"Shut up. Just shut up. All of you, please." Matt Parkman whirled his head around, drawing the attention of Mohinder as the two walked down the Boardwalk. Beyond the insistant plea of a young woman, the former police office could hear voices, but it wasn't like he expected it to be between thought reading multiple people. It was almost as if the other voices were in her head. The idea of the mere possibility of another telepath existing surged Matt with an undescribable glee.

There, two stores away, a young woman, a teen really, dressed in a style he had come to expect from the kids in New York. She even had a set of white stripes framing her face among the rest of her auburn hair. The red head beside her seemed oblivious to the look of pain clear as day on the teen's face, as the shoes in the window currently captivated her undivided attention. Within five strides, Matt was there, ignoring his friend's call of protest. The voices grew louder and louder as he neared her and he unconsciously grabbed hold of his temple but remained undeterred. She needed help, help he could provide.

"Do you really need another pair of shoes, Jean?" Rogue asked through gritted teeth. She hated shoppiing in a normal circumstance, and now even more so when the psychees were arguing fiercely in her head. It took all her self control not to shout aloud in an effort to drown them out, but the good doctor would paste on her fake sincere face and determine Rogue was unfit to continue the mission. And, although the notion of spending alone time with Warren was preferred to shopping with Jean, the mission was personal. This was something she had to do.

This was something she had to do. The last thought Matt picked up before he opened his big mouth, like a fool, he would discover in hindsight.

"The voices, are they painful?"

Rogue whirled around, half surprised at being spoken to and half pissed someone was reading her mind. "And who the hell are you that you would care?"

"I hear them too." Marie couldn't believe the gall of the man standing before her, and neither, it seemed, could the others in her head.

"I seriously doubt they're the same, buster." I bet he can kiss someone without killing them.

"What?" Matt couldn't fathom the idea of not being able to touch someone, and once again, spoke without thinking. "But I thought, you hear thoughts, you're just like, aren't you?"

Rogue glanced around, noticing the crowd on the sidewalk had grown since she had started talking and Jean had moved down the way without.

Stupid telepath. Matt watched her line of vision to the red head a few stores away, his eyes then blinked in surprise.

"Jean?"

"It's rude to do that without my consent."

"Sorry, I still pick up stray thoughts. Mohinder is still helping me with that." But then Suresh had joined the two, cautiously watching the teen, who regarded him with equal suspicion.

"And what can he do?" Rogue asked, indicating the Indian that had appeared beside Matt.

"Nothing special, like my friend here, I'm afraid." Suresh pulled out his business card and offered it to her, as oppose to a hand to shake. "I'm Dr. Suresh, my field of speciality is currently the study of the gene that gives you two and many others such amazing gifts. I encourage you to give me a call if you're ever curious as to why you can do what you can do." Rogue nodded, chuckling at his statement in her head, before pulling out a card for the mansion.

"And if you guys ever want to save the world, give us a call. Reference name is Rogue." Matt took the card she offered and inspected it.

"Xavier's Institution of Higher Learning for Gifted Youngesters? Are you a bunch of teachers running around saving the world from dull pencils and tardiness?"

"We're the X-Men." And with that Rogue left the two to catch back up with Jean, who still had not noticed Rogue's absence, or the grin that snuck its way onto the teen's face. If those two ever called, Rogue would get some free passes from the Danger Room, which had some serious monetary value within the mansion's walls.