-Aaron's room-

She's watching him.

Aaron could tell Rachel was lying in bed watching him stretch. It didn't bother him; in fact he appreciated that unlike most girls his age she didn't feel the need to talk every five seconds. She was more confident than she'd seemed when they first met. There was a fire in her last night that he would've sworn was not there before.

Will I be able to do what I'm here to do and keep her?

The thought catches him by surprise. But there it was out in the open now and he would have to address it. He wasn't here for pleasure; he was here for revenge, plain and simple. He would allow nothing to distract him. Especially in light of the fact that his target is also a danger to everyone here.

As relaxed as his body was now, his mind was another story all-together. Aaron wanted to have things resolved before something like this happened. It had been a long time since anyone had taken a genuine interest in him the way Rachel had and as much as he hated to admit it, he missed it. But as enjoyable as last night had been, the light of day brought with it one undeniable truth:

For all he knew the very person responsible for his mother's death was watching him now.

He didn't want to believe that possible, wanted to trust his instincts, but he'd seen the senses of better men than him dulled by a woman. He was not arrogant enough to pretend he was immune.

He could only imagine the reaction his mother would have at this display.

Maybe he'd been out of the espionage game for too long. Once his mother became sick they'd cut all ties with S.H.I.E.L.D. and he took to caring for her full time. He felt he was still fairly sharp, yet to have this many people on to him made him question that. Living a double life wasn't something you just woke up one morning and did.

It took months of planning, establishing your identity getting comfortable in that character's skin. He'd come here under false pretenses, but under his real identity. So he walked like himself, talked like himself and acted like himself.

Which was totally contrary to the way people would expect him to act and it was hampering his objective.

If he was closer to rooting out the target, that might not be an issue. But so far he had only two definitive suspects to focus on. He chose Ororo because her position allowed her to do the most damage. That and the fact that she played her part a little too perfectly.

His other top choice was Cassidy. His frequent trips away from the Institute gave him the best opportunity to disseminate information to a another authority. But so far Aaron had been unable to get much one on one time with him.

He considered briefly coming clean to Wolverine about the whole situation, but in Logan's eyes the only one here who was hiding something was Aaron. It was unlikely that he'd believe Aaron and bringing Fury in to back up his story would likely make things worse not better.

"How'd you sleep last night?" Aaron asks still facing away from Rachel finishing up his routine.

"Better than I ever have." He feels her get up from the bed and he turns to face her. Her green eyes smile at him as she stands naked in front of him. His eyes rove over her body, completely independent of his control as she gets closer. Her firm breasts sit proudly pointing directly at him; he remembers vividly the soft feel of them in his hands last night. "You look ready for round two…" she laughs amused.

"Why do you say-" Before he can finish Rachel reaches out and grabs the part of him that is already semi-erect. Making him groan at the sensation.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Aaron asks pulling her closer to him. The connection he feels to her shouldn't be this strong this fast, but it is. And if her actions last night were any indication, she felt it too.

"What?" she asks innocently, dragging her lips lightly across his bare chest, beginning to lightly stroke him.

"Keeping me off balance, making me act like… well like a teenager." Aaron admits, slightly flustered at her attentions. He's used to being in control, especially with women. Apparently the women of this school did not get the memo.

"You are a teenager, but yes, I do like this... Very much."

-Outside the Institute-

Rachel reluctantly left his room to shower and try to find something to eat in the kitchen and she only pouted slightly when he declined joining her. Rachel may not have been able to penetrate his mind, but she seemed to know not to push things.

Things were pretty quiet around the mansion.

He'd heard that Beast and Wolverine were busy going over something in the lab and that Monroe, Blaire and Braddock were doing the 'Sex in the City' thing, which meant adult supervision was nonexistent.

Now was the time, he decided, for some hard truths.

The longer he stayed at the school, the more likely the X-men would eventually unravel his past and by doing so possibly unravel his plans. Beast did have his DNA on file and if he chose to cross-reference that with certain government databases, things would come to a head pretty quickly. Although Aaron had plans of revealing himself at some point, it was to be on his schedule. Certainly not before he made sure a certain someone was fertilizer.

Of the list of names he compiled shortly before his mothers death, all had been crossed off except two. The part this individual played in his mother's death was small, yet they would lead him to the final person. The man behind it all. Someone who had covered their tracks so completely that even Fury had no idea who he was.

This was an opportunity that he couldn't pass up.

So he had to stay.

Resolving the two issues that had shaped the last few years of his life lay right here in front of him. He couldn't simply allow that opportunity to slip by.

Rachel might be able to help, but he would need to proceed carefully if he were to try that avenue. Bringing an outsider into your confidence in the field was always dangerous, and in the case of someone like Rachel, potentially deadly.

Of all the people here she might be the only one to understand his motivations, along with his need for secrecy. But what if she was the one he sought? The fact remains he hadn't been able to rule her or anyone else out completely.

Ugh… I'm getting nowhere with this! I just keep going around in circles!

Times like this Aaron longed for his mother. Not in the way a son misses his parent, although he did miss her in that way, but in the way a field operator misses his handler. As she'd gotten weaker, prefer the cancer truly took it's hold on her, he'd perform solo with her backing him up remotely.

Even though they'd left S.H.I.E.L.D. they hadn't abandoned their personal mission.

