A/N: This story is in fact a sequel! X-Men Evolution: Endsong and then X-Men Evolution: Onslaught are the predecessor stories (in that order) Feel free to read these stories in any way you want, thank you!

"Rogue..." Kitty said breathlessly. "Scott, he was-"

"He was taken." Bobby interrupted, his eyes wide. " Well, more like left willingly with the enemy. These..." He cast an apologetic look to Piotr, who was also panting. They were covered in soot and dirt, not that Rogue could see currently.

"It is okay, Bobby." He answered. "They were Russians. None of which Piotr would ever associate with." He said, looking to the ground. "Unfortunately very efficient and ruthless..."

"Focus," Rogue choked out, looking around her. Still blinded from past events (hence why she wasn't on the mission to begin with).

"These, these Russian spies, they..." Kurt searched for the words. "They used something to control him." Rogue's face screwed up in horror. "A gem or jewel..."

"No..."

"He pretty much kicked our butts." Jaime filled in sadly. "And then he went with them..."

"With the item we were sent there to protect." Kitty finished.

The world erupted into light and color for Rogue for the first time in months. Since the last time Jean was there, when she went Dark Phoenix and snatched her sight from her. Scott was the key and the trigger all along to returning it to her. Everyone watched tensely as Rogue looked around, realizing she could see again.

"Rogue?" Kitty asked hesitantly. She shook her head slowly. "Oh my god. You can see, can't you?" She nodded, her jaw set.

"Get back on the jet. I'm gonna get Logan and Remy."

Xavier Institute Emma Frost's Office, Feb. 3rd 3:52 pm

Emma watched the pair closely, a bit weary of most of her therapy sessions these days. Scott's depression and guilt post being mind controlled was a problem. A big problem. He was even more of a pain in the ass to be around and he was shrugging off missions, prompting Storm, Emma, and even Rogue to take over for him. She hoped by helping him face his feelings he could get back to being the X-Men's leader, lord knows the school needed him.

"Scott," She began, watching. "I sense guilt. Why do you feel guilty when you were controlled with one of the strongest mind altering items we've ever encountered in this dimension?" His gaze lingered on Rogue for half a second then back to the floor. 'He feels guilty over her for some reason...' "Hank still has no idea what it was." She continued.

"Scott..." Rogue murmured softly, wishing he would just meet her stare for once. He sighed loudly.

"I..." He looked around the room.

"Scott, it's okay-"

"No. It's not." He turned to her, his face firm. "I-"

"You weren't in control, Scott. Did ya blame me when Ah lost control of my powers and hurt you? Hurt everyone?" Emma watched Scott closely.

"That's just it!" He cried angrily. "I've full out battled you before when you lost control." He looked into his hands, ashamed. Rogue shook her head, her grey cropped leather jacket jingling with the movement. Scott wouldn't look at her but their hands still lingered dangerously close to each other's on the couch.

"Because I could seriously hurt someone if you didn't, Scott!" She retorted hotly. It had been water under the bridge for a while, she didn't know why he was being so hard on himself.

"You were taking it easy on me." He said finally. Silence. "You didn't want to hurt me. And I didn't want to hurt you, but... I did." He hung his head in his hands. "I'm a selfish bastard."

"Scott-" Rogue began but Emma interrupted.

"You're dedicated to duty, Scott. And I'm sure she wouldn't have had it any other way." Scott pressed his mouth shut. There wasn't anything that could make him feel less guilty about aiding the enemy and viciously battling his girlfriend. He treated Jean like a flower. A gem. Like the ladiest lady, maybe that's why she resented him and maybe why her and Logan had even happened. Now, he treated his girlfriend like his co-captain, like she was tougher than he was. He was such an asshole.

It took less than half a day for the X-Jet to make it to Russia. Less than an hour for Rogue to track this headquarters on foot. She alone would be fighting Scott for over two hours.

The KGB Operatives had abandoned their Russian base (with the artifact) and left Scott there as a gift to the X-Men. If Rogue was being completely honest, she didn't care about the museum item that'd been stolen in Egypt. Scott's eyes glowed a ghastly blue. Even his optic blasts looked like ice as they flew across the control room. He fought with a desperate vigor she'd never seen before.

