The Mirror

All characters except Kit and her family belong to Marvel Comics and/or Fox Entertainment. All songs used in this work are performed by Meat Loaf, written by John Steinman I am in no way making anything off of this…

An attack on a farmhouse in the Midwest spawns a whole new adventure for the staff and students at Xavier's Institute and one unsuspecting new mutant. AlbumFIC (Bat out of Hell II is playing in my head as I write this.) Movieverse, post X3. WIP PLEASE REVIEW.

A/N: This is a rough draft. My beloved Beta (my husband) won't touch it until I get to at least chapter 5; he wants me to finish this. Feedback is always appreciated.

Chapter 1.

LIFE IS A LEMON (And I Want My Money Back)

She walked up the steps of the mansion, her shoulders dragging from the weight of everything that had happened in the last twenty four hours. Spring break wasn't supposed to nearly get your family killed. It wasn't supposed to put your kid sister at risk, and it sure as hell wasn't supposed to send you halfway across the country with no luggage, no money, and no friends to try to find a safe place with a bunch of mutants.

"Life SUCKS." She growled as she lifted the heavy knocker on the door. They were supposed to be expecting her, but she seemed to wait forever for someone to answer the door. She stood with her head down, leaning on the ivy covered stone portico.

Yesterday morning she had packed her overnight bag, got in her beat up VW bug and driven home from college. Her parents had hugged her, her kid sister, Mia had been nowhere to be seen, something she had been glad of, after the fight they had last time she was home.. She had sat on the quiet farm house porch watching her dad work in the north field, the red clay and dust kicking up behind the tracker. They boys had been playing tag after cleaning the chicken coop, God how she had hated that chore as a kid.

She still didn't understand how her mom, a genetic engineer, could have chosen to be a simple farmer's wife. It just had never made sense to her. She remembered when she found the framed piece of paper that said MIT in a box of her Mom's stuff from college. There had been a photo album with pictures of her in a lab, with some guy. There had been awards, and a bound work that had simply had the words 'Y Factor' on the cover. Her mom had just laughed and said 'That was a long time ago' and put the box away. She loved her dad, but he just didn't seem to be the type to be able to drag a woman with two PhDs away from a career she had to have loved.

"You seem quiet this afternoon, honey." Her mom had said, coming out of the kitchen. "Is everything alright at school?"

"Yea, Mom. I just don't get it. I see lots of women your age with your credentials with careers and happy and making a difference, and yet you sit here in that old apron, baking pies, when you could be out discovering the cure for cancer or something."

"Kit, honey, I AM happy. Your father and I agreed, when I got pregnant with you, that we were going to take care of you kids first and foremost, and he loves this farm. It has been in his family for generations, and I wasn't going to take him away from this place. When your Grandpa Jamison died, it nearly killed him. This place was in his blood, he was fighting it but it was strong in his blood. When I met him, he was rebellious, fighting the world, fighting his father; he was a wild man, fighting in bars, drinking, carousing. I never thought Frank would settle down, but after your Grandpa died, he did. My research wasn't that earth shattering, and frankly, your Daddy needed to be here. His mother needed him home, and I was glad to come, to be here. My blessing was to be a calming influence on your father; his was to give me an outlet for my temper, my anger and to stir up my wild side a bit. What we have works."

The two women had sat on the porch steps watching the sun set over the fields. Kit had leaned over on her mother's shoulder and just relaxed in the peace of the moment. They talked about quiet farm life incidentals, her two younger brothers playing with the dogs in the yard.

Her sister, Mia, just two years her junior had walked up just then, looking happy and bright eyed. Kit was glad to see the almost eighteen year old smiling, they hadn't been getting along, and she had been dreading the break at home, not wanting another fight. Mia had been angry when she was told she was going to have to wait another year before starting college. She blamed Kit for it, even though it wasn't Kit's fault. The family just didn't have the money to send two at the same time; Kit had worked hard these first two years and had finally won enough scholarships to pay for her tuition and books and living expenses so that Mia could start in the fall.

"Hey, Kit, sorry bout last time." Mia said as she had walked up.

"No problem. Where have you been?"

