I want to thank each and every one of you so much for leaving your support on this series! We've reached 25 reviews and are cleared to publish the remaining six episodes in Season 1! The episode titles have been put on my profile. To find out when synopsis and sneak peeks are coming out, follow me on Twitter (link on profile)! This episode isn't especially large by word count, its average (just about 8,000 words), but the plotlines are huge! Things are starting to shape up for our X-Men (and non-X-Men). You know everything you've read over the past six episodes? Forget it. When this show returns, everything will be different! Please enjoy the mid-season finale! Details on when the show returns and what is next are on my profile! Enjoy!

Secretary of Defense Bolivar Trask sat in his grey office behind his grey desk with a grey look on his face. He was dressed in a dark grey suit, pants, lighter grey shirt and a tie whose shade was somewhere between his shirt and coat. The papers on his desk were stacked neatly, with a picture frame holding his military medals on the upper right corner, approximately three inches away from each corner of his desk. Immediately opposite of this on the right side of his desk was a telephone that linked him directly to the President of the United States of America. Halfway down the left side of his desk was a computer monitor and keyboard. It was turned off at the moment, and all of Trask's attention was focused on the single open file in front of him and his secretary Yuriko Oyama.

Yuriko stood respectfully approximately a foot and a half from her boss' desk, her hands clasped behind her back. Her grey and white suit, appropriately fitting the room, was crisp and clean, as if cut from perfection itself. When she spoke her voice was crisp, clean, powerful, and yet not overwhelming.

"Sir, Agent Rogue has reported she found a scene where Gambit got into a bar brawl, and she is using civilian witnesses and evidence from the scene-"

"Let me save us both the time and state a simple truth:" Trask said, looking up from his file, hands now clasped over it. "Agent Rogue will not find Gambit unless Gambit wishes to be found. She's a liability to this Project. She has allowed the escape of a dangerous mutant, has splintered her partnership with X-23, is a teenager who has too many emotions going through her head, and believes too strongly in her religion and morals. She is failing us at a steadily increasing rate and has spent far too much time on Gambit. We were lucky to catch him the first time, and we'll probably never have the same chance."

"Shall I call her off, sir?" Oyama asked.

"Oh yes, call her off." Trask said, sitting up. "And after you're done with that, you can prepare Operation Slate."

"Sir, that is a kill-order!" Oyama exclaimed.

"Yes it is. It is time Agent Rogue was retired and her powers put to better use."

"Sir, respectfully I still feel she could be of use to this Project."

"Well isn't that a strange coincidence?" Scott asked.

Scott and Jean were standing behind Charles Xavier inside Cerebro. The aging Professor had received a readout of a possible mutant signature earlier that morning and had come down after breakfast to search for the mutant. He had found him.

"Yes, it is rather strange that he hails from the same village that Rahne did." Charles said.

"Can we determine his power?" Scott asked.

"As you know, that is only in cases of extremely powerful mutants such as Jean or myself. I must also be within close proximity of the mutant. No, he is too far out of range and just not that powerful."

"Do we know who he is?" Scott asked.

"His name is Lance Alvers."

"Lance is a mut'nt?" A voice came from behind the trio. They turned to see Rahne standing there, her red hair pulled back in her signature two ponytails, dressed in a green sweater and jeans. Her hands were hanging from her pockets. She looked just as startled as they did.

"Oh, well I was walkin' by an' heard ye talkin', figured I'd see what was up." Rahne said, gesturing at the door. "I thought you knew I's here."

"You know Lance Alvers?" Charles asked.

"Oh yah, we were playmates growin' up. Wee li'l chap. Always talkin' bout how 'e's gonna grow up an' be king or som'in'. No one e'er took 'im seriously."

"Do you think he'd remember you after all this time?" Charles asked.

"It's only been two years profess'r." Rahne said. "Sure as hell better."

"Excellent." Charles said. "If you'd like to, I'm going to ask you to join us on this recruiting mission."

"Re'lly?" Rahne exclaimed, standing up straighter, her ears peaking like a dogs. "I mean, I'm so new and all, are ya sure ya want meh with ya?"

"Of course!" Charles exclaimed. "Besides, it's almost Christmas! This will give you time to spend with your father!"

Rahne grinned from ear to ear, walked slowly and calmly out of the room before morphing into dog form, barking in excitement and tearing off down the hallway. Someone yelled something in the distance and the three laughed.

"Sir, it's near Christmas." Oyama protested.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Trask snapped.

"Nothing, sir." Oyama corrected herself.

Trask nodded. "The perfect opportunity has arisen." Trask tossed Oyama a file. "A high ranking employee, Sean Cassidy, has reported his daughter has developed mutant powers. He wants her taken in and her powers removed. He's my partner, so I made a few calls."

"You have a partner, sir?" Oyama asked in mild surprise.

"You know the rules, Oyama. One of them, one of us." Trask said darkly. "Anyway we're going to have Rogue chase her down an alley. Our men will take her out, we'll write it off as a gang shooting or anti-mutant vigilantes."

"You kno' what I think, Magneto?" Gambit demanded. "I think yo're plum crazy. Attacking dem humans in plain sight, yo'r gonna have the gov'nment breathin' down yo'r neck."