"Scott!" She screamed. He could hear her, but he couldn't control himself, no matter how hard he tried. 'No...' He reached against his will to his visor and shot a blast, hitting a switch. Rogue stepped foot on a certain panel of the floor and it fell from beneath her, surprising her when she fell to a lower level. Scott jumped down, firing another blue, optic blast.

It melted through the stainless steel wall, making Rogue realize how strong his blasts were currently. 'That must be full volume.' She thought, watching him in disbelief.

"Stay up there!" Rogue barked, eyeing Scott wearily.

"Are you crazy?" She heard Bobby shout, preparing to ice a ramp down.

"If you don't have a healin' factor don't come down here!" She cried, facing off with Scott. "The control is elevating his powers." Logan pushed Bobby and everyone else away from the edge.

"You're forgetting those are cosmic blasts he's shooting. He can hurt you when he's holding back. I don't wanna carry y'all back to the infirmary." He told them firmly, looking down at the lower level carefully. 'Fight it, Shades. I know you're stronger than this...'

Rogue held her hands out defensively, black gloved hands trembling. "Scott..." She crept forward in her black X-Suit, a grey streak up the middle. She had on a black cropped jacket overtop and her bushy hair in a ponytail, silver bangs clinging to her forehead with sweat. "Let me help you." Shaking, he fought the impulse to attack his girlfriend for as long as he could.

Sweat and tears streamed down his face. "Go..." He begged through clenched teeth. Rogue shook her head, refusing to cry.

"Can't do that, Slim." She said, a grin on her face. He launched a searing, blue blast at her, causing her to leap in the air with a scream. He fired again, picking up his gait and running toward her with his fist cocked. With a scream, he swung at her, fighting more aggressively than she'd ever seen him go in the Danger Room, and that said a lot. 'What does this control do..' She thought, struggling to block his flurry of punches. "Scott!"

He punched her in the face, catching her off guard. He followed with an elbow but Rogue caught it, surprised with the amount of resistance Scott was putting up. With a grunt, she shoved him away from her, blocking another punch with her forearm. He kneed her in the middle and put some space between them, seething.

"Scott!"

"Scott." He blinked, looking back at Emma's face. "That's it for this week's session, I said." Emma gave a tight smile as both Rogue and Scott stood awkwardly. "Please tell me you'll try to be a little easier on yourself?" He grimaced, moving quickly for the door and out of Emma's office.

"I'll try." He murmured half heartedly. Emma turned to the silver-banged mutant.

"Good job." Rogue nodded and filed after Scott out the door. When they were gone Emma heaved a sigh.

Volgograd Russian KGB Base, Feb 3rd 7:21 am

The pale Russian man watched with glee as he reviewed the footage of Scott betraying the X-Men under their brainwashing orders. He wasn't sure why he hadn't thought of it sooner. Nikolai Ivanov was one of the most ruthless, efficient, and dangerous combat tacticians in all of Russia. He was a terrorist, and any cause could hire him for the right price. That's why he was the perfect person to murder and assume the identity of.

He was built like an ox, jet black hair winding all the way down his back. He had a scar on his right cheekbone from a good carving many years ago. He struck fear into even the toughest KGB operatives, and his orders were obeyed without question. So, when he proposed that they use the brainwashing of super powered 'mutant' people to get things done, nobody was surprised.

"It is brilliant, really. Society hates them anyways, they will be expected to commit atrocities..." The room full of agents burst into hushed whispers. It wasn't without controversy, but it was a new level of nefarity the KGB had reached. Who could stand up to them now? "Anastasia," He barked, the blonde woman covered in fur approached him. She was as dangerous as she was gorgeous, her looks making her an efficient spy. She was built like a European model and fitter than an olympic competitor. "The mission was a success."

Her eyes flickered yellow but she retained her disguise. "Are you sure you know what you are doing... These stones, they're way more powerful than you realize." Her stare was hard. Nikolai only chuckled, facing the footage of Scott.

