Disclaimer: Once again I own nothing but my original characters.

means spoken in French

Ch 9

A month passed since Autumn and Professor Xavier had met in his office. Autumn was welcomed to the team and had been given the job of taking care of the younger children. Her natural ability with the smaller students made Charles feel she would be the best suited to help them not only with their powers but with learning to accept themselves and to break out of their shells. After he had witnessed her grace with storytelling something as difficult as her past in a way that wouldn't scare them and even the ability to keep them entertained while doing something as mundane as cooking, Charles knew that she was the perfect candidate for working with them.

Charles was even had to admit Autumn had been able to help Marrow, Sarah, to break out of her shyness. Sarah the poor child had gone so far as to attach herself to Autumn's hip. Charles smiled when he thought of the way Sarah followed Autumn around, rarely leaving her side except to play with the wolf Sasha or to draw in their room. He had even given permission for Sarah to move into Autumn's room. Since then Sarah's night terrors had calmed down and Sarah could be found playing and talking to the other children, as long as Autumn was in sight, instead of hiding in a corner.

Charles even noticed the budding relationship between Remy and Autumn, the two of them were often caught in secluded corners and hallways. Sarah was beginning to warm up even more to Remy, her own personal hero, and would be sometimes found in his company. Charles had noticed that some of Remy's bad habits were fading away, he was not flirting with the females in the school. The two of them were coming along well and seemed to help each other to find a new calm.

Charles was pulled from his thoughts by a knock on his door. Looking at the clock on his desk he realized that it was Rogue for her weekly appointment. Calling out for her to enter he sighed, even after she had received the cure they were no closer to controlling her powers. Even with the help she was getting from Autumn. Charles put a smile on his face as Rogue entered the room and took a seat.

"So Rogue have you been doing any of the exercises I've assigned you?"

"Not all of them Professor," Rogue confessed looking down at her folded gloved hands in her lap. "I'm still too afraid to walk around without my gloves or long sleeves on."

"Rogue we've discussed this," Charles looked at the young woman until she met his gaze. "this is only one way for you to be able to get control. You have to start believing that you are not dangerous. Everyone at the school knows of your powers. You have to trust that we are all able to protect ourselves, to take caution with touching your exposed skin. Are you at least beginning to make physical contact with others?"

"A little, I don't flinch as much when some people reach out to me." Rogue looked back at her hands. Charles let out an almost silent sigh.

"It's a start. How about this week you reach out to people," Charles smiled at Rogue when her head snapped up. "Maybe if you initiate the contact it will be a little more comfortable for you? Just simple handshakes and maybe touching their shoulders, with your gloves and on their uncovered skin. You need to get used to touching and being touched, it will help with believing that you are not poison."

"I'll try Professor, but it's hard especially with all the children running around. I'm always afraid that one of them will bump into me, when I'm not wearing gloves and long sleeves, and I'll put them into a coma."

"Rogue, we've learned that that will only happen if you have prolonged skin to skin contact. A simple brush will only cause mutants some dizziness and nausea. You really need to try to understand that for now you will not hurt anyone seriously by accident." Charles moved from around the desk and wheeled himself to the side of Rogue's chair. "Take my hand," when she did Charles smiled brightly at her. "see no green veins, nothing but me holding you hand."

Rogue smiled at Professor Xavier and squeezed his hand. Looking down at their joined hands Rogue could see that she was covered and that he was perfectly fine but that fear was still there. The fear that if there was the smallest of holes or tear and her deadly flesh touched him, the man that she looked at as a father would die or fall into a coma was still present in her mind. That fear made her snatch her hand away and she felt tears burning her eyes when she heard him sigh.

Not wanting to him to see her cry. Rogue rushed from the office and out onto the school grounds. All she could think to do was get away, run, from the people that had helped her. The very people she could hurt. Running blindly across the grass Rogue let the tears fall and all the fear and pain and injustice of it all raced through her mind. Why did she get stuck with this power, this disease. Why didn't the cure really cure her.

Not paying any attention to her surroundings Rogue wasn't surprised when she ran into something hard and fell on her ass. Wiping the tears from her eyes she looked up to see what she had run into. The first thing she saw was a pair of black combat boots and black jean covered legs. Following the legs saw the figure of a curvy woman, hips with a tucked in waist and then her ample bust covered in a white sweater. Further up she saw a familiar face, pale heart shaped with a cupid's bow mouth, small nose and ice blue eyes, all surrounded by a cloud of raven black hair with a blood red streak. Autumn Muhn, that was who'd she'd run into.

