Let me start off by saying that though I did enjoy the X-Men movies, I strongly believe they should have been done differently (But that's because I did read the comics when I was a kid and still do to this day) I normally work within the realms of Harry Potter but find myself interested in branching out towards other things. X-Men just seemed to jump out at me. So I am sorry if my story isn't as true to the movies as many of the other stories out there are. Like I mentioned before, I read the comics, so a bit of the comics might come out in this piece.

I do not own any of the X-men, way too broke for that. So to assume that I do is just stupidity, so there!

So I guess I shall begin, see where my writings take me, if I'm lucky then this will work out and I won't feel so tied down to my usual fanfiction topics.

And let me apologize now ahead of time. I suck w/ the accents and if any one has any advise for me I will gladly take it:)

Btw, this story was inspired by the song 'Forever" by Papa Roach. You can hear the song on my Myspace- look under Melaura (not many, you know you got the right page if there are strippers in the back ground)

So yeah, don't own X-men, don't own the song, don't even think about suing cause you will never find me:) Read on!

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He recognized her right away, Ororo had talked about her so many times that the mutant called Gambit could almost feel as though he knew the femme personally. He watched as she tucked a strand of white hair behind her ear before cautiously looking around. She looked ashamed, scared, yet excited all at the same time. Then again, her expression matched many of the others who stood in line to get "The Cure". He wandered if Stormy knew the femme was here getting ready to change her life forever. He couldn't imagine so, Stormy would not be a fan of the cure if she was anything like Gambit remembered.

He was caught off guard for a moment, though never showed it, as he watched Rogue turn her head towards him. She had noticed his gaze, few ever did. Gambit smirked and tipped an imaginary hat towards her direction. She shook her head before focusing back to the now moving line. The smirk remained plastered to his pretty boy face as he pushed his way through the Mutant mob that had formed early that morning. It was no surprise that not all Mutants would take so kindly to this so called cure.

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Rogue could touch. It was an odd feeling to say the least, so long had she convinced herself that touch would never be possible and here she was...able to touch. She let out a tired sigh as she tucked a strand of white hair behind her ears. She had decided to let her auburn hair grow out a long time ago and with the changes involving her mutation, she felt other changes dealing with her appearance were needed as well. This was her...oh how would she describe it...rebirth.

She was no longer a mutant. This thought both excited and plagued her all at the same time. She could not return to the institute. It had been the closest thing to a home for her, but she didn't belong there anymore. She wasn't a mutant any longer.

She hoped Logan would forgive her. Though he had made no move to stop her Rogue could not escape the feeling that he would be...well a little betrayed to say the least. She felt like she had turned her back on everything she and the others had stood for. Was it so wrong to wish to be...normal. A sadistic laugh escaped her lips as she stared down at her still gloved hands. How long would she force herself to wear these...she didn't need them anymore. Still, a strange sense of foreboding rose within her chest every time she considered taking them off.

Rogue had watched the news...the fight between the X-men and Magneto left her close to tears. Jean, Scott, the Professor. All of them were gone...forever. Roque shook her head as if to stop the tears that threatened to spill down her cream colored cheeks. Though she no longer possessed her Mutant ability, she was not weak. Especially now when she had so much to figure out, how could she be weak.

Her thoughts traveled back to the institute. Maybe she would return in the future...she owed Logan and the others that much. An explanation...a reason even. But she had things to do before she returned. First step was to find a ride out of New York. She had been away from Mississippi for far too long. It was time for her to once again visit the face she had been all too shamed to see. She owed her childhood friend that much.

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2 Weeks Later

"Logan, I suggest you calm down. You won't solve anything by throwing a tantrum fit for a three-year-old" The school's own Weather Witch commented wearily. Logan had been like this ever since they returned from the fight with Magneto. Though part of his frustration was due to the recent death's that had occurred, his other concern was for a young girl with sparkling green eyes.