"Oh, I realize exactly how powerful they are, don't worry." He looked to her with an icy grin. "And I told you, I have guidance." This 'guidance' made Anastasia uneasy. She had never seen or heard this 'advisor'. The longer time went on, talking of space time continuums and magic stones... Time portals leading to different universes, beings of god like abilities... The more it started to worry her. Her encounter with Apocalypse certainly hadn't ended well.

"Right." He could sense her budding distrust.

"Anyways, that's none of your concern anymore." He smiled even wider at her. "I have a mission. A very important mission. Especially for you." She frowned. She knew what this meant. Her life was on the line or it was something she really would prefer not to do.

"Oh?" He nodded at her.

"Completion of such a task... Will guarantee you a very nice spot. For life." She looked away from him. None of her bosses ever won or followed up on their promises.

"I've been promised such before..."

"You saw how easily we made that happen. We have the Mind Stone and the Space Stone. Just like that. What's to stop what I just said from coming true?" She crossed her arms unsurely.

"What would I even have to do?" She asked, her Russian accent thick with suspicion.

"You, my dear, will be in control of procuring the Soul Stone." her eyes narrowed.

"And how do I do that?" The grin on the man's face becomes dark.

"You must give up something you really want..." He began. "Some would say a soul for a soul." She frowned.

"And where am I supposed to get something like that?!" She snapped. "You-"

"Don't you have two perfectly good kids to-" She descended upon the Russian man in a fury, screaming as she hit him.

"I would never do that to her." She hissed. The grin on his face remained.

"Oh, dear Anastasia... I know. Because we'll need her for other plans." All the color drained from Anastasia's face.

"No-"

"You will remember who you work for. And know that I work for someone far scarier, now..." The smile slid quickly off of his face. "Than me. So in short, I suggest you do less talking and more listening." She looked away from him. 'Kurt, I can't...' "It won't be that bad when you have your own throne to sit on after this." She looked into Nikolai's face unsurely.

"But-"

"Not but's." He interjected firmly. "Go see what our wards are up to." Scowling, Anastasia obeyed.

'I'm beyond impressed with your efficiency, Nathaniel. Keep up the good work and restore me...' A voice boomed in Nikolai's mind.

'Yes, your grace.'

"Natasha and Annabelle." The instructor's voice rang out. "You two dance the recital piece at the same time." The severe blonde woman snapped, signaling the music. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled into a flawless bun. The piano accompaniment began playing and the girls began to dance, robotically. They were used to this dance. The dance of death. Both girls were flawless but somehow, the teacher always managed to pick between the two.

"Faster." The teacher barked. The girls obeyed, their faces blank. The piano sped up. They kicked in unison, pirouetting around each other. "Bystreye!" She screamed. The girls danced frantically, praying they impressed their teacher.

"Stop." They froze mid dance in the same position. The teacher approached them, staring at each girl with harsh, blue eyes. "Natasha," She called out. Instantly, the red-headed girl in a tutu punched her opponent and grabbed her head, screaming as she snapped her neck. Annabelle fell forward, slack. Blood trickled out of her ear. She stood, her hands shaking but her face blank.

Annabelle had been her friend. They slept together at the facility. The shared food and cookies and told jokes. And in an instant, Natasha killed her as ordered.

"Someone has officially graduated their Red Room training." The teacher crossed her arms. "Everybody, pay attention." Dozens of blank eyes landed on Natasha, standing frozen in a tutu.

"Nat?" Natasha Romanova, now an adult, sat in the D.C secret SHIELD shelter with her teammates. The footage of what the news called a 'mutant' played over and over on the giant screen. She shook her head, running slender hands through fire engine hair.

"Sorry," She mumbled, scrubbing her hands over her face. The blonde haired, muscular super soldier sat beside her. He peered at her worriedly, his muscles bulging out of ordinary t-shirts.

"You went somewhere else." He commented, his voice so gentle it kind of annoyed the former operative.

She leaned her head on her hand and took a dissatisfied bite of her peanut butter sandwich. "Anywhere's better than here." She quipped, smiling with her mouth full. Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America, couldn't help but laugh. Things were never easy for the ragtag group of heroes who called themselves 'The Avengers'. But laughing helped.

