DISCLAIMER: I do not own X-Men Evolution nor do I make any money from this. So, do not sue please!

AN: Hi y'all. I am back and I know where I want to take this. I hope to finish this one-day. Like many others out there, I do have a problem with commitment as well as motivation to keep going. However, I will try my hardest to see this to the end. Scout's honor. (Even though I'm not a scout ^.^)

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Black Coffee

New Day

By therapist

Emma came into his study, a victorious smile on her face. "It's done Erik and…I found something you might like."

Erik put down his scotch and gave her his full attention. "Besides your beauty and viciousness? Hard to believe but very well then, what is it?"

She perked at his comment and flipped her hair over her shoulders. "As I was saying, I found something in our new girl."

He raised an eyebrow. "Now you said something I might like. I also might not like it."

"Did you know that with she doesn't permanently absorb the powers of mutants?"

Remembering her file, he nodded. "I do recall reading that."

"When the girl dove into my mind, she was still using Jean's telepathy. After our session, the girl awoke. I threw with a weak psychic attack, one that an even amateur, like Grey, could have taken. It knocked her out cold."

"Very good Emma. This is news that I do like," he responded.

It was true that Magneto had overlooked the fact that Jean was a psychic, a rash decision on his part. When given a choice to take down an enemy, one does not mull on it. They go for it before the chance vanishes. A telepath would have made this fabrication much harder to pull off. Now this, it was fate. The gods have finished toying with him and given him a legitimate chance to win this war.

"However, she still retained Jean's telekinesis."

Shocked, he looked at Emma. "That is surprising."

"Would you like to see the bruise which I received when she dumped me out of her room?" Emma lifted her leg onto the chair, ready.

Eyeing her creamy leg, he could spot some discoloring on her upper thigh before it disappeared behind her dress. "As tempting as that is, I take your word for it. Are you sure it isn't a residual effect?"

"I thought it could be that but I would have thought that it would have faded at the same time."

His mind churned over this new information, forming theories about Rogue's powers. "Perhaps, touching someone for a long period gives Rogue permanent use of the power."

"What about the telepathy? Why would one be gone and the other stay?"

He also wondered why and remembered a conversation he had with Xavier when they still talked despite their differences in opinion. "When Jean's telepathy emerged, she couldn't handle it and therefore, Xavier had locked away that power and let it develop slowly over time. In its stead, telekinesis had become her main power; something she utilized and used to its full potential."

Emma pondered over his explanation before nodding. "I suppose."

"That is why I need you to train the girl. To see if my theory is correct and if it is, then you will teach her to use it properly. If her telepathy somehow emerges again, whom better to handle it then the world's strongest telepath?"

Groaning, she plopped into the chair, very unladylike. "Must I? I might strangle the bitch before the first hour."

"Right now she can't control her telekinesis, which could be dangerous for herself and everyone else. She needs to learn how to control it and since you are the closest expert we have, you have been elected." Another groan emitted from her. "I have complete confidence in you and your ability to restrain your anger." When her pout deepened, he added, "Did I mention you will also do a few sparring sessions with her."

Instantly, she perked up and jumped from her chair. "Well since you asked so nicely, I will accept your offer and train her. Though I am making no promises about the condition she will be in when we finish." Emma flashed a wicked smile before leaving his room.

The hour was late and he decided to attempt to sleep. Lying in bed, he was waiting for sleep that he knew that wasn't going to come. One certainly could not rest after learning such news, though he did try. At five, he rose from bed. Sleep very seldom came for him and when it did, it was in spurts that did little to rest him. Tonight or today was no different. Though he tried to quell all his thoughts, his head did not want to turn off. The possibilities, the plans he could hatch occupied his mind. Thus, pacing began.