"Let me worry about the government, Gambit. I have a different task for you." Magneto replied, cape swishing behind him. "There's a mutant in Scotland, named Lance Alvers. We don't know what his powers are, but we want you to track him down and recruit him."

"You trust me with a recruitin' job already?" Gambit asked. "Yo'r even dumb'r'n I thought."

"You're not going alone, Gambit. I am not stupid."

A door slid aside to reveal two other mutants: Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch.

"My daughter and son will be accompanying you. Try to pull anything on them, and Wanda will deal with you rather ruthlessly."

Gambit smirked. "Piece o' cake."

"I can see you are uncomfortable with this decision, Ms. Oyama. Mutants are dangerous creatures and unless we have them under control-"

"-they will cause serious damage!" Kelly exclaimed.

McCoy sighed. "Kelly, no matter what you say, you're not going to convince me that we need to have mutants register. The last time a specific group of people were forced to register, it ended in the Holocaust."

"Jews were harmless and tortured." Kelly argued. "Mutants are dangerous creatures and unless we have them under control-"

"Enough, Kelly. My mind is made." McCoy said, raising a hand to stop the Vice President in mid-sentence.

"Besides, Ms. Oyama, we're fighting a war..."

"...and there are always casualties when you are fighting a war."

X-Men: Standing Guard

Season One, Episode 7

"Avalanche"

Sentinel Project Main HQ

December 24, 11:32 EST

Rogue threw a kick at X, who blocked it and spun to the side. Rogue ran up, grabbed a pole and moved to spin and knock X to the ground. X, seeing this coming, grabbed Rogue's foot and stopped her mid-spin. She pulled on Rogue's foot, but the red-head spun in the air, kicking X under the chin and landed on her feet in a fighting stance.

"So..." Rogue started, the two girls circling each other.

"So what?" X asked, circling a few more paces before throwing in some chops at Rogue who blocked them all. The two girls went back to circling each other.

"I do not understand why you must talk throughout our training sessions." X said. She made as if she were moving forward and Rogue moved to block, but it was a fake and the two girls resumed circling. "It distracts you from the fight."

"Why ya say that?" Rogue asked, crouching low and darting at X, who dodged to the side and turned to see Rogue already back on her feet.

"You are not devoting all of your mind to the battle, whereas I am. Therefore my odds of beating you, better skilled or not-"

"You think yo'r bett'r'n me?" Rogue asked incredulously.

"I have had more training at an earlier age than you. I have been a soldier all my life, whereas you have not." X replied.

Rogue smirked and jutted her foot out, causing X to stumble. The brunette pulled up the sleeves of her jacket and continued circling. Rogue had insisted they fight in "civvies", as she called them, citing that X would not have time to change before a battle if they were ambushed.

Rogue smirked again. She was wearing a hoodie and tight jeans. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but her white streaks still hung loose in front of her face. She had allowed the exception of fighting gloves since they were only training. X had limited options when it came to civilian clothing. She kept her wardrobe very sparse and Spartan. She had two jackets, three or four shirts, two pairs of jeans, and a single pair of combat boots. Right now she was wearing dark jeans and a loose, black shirt with a ghostly skull image on it. She was wearing a leather jacket, combat boots, black fighting gloves, and a golden choker necklace. X left her hair down because she found it too tiresome to pull it back in a ponytail.

X darted forward, Rogue sidestepped her, but X kept going. She darted to the other side of the gym, extending her claws and slicing a punching bag off the ceiling. She caught it as it fell and tossed it at Rogue. Rogue, knowing she couldn't outrun it, ran straight at it, at the last second sliding beneath it, rolling, and coming up, knocking X backwards. The teen growled and stood up, extending her claws.

"Down girl," Rogue taunted.

X leapt at her, slicing. Rogue dodged each move with a clever smile on her face. She grabbed both of X's hands and twisted sharply. X cried out in pain and Rogue pushed her back, letting her go. X stumbled back and clutched her wrists, glaring at Rogue like a wounded animal licking its wounds.

"Now who's better?" Rogue asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"The match isn't over yet." X growled.

"The match was over thirty seconds ago when you pulled that bag off the ceiling." Rogue replied. "But if you wanna play with powers..."

Rogue extended her own claws from her hands. X frowned and re-extended hers. She leapt at Rogue, and Rogue at her. X smirked, seeing she had the higher ground. Rogue stopped suddenly though and grabbed X's feet, snatching her out of the air and slamming her onto the ground. Rogue flipped her over and pinned her hands to her back.

Rogue leaned down next to X's ear, her sweaty face and white hair brushing against X's and whispered breathlessly: "Match."

X sighed and relaxed into Rogue's grip, signifying she surrendered. Rogue stood up and extended a hand. X looked at it, sighed, and took it. Rogue tossed her a water bottle and a towel.

"Good match. Wanna know where ya mess'd up?"

X gulped down her water, knowing Rogue would tell her.

"Ya paid too much attent'n t' me talkin'." Rogue said. "Ya shoulda ignored me and ya woulda won. It takes more concentration t' listen than t' talk."

X wiped her face off with a towel and nodded, watching as Rogue gulped down her water.

"I'ma hit the showers." Rogue said after a moment of silence interrupted only by breathing and gulping down water.