Tony Stark, one of the richest people in the world, and also one of the smartest, stood glued in front of the T.V in the sterile headquarters. He had built suits that changed the world. Weapons that won wars. There was nothing the man couldn't invent, he was positive of it. But he wasn't convinced he was in the correct timeline. At least, the same one.

Laboriously collecting the Infinity Stones and facing Thanos again to fix their fractured world... On their earth, Thanos schemed and plotted his way to all of the stones. He created a gauntlet to harness them and snapped half of not only earth, but their universe away. Earth, as many other planets, was left devastated. Whole families, extinct. Dozens of heroes, eradicated. Earth and all it's inhabitants fell into a dark period, lacking hope.

All because Thanos thought that life was in need of 'balance' and he thought this feat would impress Death, giving her so many precious gifts.

It was absolutely psychotic and insane, and the Mad Titan got his wish. The heroes had never lost before, and not in such a way. For years they rebuilt the world, conducted research, and formed the only plan they could manage to fix this. Exploiting technology for time travel. They fought that same war, again. They even got the gauntlet to themselves, but the snap seemed to bring them to an alternate United States.

Dozens of their allies and relatives were still missing. And to make it worse, it seems they brought the Infinity Stones with them, scattering them all over the globe/universe.

Tony watched the footage in horror, mostly hung up on the footage of the so called mutant. "I don't understand..." He grumbled, the bags under his eyes a mile long. Bruce chuckled from the kitchen, Thor watching impatiently as he cooked Pho for everyone. "How? How can he shoot blasts from that visor that melt metal? I can't rest until I figure out and engineer this technology..." He scribbled furiously on a notepad in his hands.

"It's simple, really..." Bruce began, pushing his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Clint tossed a dart, hitting the center of the board with ease.

"Here we go." He rolled his eyes.

Bruce poured Thor a bowl of the piping hot soup. "Because he has the ability. Just like I have the ability to, well.. Y'know. Turn into the green guy." He placed two bowls in front of Natasha and Steve. Steve sniffed, trying his hardest to be polite. He found the brothy soup fragrant. He forced a smile, wishing Bruce would just make pot pies for once. He didn't have the heart to complain, nobody wanted to be responsible for feeding the whole group AND Thor.

"Thanks, Bruce. It smells... Challenging." He gave an awkward smile. Natasha coughed on her spoonful.

"Challenging, Steve. Really?" She sent Bruce a look that was thanks enough. Steve chuckled uncomfortably and took a gingerly sip.

"I think this slop is splendid!" Thor cried, pounding on the table and causing the whole room to shake. "On my home, Asgard, we had a similar delicacy. Made from the musk of Dark Elves! I did not think Earth was capable of replicating such flavors..." He hurriedly went back to eating, leaving everyone else with the implications of what he'd said.

Clint tossed another dart. "Oh, right." Bruce frowned.

"C'mon, Hawk Guy. Get some Pho while it's hot. We gotta eat." Clint let out a string of obscenities that let Bruce know he wouldn't be having some anytime soon. He waved at him dismissively and headed to the living room. "Tony..."

"I don't want any of your soup, Green Goblin. While you guys are chowing down..." He sent them all a disparaging look. "I'm trying to figure out what the hell we're going to do about this.." He gestured at the screen. "Do you guys realize how serious this is? Forget getting back to wherever we came from. We have to stop this Earth from being destroyed!" He threw his hands up in exasperation. "They're in possession of at least one stone. This is a bigger deal than Vietnamese soup, my friends." He looked around at them for emphasis.

Clint huffed, tired of hearing Tony harp about this. They were constantly scanning their surroundings for any signs of any other stones. He looked over at the footage and froze when he noticed the ghastly blue light behind Scott's eyes. He remembered working for Loki and fighting against his own partner, Natasha, under the order of the Mind Stone. "No..." He breathed. He walked over to the screen, so close he was almost touching.

"Don't get any finger prints on it, bird boy." Tony began. Clint waved his hand.

"You're wrong, Tony. They have at least two." He point at the footage and gestured to freeze the video. "Whoever this is is being controlled by the Mind Stone. Just like I was." He shook his head.