"Calm down? We haven't heard from her in what? Two weeks! What if she's in trouble, what if she's..." Logan stopped himself from going any further. He didn't want to think of any possibility involving Rogue injured. Maybe he should have stopped her...but what was that he told her.

I'm not your father...just your friend.

Now he wished he had acted like her father, maybe he could have even grounded her. Storm

sat down in her office chair while massaging her temples.

"Logan...I am sure that Rogue is fine." Logan grunted.

"You mean you hope Rogue is fine. If she is ok then why the hell hasn't she called!"

"If Rogue did indeed get the cure...then understand how much she must have on her mind. The shock of it all must be overwhelming. Give her sometime."

"And how much time would that be?"

"When she understands that she still has a home...with or without her Mutant abilities." Logan let out a loud huff before storming out of the office. The pictures on the walls shook as he slammed the door shut.

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Rogue felt small against the looming hospital. She still covered herself as if her skin was still poison...even after two weeks. She had yet to touch a single person, almost afraid that the cure did not work. She stepped in through the front automatic doors feeling a burst of cool air. She didn't bother asking for directions as she past the pretty receptionist at the front. She may not have been here in a while but she still remembered every detail on how to get to his room. To Cody's room.

She hated the smell of hospitals, it was the same as any other. It reeked of Death, but then again, there was always someone dying. But not Cody...Rogue somehow knew that even after all this time...he would be alive. Just in a coma...a coma that Rogue put him in. Even without the nagging voices in her head to remind her...she knew. It had been the innocent kiss of a child that had put him there. It had been that moment that Rogue knew...she was a Mutant.

Rogue didn't enter the room at first, she just stood there behind the glass that let you look in on the sleeping patient. How many years had it been now? Rogue didn't want to think about it as she stared at his emotionless face. He looked so much older then she remembered, no longer the blond headed child that had dared to kiss her so many years ago. Why did bad things happen to all the good people. Cody had been just a child...a little boy with a crush on a girl. Had they known...had Rogue known.

She slowly walked into the hospital room. He was hooked up to several different machines, all in place so he could keep living...just in case he ever...he ever woke up.

"Poor boy...he neva gets visitors." A soft voice said from behind. Rogue whipped her head around to see one of the nurses standing at the doorway. She was tall and slender with rosy cheeks, her blonde hair fell around her face in little rings. Her soft blue eyes watched the boy with sadness before turning their attention back to the lone figure with white stripes.

"His parents...do they...don't they still come around?" The nurse shook her head sadly causing a few of her curls to bounce in the process.

"They died a few years back, left everything to dis hospital in order to keep dis boy alive." Rogue nodded before turning her attention back to Cody.

"If anything happens...if anything changes...can ya have someone give meh a call?" The nurse smiled, her eyes igniting a small sparkle of joy.

"Ah can do dat, it's nice to see...he still has someone lookin out for him." Rogue nodded before taking a seat in the empty chair beside his bed. The nurse smiled as she stepped out of the room to give the two some privacy.

"Cody...neva meant ta hurt ya...been long time an fo that ah'm sorry sugah." A small tear trickled down Rogue's cheek as she glanced over to all the machines. "Ya neva deserved this sugah, ya was juss a boy."

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Ororo strained to make sense of it all. She could do this, she had to do this, but to run a school. An understaffed school at that. The Weather Witch let out one of many sighs as she looked over the many files stacked on her desk. She would need to call in a few favors, not many qualified teacher exactly jumped at the idea of teaching a bunch of Mutants who couldn't fully comprehend the powers they were born with. A knock at the door broke her concentration.

"Come in." Ororo called trying to sound as energetic as possible.

How did Xavier keep this up?

It was Bobby Drake, their resident ice machine.

"Good morning professor." He tried to hide the urgency behind his greeting.

"Bobby, good morning. What brings you here? Don't tell me that your already getting into trouble when school hasn't even started yet." Bobby forced a laugh as he took a seat near her desk.