"Yeah, me too." X replied, looking at her mostly empty water bottle absentmindedly.

"No, you won't." A new voice said. "Agent Rogue, report to Secretary Trask's office."

"I'm hot an' sweaty!" Rogue protested.

"Now, Agent Rogue." Oyama said, looking at the red-head sternly through her glasses. Rogue sighed and proceeded out the exit.

"Cassandra Cassidy, mutant." Trask said, tossing a file at Rogue. "She has the ability to generate sonic waves using her vocal cords."

"If ya already know her power, why are ya bringin' in me?" Rogue asked, picking up the file.

"Because she's a twelve year old girl. We can't simply send in a SWAT team to bring her in. Besides, she's my partner's daughter and I promised him she'd be safe."

"You have a partner?" Rogue asked incredulously.

"You act surprised, Agent Rogue." Trask noted.

"I just didn't think there's anyone out there who was as satanic as you." Rogue shrugged, glancing at the file. "Cute kid." she added. "But the X-gene is inherited by the father, is he-"

"Unlike your alliance with X-23," Trask said. "The partnerships in the Sentinel Project normally compose of one human and one mutant. That's the rule. Cassidy is a mutant."

"What's 'is power?" Rogue asked, her arms hanging limp at her side.

"That, is none of your business." Trask said, reaching for a box of cigars he kept on his desk. He offered one to Rogue who shook her head no.

"I only do pot." Rogue said.

Trask lit it and started smoking before gagging and looking at Rogue who was now smirking. He scowled. "Dismissed, Agent Rogue.

"I dunno, X, somethin' seems off..." Rogue said, picking up her knife and tucking it into the sheath on her back.

"You're paranoid." X said.

"No, Trask was too nice, an' the mission was too weird. He's givin' me too much informat'n, an'-"

"Rogue, stop." X said. "You can not live without some action. I understand that. I crave action just as much as you do. Not all missions can have the fate of the world tied to them, however."

Rogue looked at her strangely before sighing and pulling a motorcycle jacket on. She glanced at the television. They were airing a live special on anti-mutant protests in Washington D.C.

"That place is a breeding ground for bad things." Rogue muttered.

"-these protests have not been banned by the government-"

"Nor should they be, that violates free speech. These people have a right to an opinion, no matter how boneheaded it may seem."

"That's not fair. These mutants have extraordinary abilities. Who knows what they can do? Vice President Kelly agrees."

Washington, D.C.

December 24, 11:45 EST

The streets of Washington, D.C. were packed with people. Many hefted signs, most yelled and shouted. The streets were overflowing. The sidewalks had been lined with caution tape to keep people on the sidewalk safe, but that tape was now thrown to the side and people stormed the sidewalk as well, shouting anti-mutant protests.

The police were working desperately to keep the civilians from walking straight up Capitol Hill. Officers armed with Riot-Shields formed a blockade with other officers behind them shouting through a mega-phone at the protestors to remain calm. Anti-mutant rallies had a nasty tendency to become violent. Most of the protests were attended by a humanity-supremacy group from the north known only as the "Friends of Humanity". Their members wore half-masks and normally carried Molotov Cocktails, rifles, tear-gas, and sometimes even real grenades. These members were hard to track down, harder to subdue and arrest, and impossible to break in interrogation.

Near the front of the protestors, one of the men, who had been standing rather quietly, suddenly pulled on one of these masks, stepped up onto a bench, turning towards the flow of people, and shouted into his own megaphone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! I thank you for supporting the survival of the human race today!" he shouted. He got about half of the crowd within earshot to cheer, the others ignored him.

"These mutants are a danger to society!" he shouted. A louder cheer

"To the survival of the human race!" Even louder cheers. The police were becoming concerned and moved in to subdue him.

"To law and order and due process! They risk to destroy what the honorable men and women of law enforcement and the army sacrifice so much to protect!" Most of the crowd was cheering now.

"These mutants need to be hunted down!"

Cheers.

"They need to be tagged like the animals they are!"

More cheers.

"They need to—"

The megaphone squealed and the crowd covered their ears. The FOH member banged it against his hand, but seeing it wouldn't work, threw it to the side.

"This is undoubtedly a mutant trying to silence us!" he yelled as loudly as he could.

The crowds booed.

"But we will not be silenced!"

Agreement rumbled through the crowd.

"We will not be broken!"

Louder.

"We will stand up and declare with one voice that we will not go quietly into history! We will fight! We will stand against this menace and destroy it! We—"

A loud boom sounded around the streets. Most of the crowd ducked, the boom had sounded like cannon fire. There was no cannon or tank in sight. A crackle like that of a broken microphone and then a strong and loud voice spoke out.

"You people are disgusting!" it cried out. "Here it is, Christmas Eve, and instead of enjoying the holiday with your family, you are out here protesting against mutants!"

Something moved through the crowd. Was it disagreement? Was it agreement?

"You claim to stand up for humanity, but you have no idea what it means to even be human!"

The crowd cried out.

"Why don't you come out and speak this to our face?" the FOH member demanded. "Huh, you mutant bastard?" The crowd supported him.

