Taking Control

A week or so had passed since the battle. For the public, it was a time of wild rumour, speculation and upheaval. For the X-men however, it was a time of recuperation and relaxed leisure. Lessons had been cancelled and there was a general holiday atmosphere at the Xavier mansion.

Scott's shoulder was beginning to heal. He had joked once or twice about how Logan's healing powers would really come in handy. Jean had taken to spending more time with Scott, the memories of nearly losing him still fresh in her mind. Even Logan was in better spirits than usual, perhaps taking time to discuss issues with the Professor, or play pool with the students.

Only Professor Xavier pondered the events of the previous week. The battle could have been fatal for several of his X-men. Although the fight had been won, he still felt the same uneasiness, the same troubled thoughts that he had experienced when they went to battle Afterlife.

Something was not as it should be.

Everywhere she looked she saw destruction. They had been warned that they might not succeed. It looked like the warning could become reality. She saw Him, towering in front of her, His cape almost brushing her cheek. Had He seen her? Sooner or later He would turn and notice her.

She could see the X-men scattered around the desolate battlefield. Scott, lying unconscious some way away. Jean was standing over him, shielding them both with her powers. Logan was on all fours, the skin on his upper body growing back after yet another of his blows. Teeth gritted in pain, he struggled to stand, before being struck once again by His unlimited power. Several of her friends, students like her, were huddled behind a pile of rubble, trying to formulate a plan. A blast of black energy destroyed their hiding place and left them exposed, each of them terrified. Even when they grouped together and hurled fire, rocks, ice and fireworks at Him, He was too much for them.

She wouldn't let Him hurt them any more. He would not hurt her family.

She knew what she had to do.

Only fifteen minutes to go.

The students stared wistfully at the clock over the classroom door, willing the hands to speed up. It was their first lesson back after a fortnight of free time. Though they all usually enjoyed Professor Xavier's classes, going back to sitting at their desks and taking notes was a shock after their unexpected holiday. The professor sensed the discomfort and boredom that was present in the room. He smiled to himself and looked at his watch.

"Don't worry, not long to go now." he said. The students who had been staring blankly into space had the grace to look guilty and twist their fingers in their laps. "Considering the events of a fortnight ago, and as this is the first lesson back, I will be giving you an extension on your 'Antony and Cleopatra' essay."

A hushed cheer of celebration ran around the classroom. Professor Xavier smiled at his students and picked a piece of chalk from the box on his desk. "Now then. For the last ten minutes or so, let's see how much you can remember from our biology topic. Who can tell me which type of bonding holds the structure of an alpha-helix?" A few hands were hesitantly raised, "Jubilee?"

"Err… is it… hydrogen bonding?"

"Good girl! Hydrogen bonding is correct!" the Professor made a small annotation to the diagram on the board. "Who knows what we call a molecule with an unevenly distributed charge?" He looked once more around the class. Evidently they had forgotten that fact in the fortnight they had been away. His eyes fell on Rogue, who was seated near the back of the room, her elbows on the desk with her hands supporting her head. She had been fairly quiet during the class, not giving an answer or contribution to the lesson, so he put the question to her "Rogue, can you tell us?" When she didn't reply, he repeated his question to her "Rogue?" She gave herself a little shake and lifted her head.

"Sorry, Professor, what was that?"

She looked, if possible, even paler than usual. There were dark circles under her eyes and her breathing was shallow. The Professor frowned a little.

"Rogue, are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I just phased out for a minute."

She sounded irritated. Though Rogue was usually quiet and reserved, it was unlike her to be aggressive or rude to a teacher. The Professor's frown deepened a little.

"You're not alright, are you?"

A few students turned to look at her. She flushed with embarrassment and attempted to hide behind her long brown hair

"Sure I am. I just don't know the answer. Why don't you leave me alone and ask someone else?"

This began to worry Professor Xavier. Rogue was being deliberately disrespectful, something that was very unlike her. He decided to investigate, gently reaching out to Rogue's mind to try and establish the reason for her behaviour. She winced and put her fingers to her temples

"Who gave you permission to go through my mind?" she hissed at him , her eyes full of anger.

"Rogue, please. I am only trying to-" but she cut across him.

"Trying to help me? I don't need help from anyone! Just get out of my head and leave me alone!!"

With that she grabbed her bag, pushed her chair back so that it fell to the floor with a clatter, and fled from the room, slamming the door behind her. The Professor regarded the closed door for a moment, before turning to the stunned students.

"Well. I expect those essays next Wednesday. Class dismissed."

Wolverine was walking slowly down the corridor leading off from the corridor leading off from the main entrance hall. He was subconsciously fingering the dog tag around his neck, his mind wandering to the time he had spent in Canada, before Professor Xavier had reached out to help him. Since coming to live at the mansion, he had felt that he had finally found somewhere where not only was he accepted for who he was, but for what he was.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as someone ran around the corner and knocked straight into him. A black shoulder bag fell to the floor, its contents, including a comb, a few biros, a compact mirror and a Hershey's bar spilled everywhere. Wolverine was surprised to see that it was Rogue who had knocked into him and dropped the bag.

"Hey, kid. Where are you going in such a hurry? Shouldn't you be in class?"

She straightened up. Her shoulders were shaking and there were tears spilling down her cheeks. Logan's playful banter turned instantly to concern. He put his hands on her quivering shoulders and gently wiped the tears from her face with his sleeve.

"Hey! What's the matter, darlin'? What is it, what's happened?"

Her eyes slowly met his. She held his gaze for a moment before letting out a small sob and moving forward to lay her head on his chest. He enveloped his arms around her and held her tight, stroking her hair and letting her cry into his shoulder

He was increasing in strength. Soon the whole of New York would be trembling under His control. It was now or never. She inched forward. A stray spark of energy stung her cheek, making her breath catch in her throat.

She started to tug at her left glove.