A meeting with the X-Men was imminent. The girl could not remain hidden from them forever. Now, would her new memories endure if she had absorbed her fellow X-men? Would those memories cause the false ones to reveal their true nature? Thinking for a moment, he concluded that it would not but he was not as confident as he wished. Because there were no original memories, she would not readily believe the absorbed ones. And he trusted Emma and Jason's work, he'd seen it first hand what the pair can do but this fabrication was built upon lies. Lies have a way of revealing themselves at the most importune time. If needed, we will lie. Just like Wolverine, she too would have trouble eventually telling which memory was hers and which ones were planted. If the situation spiraled out of control then he would have Emma fix her again, though that was a desperate resort. Tinkering too much with the mind could lead to psychosis; the damage would be great.

Another thing that plagued him was that Mastermind's skill was great yet Xavier's power was greater. What took all night to do, he can undo in mere seconds. Perhaps the reason why he held hope was Xavier's conscious. What he had done to the girl went against everything he taught and that could not have been done lightly. To do it again was not a feat he thought Xavier could do. His conscious as well as teachings would be in danger. The guilt would eat his soul, leaving nothing of the man he used to be. If he were stronger, Magneto would not doubt that he would cross that line. Yet, he was weak.

Training with Emma will not be enough also. An excellent fighter she was, yet, her anger will keep her from training her fully. Not to say that Emma will turn Rogue into a liability. A great fighter she will be but not as great as Emma. The girl had potential to be the best. She had guts, remembering the Christmas Eve fiasco involving Angel. With proper training, she could rival Emma in usefulness.

Whom could he trust with this task? Sabretooth did have the skills yet none of the restrain. He could not be certain the girl would live through one of his training sessions. Colossus relied too much on his mutation; he was decent on his best day. Pyro... Well, he did not think the fire starter knew how to do anything but manipulate fire. This left only Pietro and Gambit. One would not be able to tell but Pietro was an excellent fighter. Yet, he, like Colossus, he relied too much on his power. Knowing that he could always defeat an opponent in combat, with or without form, diminished all of his training. The obvious choice would be Gambit. No one could fight with his or her powers more efficiently than the thief could.

He hesitated. Gambit was the natural choice but the truth was that Magneto did not trust him. True, the thief saved his hide many times before in battle and he did trust the thief to watch his back. Yet, that was battle. When not in battle, he distrusted the thief immensely. It had nothing to do with his occupation; he was a terrorist, who was he to judge others? Lack of respect, as well as his inability to control him was the major factors of his lack of trust.

Ordering Gambit to keep his advances to himself would only fuel his desire to taste the girl yet, not setting boundaries or rules would be dangerous as well. Rogue was an elusive prey, one that has never been touched by a man. It was a kind of challenge that Remy loved. She was something pure and unattainable, a combo that the thief could not resist. No doubt that the girl would not stand for it but how strong could she remain against him? Remembering all the women Remy have wooed, he doubted for very long.

Then again, there was Pietro. Perhaps if given the task of training the girl, he would also recover some his lost skill. Pietro started training in martial arts at a young age, mainly because he did force it upon his son. When he decided that Pietro was old enough to make some of his own decisions, he was disappointed to learn that his son stopped his martial arts training. Slowly he began to forget everything that was taught to him, reducing his fighting forms to nonexistent.

Maybe I could assign both of them to that task. Through his observations, he noticed a tension between his son and Gambit. Everything was a contest between those two and both hated losing, especially to one another. It would make sense for him to assign both of them this task. Gambit will teach the girl and Pietro will regain some skill and perhaps keep Gambit away from her.

With his thoughts quelled, fatigue caught up to him. He stumbled to bed and crashed into the soft mattress. Within moments, he was asleep.

XXXXX

Erik awoke feeling refreshed, as if all those years of insomnia never happened. Glancing at the clock, he did a double take as it read one in the afternoon. When the hand moved, he leapt out of bed. Within minutes, he was presentable and he exited his room.

The lair was silent as it should be. Despite being mostly metal, he had installed soundproof rooms after several of Remy's guests had vocalized her pleasure all night long. He winded down the hall and ended up at the door of the training room. The door opened and a flood of grunts and yells hit his ears. The sight of Emma grappling with the girl was quiet erotic as Emma pinned the girl down. Their wet shirts clung tightly to their bodies, revealing every killer curve.