The voice ignored him. "To those of you at home, watching this with support, I have a question for you: Where are you? Are you home? Are you somewhere safe? Somewhere you think is safe? Somewhere with no windows for anyone to creep through, underground perhaps? Do you think no one can get to you? Do you think no one can touch you in the safety of your hidey-hole?" In the dead quiet, the voice spoke the next three words almost silently.

"But I can!"

"If you want a war, my friends. We will give you war!"

A trash can exploded. People screamed as fire erupted into the skies.

Scotland
December 24, 16:55 GMT
-

Rahne's village had changed little since Scott had been there. It was still rustic, quaint, and looked like it had been pulled from the 17th century. The cobblestone pathways had been smoothed by decades of feet, weather, water, and wind. The houses had been faded white, placed along the curving street in uneven patterns.

Rahne relished being home. The feeling of the worn stones beneath her bare feet, the wind flowing through her short hair, the smell of the mountains drifting down towards her, the quiet hustle and bustle of everyday life in the village, she had missed this. A group of children ran past, tossing balls and clutching wooden sticks like they were swords. She could remember when that was her.

Scott and Professor X (as Rahne so fondly called him) had accompanied her on the mission, but had remained behind while Rahne found her way around the village. It didn't take her long to find Lance. He was at his father's blacksmith shop, beating the iron of horseshoes into place.

"Hey Lance!" Rahne greeted, walking up the short stairs to the stone porch of the blacksmith's. Rahne was wearing a green plaid, button up shirt that she had tucked into her khakis. The shirt's sleeves were rolled up to the middle of her forearm, the top few buttons undone to reveal the white tank-top she sported beneath it. Her hair was still pulled back in its signature twin ponytails and she wore combat boots with the X-Men logo engraved in the heel.

"Rahne?" he asked, looking up from his work. "What're you doin' here?" He looked over her with a keen eye.

Rahne came to a quiet halt, looking shyly at the base of the anvil. "I—err—came here t' talk t' you." She half-whispered.

"What about?" he asked, pulling the horseshoe off of the anvil and dunking it in a bucket of water without taking his eyes off of her. It sizzled.

"Lance—" Rahne paused. She wasn't quite sure how to do this. "Have—um—have ye notic'd anythin'…strange happ'nin' t' ya recently?"

Lance paused, stiffened up. "Whatdya mean, strange?"

"Like—Like—I dunno really. Just som'in' outta the ordinary, somethin' no one else can do."

Lance backed up. "What are you talking about? I think you need to go!"

"Lance! I'm just like you! I'm tryin' t' help ya!"

"You're nothin' like me!" he yelled. "Nothing!"

Rahne felt the porch shaking. She looked down at the ground. It was splitting beneath her. She leapt to one side as a crack opened up in the earth. The shaking increased. Rahne looked at Lance. His eyes had rolled back in his head and he was gripping the stone wall of his father's shop with both hands. Rahne turned and looked out over the village. Everyone else was stumbling about as the ground shook, trying to find their way to safety.

"Lance!" Rahne yelled. "Lance, stop! Look what you're doin'!"

Lance didn't seem to hear her, and Rahne had to leap off of the porch to prevent a support beam from falling on her. She darted back to Xavier, dodging rolling pieces of fruit and collapsing tent stands.

"What did you say to him?" Scott yelled.

"I may've come on a wee too strong!" Rahne yelled back.

"Regardless, we need to calm Lance down before he hurts someone!" Xavier said calmly. He touched his fingers to his temples and sent out a telepathic message.

'Calm yourself, Lance. Let me help you control your ability.'

"Get out of my head!" Lance yelled. The earth split open in front of Charles, and Scott had to haul him backwards to prevent the ground from swallowing him. Unfortunately for the people on the other side of the crack, they had no help.

"Rahne! The people!" Scott yelled.

"But—but they'll see me!" Rahne exclaimed.

"Rahne! Now!"

The Scottish girl frowned, but morphed into her wolf form, backing up and running towards the gap, leaping at the last second and crossing the void.

People screamed and moved back as she came to a skidding halt on the other side of the crack. She morphed into her were-wolf form and reached a hand into the void, grabbing a villager's hand and hauling him out. He scrambled away from her as she moved to help more people out of the crack.

The shaking stopped and Rahne hauled the rest of the villagers from the crack. It was almost three feet wide and went down farther than anyone could see. Rahne stood up, breathlessly and morphed into wolf form, leaping over the crack and darting off into the woods. Scott and Xavier glanced at each other before following.

The village was absolutely quiet.

"Very interesting…" Gambit muttered, lowering the binoculars. He had observed the whole incident from afar.

"What're we going to do? Follow them? Attack them?" Quicksilver asked, blurring up next to Gambit.

"Slow down, rapidite." Gambit said. "It's obvious dis here kid has some issues. We gotta be careful how we approach 'im or we'll end up needing that wolf-kid to pull us outta de ground."

"Speak for yourself, swamp rat." Wanda spat. "I don't need some pitiful excuse for a mutant to pull me out of the ground."

Gambit waved her off, following Xavier and Scott with the binoculars. "Looks like dey headin' into de mountains."

New York City

December 24, 3:45 EST

Rogue walked into the alleyway and glanced around. The walls were high and made of brick. They looked old. Rogue pulled the knife out of the holster on the back of her hip and dug it into the wall. The grout was weak and she could use this to create footholds.