"Oh, out in the woods, walking. Thinking mostly, Dad told me you got that scholarship you have been trying for and they may be able to send me in the fall." She had sat down on the steps with them and Kit had been glad. The two girls had always been close, and the fight the last month had really been hard on Kit.

"Kit, are you ok. Is there anything going on?" Mia had asked.

"I'm fine. One of the girls from the dorm and I had to deal with some drunks the other night but nothing we couldn't handle. Been a lot of guys getting fresh lately, but I don't have time for guys."

"Speaking of guys, I saw Danny not long ago." Mia had said. "He keeps asking about you."

"How is old Deputy Studmuffin." Kit had laughed. She and Danny had dated through high school, but had broken up before she started to school. He had wanted her to say, but she had wanted more than to be a sheriff's deputy's wife.

"Oh, the usual, giving people a hard time for dumb stuff and strutting around town with his new friends.

"What new friends?" Kit had asked.

"Yea, he has gotten into some new group, anti mutant stuff. They run around, giving people a hard time if they are different. I try to avoid them mostly, and Danny has been getting loud when he is off duty." Mia had said "We don't see a whole lot of those weirdoes down here, but these guys are really making a lot of noise."

"Well, I'm not surprised. Danny always was a little closed minded about people who were different." Kit had replied

"I think he is on duty tonight, so if we go into town we shouldn't run into him."

"Go into town?" Their mother had asked.

"Well it is 'Family Bonding Night' and Mike has that new Karaoke machine. Thought we all might go in and have some fun watching people make idiots of themselves." Mia had laughed. Kit had coined the phrase 'Family Bonding Night'. It didn't matter if they went camping, went for a long drive, sang Karaoke, or just went grocery shopping, the whole family went and usually ended up having a good time. Their mother had laughed, called the two boys and told them to go change their shirts, they were going to town. Her father was just pulling into the yard on the tractor. He had grinned when they told him the evening plans. They all piled into the truck, laughing.

Mike's hangout had been fun. Half the town was there singing and acting like idiots. Kit hadn't laughed like that in months. Half the guys in the place had offered to buy her drinks, just sodas and stuff, but these had been the guys that two years before hadn't even given her the time of day. She was asked to dance, and when she did, had to fight roaming hands. She knew she hadn't changed, and she wasn't interested in these good old farm boys, so after a couple dances she decided to stay at the table with the family. Mike closed up around midnight and the family loaded up in the truck. The girls had chosen to ride in the bed, and Kit had leaned back on the back of the cab, relaxing. She had missed being home, and even with all the local guys turning into octopi, she had had fun. The lights of the truck shone on the old farm house as they pulled up.

Something was wrong. The dogs were whimpering in the back yard, the horses were raising a ruckus in the stable, and the chickens were squawking in the coop. The lights of the truck shone on the front porch; the door had been kicked in, and the porch was a mess, the old rocking swing was hanging down on one hinge, and the cushions had been torn to pieces. Her dad had pulled the shotgun out from under the seat and told them to stay put. He had gone in to check the house. He had come out about fifteen minutes later, the phone in his hand and signaled the family to come up on the porch. Kit could see the large family room around her father's large frame in the door and was shocked at the damage to the family room, the TV was broken, the couch shredded, it looked like some kind of animal had been in there, and there was a faint musky smell like a badger or raccoon had been rubbing against everything, no not a coon, maybe a wildcat. It SMELLED predatory.

"Thanks Sheriff" Her dad had said into the phone. Mia tried to push past him and, being the pain in the ass she had always been, immediately ran for the stairs. Her dad grabbed her and sat her down on the top porch step. Mia had a look of fear on her face. "We all have to stay out of the house. I mean it. The sheriff is coming with a couple deputies. The damage down here is bad, but nothing compared to what happened upstairs, both of you girls' rooms are torn up, Kit's especially bad."

"Dad, who did this?"

"I don't know, Kit, but when I find him, His face and my fist are going to have a meeting of the minds." Her father was angry. She couldn't remember ever seeing him that angry.