"The Battle of New York..." Natasha gasped, remembering how hard it had been to face her partner.

Bruce looked up from his Pho. "Remember how fucked we were when we had to deal with Hawkeye? Now they're taking control of people with the powers of nukes." He chuckled to himself at the prospect, shoving a forkful of noodles in his mouth until he realized that was exactly what what they were doing. "Oh my god. We're screwed."

Natasha sat back, her mind working. "Only if there's an excess of people like... Like that." She pointed at the screen. Tony sighed.

"Oh, knowing our luck. There is." He crossed his arms and watched for the hundredth time. "What are we gonna do..." He sighed, waving his hands in front of the screen. More screens appeared, showing incidents they all had no recollection of. The sky lighting up brighter than daylight in the dead of night in the middle of New York, magnetic pulses suspected to be from mutants, and footage anti-mutant rallies. "Where are we?"

Natasha stood, her mouth agape as she watched. "Oh my god..."

Piotr stared at Kitty in marvel, a bit uncomfortable in the late professor's old office. Nobody ventured in there anymore, except for maybe Scott. She placed Cerebro on the mantel and stared at in adoration. "He came up with Cerebro all on his own. He was nice enough to trust me to do repairs on it and eventually upgrades..." She sighed, running her fingers over the smooth metal. She missed him more than she could've ever thought she would. They all did.

Piotr placed a hand on the back of her pink sweater. "He believed in you, Katya. As do I. You can do anything." He stared at the machine.

"Emma and the professor are totally different telepaths. It's good that I built Cerebra for her and she can calibrate it in a way that works well." She sighed, staring one last time at Cerebro. "Doesn't feel right if Jean or the professor doesn't use it." He nodded in silent agreement, sparing a thought for the fallen.

"Come," He said, ushering her off. "You've done good work, Kitty." She smiled, following the Russian out. Piotr smiled at newer students passing through the halls, their book bags hanging off their shoulders. Some looked at him fearfully, others with badly contained disgust. Kitty frowned, her stomach dropping when she realized they were suspicious because of where he was from.

"H-Hey!" She screamed, going after them.

"K-Katya, wait!"

"What were you guys saying!" She shouted after them, bumping into Kurt and Bobby. Bobby held his hands up defensively,

"Whoa, whoa. Katherine. Namaste." He eyed her suspiciously as she panted angrily.

"Vhat's up?" Kurt asked her, eyeing the group of new recruits moving through the institute. She huffed indignantly.

"Forgive her," Piotr began, his face crestfallen. "It is Piotr's fault." She whipped around angrily.

"P! H-How could you say that!?" She cried, fighting the tears that were definitely an unfortunate side effect of her monthly cycle. Bobby and Kurt looked at him in confusion.

"Big dude?" Bobby began.

"No, it isn't!" Kurt responded angrily. He shook his head.

"They are suspicious of me and by proxy, Katya, because I am Russian." His face hardened. "They are suspicious about whether or not I have ties to something like the KGB. The people who took Scott." He dropped his gaze with a sigh. "I am sorry, Katherine." She placed a hand on his giant arm.

"You don't have to apologize, you're Russian. That's it." She frowned. "You would never do anything like that. I don't care if you were an Acolyte. You'd be the first to help anybody." She said, her eyes shining with determination. Bobby and Kurt nodded.

"Yeah, dude. Nobody could believe you're a bad guy. Believe that." Bobby pressed. Piotr only sighed, watching Rogue and Scott at the end of the hallway. She seemed to be pleading with him, and he was staring off at Piotr. Scott had been doing weird since the professor (and Jean) died, and even weirder post his brainwashing. He hadn't accused his Russian teammate of anything, but he had been noticeably short of words with him ever since. Piotr couldn't help but notice. And now, new students had.

Even Logan had approached the Russian mutant about it.

"Listen," He had begun. "The moral code he upholds himself to is outrageous, Peter." He said, lighting a cigar and offering him one. He declined though he was tempted. "His head is messed up. They went inside his mind and messed it all around. I know it ain't right, but don't take it personal. He can't handle the stress." He nodded, knowing it was the easiest way to take things.

