Katherine "Kitty" Pryde's POV

Life is like a dune of sand, for like the wind molds an entire desert of sand, time and circumstances change life forever. Like no two dunes are similar, life is never the same. It is subjected to continuous change, going through highs and lows just like sand; sometimes coarse, sometimes soft, but always changing. Somewhere in my mind, I always knew this, probably heard it in a history class but when I actually experienced it I had no words to explain. From the cheerful valley girl who wouldn't think twice before taking a step to a tactful Mutant Rights Activist, I Katherine Pryde, have experienced the ugly side of life first hand and it's a lot worse for someone like me. A mutant.

For the last few years, at least since the time I started studying law, the anti-mutant propaganda has taken a very grotesque and inhuman face. The humans have sacrificed their humanity in order to cleanse their world by killing all of us mutants. I remember the days when I used to walk through the streets of Cambridge, anti-mutant groups holding rallies and protests used to block my way. My peers at college, who I was best friends with, turned their backs on me the day I confessed to them that I was a mutant. Although they didn't expose me ask a mutant, they never spoke to me again.

Everyone wonders what ever happened to the X-Men. Well, we sort of….disbanded. We had stuck together for quite some time, but ever since the exposure the mutant race to humanity it just became more and more difficult to us to stay together in such large numbers. Professor Xavier had never accepted it, but all of us knew that people thought of us as a threat to national security and human life. Before they could take any action against us we decided to leave for good. Scott and Jean left for college the same year we brought down Apocalypse. Rogue a year after that, and Kurt and I the next year. Since then I haven't been in touch with anyone except for Jean, who is earning her PhD in Genetics from Harvard; her topic of research being the X-Gene. Rogue, I still wonder what ever happened to her. She'd been my roommate for over a year and, although it didn't look like it, we both were very good friends. Rather, she looked out for me while I was on a perpetual mission to get us both into trouble.

I like to believe that apart from Logan I was the only other person who understood her. It had taken some time for us to get to know each other after the initial bumps, but, like they say, opposites attract. I still remember the night she disappeared, we were drunk off our asses and she had helped me get into bed since she always handled her drinks better. When I woke up early in the morning she wasn't on her side of the room. I presumed that she was in the shower or something. It was when I woke up again in the afternoon that I found out that she had, for the lack of a better phrase, disappeared without trace. I had always known that she felt a little uncomfortable at the institute with Jean, Scott and some others. She was never the one to be a part of a large group. I miss her and every now and then, but I just can't help but think that she's…I don't want to think about it. The Professor believes that she's out there somewhere, even though he was unable to track her down we know she's out there.

As far as the others go, last I heard Scott was working as a journalist (doing really well I must add) for The Daily Bugle. A New York reporter; what more could we have asked for? He's our direct line to the media. However, Scott's done little, if anything, to get our words through to the public. We understand that it's not in his hands, he's just a journalist and it's up to the editor, but the newspaper sells because of his column and he wields enough power to steer the editor to at least listen to him. As they say, the pen is mightier than the sword. I sometimes wonder who is responsible for the lack of initiative Scott or his editor.

Speaking of Scott how can I forget Kurt, Scott's best friend and partner in crime, seems to have completely disappeared as well. He was never ambitious, but I never thought that he'd just leave without a word. It was strange how he had disappeared and all though the Professor had tried to track him down several times his efforts were in vain. Sometimes we thought... no he was too strong to be taken down so easily. There must be something else that we weren't taking in account, but, for now, I need to focus my attention to more pressing matters. "The Turtle Bay" massacre for one.

Never in my wildest dreams had I thought that a mutant could be capable of such barbarianism. True humans hadn't treated us well, but that didn't mean we lost our humanity as well. Hundreds, no thousands, had died in the massacre and it had been one massive display of mutant power. The world now knew the devastating consequences of challenging a mutant. As if Apocalypse hadn't been enough to scare the narrow minded humans. The last thing we needed at the moment was a new gang of mutants playing the Acolytes. There had been a time when the X-Men and the Acolytes were the only organized and financially funded mutant organizations, but these desperate times had led several mutants to organize themselves into groups of vigilantes. Some set to protect the mutants the others dedicated to maintaining peace between the two opposing factions.