That had made Kit really nervous. Suddenly she had thought about the things she had brought from school and left lying in her room. She had brought her laptop from school and was working on a paper that was due after the break and didn't want to lose all that work. The sheriff didn't take long getting there, the Jamison family had been on this farm for generations, and rated the best response time. Unfortunately for Kit, Danny, Deputy Studmuffin, had been on duty, and made sure she knew he was still interested in continuing where they had left off.

"Kit, sweetie, this guy had it out for you." Danny had said, one foot on the step she was sitting on, leaning his elbows on his knee, his face only a few feet from hers. She had pulled back from him. He was trying to intimidate her by his size, something he had done in school, but she had learned that he was just a big coward. "The stuff all over your room is what we call ejaculate in police circles." He was talking down to her.

"In other words, this guy jacked off in my room and left his seminal fluids all over." She said. "Were there viable sperm in it, or do you not have a lab to find that out? Oh yea, you are just a Deputy."

The sheriff came out on the porch.

"Let's get some patrols going, Danny. Move it." He said.

"Just hope this isn't one of those mutants, Sheriff." He had said. "I keep telling you they are going to cause trouble."

"Danny, we ain't got any mutants in this county. Get off that kick NOW or you will be on suspension."

The sheriff told them to wait before going into the house; they had called in the crime lab from the city. The lab van pulled in about that point and they had been there in two hours and collected samples from the girls' rooms before allowing the family to start trying to clean up.

Kit had been shocked when she was finally allowed to enter her room. Nothing had been left untouched, or undefiled. Even the clothes from her closet had been pulled from the hangers and shredded before being used for something else. The room stank. It smelled like one of the jock frats on campus after a big party, like bad sex, bad booze, and lots of sweat. Even Kit's laptop was crushed on the floor, a large stain of something biological on the broken screen. Kit had just walked out the door and sat on the top of the stairs. She could hear Mia in her room, trying to salvage something. It sounded like she was talking to someone. She had come out her door, her favorite skirt in her hand, it hung in shreds.

"Damn, Kit. I thought my room was bad." Mia had said when she looked in the door. "No amount of Fabreeze is gona get that smell out, yuck." Mia was blushing as she said it.

"I just want to know who did this." Kit had said.

That had been when her father called from down stairs. Her mom was on the phone talking to someone. Kit had heard her say "…will send the oldest tonight, I will send Mia to my mother's for a while, they boys don't seem to be targets and they are too young to show any signs anyway. I thought you had told me this son of a bitch was dead…" Her mom moved to another room as she came down the stairs. "…hell. Frank can take care of me, he always could. Just because he got hurt in that one fight years ago doesn't mean he can't still scrap with the best." Her mom really sounded upset with whomever she was talking to. "And you tell Hank McCoy to …." The back door slammed as her mom took the phone out to the porch.

"Kit, your mom has some friends from college; we are going to send you to stay with them for a while." Her dad had held his hand up as Kit started to object. "They have a university in the town, and your credits will transfer, as will your scholarship. You will lose the last half of this semester, but we would rather know you are going to be safe. The sheriff doesn't know what is going on, and frankly couldn't deal with it if he did. Your mom insists on you doing this. I think I can handle it if this guy comes back, but you mom is adamant, and you know how stubborn she can be."

"What fight, dad." Kit had asked.

"I used to go up north, they have something called cage fighting up there, used to do it for extra money before I met your mom. I went up, right after I proposed to your mom to earn some cash for the wedding and I ran into this guy, he tore me up bad, a real badass sombiatch. Took me out of the cage, which was fine with your mom, and I had earned enough money before I was dumb enough to take him on that we were able to have a nice wedding, once I was mended up." He chuckled and pulled back the collar of his shirt. There across the back of his shoulder were three parallel scars that went underneath the edge of his undershirt.

"I always wanted a rematch; especially after he pulled those bone claws of his, guess I deserved it though...I was warned not to hit him in the groin. That man had the hardest eyes I had ever seen." Her dad had taken her out on the front porch and lit a cigar. He only did that when he was upset, anymore. Her mom had made him quit in the house.

After that, her mom had come back in, and hung up the phone.

"She goes." Her mom had said, sadly.

"Nanc, if you think this is the right thing. I can take care of us I always have. She doesn't have to leave." Frank had said.

