frowned at Rogue. The girl had been distracted all day. As if she was worrying about something. Guilt hit her. Was Rogue worried about Bobby? Kitty had been spending a lot of time with him lately, but he had needed her phasing abilities. The project was actually coming along great. Still, maybe Rogue was worrying about not being able to touch her boyfriend again.

That stung slightly. Kitty had never meant to hurt Rogue in the first place. She, to be honest, actually had a crush on the Russian metal mutant, Colossus. Not that anyone knew that. She was very careful not to tell anyone.

Either way, she actually liked Rogue and would have liked to be friends with the girl. Still, Rogue always did her best to avoid Kitty. Just like Colossus, Kitty sighed. Like the plague.

The bell rang, tearing Kitty from her thoughts. She turned to her books, gathering everything together and heading down the hall to her next class. On the way, Kitty heard a voice say "wait". Stopping, she turned in surprise.

Colossus, the man of her dreams, was coming towards her. Kitty swallowed but shifted her face into a kind smile. "What is it, Peter?"

"I was just thinking... Rogue's kind of down today, isn't she?" Colossus asked, shifting to allow some students through. His words were laced with something more than concern. Something Kitty could identify easily. She heard it every time Bobby spoke about Rogue. Love.

So... The man of her dreams loved someone else. In fact, he loved someone she was trying to befriend. Oh, her life was a drama. "Yes," she admitted, reluctantly.

"Do you, uh, know why?" Colossus inquired, his voice lowered.

"Not really," Kitty said, her voice curious despite herself, "and I can't figure it out. I think... I think she's worried about Bobby."

Colossus frowned. "Why would she worry about Bobby?"

"Well, Bobby and I have been spending a lot of time together. She could be jealous."

Colossus's eyes darkened but before Kitty could ask why, he strode away. Only then did another idea hit her.

Was there a new mutant around?


Colossus stalked away, Kitty's words reverberating in his head. Bobby and I have been spending a lot of time together. He could identify the emotion as one Kitty had just been talking about. He was jealous. Still, Kitty just didn't like him. He had to accept that. Once he could accept it, he could deal with it.

But being told the girl of your dreams doesn't feel the same way about you was still a downer. Through the day, he found his thoughts still circling back to Kitty. Ever since the strong-willed brunette had showed up, his life had gotten a whole lot better. He didn't believe in love at first sight, but this was the closest he had ever gotten. And now he had found out she didn't return his feelings.

Had she said that? Colossus sat up straighter. Kitty had never said that she was spending time with Bobby because she liked him. Maybe they were helping each other with homework. And he knew for a fact that she wasn't dating anyone else. It didn't account for the fact that she may like someone else, but he could work with that. He could do that.

The unhappiness disappeared, replaced by a flame of hope. Maybe, just maybe, she could love him.

Only then did another thought hit him.

Was there another mutant around?

And was the mutant dangerous?