What had gone so wrong in the last few years that it had come to this? Was it really the survival of the fittest? Were the humans scared of evolution or their evolved brethren? Too many questions unanswered and even more pouring through my mind. It had been so since the introduction of the Mutant Registration Act, or at least since the day Kelly suggested it. We, or should I say the mutant rights activists, like me, had known that something like this would happen, but a massacre is something that we weren't prepared for. There was no way we could set things right now. Those mutants had taken it too far and now the humans were all set to take up arms against us.

I breathed out trying to clean my mind of all the thoughts that had sent my it into overdrive. I got up from my bed and walked to the window. Cambridge was beautiful indeed. The historical buildings and the beautiful streets, I used to love it here until the day I was left alone to fend for myself. I looked out of the window to see the sun peeking over the horizon and then I headed to the showers to get ready and begin my day. I used to live in the dorms earlier but ever since my friends found I was a mutant I stopped feeling welcome. Now, I live in a flat slightly outside the campus now. Professor Xavier had been nice enough to help me find a job and pay for the apartment until I was financially stable.

Looking at the sun peeping out from behind the clouds and rising up to brighten the day I feel hope trickling into me. Maybe someday the sun will shine on us mutants as well and expel the darkness that surrounds us. I continue to look outside the window with a cup of coffee sitting on the window ledge beside me. For several moments I was almost top lost in thought to realize that my phone was ringing. I move from the window into my room to get it. "Hello?"

"Kit! Its Rogue", the familiar southern accent of the girl who I'd been so close with almost brought me to tears

"Where the hell have you been for the last so many years? Do you have any idea how worried you got us? Some even thought that you were dead for Christ's sake." I said, speaking the words I had been dying to say for so long as I held back tears.

"But yah din't Kit. Yah knew that Ah was alive...Ah knew yah wouldn't forget me", she said with a warmth that she had never shown before and I heard a slight tinkle of laughter.

"Leave the rest and tell me where you are." I asked her with urgency.

She laughed again and said, "Where d'yah think Ah am?" I just knew it she had to be with him and he had made her happy broken her out of her shell but I wanted to be sure.

"Stop playing games Rogue. Just tell me won't you." I said with irritation not in a mood to be trifled with.

"Ah'm outside your building let me in won't yah."

And for the first time I let my emotions flow as I threw the phone down and ran out of my apartment in my knickers to let my friend in. I opened the main door and there she was; tall and lithe, her long brown hair sat in waves on her shoulders and down her back, her white bangs blowing in the wind stark in the shining sun. She was lightly dressed for autumn. In just an overcoat and black denim jeans was something that I didn't think of as enough during the season of harsh cold winds but she seemed perfectly at ease. Her creamy skin, minus the dark make up that she wore during her school days, was gone. Instead of that there was a healthy tinge of pink on her cheeks and her brown eyes now held warmth that I hadn't seen before but there was still the fire in them. That was something that hadn't changed. I was just so amazed that I couldn't say anything and to my surprise it was Rogue. I was shocked when she took the first step and engulfed me in a tight embrace. I had never seen Rogue in this avatar and I couldn't help wonder what the hell had brought about the change. As soon as I thought about it, there was only one answer that could possibly make sense.

"Now look at that will you, two young beautiful maidens making up to each other in public; what a sight to see." My instincts had been right again, Gambit stood before me and he looked pretty much the same as the last time I had seen him. Only now he was a little bit older. His overcoat was a little frayed and torn in places. but he looked great as far as I could tell.

"I knew it," I told Rogue with a smile.

"What?" she asked, sounding mildly surprised.

"You have been with Gambit, haven't you? All these years since the time that you left the Institute you've been with him haven't you?" She looked down, looking somewhat ashamed but then looked back at me with a smile.

"You know why." She said, but the three words got the message across loud and clear. I knew instantly what she meant.

"Yes I think I do." I gave her a tight hug to comfort her.

"Ladies I don't know about you but this wind is getting the better of me so if you don't mind Kitty, can we go inside and chat." Gambit said. Completely oblivious of the fact that I had been standing on the street in my knickers, I quickly invited them in and gave them both a cup of coffee each.