"There is more going on here than just a simple attack." Her mother had said.

"Nancy, I thought you gave up all that crap."

"I did, but I still have a few devices around in case of emergencies." She had what looked like a fancy palm pilot in her hand. Her dad had stormed off, cursing under his breath.

"Kit, honey, this let me send a sample of the DNA of the man that attacked this family to some friends of mine. They were able to identify him, or at least narrow down who it was, they still have a few more tests to confirm it. But if it is who they think it is, then there is a really REALLY bad mutant after you, and the only people I know who could protect you from him are in New York, so that is where we are sending you."

"But, Mom, won't he come after me there, if I am the target." Her mother laughed.

"I certainly hope he does. They are ready for him." Her mother had a strange, almost bloodthirsty look in her eye.

Her dad had come back into the house, grabbed his coat, and signaled her to follow him to the truck. He had handed her some cash for a cab, driven her to the airport, picked up the plane ticket that was waiting for her, and sat with her outside the security checkpoint until right before she had to leave for the flight.

"Your mom thought you might need this, kiddo." He had said as he handed her a cell phone, something the family had never been able to afford before, and hugged her as she walked through the tightened security. She looked back, his face smiling as tears ran down his cheeks. She had a note written in her mother's hand

Kit, when you get to New York, take a cab to Westchester, to 1407 Graymalkin Lane , in Salem Center . At the gate buzz in and ask for a Ms. Monroe. I love you, Mom.

The cab had dropped her at the front door; the cabbie seemed ready to get out of there. He didn't even wait for anyone to come out, just took off. Now she stood, waiting; a faint scent of leather and cigar smoke that she usually associated with her father lingered in the air. She started to reach up to knock again, when the door swung open. A young oriental girl, with dark hair and blue eyes stood there.

"I am looking for a Ms. Monroe." Kit said.

"She is in her office. Follow me." The girl popped a bubble at her, and turned and walked into the entry hall. There was a large room off to one side, full of kids just relaxing. A foosball table was surrounded by about ten of them, either cheering or groaning depending on which of the players they were rooting for. Kit couldn't see the players for the crowd.

"I keep telling Ro we need a pool table. If we had one maybe Logan wouldn't go to the dang bars as often." The girl was saying as they walked past the rec room. "Name is Jubilee…." She threw over her shoulder.

"Kit."

"Coolio, here is Ro's office. She is expectin' ya."

Jubilee opened the door and then sprinted off in the direction of the rec room. Kit walked into the opulent office. Sitting at the desk was a beautiful woman with white hair and creamy caramel skin.

"Sit down, Kit. Your mother told me what happened." She stood up and gracefully held her hand toward one of the two chairs in front of the desk.

"Well, you seem to know more about what is going on than I do." Kit said as she sat in the leather chair. She looked across the desk at Ms. Monroe.

"According to what we have been able to determine, the attack on your house was done by a mutant who goes by the name Sabertooth. We had thought he was killed a while back, but the evidence is too overwhelming."

"Why would he attack my family?" Kit asked. "And why did he trash MY room so bad?"

"We are not entirely certain. You mother sent samples of the biological residue left at the scene and as soon the tests are complete we will know for certain if he is the mutant in question."

"Biological residue…they guy jacked off all over my room." Kit was shaking.

"Sabertooth is bad news; plain and simple. Your parents were wise to separate you and your sister. If he is targeting you, he will follow, if he isn't then your mother and father are prepared to handle that. Why he attacked, we don't know yet. Why he targeted you, we don't know yet. What I am more interested in is he acting alone, or is he working with others?"

"Mom said something about sending Mia to my grandmother. I hope he won't go after her."

"It is doubtful, the bulk of his rage and territoriality was directed at your possessions and room, and we think you are the intended target. Sabertooth is what we call a feral, a mutant with strong animal instincts. This attack is very disturbing based on what we know of him. What his intentions are we can only guess, and frankly from the violence of the attack on your house, I can tell you, they aren't pleasant."