"Finally," Emma said, casting a look at his direction. She released the girl and rose. "Any longer and I would have sent a search party."

He eyed the girl, looking for any visible signs of their progress. "How's the training going?"

"Training? Is that what this is?" she asked wiping the sweat from her brow. "Ah thought it was just a beat-mah-ass-session," Rogue said, shooting Emma a dirty look.

It seems as if he was right about his earlier assessment. That woman was too vindictive, he thought with a slight smile. "How is the other training going?" Rogue grunted and he watched as a five-pound barbell three feet in the air. Within seconds, the weight crashed to the ground along with the girl. She panted loudly, her body slick with sweat. Though it was in the air only a few seconds, he was impressed with the girl's progress.

"Wow. That was impressive. I believe it stayed in air for two whole seconds, a new record for you," Emma said with a clap. A deliciously evil idea formed in her head and she could not contain her obvious grin. Rogue hoisted herself from the ground making her miss the look that passed on Emma's face. Magneto, however, caught the look and decided to allow Emma to continue with her plan.

She rubbed her hands in delight when she received a nod from Magneto. "Aww, did that hurt your feelings little girl?" Rogue shot Emma a warning look, which she ignored. "I feel sorry for you. It must be sad being so pathetic."

Magneto watched as Rogue flexed her fingers, trying to curb her anger. Emma circled around her prey, her taunting continuing. Rogue, for her part, remained oddly silent. In her head, she began counting.

One…

Magneto inched closer to the door, wanting to stay away from the crossfire when it broke out. The air was thick with tension and he could see Rogue shaking with anger. Though he did consent to whatever Emma had planned, sometimes Emma did not know when to quit and he hoped today she would learn a valuable lesson.

"No smart comeback? Is your mind too slow to think of a simple answer?" Emma taunted.

Two…

Rogue was always quick to anger and today will be no different. She snapped and threw Emma against the wall. Emma slammed into the concrete, hard, eliciting a grunt upon impact. Rogue pressed her hand, keeping the woman pinned against the wall.

Emma grunted as the pressure kept her pressed hard among the wall. Like everything else in life, this was a lesson for both of them. The girl will learn to harness her anger into power. As for Emma, she learned that the girl was quick to anger but that will not stop her from pushing her buttons. Anger and power went hand-in-hand; look at the leap of power the girl displayed. Smiling, she sent out a weak psychic bolt, breaking her hold. As she slid to the ground, she flashed the fuming girl a grin.

"That will be all for today," Emma said as she rose from the ground. Rogue's anger diffused and she glanced at Emma, confused. "Learn to control that temper of yours," she tossed before leaving the room.

Perplexed, she did compute the last sentence until a few seconds after the door closed. Her temper flared again and she let a stream of profanity that impressed Erik.

"Finished dear?" he asked after she quieted down. Rogue glared at him and waited for him to continue. "Tomorrow, you will be training with Gambit," he stated, elicited a groan from the girl.

"Ugh, That wannabe Casanova? Why? Can't I just continue training with Emma?"

Only wanting to train with Emma, hmm, that was not a good sign. "It is important for you to learn a variety of fighting skills and Emma already is teaching you to control your telekinesis."

She waved a hand, halting his excuse. Her blatant disrespect was making him irate. Perhaps Emma should have made her more agreeable; she retained too much of her previous attitude.

"I have decided that Pietro will be your trainer as well. No objections or complaining," he added the last part as the girl opened her mouth to retort.

"You bastard!" she shouted before he left the room.

XXXXX

Scott pressed the button and watched with haunted eyes as the status tube Jean was in, lowered. She looked serene as if she was merely sleeping. As the tube dropped lower to the ground, so did his heart.

It was a difficult decision but he, like Beast, thought it was for the best. They had used the same tube that Xavier was trapped within several weeks before. In there, Jean would remain in suspended animation, until they could figure out what to do.