Rogue's POV

To say that Kitty's apartment was comfy would be an understatement, it was damn sleek and perfect for a single woman living alone. I knew she was a big girl and could take care of herself. but the old Rogue in me still felt protective of the cheerful hyperactive valley girl that I had once known. So much had changed, there was so much that I had missed. I sighed as I walked into the apartment and sat myself on the sofa next to a that window overlooked the park. I kicked my boots off, bundled up my overcoat and kept in beside me. Remy took the seat next to me and lean back. We had travelled a long way and this wasn't even our final destination. Honestly, we weren't even supposed to be here. I'd had to force Remy to take this detour because I had wanted to see Kitty. It had been so long that I just couldn't carry on without meeting her first and telling her why I left like that in the dead of the night so much as without leaving a note. I had no other choice as I was the only person who could do it. He had always shown faith in me and I didn't want to fail him.

"Here's some coffee guys and some freshly baked chocolate cupcakes." She said with that million dollar smile pasted on her face as she broke through my racing thoughts. Although the sight of food would make anyone as hungry as us into ravenous savages, I knew Remy was starving. But he was trying to be a 'gentleman' and he'd never eat before I did. He looked at me with that glint in his crimson eyes set over black onyx and I just shrugged telling him that he could start off without me. I simply couldn't bring myself to eat those cupcakes. I cringed at the thought of eating them as the five year old memories came back to me. Kurt with an upset stomach and Scott looking slightly green after trying Kitty's cooking hit me in a rush of images. I just couldn't help it, it brought a smile to my face as well.

Katherine "Kitty" Pryde's POV

If there was something that had changed for the best in the last five years, it was Rogue. Never had I seen her with a smile on her face and that many times in a day. We hadn't even got past half an hour and already I had seen her smile, cry, and laugh. For Rogue, that was showing way too many emotions and honestly I was very wary if she was a doppelganger. The sight of Remy and when Rogue embraced me ensured me that this was the same frowning, sarcastic, lonely 16-year-old Goth that I had known all those years ago. It was her embrace that ensured me because the few times that she had had to comfort me I had always felt a warmth. When she hugged me today I felt the same, transporting me five years back.

"Why are you smiling?" she looked at me sheepishly caught by surprise.

(here) "Uhm! Nothing," She said looking down at her hands with a tinge of pink colouring her pale face. She reached out for her cup of coffee, laid back on the sofa's arm and sat cross-legged with both her hands tight around the coffee mug aching for much warmth from the cold. There was a short silence broken by what I had never expected from the demure Gambit, a burp. "Desole.", he said apologizing to us immediately as if he had committed a crime. Rogue and I burst into a fit of laughter. "It's okay Gambit." I said in between laughing and I looked at the plate of cupcakes there were none left, "God!" I said "Looks like you haven't eaten for days." I said jokingly.

He looked at Rogue for a moment, "Oui, we haven't Cherie. Today's the first proper meal that we have eaten in days and in comfort." He said in a serious tone that I didn't ever think he could ever come up with. I looked at Rogue quizzically and she just shrugged it off.

"It's true that we haven't eaten in a while but we have had a few scraps that have kept us going" she said indifferently sipping her coffee.

"But why?" I asked. "I mean are you guys on the run or something." It was time for some answers now. "Rogue" I said, she nodded.

"ROGUE!" I said a little firmly demanding her attention and once I knew I had her undivided attention I asked in that serious business like tone that I had come up with during all my sessions in moot courts and meetings. "Where have you been for the last five years? You left without telling any of us. You just disappeared out of the blue the least you could have done was leave us a note. You could have left me a note. Imagine getting up in the middle of the night with a full blown hangover from a party that you went with your roomie and who you came back with and she has suddenly disappeared." I asked not even pausing in between for breath it all just came bubbling out. She shrugged.

"I don't know where to begin from. But right now the time is not right. We need to leave." she said exchanging a quick glance with Gambit. "I took this detour to see you; to meet with you, to tell you that I was absolutely fine." She looked at me apologetically, "I am Sorry Kit. I didn't wanna leave without tellin' you but the... I assure you that I will come to meet you soon and I'll tell you everything. Ah swear!" she said with that southern accent of hers which I hadn't even noticed wasn't there.

"Rogue was packing some baggage full of secrets. Over there and I couldn't help but wonder what." While we all just sat together talking about this and that, they caught up a little on what I had been doing over the last few years; with my involvement in the Global Mutants Rights Association and how they strived for a diplomatic solution to do away with the Mutant Registration Act.

