AN: I hope you guys like it! I apologize for my bad writing. Any suggestions for characters, storylines, etc?

Chapter 2: Rogue and Kurt (The City, Part 1)

Rogue's POV

Two days later…

I laugh as Kurt wolfs down a sandwich. His speedy metabolism in action is hilarious. Well, I guess the furry blue teleporter has to get his energy from somewhere. Kitty, Kurt, and I sit at the dinner table in the kitchen eating lunch. Kitty and I see the new kid, Al, enter the kitchen, but it doesn't look like she sees us.

Kitty says, "Hey, let's go talk to her, see if she's cool.". Today she has on shorts and a black t-shirt with a ponytail, her usual weekend getup.

"Sure." I reply through a mouthful of peanut butter 'n jelly sandwich. Once I set my sandwich down, I continue "Isn't she the one that figured out where we live?" in my slightly southern drawl.

"Yeah. I heard that she's been on the run since she was eight. Seven. Years.". Some of the kids at Xavier's had been on the run for part of their life, but never that long.

"Anyways, let's go." I return. Kurt looks unsure because some people are frightened by his demonic appearance, but he gets up anyways. He presses a button on his watch, and his image flickers, giving him a human appearance. Replacing his blue-ish wavy hair is a wavy blond hairstyle, and his blue fur becomes light tan skin.

"You know, you shouldn't have to use that inside the X-Mansion, Kurt.", Kitty whines.

"Ja. I just don't want to scare her.", Kurt replies in his German accent. He doesn't turn off the watch.

I wipe the jelly off of my gloves on my shorts and stand up. We walk over to Al.

"Hi. You're Al, right?" Kitty leads.

"Yeah." Al looks slightly surprised and slightly defensive. I guess no one really talks to her.

"Well, we thought that we would give you a tour. I'm Kitty, this is Kurt, and this is Rogue." Kitty says.

"Okay." Al pauses for a second. "Is Kitty your real name?"

Kitty laughs, "Nah, so spill, what are your powers?"

"I'm an empath, which means I can control emotions."

"Cool! Okay, check this out." Kitty proceeds to phase her hand through the cupboard and pulls out some cookies.

"I know Jean tries to hide them, but she can't keep me out for long." Kitty grins evilly as she passes them out.

"Rogue can steal the powers of whoever she touches, that's why she dresses all emo, with her skin covered up." Ignoring my indignant "Hey!", Kitty continues, "And Kurt can 'port and do crazy acrobatics since he lived in a circus.". A 'do it' chant rises up between Kitty and me.

Kurt finally sighs and says, "Ich habe keine Wahl, oder?* A double layout or a triple pike?"

"Both!" I challenge. I watch Al's eyes widen in amazement as Kurt completes a series of complex flips and twists.

Eventually, we leave the kitchen and introduce Al to the other students. First, we see Peter and Illyana (Colossus and Magyk) in the gym. They are too focused to notice us walk by. Next, we catch Jubilee setting up a prank for Scott. We promise not to tell because we all know that if we don't, we'll find frogs in our beds and our alarm clocks set for three in the morning for the next few weeks. After that is Logan (working on his motorcycle), then we spot Remy watching TV, Last is Ororo, who we find watering her plants.

Everything seems to be going well until Kitty trips over a snag in the carpet, and, using her powers to prevent from breaking anything, falls right through Kurt and the floor. Kurt's watch crackles with electricity, and we both freeze in terror. It finally gives out, and the watch breaks into pieces in his hand. The hologram goes out.

Kurt and Al slowly look up at each other. With a Bamf! and a puff of sulfurous smoke, Kurt is gone.

"Ah should go after him, shouldn't I?" I say, already making a list of places he might have gone.

"Yeah." Al agrees, her eyes as wide as saucers.

Kurt's POV

At twelve o'clock, one night after the incident, I get an unexpected visitor. There is a quick knock and a whisper.

"Quick, Kurt, get on something other than your pajamas and get out here," Al whispers.

Al is a very confusing girl. She saw who I am, and now she shows up at my room in the middle of the night? I slip on some clothes and step out into the hallway.

Al stands by my door with a backpack slung over her shoulders. She takes my hand, my three-fingered hand, and starts walking, leading me down the hall. There is no use using the watch now.

"Why are you not freaking out?" I bluntly ask.

"I've seen weirder," she whispers back.

"Where are we going?"

"Rogue's room. And be quiet." she hisses. With some help from my night vision, we find our way to Rogue's room. After a few knocks on the door, she wakes up too.

"What are y'all doing here?" Rogue asks, sleepily skeptical.

"I'll tell you guys later. First, get something other than your pajamas on and show me the way to Kitty's room."

"Okay."

We walk all the way to Kitty's room, and this time we have to go in and shake her awake.

"Shush. Al woke us up for some crazy plan, so get on some clothes other than your pajamas." Rogue tells Kitty. We go back to the hallway. Once she finishes changing, Kitty joins us.

"Here's the plan: we sneak out, take Scott's car, and drive to the city. I have a score to settle with an old friend."

"That sounds crazy. I'm in." Kitty says.

"Okay. I'm up for some midnight hijinx." Rogue yawns, still half asleep.