-Underground facility, Hong Kong, fourteen months ago-

"There should be a control panel on your left, it takes an 18-digit code and you'll only have three attempts to get it right. If you fail to do so, the chamber will be flooded with CK."

"A little Cyanogen Chloride? Is that all? I thought this was going to be hard."

"Don't be so cavalier, at the very least it would slow you down enough for them to pump you full of hollow tips."

"Good point. I guess its fortunate I stole the code from the last guy I took out then."

"How long ago was that?"

"About… fifteen minutes… why?"

"They change the code every ten… did you swipe his cell phone?"

"No. Why-"

"-because they send the new codes out via text to authorized personnel, wait one…"

"If you're thinking of hacking a cell server, we don't have that kind of time-"

"Got it, enter in this code."

"It worked. How in the world did you do that?"

"We're going radio silent for the next twenty, so you're on your own."

-Outside the Institute-

Lying in the grass, Aaron smiles at the memory, his life has been as far from ordinary as possible, but he wouldn't change a thing.

His mutant ability of tactile telepathy made him ideal for covert ops. All he had to do was get in the same room as the right person and he could lift whatever details he needed. He had other abilities as well. It was these gifts that made him stronger, faster, and more advanced than he should have been. His mother's constant training sessions with him only heightened what potential was there.

Under different circumstances he would make a fine X-man, likely a field leader in no time.

The soft footfalls approaching him forced him from his thoughts. At first he thought it was Rachel but he could tell now that it was not.

He didn't react; he waited for her to speak first.

"Aaron…?"

"Yes, Marie?" He opened his eyes to see the sweetly innocent face staring down at him. She seemed apprehensive and a little nervous. "What's up?"

She bit her lip a little, before steeling herself to continue. "Ah just- Ah just wanted to apologize if Lo- if Wolverine said anything mean to ya last night. He's just protective of me is all."

He could have let her off the hook there, but he welcomed the distraction. "Is there something he feels he needs to protect you from?"

By the blood rushing to her already rosy cheeks he could guess what it was. She had a crush on him. He wondered briefly if she knew about him catching her in her nightly routine. Maybe she liked the idea of being watched, he knew some did, including himself. It certainly would explain why her door was cracked in the first place.

"No! It's just that you're new here and he-"

"I was only kidding, he didn't say anything to me that he hasn't said to anyone else here I imagine. And I'm a big boy, I can take it."

Her smile of relief was radiant.

"So… what are ya'll doing lying in the grass by yaself?" She asks taking a step towards him.

Faster than he could react, she trips and falls in a heap across his chest. Her weight wasn't a problem for him, but the fact her cheek was flush against his was.

He could feel her breathing quicken as she realized she was making skin to skin contact with him. Her eyes were squeezed shut in terror as she waited for the flood of his thoughts to rush her brain.

But that didn't happen.

Aaron lifted her gently off him and sat up to face her. Her face a mask of confusion that communicated her thoughts better than words could and Aaron sighed nodding.

"I thought your powers might not work on me, but I wasn't sure. I guess now I know."

"But- but they've worked on everyone… even the Professor."

Aaron had given thought to the nature of his ability and figured he might be immune. He didn't just absorb ability as Rogue did, he understood the nature of the ability and how to use it as his own. So if he took a person's ability to play the guitar, he not only knew what they knew about playing; he also understood how to play himself.

So he guessed that he might understand Marie's abilities and counteract them on a subconscious level. Since he had no desire to know for sure he never tested his theory, but it was all he could think of to explain how Marie hadn't absorbed everything about him in that moment of contact.

That would have really been embarrassing; waking up in the med lab trying to explain that I was here to kill one of them… knowing Logan, I may not even have the luxury of waking up at all…

Marie was still mumbling to herself when Aaron looked up at her again. He could imagine her shock over being able to touch someone.

"Marie… Marie!" She snapped back to reality and looked at him. The raw distress on her face almost made him hesitate, but he blocked out his emotion and pushed forward. "You need to keep this between the two of us."

"But ah don't understand…" She started.

"I know you don't," Aaron replied calmly, keeping his voice reassuring and warm. "But as my friend, I'm asking you to trust me. Hank is already working on a way to help you using my DNA, he doesn't need to know that I'm immune to your touch to complete his work. "

He could see her brain working to make sense of what he was saying. He could also see her desire to touch him again; just to make sure what happened was real. Knowing this might convince her to keep his secret; he reached for her gloved hand, never taking his eyes off of hers. She looked at him in anticipation and fear as he pulled to glove from her fingers. It wasn't until she felt the warmth of his hand on hers that she seemed to breathe again and break eye contact.

Tears rolled slowly down her cheek and Aaron used his other hand to wipe them away.

He handed her back her glove, which she robotically put back on. As he helped her to her feet, he looked down at her and kissed her cheek softly.

"Can you do that for me Marie? At least for a little while?" He needed time to figure out a way around this problem.

"Ah- ah guess Ah can…" She smiles without looking up at him. Lifting her chin up he forces her to make eye contact. "Ah can… if- if we can talk about this latah?" she asks questioning. Her face is full of hope and a little desperation. A slight twinge of anger bubbles in him as he thinks of the fact he has another unexpected situation to deal with.

Forcing a smile: "I promise we will."