Disclaimer: I do not own anything xmen.

O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,

Alone and palely loitering?

The sedge has wither'd from the lake,

And no birds sing.

-John Keats

O, What Can Ail Thee, Knight-At-Arms?

If you have never experienced the wondrous reverence that is only wrought through isolation and solitude, you couldn't understand the appeals of being alone.

Rogue did, though. She knew what peace had to offer, what consolidations loneliness could supply when all other mortal beings failed. This is why she choice to situate herself on a quiet roots beneath a lone tree on the mansion grounds where she could think.

A dulled pain pressed against her temples as her half lidded, unfocused eyes studied the beauty of nothing. Back slumped against the bark behind her, legs haphazardly strewn across thick exposed roots, she sighed and fell deeper into the folds of a large grey sweater she wore.

Snuggled between nature, the roots, the grass, the lake before her and the shimmering sunset in the distance, she could not have been more at peace nor more alone.

'What am I feeling?' she paused to ask herself. She was completely free from her body and instead of dozing off, she chose to take a step back and look at herself.

Her chest was light, as if she were overwhelmed with joy, yet her stomach was in knots that constricted every time she inhaled. Her shoulders were slumped in a outward show of relaxation, but her neck was tense in a show of alertness.

And her mind was a buzz.

'Why can't I just choose a feeling? Why can't my mind be simple?'

'cause with a few of us running around, nothing can be that simple, Stripes.

Rogue sighed and returned her spirit back into her porcelain body. With days of training with the greatest mind that the world has ever known, delayed absorption was hers now, with perhaps even a hope of complete touch.

'A glimmer, sliver of hope,' she thought dully. Causal touching was possible for her; a slight bump, the occasional handshake, a hug. 'Just enough.'

Is it really enough, child?

The real Ms. Monroe always knew how to get to the heart of things, knew when kids were lying. The Ororo in her mind knew when she was lying to herself.

She sighed and began to pick herself up from her zen state. The sun had almost set below the horizon and she would have to make a brisk walk across the grounds to make it back into the mansion before it was officially the Moon's sky.

'No, it's not enough,' Rogue admitted whilst walking to the house. As she walked in, she saw Kurt and Scott watching the evening new. A blonde reporter in a low cut, blue blazer that could have fit a fifth grader was standing in front a building that was blazing out of control. Her tiny, unimpressive voice was almost lost beneath the roar of the blaze.

"No one has been hurt, yet this all could have been avoided, Dan."

"Vatch," Kurt friendly elbowed Scott's arm and pointed at the screen, "ve'll get blame for not beings dere to stop it."

"Kurt, don't be—" Scott started when the news reporter's voice cracked over the noise again.

"Had these mutant crusaders been here, innocent lives would not have been destroyed. Families who lived in this building will have to start from scratch because these mutant have decided to only prevent disaster when their fellow mutant's attack. Coincidence? You can decide."

The feed cut back to the newsroom where the anchor thanks "Mindi" and turned to a story on the corruption of the nation's youth.

"You're kidding me…." Scott murmmed while Kurt threw his arms up in exasperation. "I thought you were just jokinig!"

"I vas!" Kurt cried indignantly him.

"Who wants to be some jerk just feed her those lines? I bet you Mindi doesn't even know what 'crusaders' mean…." Rouge commented from behind the couch the two were sitting on. She had unconsciously walked into the room when she saw the report.

The two boys turned around suddenly, startled by her presence. They both had noted that she was becoming slightly more social each day that passed. Even the slight touch that the Professor had given her had made all the difference.

"Meine Schwester, Wont you schließt uns an?"1 Kurt asked, patted the cushion next to him.

Both Rogue and Scott just started, not understanding the words that had left his furry blue mouth.

"Uhhh….no? Ah'm just going ta grab some dinner…" she replied, warily, not knowing if she had answered the question.

"Alright," he replied and flopped back around to the TV, unaware the mystified look that had passes between Scott and Rogue.

Suddenly, Scott's face cracked into a smirk. Rogue smiled, barely holding on to her laughter. He saw this, and the fact that she was about to lose it made him just crack up. In turn, Rogue started to let loose a howling laugh.

Kurt looked at the two like they were crazy. Scott had thrown his head back, unable to contain his laughter while Rogue had collapsed and throw herself over the back of the couch between the two boys, hung there and laughed until she cried.

"Sie sind zwei verrückt…" 2 he muttered good-naturedly and took the opportunity to snatch the remote and change the channel.

---

So were the ways in the Mansion now-a-days. Everything was quite laid back and everyone had loosened up a bit. With Rogue's smile constantly brightening a room now, everyone seemed to want to smile with her or cause her to.

It is said in the times of trouble is when one can feel safe; it is the times of peace and prosperity that one needs to worry.

And that is where this story begins….

I hope you like it. Just a prologue, review and I'll update faster! ;

Translations:

"Meine Schwester, Wont you schließt uns an?" – My sister! Wont you join us?

"Sie sind zwei verrückt…"- You two are crazy…