"Don't mind him. I don't know what's gotten into him these days." Kitty snapped, fed up with Scott's 'woe is me' act. They had all had a harrowing and traumatic couple of years, not just him. She turned away, frustrated tears in her eyes. "He's not the only one who lost them..." She said, her eyes glittering. Piotr placed a hand on her shoulder, done complaining about his annoying circumstances.

"Hush," He cooed. "Everyone goes through grief in their own ways, Katya. He's trying. We all are." He pushed her towards the stairs, Kurt and Bobby following after them. Scott sighed, his fist clenching. Rogue tugged on him indignantly, trying to catch his stare. He was impossible sometimes. The death's of Jean and the professor had changed him, as it had them all. She couldn't fault him for it. She pressed gently on his arm.

"Scott." Rogue snapped. "He's been Kitty's boyfriend for like, three years. He's one'o us. Ya can't really think..."

"I'm just saying we don't know for sure." He turned to her, his brow furrowed. He didn't believe in coincidences anymore. She was so beautiful. It used to exhilarate him, but now it just made him worry for her that much more. He stared into green-grey eyes, hidden beneath a maze of wavy hair. 'I couldn't save Jean...' He thought bitterly, longing for his first love. Losing anyone else wasn't an option. "It's up to me to defend this institute, now." He looked at her seriously. "And we don't even know what I did... How I helped them..." His fist clenched again. She placed a gloved hand on his face.

Hank engineered the suppression collar technology into a far less cumbersome bracelet that Rogue wore constantly. She still wore her gloves out of habit, though. She placed a gentle kiss on Scott's lips and he almost felt a little better. "Did ya ever blame me for Apocalypse?" His forehead wrinkled.

"W-What, no!" He answered, almost angrily. Curse anyone who did. She cupped his head in her hands.

"Then you don' get to blame yourself for this, okay?" She dropped her hands in his. "You helped me through that, a lot. Let me help you." He smiled for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Okay." He said, deciding to save the worrying for tomorrow.

Scott was chasing after Rogue relentlessly. He didn't get tired and he didn't feel pain. He was like the Terminator. Scott's impressive leadership and combat skills did not compare to the wrathful operative coming after his own teammate. "Scott!"

He unleashed a full force optic blast that hit her straight in the chest. She flew back with a cry into a stack of wooden boxes. Rogue coughed before shooting to her feet, eyeing Scott with determination. "Ouch," She growled, spitting blood. She winced as the singed wound slowly healed, some of the material of her grey and black suit seared away.

She flew forward, her hand cocked back. He lifted his hand to his visor. Rogue swung at him, but at less than 30% of her strength. 'I can't force myself to actually fight him...' He ducked under her and tackled her to the ground. He pinned her for a moment, preparing to blast her face at close range. Rogue screamed and threw him off of her, scrambling to her feet. "Scott..."

"Go!" He screamed. The impulses from the gem were telling him kill her. Kill them all. And he knew he was powerful enough to do it. "Rogue..." He bit his own tongue as he struggled to disobey the commands.

"I won't!" She cried, dashing forward. He shot another blast at her but Rogue repelled it with a piece of metal. The blast ricocheted back to him, launching him backward. He crashed into some empty canisters. "Scott!" She flew over immediately, landing at his side. "I'm sorry," She said, looking down at him worriedly. Whatever Russian kevlar he was wearing burned, but did not tear. It covered his head and hair, leaving his face free. She caressed his face gently.

Scott finally seemed to be unconscious. She ran her fingers over his chest when he shot up, grabbing Rogue by the throat in an iron grip. She jerked back in surprise. "Scott,"

Tears streamed down his face as he stared at her, his hand shaking as he squeezed. "Rogue..." He would kill her in that moment. She gasped in surprise, staring into his eyes. 'He wouldn't... He can't!'

Logan had grown impatient enough. "If you come down there after me see how many shots you get." He warned, his bone claws out.

"B-But," Kitty started protesting.

"No but's." He hopped down, landing like an animal to see Scott strangling Rogue. "SHADES," He shouted.

"Stop... Me..." He begged, trying to remove his hand from her throat. He grabbed his afflicted hand with his other arm.

