A/N: For anyone who didn't read Chapter 5, Kurt and Andie didn't go all the way, even though at the beginning of the chapter, it kind of seems like they did. They just fell asleep next to each other in Kurt's room.


Andie awoke and was for a moment confused as to where she was. She rubbed her eyes and noticed the blue arm around her waist. She couldn't help but smile. The clock in Kurt's room said that it was 6am, so she had woken in good time to get at the food before it was all gone.
"Hey, Kurt" she whispered softly.
"Hrmmm?" came Kurt's sleepy reply.
"I'm gonna go and get some brekkie soon. Wanna join me?"
"Nope" said Kurt defiantly, "I want you to stay with me in bed." He wrapped his arm tighter around her waist and snuffled his face into her hair.
"I love your hair" mused Kurt.
"Oh, why thank you" replied Andie sarcastically, "I grew it all myself". Andie wriggled out of his grasp and flounced out of the room towards the bathrooms, giving Kurt her best sexy smirk as she went.

Andie looked in the mirror and decided that she looked alright. Clearly, she looked good enough for Kurt, and that was really the only thing she cared about at that moment. She washed her hands and once again looked up into the mirror over the sink.
She stared at her reflection in horror. She realised wasn't wearing her beanie, or any other foil-lined hat for that matter. How long have my thoughts been unprotected for?, Andie thought nervously. She looked around the bathroom, wondering if the beanie was somehow magically there. Of course it's not here, she chastised herself.

She reached into her mind, feeling the flow of blue time energy and trying desperately to skim through the past to find the last time she had worn the beanie. It was no use, she hadn't noticed losing it. She focused again on the stream of energy in her mind, ready to squeeze it shut so she could grab another hat without being noticed by Charles, when a deep voice filled her mind-
"Don't do that Andie" Andie flinched at the sound of Charles's voice and accidentally sent the soap flying of the bench and into the shower door.
"Is everything alright?" enquired Kitty, after hearing the clatter. Kitty had woken early to straighten her hair. Andie managed a strangled 'yes' in response.
"Andie, I want you to come to my office" said Charles, "I think there are some things that we need to discuss, don't you agree?" Andie's heart rate was rising. She desperately wanted to rewind time to remove this conversation with Charles, and put on the beanie before it could ever occur, when a terrible thought crossed her mind.
Charles, she thought nervously, how long have you been able to reach my mind?
"Around 3pm yesterday"
replied Charles in a measured tone, "I didn't pry, but I think you were at the gym." Andie's heart stopped. She had been found out so long ago.

Andie panicked, and decided she had to wipe out every moment since Charles had been able to access her mind. She began to push against the time energy in her mind, scrolling through the events of the previous night. Blue time energy formed a halo around her head as she prepared to erase such a large chunk of time. Her hair whipped around her face with the power of her mutation, as she allowed the time stream to fill the bathroom stall around her so she could "zoom in", and pick the exact moment she wanted to return to.
"No, I'm not going to let you do that" roared Charles, his voice raised and angry. Kitty was banging on the bathroom door,
"Andie" she yelled, "ANDIE!". She could see blue light, pure energy seeping under the bathroom door.
"ANDIE!" Kitty continued to yell. Tears rolled down Andie's cheeks. She could feel Xavier's presence in her mind becoming stronger, ready to shut her down if she tried to erase the last 16 hours of their lives. But in her heart Andie knew she wouldn't do that, because she didn't want to erase everything that had happened with Kurt. She didn't want to have to relive it, to fake it so it could happen for Kurt too. Repeating an event had nothing on the feeling of living it for the first time. She felt Charles back off, and she slowly let her mind slip out of the time energy stream, coming back to reality.

Andie opened the bathroom door to find not only Kitty, but also a concerned Rogue looking up at her.
"How are ya feelin'?" asked Rogue cautiously. Andie couldn't form words, she just let out a gurgled squeak. Her secret would soon be out. She had been so happy with her new life at the mansion. How would her friends react when they found out she had lied to them?
Andie ran out of the bathroom and back towards Kurt's bedroom.

"Wait up!" cried Kitty and Rogue, close on her heels.
Andie flung the door open and ran into the room, grabbing Kurt and pulling him into a bear hug, holding him tight and squeezing him.
"You are very gorgeous" Andie whispered to Kurt, "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." She pulled away from Kurt, who looked at her with confused eyes. Kitty and Rogue had reached the room, their voices reaching fevered pitch as they screamed 'what is going on?'. Kurt had seen this before, he'd seen mutants unable to settle into the mansion, and he could see it happening right now. Before Kurt could say a word, Andie paused time, leaving him frozen with a look of anguish on his face. Andie ran out of the room, leaving a bewildered Rogue, an angry Kitty, and a heartbroken Kurt. She ran through the mansion until she reached Xavier's office, where she once again commenced the flow of time.

Charles's eyes flew open in shock when Andie instantaneously appeared in his office.
"Did it take you a long time to find my office?" asked Charles. Andie shook her head.
"I've been here before" she whispered, watching as her words took effect. Charles stared at her with a mixture of anger and fear.
"At this school, not only do we endeavour to teach young mutants how to control their powers, we give them the tools to be able to judge when it is morally appropriate" stated Charles with conviction, raising his voice, "and you, have CROSSED the line." Andie was shocked at his anger. She had never truly contemplated how other mutants felt about her mutation, beyond general fear. She imagined how it would feel to be told part of your life had been erased, only to be relived in an altered manner without you even knowing.
"I'm sorry" Andie whispered between sobbing hiccups, "I didn't mean to hurt you. I just- I'm just scared of my powers, I'm scared people will leave my life so that I don't erase theirs".

Charles's eyes were locked onto Andie's, which were full of tears. There came a knock at the door.
"Charles, is everything alright?", Miss Monroe's concerned filled her voice, "I heard you yelling.". When there was no response, Ororo opened the door and gasped. She was shocked to see Andie crying, and to see Charles angry. It was very unlike Charles to lose his temper at a student. Ororo looked at Andie and noticed she wasn't wearing the beanie that Charles had mentioned yesterday. At that moment it dawned upon Ororo that Charles had been correct in his concerns- Andie had been hiding something, and clearly it was something of great concern.

"Are you, or have you ever been affiliated with or aided Magneto or Hydra?" yelled Charles,
"I, um, don't think so" stammered Andie.
"Then how" replied Charles, "did you know to use a metal lined hat to protect your thoughts from telepaths?"
"Lucky guess" snarled Andie.
"TELL ME" screamed Charles.
"If you must know" said Andie slowly, watching Charles squirm as he waited for her words, "You told me. I've been here twice before." Charles's anger grew, and so did his disgust, along with Ororo's confusion.
With that, Andie reached into her mind and stopped time.

The usual sense of invincibility overcame Andie as she waltzed through her own time-paused world. She couldn't really see any improvement to the situation by going back in time. She figured she would have eventually been caught sans-hat anyway. Andie picked a flower from the Institute gardens, and wandered through the halls until she found Kurt. She placed it in his hands. She repacked all of her belongings into her red bag and once again donned the silver sombrero. She sighed as she walked through the mansion. No one will ever accept my mutation, Andie cried to herself, even other mutants are scared of someone who could erase their life entirely, groaned Andie. Andie knew she was being melodramatic, but she didn't care. She knew that if she ever really put in the time to gain someone's trust, they wouldn't be scared of her mutation, but she was still too scared to open herself up to people she cared about. She felt she should leave a note for Charles, because he had seemed quite stressed whilst they were talking, or rather, yelling. Once she had done that, she left the mansion, walking for days and days and days and days while the rest of the world stood still.