Checking to see if anyone was watching, Rogue climbed on top of the trash bin opposite the wall, ran, and jumped, digging her knife into the wall and hanging. Rogue placed her feet on the wall and latched onto a loose brick with one hand. She pulled the knife out and jumped up, stabbing it into the grout again. Cassidy's apartment was on the third floor. Rogue stabbed the knife into the wall a third time and moved upwards. She grabbed the edge of the windowsill with one hand and hauled herself up, perching precariously on the edge of the window. Rogue slid the knife out and undid the window latch, pushing it up and sliding into the room.

Cassidy's room looked like that of any young girl. It was painted a soft color Rogue couldn't quite put her finger on. Clothes littered the floor and a pile of stuffed teddy bears lay in the corner of her room. The room was small, only containing a bed, with strawberry sheets and comforter, a single dresser, and a mirror mounted to the closet door. Rogue pulled on her gloves and opened the first drawer of the dresser. She was looking for something to connect with the girl. She needed a piece of clothing, a book, a doll—

Rogue closed the drawer and glanced at the pile of teddy bears. She walked over and carefully picked up one, looking at it fondly. It was a black bear, wearing a white T-shirt with a pink heart. Rogue bit her lip, tears coming to her eyes.

Caldecott County, Mississippi

December 25, 04:09 CDT

Twelve Years Ago

Ripped pieces of wrapping paper littered the floor. Cars, dolls, pieces of candy and candy wrappers lay under and on these pieces of paper. The large Christmas tree sitting in the corner of the room was decorated with bright lights and a glowing yellow angel on the top. The tree was real, not synthetic, and smelled strongly of pine.

The floor was hardwood and the walls a smooth cream color. A large window took up most of one wall, looking out at the dark yard in the early morning. The ceiling was low, only six and a half feet from the floor. A single light lit the entire room, a small yellow globe of energy in the middle of the room. There was a couch covered in a blue jean like fabric. Two adults sat on the couch: a man and a women, both in their mid-thirties. The woman had red-brown hair, and beautiful emerald eyes. She was dressed in a white bathrobe wrapped tightly around her body. She was sipping some hot chocolate from a mug of the same color. The man on the couch, her husband, was dressed in a pair of long pants and a t-shirt. He had two days worth of beard stubble and his dark hair was a mess. Both of the parents sat and watched as their six-year-old daughter opened her final present, wrapped in green paper with a yellow ribbon. The girl had red hair, much more brilliant than her mother, and her eyes were a dark green. She opened the box and pulled out a black teddy bear, dressed in a white shirt with a pink heart on it. She grinned and hugged it close to her before running over to her parents and hugging them tightly.

A tear fell onto the bear's shirt and Rogue went to set it down ever so gently when the door opened behind her. She whirled, bear in hand, to see Cassandra Cassidy standing in the doorway to her bedroom, backpack still on her shoulders. She stared at Rogue before running off.

"Wait!" Rogue exclaimed, darting after her.

Scotland

December 24, 21:03 GMT
-

"Daddy!" Rahne exclaimed, running and leaping into her father's arms, hugging him tightly.

"There's m' little girl!" he exclaimed, returning the embrace, whirling her around as if she weighed nothing. He set her down on the ground and looked at her. She posed, a smirk on her face. "My goodness, how ye've grown since ya left!"

"I'm not that much taller, am I?" she asked.

"No," he replied, getting down on one knee in front of her. "You're still m' little girl!"

She hugged him tightly.

"I'm so glad y' came home fer Christmas." He whispered into her hair.

"Me too," she whispered back. "Unfortunately, I also came with a missi'n."

Rahne turned as Scott rolled Charles into the house. "Nice to see you again, Mr. Sinclair." Scott said. "We hope you don't mind us staying here overnight. We left the jet in the mountains."

"No! It would be my pleasure!" Sinclair said, standing up and shaking Scott's hand. He shook Xavier's too. "I'm afraid we haven't met."

"Dad, this is Professor X, the man in charge of the Xavier Institute." Rahne said, darting over next to Xavier.

"I'm sorry for not being here when we were recruiting your daughter." Charles said, shaking Sinclair's hand. "I'm afraid we had some issues back home in New York. All resolved now." He added with a smile.

"That is excellent!" Sinclair said. He turned to Scott. "Will your wife be joining us?"

Rahne and Charles looked at Scott in surprise. Scott blushed sharply. "She's on her way." He muttered. "We're not married though, not yet. I was planning on asking tomorrow." He turned to Rahne. "Don't you even think about telling her, either!"

Rahne laughed. "Yessir!" she saluted mockingly.

"I can go make up some beds right now. I'm afraid you and your—future fiancé will have to share a room. I can sleep on the couch…" Sinclair looked at Charles who started to say something, but Rahne interrupted them both. "I don't need t' sleep! Not really!" she exclaimed. "When I'm in wolf form, my human form rests an' vice versa."

"No, that won't be necessary, Rahne." Charles said. "Scott and I are heading back out to find Lance. You and Jean will be staying here tonight."

"But I want t' help!" she exclaimed.

"Rahne, it's Christmas Eve. Spend it with your father. There will be plenty of opportunities to recruit many more mutants in the future. Enjoy your time with your family though."