"Scott..." A tear rolled down her cheek as she stared at Scott. Her eyes glowed white. "Stop."

"ROGUE," Logan screamed, barreling over. A force he couldn't see sent him sprawling back, yards away from both mutants. He looked up in shock to see Rogue floating by herself, Scott on the ground in front of her. He crawled to his feet and lunged for her again. She held him taut with telekinesis

"If whatever he's got is transferable by touch..." Logan struggled to his feet, missing his automatic healing factor.

"Don't you dare!" He screamed at her angrily. If she was possessed in the same manner as Scott he would have to evacuate the team for their safety. "Rogue!" She touched her bare face to Scott and he howled at her in pain, the blue fading from his eyes. She screamed in pain, her hand flying to her own head. "ROGUE," Scott collapsed into a heap in front of her.

Logan watched her carefully as her eyes glowed blue. 'No...' He thought. She grit her teeth and bent over, fighting the strange hold with all her might. As quick as it happened it ended. The blue faded, and the spell disappeared. it was not something Rogue could contract via her powers. Logan slowly helped a moaning Scott to his feet.

"Easy..." He warned as Scott looked around. He's knees buckled as he tried to take a step. He jumped when he saw Rogue, finding the strength to run into her arms instantly.

"Rogue," He breathed, squeezing her tight. "Are you okay? I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I-"

"You're back." She breathed into her neck. He could feel her shaking fiercely against him. 'Rogue... I'm sorry.' He pulled apart and stared into her face worriedly.

"I thought I..." He grabbed the back of her neck and stared at her tearfully. "I'm so sorry!" He grabbed her, sobbing suddenly in shame at attacking her and the team. She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"It's okay. We're okay."

"Everything okay?" Rogue repeated, looking worriedly into Scott's face. He turned and stared out the window. Every time he looked at her too long he saw himself choking the life out of her with all his might.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." He said, jamming his hands in his pockets. Rogue smiled thinly and followed after him when he started walking.

Jaime and Bobby stared silently and solemnly at the portrait of Jean hanging in the foyer against the plum and maroon walls. Beside it, a new painting of Xavier hung beside her. Bobby knew he had an obligation and duty to look after younger recruits, especially with them gone. But he wasn't prepared for how fast they grew. Soon, Jaime beside him would graduate and have the option of staying on the team or going off to college. He remembered when he was still an awkward kid in middle school when they were already in high school. What he wouldn't give to give to go back and really appreciate it.

"I miss them." Jaime said absent-mindedly, a sad smile on his face. He couldn't help it when he gazed at the pictures. It was the only way to see them, now. "Jubilee is working on Rahne, Ray, and Evan." His voice quivered a little bit. "She had been working on these longer, Jean when she left and the professor just because..." He dropped his gaze.

Bobby shoved his hands in his pockets, used to the melancholy feeling he was felt. "This will be a lonely hall." He said after a while, running his fingers over the professor's picture. He left the slightest trail off frost over it. "It'll be good to have them in here too, eventually. I think about them all everyday." Jaime nodded, really identifying with the students who enrolled after the main X-Men team. They had been tight and they missed them all.

"Me too." Jaime sniffed, trying to focus on the friends he still had and had been lucky to make. Still, times were tumultuous. He missed the stability maybe most of all. The time when one of his friends dying didn't seem remotely possible. He heaved a great sigh and Bobby wrapped his arm around him.

"It's okay to miss them. We all do, besides." Bobby tried to smile. "They're within. All of us. I feel them." Jaime nodded in agreement.

"I know," He said, trying to brave. "I just always thought the professor would be here much longer..." Bobby nodded, also longing for the security the young mutant provided. Now, all the students felt as though they were just floating along. Those old enough tried to cover the responsibilities but it was guess work. Nobody was Charles Xavier.

"Me too, dude. We gotta be thankful for the people we've still got." Jaime nodded, a small smile on his lips. None of his friends who were gone would want him to mope, he just couldn't help it. 'We aren't added anyone else to this wall. No more.' Bobby thought, absent-mindedly clutching a fist.

A/N: Bystreye: Faster