Feh. He was lost, everyone else turned to him for leadership, and he could not think of a goddamn thing to do. Rogue's violent departure had shaken him deeply. Why would she do something like that? It made things even more confusing because he knew she did not have any of her memories. What reason would she have to attack Jean? None was the answer.

The rest of the team argued that it was Rogue-like behavior, attacking Jean that is. They didn't carry the burden of the knowledge he had. How could he tell them what he knew? It would make understanding this tragedy even harder. This was another secret that he could not tell anyone else. He was the team leader and this will be his burden to carry.

The Professor was conveniently absent since this fiasco began. He had an "important matter that could not be ignored" to attend to. Scott didn't stop him as he left, his anger preventing him from doing anything but scowling. Later, he thoroughly trashed his room, cursing the Professor's name. For his cowardice, the lies he told them all, for killing Jean. Yet, she wasn't dead. Beast had explained that she was in a coma but from his tone, he knew there was more to it. After much pleading, he finally got Beast to talk. "She has no brain activity, Scott. She in such a deep coma that I do not know if she will ever wake from this," he said, watching his face. Numbness coursed through his body as Hank's words repeated over in his head. "Perhaps, it would be best if we…"

Scott pinned Hank against the wall, fury boiling his blood. "Don't you even dare suggest that! She is not dead so don't even suggest -think- about that!"

Hank held up his large hands, trying to placate the raging man. "I had to ask Scott, standard procedure. I do not enjoy this anymore than you do, my friend."

He released the furry man and ran both hands through his hair. "I don't know what to do! I'm so confused and lost. And now this." Hank placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. Scott looked at the man, looking haggard. "What should I do?"

There, Hank suggested the prison that Xavier had been trapped in. Time's effect would never touch whoever was in there, a temporary solution for Jean. She would remain untouched, until they -he- could save her.

"Ready Scott?" Kitty asked. He forgot that he wasn't alone. Kitty looked forlorn and he knew the guilt was eating her up too. Like himself, she wondered if there wasn't another way to solve the problem with Rogue. And the million-dollar question was if there were another solution, would this still have happened. That question burned into his head, making him feel queasy.

"Ever wonder what might have been?" he asked. She shot him a look, answering his question. "Yeah, stupid question. I bet you can't think about anything else. I know it's what I think about all the time."

"I think the worst part is that we all knew there was another answer yet, we let our anger control us without even thinking and the Professor yielded to our decision."

Scott reeled back, surprised. "I didn't know about that."

Kitty flashed a sheepish smile before it quickly melted away. "I overheard him talking with Ororo. He wanted to believe that he could save Rogue but he wanted to protect us from her."

"Probably wanted to keep her safe from us as well," he added, remembering the team meeting the night before the incident.

"Where do you think she is?" she asked. Scott often thought of where she could be. "Do you think she'll ever come back?" she asked, hope shining brightly in her eyes.

Scott sighed, suddenly fatigued. "Would you want to come back Kitty?"

Her face fell, mimicking his feelings. He doubted Rogue would come back, ever. Meaning, Jean is stuck forever in her prison.

He contemplated on leaving the team. The Professor betrayed him. How could he follow under someone who was a hypocrite? It was hard enough looking at him after without trying to shake him senseless or punch him; man did he want to punch him. Jean was the factor keeping him on the team. He couldn't keep his promise to her if he was out on his own.

"I want to find her," Kitty said suddenly. He gazed at the girl, not surprised. "I want to explain and say sorry," she added. A sob escaped her lips and she fell down, a heap of tears. Scott walked over to her, 'I'm sorry' repeatedly coming from her lips.

He lifted the girl into his arms and held her tightly. "I do too Kitty. I promise we will find her one day and we will both apologize to her."

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Phew! I didn't think that would ever get done! Another chapter done and I already started the next one.

Next chapter: Rogue gains more control over her telekinesis and trains with Gambit and Pietro. Irene visits Rogue and shares something with her.

5/19/2009: Just fixing something that I just noticed the other night. Had to explain how Rogue retained Jean's telekinesis but not her telepathy.

therapist