Rahne sighed and nodded. "Alright, don' get lost though." She taunted.

The front door opened and Jean walked in, brushing some of the snow off of her ski hat. "It's cold out there!" she exclaimed, brushing her boots off. "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Sinclair." She added, smiling at him.

"It's nice to see you, too, Ms. Grey." He replied. He turned back to Xavier. "Are you sure I can't convince you to stay the night?"

"I'm sorry. Lance's ability is very powerful and it seems to be ruled by his emotions. We need to get to him before he hurts himself or someone else. Thank you for the offer though." Xavier replied.

"How are y' gonna get around with the wheels?" Rahne asked.

Xavier winked and pressed a button. The wheels of the chair folded underneath, but the chair remained hovering.

"So cool." Rahne whispered.

"We should be going, Professor." Scott said.

"Ah, yes. Do you mind if we use the backdoor? It has a more discreet exit…?"

"Yes, of course." Sinclair said. He gestured towards the back door at the same time that someone knocked on the front. "Any more company?" he asked.

"Not that we are aware of." Jean replied.

Scott kissed her on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too." She whispered, placing a hand on his cheek.

"Be careful." Scott whispered, pressing his nose to hers.

"What could happen?" she asked. "It's one night in a cabin in the woods."

"You make it sound like a horror film." Scott laughed.

Jean giggled. "Get going, silly."

Sinclair walked to the front of the house and opened the door, stepping out into the snow and cold, icy wind. He was greeted by a sight he wasn't expecting to see. It appeared the entire village had congregated outside of his house, carrying torches, brandishing rifles and knives. He looked in astonishment at them. The man who had knocked on the door was carrying nothing. He looked at Sinclair sadly.

"Give her to us, Sinclair." He said softly. "We understand if y' don't wanna do it, y' don't have to. Just—give 'er to us."

"What are you talking about?" Sinclair exclaimed, looking in concern at the people gathered in front of his house. "What are all these people doing here? It looks like the whole village is up here!"

"Yo'r daughter has abilities that belong t' no human." The man said. "She's been possessed. Give 'er to us. You don't have to do anything."

"No, she's not possessed—"

"Dad?" Rahne asked, glancing out the door.

"Get inside, Rahne." He ordered.

"Dad?" she asked again, this time more concerned than curious.

"Now, Rahne!" He exclaimed. Rahne disappeared back inside.

"What is it?" Jean asked, rubbing her hands together.

"Looks like the whole village is out there!" Rahne exclaimed. "I wonder what they want."

Sinclair came back inside the house and locked the door with all three locks. Rahne had never seen him do that before.

"Close all the windows, board them up." He ordered. Rahne obeyed, darting to the windows, slamming the wooden shutters closed. "Get the back door, lock it now." He ordered Jean. Jean turned and locked the door with a gesture of her hand.

"What is it?" she asked.

"They want Rahne. They believe she's possessed. I tried explaining she's a mutant, but they won't listen. We've got an hour before they burn the house down."

"Well then we have to go!" Jean exclaimed. "Out the back!"

"It's no use. They'll grab her. We're surrounded by flames and have nowhere to go."

New York City
December 24, 4:01 EST

"Damn kid." Rogue gasped out, running down the sidewalk. She hurtled a sidewalk dealer and kept running. Rogue was athletic, and she was fast. This kid was as fast, too, though. She was giving Rogue a run for her money.

The cold air burned Rogue's lungs as she sped down the sidewalk. It was one thing to run in the humidity and heat of Mississippi, it was an entirely different thing to run in the freezing, dry wind of New York. Rogue's red hair had come out from under her hat, which had itself disappeared, and was flowing wildly behind her. Her chest heaved, filling her lungs with icy air. She rounded a corner and past a policeman on a bicycle. He had to look twice to see if he had really seen someone run that fast.

Cassidy was fast too. Her young legs were pushing against the pavement. Unlike Rogue, she wasn't a track runner, and simply ran through tables and stands. Her hair was a mix of light-brown and red. It was long and straight, flowing behind her like waves on the sea. Freckles covered her pale skin. She was wearing skinny jeans and an assortment of jackets and sweaters too cluttered for anyone to pick out exactly what they were.

Rogue had been able to catch up to the younger red-head due to her ability to jump tables and people, instead of being slowed down by shoving through them. She grabbed Cassidy's shoulder and turned her around.

"I ain't here t' hurt ya!" Rogue exclaimed.

Cassidy screamed. The glass in the nearby shops shattered. Rogue flew backwards and clutched her ears. Cassidy ran off.

Rogue couldn't hear a thing except an eerie silence and a slight ringing. She reached up and touched her hand to her ear, pulling it away. Blood.

"Damn kid." Rogue muttered again, licking the blood off of her finger and darting after Cassidy again.

Washington, D.C.
December 24, 11:52 EST

Magneto descended from the sky mere moments after the explosion. More explosions rocked the streets as trash cans exploded up and down. Police were moving in with orders to shoot anyone who even remotely looked like a danger. Fighter jets flew overhead and armored cars seemed to appear from nowhere, flooding the streets.

"Erik Lenscher!" a voice called through a megaphone. "Stand down!"

Erik snatched the megaphone from the man using his magnetism and crushed it with one hand.