"Bullshit!" Gambit spat. "Peaceful negotiations, you are talking about peaceful negotiations. What does it mean that they point their guns away from you while they talk? It's a piece of bull crap if you ask me." I listened to the venom in his voice. If I hadn't known better I would have thought that he was involved in the Turtle Bay Massacre but I knew that how much ever he detested the humans right now he'd never harm the innocent unfortunately you couldn't say the same for humans all they needed was proof of a person being a mutant to torture them until they gave out on life.

He looked at me in the eye "If you ask me" Gambit said not breaking eye contact "What Magneto is demanding for is not wrong. It's high time that we mutants have a home where we could live freely without worrying for our friends and family." I sat in silence; somewhere inside I knew he was right and for the first time in so long I just shied away from arguing back.

Mutants all over the world shared Gambit's view on things and many along with Magneto had threatened to build their own independent nations on the ruins of current nations if their demands weren't met with. Mutant factions fighting for equal rights across the world were demanding separate nations the sad story was that the Organization that was to review their petition had gone under water and many suspected the petitioner that is the mutants from one of these factions responsible for it.

I didn't know what to think anymore. I was fighting for equal rights as well but I wanted equal rights in my motherland with the people I grew up with humans and mutants. We had to find a way to co-exist if we failed then all of humanity, humans and mutants wouldn't survive.

Many a times I myself had thought about running to one of those mutant island sanctuaries, a place where I could live in peace but then the big picture came into my mind or rather the reason for which I have been striving for over the last few years, No, this is where I belong. This is what I have to do. I was convinced that what I was doing was right.

I brought myself up to look Gambit in the eye. I had raised my hand and was about to open my mouth to speak when the doorbell rang. I balled my hand into a fist looked at Rogue and the neutral expression; yep she wasn't going to take any sides.

I got up from the chair and went to open the door and I don't know if god had sensed that I was going to lose this one out to Gambit he had sent me the motivation behind my striving, the one and only Sean Shaw.

Kitty was fighting a losing battle and I knew that pretty well. Not many people knew but Remy was the wrong person to debate with especially about Human-Mutant Relations and the Mutant Registration Act. I could see her struggling to come up with a retort for Gambit's last comment and how much ever I agreed with him I couldn't take his side because I knew that Kit had worked real hard for this and although I hated it I couldn't see Gambit make her hard work sound useless. I looked at Gambit trying to tell him to lay off but he was too focused on Kit to notice my subtle gestures and that's when Kit came back to reply but before she could say anything the doorbell rang taking all of us by surprise.

Kitty looked at me her hand balled into a fist and I put on a straight face in order to not betray my emotions. She just shook her head and headed off to open the door. I saw Gambit's hand slide in his pocket to take out the deck of cards, I raised my eyebrow and he just shook his head trying to say "precautionary".

I looked past him over to the door where Kit stood opening the door wide, "Hey Sean! Come on in" I heard her say. "I'm sorry to drop by this early." he said with a slight British accent. He had a deep voice, soothing. He bent to kiss her, a quick and affectionate and he entered the apartment but stopped in his tracks looking at the two backpackers in front of him sitting upright as if on guard and we did the same.

The man was light colored with sharp features and cold, piercing grey eyes. His blonde hair fell on his eyes. They were messy and it seemed that he was pretty comfortable with Kit coz he had come by in just track pants and a sweatshirt, with a suit sheath on his back. I didn't know why, but I knew I didn't like this guy.

"Oh!" Kit exclaimed and she ran forward and took his arm, "Sean meet Rogue and Remy", she gestured towards us, "and guys this is Sean, Sean Shaw, Vice President of MGRA and my good friend." I nodded and smiled while Remy got up to shake hands with him.

Remy looked him in the eye and was about to say something when, "Yes, I'm a mutant" he said taking Remy's hand "and I'm Kitty's boyfriend." He said the second comment directed at me his eyes fixed, unmoving and cold.

A/N:

I'd like to take the opportunity to thank my Beta, Cloudy-The Night Mare Queen who herself is an awesome writer and I'm going to get her to edit this but I thought I'll post it first and then get it edited later. I hope you guys like it! Review.