"I was just...I was curious if anyone had...had heard from Rogue." Ororo looked down at the boy with pity.

"Logans working on that." Bobby shook his head with a frustrated cry.

"This is my fault. If I hadn't kissed Kitty...if I hadn't reminded Rogue that she was...different. I never wanted her to go off and get the cure. What if she got hurt...what if something had happened to her in the process?" Ororo had heard arguments close to this before...only then they had come from Logan who wished he had just stopped her when she tried to leave.

"There are too many if's to try to predict what would have happened had things been different." Bobby looked up at the weather witch with sad eyes. He looked close to tears.

"I pushed her away." Storm shook her head.

"You saw her when news first came out about the cure...this was a decision that she made."

"Will she...will she ever come back." Ororo stood up before walking to the other side of her desk where Bobby Drake was seated.

"I'm sure she will...she just needs some time to figure things out."

"I did care about her professor...I never meant...I never wanted to hurt her." Ororo nodded as she gently placed a hand on the sad boy's shoulder.

"I know Bobby...we all know." Bobby didn't say anything else before making his way out of the office. The door shut loudly behind him. Ororo understood his fear for the young Rogue, but the Weather witch had to have faith in the girl's decisions. A new knock broke her out of her thoughts causing a slight irritation to start building with in her. This knock however was from the large window that was to the right of her desk. She looked over to see a smiling Cajun leaning casually on a familiar Bo Staff.

"Gambit!"

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"Ah shouldn be here." Rogue muttered to herself. On one hand she felt as if she had already burned this bridge without saying goodbye, that she had waited too long. On the other hand she felt as if she had not waited long enough, four weeks was not a very long time. The mansion was quiet as she made her way in through the kitchen door. Just as she had hoped, a spare key was still waiting for her under one of the rocks in a small garden to the left of the door. She had wanted to go to their graves to say goodbye, but she wasn't ready to believe that three members of what had become like her family were gone. The professor had always seemed like that knowing father patient enough to let you learn your mistakes on your own. Jean and Scott were like older siblings, each balancing out each other just enough so neither would drive you insane. It was hard to think of them not being around.

She placed the brown duffle bag down on the kitchen floor as she breathed in the familiar surroundings. This was the closest thing she had to a home, she understood now why she so needed to return. She may not be a mutant anymore, but that didn't mean that she was no longer Rogue. She didn't need her powers to be family here, she just needed to be herself, they would understand. They had to understand. She walked over to the fridge in hopes to grab a bottle of water. With all the extensive training the students at Mutant High received, Ororo had always made it a point to keep the fridge stocked with a constant supply of water bottles. She took a seat at the small table used mainly to store food when big meals were in order (which was mostly always) and let the warmth of the place consume her. She was happy, happiest she had been in the last four weeks even. She brought the water bottle to her lips before glancing to the doorway to the kitchen. She lowered the bottle slowly as her eyes widened.

"Logan..."

"Hey kiddo." An immediate silence filled the air as the two took the time to size each other up. When Logan could no longer take just staring at her he began walking towards the young Rogue.

"Are yah mad?" Rogue asked cautiously.

"Furious." Rogue nodded, she knew to expect anger. She just wished Logan of all people would have understood. Within seconds Logan was standing before her.

"I...um, I..." Rogue was struggling to explain herself. Minutes before she had her speech completely rehearsed in her head but now...

"So are you going to give me a hug or am I going to have to beg?" Logan asked as a small smile graced his lips. Rogue did not hesitate before wrapping her arms around Logan's neck. "Welcome home kid." Rogue's eyes blurred with tears threatening to spill out at any moment. She was home.

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Like I stated earlier, I have never written an X-Men fic, so this is a new area for me. But I would like to know if I should continue or just give up on it now. I want to try this out, but not if I bombed it already just from the first chap, lol. So make sure to leave a review:)

Riauna