"Save yourself!" Erik called. "Now my brothers!"

With a large 'blink', a pink portal opened in the sky and mutants stormed out of it. Pyro and Havok took the initiative, sending devastating bursts of energy and waves of flames at the protestors. People screamed and pushed each other aside in an attempt to escape their death. Soldiers fired at the mutants, downing a few. Magneto turned and wrenched the guns from their hands, crushing them in mid-air.

The White House
December 24, 11:55 EST

"Everyone move, move!" the soldier exclaimed. The President was surrounded by secret service members. Kelly and his secretary were being pushed through the crowd. Half of the Senate was down in the underground bunker. Something exploded above and the President froze.

"Move, Mr. President!" A secret service agent called, shoving McCoy into the concrete bunker.

Kelly tried to push through the crowd when it occurred to him that his secretary, who was carrying many valuable papers, was no longer behind him.

"Joan? Joan where the hell are you?" he yelled.

"Mr. Kelly, we have to get you into the bunker."

"I'm just looking for my sec—there she is! Come on, do you have the papers?"

"Yes, Mr. Kelly." His secretary responded. Kelly nodded and escorted her into the bunker, her eyes glowing yellow briefly, a sinister smile on her face. She sent the message to Erik. It was done.

New York City
December 24, 4:11 EST

The girl continued running, her lungs gasping for air. She wasn't sure how far behind her attacker was, but she didn't want to find out. She rounded a corner and kept running. She was almost two miles from her apartment and hadn't stopped running. She was getting tired and reaching the end of her stamina.

Rogue was taking a little more time than she normally would have. She grabbed a pair of ear-buds from a jogger and kept running, despite the protest. She could see Cassidy only a mere block ahead of her. Rogue ripped the wires out of the ear-buds and stuck the nubs into her ears. She grabbed a pair of ear-muffs from another jogger and slid those on over the nubs. Cassidy had disappeared from her view. The girl must have ducked into an alleyway. Rogue slowed and glanced carefully into each alley. On the third try, she found Cassidy, backed up against a wall, gasping in the icy air. Rogue turned the corner and walked into the alley.

Cassidy, upon seeing Rogue, opened her mouth and screamed. A discarded beer-bottle shattered, but Rogue kept walking.

"Does it get any louder?" she asked, her voice portrayed deeper than it should in the presence of the sound-waves.

Cassidy stopped screaming. "I know who you are. I know who you work for." Cassidy gasped out.

"Then you know why I'm here." Rogue replied. "We're just gonna take you someplace safe."

"No!" Cassidy exclaimed as Rogue got closer, the little girl looking for a weapon. "No! You're going to take my powers and I—I won't let you!"

Rogue tilted her head. "No one's gonna take any powers. Your dad—"

"—told me to lead you into a trap!" Cassidy exclaimed. Rogue stopped cold. That wasn't what she had expected to hear.

"What?" she asked.

"My dad told me this morning that a very bad person was coming to get me. He'd take care of the bad person if I led you to a certain spot." Rogue looked at Cassidy, studying her, trying to determine if this was the truth or not. "But I know you're not a bad person." Cassidy said, softer. "So I led you here."

Rogue hesitated. "How do I know yo're tellin' the truth?" she asked.

"Read my memories!" Cassidy exclaimed, stepping forward.

Rogue hesitated and moved her hand towards the girl when her comm beeped.

"Hold on," Rogue said. "Whatcha want, Trask?"

"Do you have the mutant, Agent Rogue?" Trask demanded.

Rogue looked at the girl. "I've made contact—" Cassidy looked at her desperately. "—but I've lost 'er, still pursuin'."

"Where are you, Agent Rogue?" Trask asked, his voice changing slightly.

Rogue glanced at the street sign: 44th. She looked at Cassidy again, pleading with her in silence.

"What the hell does it matter?" Rogue asked.

"Just answer the question, Agent Rogue."

Rogue looked at Cassidy one more time and slumped her shoulders. "Freedom Ave." she lied.

"Good, stay there, an extraction team is on its way." Trask sounded relieved.

"What about the mutant?"

"Some of our other agents have already captured the mutant." Trask said.

"Really?" Rogue asked, looking at Cassidy.

"Yes," Trask growled, growing angrier. "Stay where you are. There's no need to make us hunt down you as well. Trask out."

Rogue pulled out the ear-piece and stomped on it, shattering it. She turned to Cassidy.

"Thank you." She whispered, getting on one knee in front of the girl. "Ya just saved m' life."

Cassidy smiled, then frowned. "Where am I going to go, though? I can't go home—"

Rogue looked at her. "I have somewhere for you t' go." She dictated the address. "Got that?"

Cassidy nodded.

"When you get there, ask for a Charles Xavier. Tell 'im Marie sent you." Rogue said.

"Is that your name?" Cassidy asked. "Marie?"

"It was…" Rogue replied, looking at the teddy bear she had unknowingly dragged along for the pursuit. "…a long time ago…" Rogue blinked back tears and held out the bear. "Here, this is yours."

"You keep it." Cassidy said, pressing the bear to Rogue's stomach. "It means more to you than it does to me."

Rogue smiled and hugged the girl. "Thank you so much." She pulled away. "You should be going though, here take my jacket and catch a cab to Westchester, New York."