Rogue watched the older woman kneel down to her level and stare straight into her own emerald eyes. Rogue didn't consciously throw herself at her but that's where she ended up. With her face buried in Autumn's shoulder as she let all of it out. The pain and fear that she might never be able to touch someone skin to skin, might never have a husband or children because who would want someone that they could never touch. Bobby had proven that fact to her, when the strain of never touching had been too much, he'd gone to someone else.

Rogue didn't know how long she wept on Autumn, all she knew was that the tears and sobs were done she was being held and rocked. Something that she couldn't ever remember doing before. Not even as a child and the feeling was incredible. Autumn was running her fingers through her hair and whispering that it was all okay and to let it out. Closing her eyes once more she drew in a deep breath and took in the scent of Autumn's perfume, a soft scent of lilies and trees.

Something about the scent was familiar to Rogue and so was the feeling of Autumn's arms. A deep since of peace filled Rogue, just by listening to Autumn mummer things in French and gently stroking her hair and back. Rogue felt herself relax into the touches and just relished the attention. Time went by quickly and Rogue noticed that the sun was setting over the lake and a chill was setting in.

"Ma filleêtes-vousmieux?"(1) Autumn asked looking into Rogue's eyes. "Ilcommence à faire frisquetet nous devrionsrevenirpo."(2)

Rogue looked up in confusion French wasn't a language she understood, but she could feel the emotions behind it. Staring up into the ice blue eyes seemed familiar and comforting to Rogue. Without really knowing why she nodded her head. Rogue was startled when she was lifted and cradled by Autumn, again it seemed familiar. Rogue rested her head on the older woman's shoulder and let the feeling of peace continue to fill her and relaxed, not bothered by the fact that she was an adult herself being carried like a child. She needed to feel protected and cared for, for so long she had been forced into solitude. Now she drifted off into an easy sleep surrounded by Autumn's calm and loving aura.

Autumn smiled down at the sleeping Rogue and nuzzled her auburn hair with her chin. This was something that she had missed for the last eighteen years, the feeling of her sleeping daughter in her arms. BOOM, like that bombshell. Memories of Rogue when she was a toddler filled Autumn with a since of longing. When she had found out that she was pregnant she had escaped from Stryker's island and hidden herself away. Alone and afraid Autumn had went though the difficult pregnancy by herself, but once she had held her little angel in her arms all the pain and fear had been worth it.

Autumn had learned to control the blood thirsty beast that Stryker had unlocked and moved to a small community in New Orleans. She had found work in a large home as a cook and housekeeper, Autumn had even been unofficially adopted by the family she had worked for. After her daughter Renee(3) had been born her employers had let Autumn bring her to work and had spoiled the little girl rotten. Years of this happiness had passed until Autumn had felt it in the air. Danger.

Without a second thought Autumn had run with Renee, hoping that it would be safe to come back but it hadn't. From that moment Autumn had known that the only way to keep her four year old daughter safe was to let her go. Living on the run was not the way for a little girl to live and Autumn prayed that Renee would have a better and safer life away from her.

It seemed had been unkind to her Renee, Autumn had asked Charles about her past and it had been so hard for her little girl. Some other mutant had informed her adopted parents her powers came from her skin. From that moment she had never been touched again, until the moment her powers had been triggered. Poor baby her first kiss and she put him into a coma. Since then she'd been on the run and hiding herself away for fear of hurting another.

Autumn looked down at Rogue, Renee, sleeping face pressed into her neck and let her own tears fall. The pain her daughter must be living with for all these years. Autumn knew how difficult it is to live with all the other personalities in her head. It was the first thing she had started working on with Rogue. When Autumn looked back up she realized she had made it back to the school.

A kick opened the door and she made her way towards the stairs. Not knowing where Rogue's room was she headed instead towards her own and laid her daughter down. Rogue had somehow gotten a good hold on Autumn's neck and wouldn't release her so Autumn laid down as well and just watched her sleep. Soon Sarah and Sasha also made their way into the room and curled around Autumn and Rogue, drifting off as well.

The scene was viewed by a few of the other staff members and students but no one disturbed the sleeping family or even called them to dinner.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait but I've been in school and trying to find the time to write has been difficult. I hope that this chapter makes up for the wait. More will be coming soon I hope:) Translations for the French were done by Google Translator blame them if it's wrong.

1 My daughter are you better now?

2 It's getting chilly and we should be getting back inside.

3 Renee= Reborn in French