Ms. Monroe stood up and handed a key across the desk. "We have put you on the second floor, room 208. You will be sharing space with Marie and Jubilation. Marie is also attending the university and the room is already set up with internet access. I have already contacted the admissions office and they have requested your transcripts and financial aid records. There will be no problem with you starting in the fall, and all of your professors back home have given you incompletes for this semester so you can make up the courses."

"Thank you, Ms. Monroe." Kit said surprised at the efficiency and organization of these mutants. "I don't suppose you know someone who could at least loan me something to sleep in tonight. I am going to have to go shopping tomorrow. There wasn't anything in my room left untouched."

"Call me Ro and I am sure we can find something." Ro walked around the desk and put her arm around Kit's shoulders. "Everything will be ok. I promise." She said fiercely.

"I can't believe you are helping me like this. I am not even a mutant." Kit said.

Ro just smiled and walked Kit to the door; a tall young man with dark hair walked by. "Bobby, would you take Kit here to the laundry room and see if there is a spare set of school sweats she can borrow. She is going to be rooming with Marie and Jubilee."

"Sure," he said and smiled at her.

She followed Bobby to the back of the house where a large laundry room with several industrial size machines grinding in the background. He opened a cabinet and showed her where the tops and bottoms were. He also grabbed a set of sheets and a blanket from another cabinet.

"Trust me; you are going to need these. Marie and Jubes have been using that extra bed for storage and I doubt it has been changed in a month." He grinned at her, "Don't tell them I said so, but they are both slobs."

She grinned back, and with a change of clothing and clean sheets for the bed, she thought she might actually get some sleep tonight.

"Hey," She asked Bobby as she followed him up a flight of stairs off the kitchen, "who smokes the cigars around here? I swear I smelled one when I walked up to the door."

"That would be Logan." She noticed Bobby's shoulders hitch up a bit. "He teaches PE and Self Defense classes."

"You don't like him much, huh?"

"I like him fine…" Bobby said as they reached the second floor.

She followed him to her room and he said good-night.

"Good luck in there; it is a Logan fan club for sure."

She smiled and opened the door. Sitting on the bed closest to the door wearing headphones that were blasting sound into the room was the young girl who had lead her to Ro's office. Sitting at a desk was an auburn haired girl wearing long gloves; a long sleeved shirt and jeans, even though the room was warm. She looked up and over her shoulder, and Kit noticed the streaks of white in the front of her hair.

"Hi," said the girl at the desk. "Ah'm Marie."

"Kit" she said as she sat the pile of linens on the empty bed in the room.

"See, Rogue, I told ya we would end up with her." Jubilee said as she pulled the phones down around her neck. "We're the only ones with a spare bed."

"Jubes, quit. Pardon the kid over there, she has a big mouth, and turn that shit down, yer gona blow an eardrum or somethin'" Marie reached over and turned off the cd player.

"Dang, Rogue, I was listenin to that."

"Hey I got a test after the break and ah am TRYEN' ta study. You wana listen to that crap turn it down, or go someplace else."

"Damn, between you and Wolvie, who the fuck needs parents." Jubilee stormed out of the room.

"Sorry about that." Marie said.

"Why'd she call you Rogue?" Kit asked.

"We all kinda got nicknames 'round here. Ah'm Rogue, Jubilation Lee is Jubilee, Bobby, my boyfriend, is Iceman. They just kinda start callin ya by your nickname pretty quick round here."

"So who is Wolvie?" Kit asked as she made the bed. "Sounds like some kinda dog or something."

"That would be Logan, AKA Wolverine." Marie said over her shoulder as she turned back to the book on the desk. Kit started looking around the room and noticed a hook over Marie's bed. Hanging from it was a set of dog tags.

"Your boyfriend in the army or something? He didn't look like it when he brought me up here." Kit asked.

"Na, those belong to Logan. I hang onta 'em for him, so he has somethin ta come back for."

Kit just shook her head. Come back for? She somehow didn't want to follow that train of thought. "Where is the bathroom in this place?"

"Over there, one of the reasons Jubes and Ah like this room, private bathroom. It used ta be one of the guest suites, but with all tha new students, it was converted."

"Thanks." Kit said as she opened the door. A nice sized bathroom greeted her, complete with whirlpool tub and rainfall showerhead. She could really get to like this. She noticed a new in the package toothbrush and guest tube of toothpaste on the sink, and fresh towels by the tub.