"Ja, I'm in," I say. To get to the roundabout driveway, I grab Al and teleport, and Kitty and Rogue phase down a wall. We all walk up to the car, and Al pulls Scott's keys out of her pocket.

"You're as much a thief as Remy!" Kitty laughs. We all get in the car.

"Fair warning guys: I don't have a license," Al says as we drive away from Xavier's School for Gifted Children.

The car ride, in short, is terrifying. Al floored it down the (thankfully) empty highway. I am suddenly regretting calling shotgun. My teeth are so clenched that I half-expect them to break under the pressure! By the time we reach the city, Al slows down a bit. She finally slows to a stop by a fancy apartment building.

"Behold, the home of Graham Fillmore, active mutant-hater and public speaker," Al tells us. I remember seeing the man speaking at an anti-mutant rally on TV a few weeks ago.

We get out of the car, and Al leads us into an alley. I teleport onto the fire escape and roll down the ladder. After a few flights of stairs, Al prepares to enter through a window.

"Isn't this breaking and entering?" Rogue asks.

"Hmm. We are going to enter, and we might break some stuff, so yes." Al responds. She sets down her backpack and unzips it, revealing some cans of spray paint.

"You ready?" Al asks us.

"Um, I don't think this is a good idea." Kitty protests.

"Too late!" Al jimmies open the window, grabs a can of spray paint, and swings through the open window.

Kitty is right. This is a terrible idea. I follow Al anyways, wiggling through the window. Kitty and Rogue follow.

"Okay guys, If Fillmore gets home early and catches us, we'll have like fifteen minutes before the police show up, so let's be quick about this. Spray paint everything." Al says with an evil grin. She shakes her can, flicks on the lights, and walks through the living room, squiggling lime-green spray paint after her. Then Al goes into the kitchen and pours the whole jug of leftover coffee into her thermos. That goes into the bag too. She goes through another door and leaves Kitty, Rogue, and I stunned in the quiet room.

"Go on, start spraying." Al peeps her head back in and says. Kitty picks up a can and sprays it at the ground, laughing at the silence. She accidentally sprays a little on me and Rogue.

"Oh, now you're in for it!". Rogue and I look at each other, forming an unsaid alliance. We both grab cans and chase after her, our uneasiness quelled by a common enemy.

A few minutes later, Al comes out of the other room.

"Let's go, kids." she laughs. In swirling handwriting, she paints

Al was here

(I breathed on everything)

"C'mon, let's go to Denny's. I'm hungry." Al says once we get down the fire escape. We pile into the car and arrive at the fast food place in no time. We settle down to eat, and Al tells us that she is going outside. Once I finish my burger, I follow her. Al sits on top of the neon sign, eating her burger, sipping her coffee, and swinging her legs.

"What are you doing there?" I ask.

"Eating. Want some?". Al offers me a sip of her coffee. In a flash and bamf, I 'port next to her and sip her drink. I don't know how to phrase my next question, so I just put it bluntly.

"Why are you on the run? Shouldn't you be with your family?"

Al's gaze narrows. "I don't have a family anymore. My mother left when I was little, not bothering to take me with her. She died of cancer a while back." I try to say something, but Al plows on. "After that, my brother Jamie left for college. He's okay now. Got one of his professors to adopt him. I can't forgive him though. He left me with our father. After that, I left too. Took a hint that they didn't want me. Two years later, dear old dad went and killed himself drunk driving. I don't have a family anymore." Al glares wistfully at the stars. Then, finally, she stares right into my eyes.

"Kurt, I have something to tell you. I'm not going back to Xavier's. You guys can drive the car back. Or you can call Scott and ask him to pick you up." Her voice is raw now, and she looks at her shoes. "I-I really don't care what you chose, but either way, I'm not coming."

I am at a loss for words, but it looks like I don't have the chance to say anything. Kitty and Rogue come running out of the Denny's, screaming at us and pointing down the parking lot. I look and see a shadowy figure approaching. Sabertooth. I grab Al and teleport us next to Kitty and Rogue.

Sabertooth's gravelly laughter fills the silence. "You think you can take me?" he says.

Al puts her hands out, straining. The cut on her cheek reopens, and blood covers her cheek. Sabertooth falters and clutches his head, but he gets close enough to us and swiftly backhands Al. She goes flying, and hits Scott's car and slides down, leaving a dent. Al doesn't get up. Scheisse.**

Kitty, Rogue, and I attack. Rogue isn't much help because Sabertooth had the common sense to cover up before attacking us. I teleport onto his back and rope my arms around his neck. A few seconds and he'll be out. He throws Rogue through the window, right into Denny's. His face is getting purple. Just a little longer. He tosses Kitty at a row of cars. She phases through the first car but is taken by surprise by the second car. Kitty launches herself back at Sabertooth, and he throws her down again. This time she doesn't leap up. I'm the only one left. Sabertooth is about to lose consciousness, but he flips me over and throws me on the asphalt. I don't have any juice left to teleport. Sabertooth delivers a vicious right hook. I try to hold on, but everything is slipping away. I lose consciousness, and tumble down, down, down.

*Ich habe keine Wahl, oder? - I don't have a choice, do I?

**Scheisse. - Shit.