Cassidy smiled. "You should be going too, before my father finds you."

Rogue nodded and watched the girl go.

A black van screeched up next to the alleyway and SWAT officers swarmed out of the back. They entered the alley, guns searching about for the mutant. Nothing.

"Secretary Trask, she's not here." One member said, touching his ear."

"She's gone dark. Return to base. I'll take care of the mess from here." Trask replied.

Rogue narrowed her eyes from across the street and kept walking.

Scotland
December 24: 22:00 GMT
-

"This is yer last chance, Sinclair! If ye don't turn 'er o'er now, we'll burn the house down!"

Silence from inside the darkened home.

"Ya don' have t' do anythin'! We'll do it!"

Silence still.

"Light 'er up, boys!"

"Dad! Please!" Rahne exclaimed.

"No, they can't have ya." Her father replied. "Now, when the house starts to burn, I want you and Ms. Grey to leave. Disappear into the forest and get back to your plane."

"Ye're comin' too, right?" Rahne asked, tears streaming down her face. "Daddy?"

"I'm sorry, Rahne. My place is here."

"Dad!" Rahne exclaimed, launching herself at him. Her father bit his lip, tears streaming through his closed eyes as well. He hugged her close and in silence. Nothing but the sound of the approaching flames. He looked at Jean.

"You get my daughter out of here. Don't worry 'bout me, you get her to safety, do you understand me?"

Jean nodded.

Mr. Sinclair felt the heat growing at his back. He smiled and handed Rahne to Jean. "Go. Go now!"

"Daddy! No!" Rahne screamed. Jean grabbed her and dragged her off, having to apply telekinesis to keep the young girl in her arms. Rahne sobbed and screamed, the noise disappearing into the roar of the fire. Her father turned towards the front door, holding a cross in his hand.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." He whispered.

"For thou art with me."

The roof collapsed inwards.

Sentinel Project Main HQ

December 24, 17:09 EST

Rogue glanced carefully around a corner before darting down the hallway and into her room, closing the door behind her and locking it from the inside. She darted over to her desk and grabbed a backpack, stuffing anything she might want in it. The teddy bear that Cassidy had given her, her Bible and a few other books. She pulled out a silver wind-chime, glanced at it with a moment of passion and sadness before setting it carefully in the backpack as well. She tossed in a match-box that rattled with bullets, a few other personal items including souvenirs from other missions and zipped it up, throwing it over one shoulder. She ducked into her closet and grabbed a jacket, a spare pair of jeans and shirt, stuffing them into the front pouch on her backpack. She heard footsteps outside in the hallway and froze. It was just soldiers, and they passed her room. She moved to her desk and brought out an ornamented box, smooth red wood like her desk with a magnolia flower carved into the top. She opened it and pulled out a pistol and a holster. She strapped the holster to her thigh and pulled out the pistol, looking at it. She checked the clip, cocked it, and tucked it into her holster. She pulled out two, very strange looking, bracelets and clipped them to either wrist. She loaded two knives into either bracelet and ejected the knives to make sure they worked before sliding her sleeves over them and retracting the blades.

Rogue moved to the door again and glanced outside. No one was there. Rogue darted down the hallway, avoiding the cameras as much as possible. She made her way into the gym where X was training alone. X looked startled to see her.

"Rogue, what are you doing here?" She glanced at the red-head's thigh. "Why are you carrying a gun? I did not think you had been given one yet."

"X, we gotta go. Now!" Rogue said breathlessly, grabbing the smaller girl's arm.

"What are you talking about?" X asked.

"Trask just issued a kill order for me. We gotta go, now!"

"That is preposterous," X said. "Why would Secretary Trask issue a kill order for you? You are perhaps his best agent!"

"I dunno, but we ain't got much time! He may already know I'm here!"

"Rogue, calm down." X said, laughing. "Secretary Trask—" she stopped and turned. "Do you hear that?"

"No, what?" Rogue asked.

"Gas." X said.

"Very funny." Rogue retorted.

"No," X sniffed the air. "Sleeping Gas! Hold your breath!"

Rogue took a deep breath, but the yellow gas had already filled the room. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell to the ground.

"Rogue!" X exclaimed. She ducked low to the ground to try and gasp a breath, but the gas had an effect on her, too, and she collapsed next to Rogue as if she were sleeping.

"All units, this is Secretary Trask. Is the kill-squad in place?" Trask asked.

"Yes, sir." The leader of the kill-squad replied. "We are in position outside of the gym. Are we clear to enter?"

"The room is filled with smoke. They will be unconscious. Kill Agent Rogue, but leave X-23 untouched. She's too valuable a piece of hardware. Breach on my mark."

"Three…"

X stirred silently on the floor, barely able to lift her eye-lids.

"Two…"

The soldiers cocked their guns and pulled masks over their face.

"One…"

There was absolute silence.

"Go."

TO BE CONTINUED!

Want to see what happens next? Check out the Season One; Part Two trailer tomorrow for exclusive looks at what is coming next on X-Men: Standing Guard! If you want to see this series get a Season 2, leave a review! We're aiming at 50-60 reviews to be cleared for a Season 2!

Episodes of X-Men: Standing Guard resume April 23!