"Hey, whose toothbrush is this?" She called out to the other room

"Yers. Jubes figured ya'd be in with us and from tha look of ya, would need a hot bath and prob'ly sleep."

"Thanks." Kit reached over and turned on the water for the tub. The sound of the water covered her sobs as she stood at the skink. These people were being so kind; it was getting hard to keep saying thank you. Suddenly the door opened and Marie stood there. She walked over and just put her arms around Kit.

"Just watch tha skin, kid." Marie said as Kit cried on her shoulder. "Ah don't want ta hurt ya, and since my powers came back Ah ain't real sure bout touchin people."

Kit cried until her eyes burned and no more tears would fall. She sat down on the toilet lid and looked at Marie. Marie reached over and shut off the water, and then turned on the controls for the jets.

"Ya look like ya could use this…" She walked out the door but left it open, "If ya need ta talk, Ah'm right outside."

Kit slipped out of her jeans shorts and T shirt. She was still wearing the same bra and underwear she had worn out with the family. She couldn't believe it had been less than twenty four hours since they came home to the mess. How could a person's life change that quickly? She finished undressing and slipped into the warm tub, the jets relaxing her as she leaned back on the back of the tub.

Out in the room she heard Jubilee come back, and a rough male voice that sent shivers down her spine. She reached over and pushed the bathroom door partially closed, and a female hand reached in and pulled it shut. She could hear the three of them talking but couldn't hear what was being said over the sound of the tub jets, so she just lay back and relaxed. She stayed in the tub until she heard the male voice leave, and the door opened back up. Jubilee came in with her sweats and a new package of underwear.

"Ro kinda figured you might need some things so she sent me and Logan into town to Wal-Mart to pick up some things. I didn't know what size bra, so I bought some panties and shampoo and stuff. I also bought a night shirt if you don't want to wear the sweats to bed."

"Thanks. God I seem to be saying that a lot tonight."

"Don't worry about it; trust me it isn't a big deal around here. People have shown up with less than you have, trust me."

Kit climbed out of the tub after Jubilee left and pulled on a clean pair of underwear and reached for the sweatpants, when she saw the beige knit night shirt lying on top. She pulled it on over her head, and went into the bedroom. The other girls ignored her as she climbed into bed. She would deal with things tomorrow, right now; all she wanted to do was sleep, sleep and forget that life sucked.

LIFE IS A LEMON AND I WANT MY MONEY BACK

It's all or nothing, and nothing's all I ever get
Everytime I turn it on, I burn it up and burn it out
It's always something, there's always something going wrong
That's the only guarantee, that's what this is all about

It's a never ending attack, everything's a lie and that's a fact
Life is a lemon and I want my money back
And all the morons and all the stooges with their coins
They're the ones who make the rules, it's not a game, it's just a rout

There's desperation, there's desperation in the air
It leaves a stain on all your clothes and no detergent gets it out
And we're always slipping thru the cracks
Then the movie's over, fade to black
Life is a lemon and I want my money back

What about love? It's defective - it's always breaking in half
What about sex? It's defective - it's never built to really last
What about your family? It's defective - all the batteries are shot
What about your friends? They're defective - all the parts are out of stock
What about hope? It's defective - it's corroded and decayed
What about faith? It's defective - it's tattered and it's frayed
What about your Gods? They're defective - They forgot the warranty
What about your town? It's defective - it's a dead end street to me
What about your school? It's defective - it's a pack of useless lies
What about your work? It's defective - it's a crock and then you die
What about your childhood? It's defective - it's dead and buried in the past
What about your future? It's defective - and you can shove it up your ass!

I want my money back - life is a lemon
I want my money back - life is a lemon, life is a lemon
It's all or nothing, and nothing's all I ever get
Everytime I turn it on, I burn it up and burn it out
It's a never ending attack, everything's a lie and that's a fact
Life is a lemon and I want my money back
And we're always slipping thru the cracks
Then the movie's over, fade to black
Life is a lemon and I want my money back
Back, back, back, back!
I want my money back, I want my money back - life is a lemo