Taking Control – Chapter 2

A.N - Hey! thanks to everyone who reviewed! It's nice to get such lovely comments. Here is chapter two, hope you all like

I should have said before that this takes pace after X1 :)

Disclaimer - Sadly, I don't own the X-men. They belong to Marvel. Genius.

Scott watched as Jean gently drew a brush through her dark red hair. He loved the way it seemed to ripple down her back and the way it turned auburn when it caught the light. Since returning from the fight, they had become a lot closer, coming to cherish every small detail of each other. The battle had made them realise how easily they could be permanently separated. However, it had also shown them just how much they cared for each other. Jean put her brush down and looked at Scott's reflection in the dressing table mirror.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Couldn't you just read my mind?" he teased

"Well, yes," she admitted, as though she forgotten her telepathic abilities, "But I would much rather hear it from you." She wound a strand of hair tantalizingly round her finger. Scott stood up from the bed, walked to where Jean was sitting at her dressing table and gently pulled her up. He kissed her forehead and intertwined his fingers with hers.

I think you know," he whispered in her ear, "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking its about time those stitches came out," she replied, a flirtatious smile playing on her lips.

"Well, well, Doctor Grey. Is that just an excuse to get my shirt off?" he joked as he pulled to sit on the bed with him

"Mr Summers!" Jean replied in mock horror "My motives are purely professional. Now, you had better let me see that shoulder."

"Anything you say, Doctor."

XxX

"Black Jack."

"Damn!" exclaimed Jubilee, picking up seven cards from the pile in the middle, "Are you sure you shuffled these cards?"

"You saw me shuffle them!" replied Kitty Pryde "You just can't accept that you are losing"

"Well, we are only half way through. It could go either way." Jubilee selected three blue Smarties from a bowl on the floor.

"Don't hog all the blue ones!" protested Kitty

"They match my nightgown," smile Jubilee, nibbling the chocolate's sugary coating.

"That's a lame excuse." Kitty waited till Jubilee was engrossed in planning her next turn, before hurriedly checking if there were any pink Smarties to match her pyjamas. No such luck. They had all been eaten.

"What was up with Rogue in Xavier's lesson today?" whispered Jubilee, as though their room mate would suddenly burst in on them

"I know!" exclaimed Kitty, examining her cards, "She went totally mental or something! Did you see her face?!"

"Did you see Xavier's?!" laughed Jubilee, "But don't you think she was totally out of order?"

"Yeah!" I don't know what's up with her lately. When was the last time she played cards with us before bed?"

"Exactly! It's like she's ditched us or something." There was a knock on the door and Storm came in.

"Lights out in ten minutes girls," she said. She noticed Jubilee taking another handful of Smarties. "Be sure to brush your teeth after those sweets, Jubilee." Jubilee, whose back was facing Storm, rolled her eyes at Kitty, who had to bury her face in a pillow to stop herself from laughing. Storm looked around the room "Where's Rogue?"

"We haven't seen her since dinner," replied Kitty "In fact, we hardly see her in the evenings any more."

She had never felt anything like it. The initial pain she experienced when she grasped His energy charged arm, almost made her let go again. Then she felt His life force begin to enter her. By now, He had realised she was behind him and was trying to shake her off. Dark electricity bit at her skin. She cried out and fought to hang on. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Logan struggling towards them. She could no longer hear anything except the screaming inside her head. She saw Logan shouting her name, utter terror in his eyes.

Then all at once, everything stopped.

The Afterlife was gone.

Rogue looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. How long she had been standing there was anyone's guess. She looked at the clock on the bathroom wall. Ten minutes to eleven. Almost time for lights out. She decided to stay where she was for a bit longer. She didn't relish the idea of talking to Kitty and Jubilee about her outburst in Xavier's lesson. She had no idea why she had said the things she had said. She had heard herself saying the words, but had not wanted to say them. It was like she no longer had control over what she said. What was up with her?

"Marie…"

She spun around. Who had said that? Hardly anyone called her by her real name.

"Marie!"

There it was again. Louder. The voice was hissing at her, but where from? Who was talking to her?

"I'm closer than you think, Marie."

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Marie," the voice purred venomously.

"You're not real!" she shouted, mostly to convince herself

"I'm going to get you, Marie," the voice promised her. Rogue shook herself, trying to ignore the voice. She opened the mirrored cabinet over the sink and picked up a glass which she began to fill with water from the tap. She sipped the water and tried to calm herself down. 'You're just hearing things,' she told herself firmly, 'Just drink the water and go to bed.' She finished her drink and closed the bathroom cabinet.

Something was staring back at her.

Marie let out a bloodcurdling scream.