Time for a new chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution.

Sebastian couldn't be happier, or more worried. Rogue had spun out of control two weeks ago, and she hasn't woken up yet. He has been staying by her side when he could find time, and there had been no improvements. Her body had collapsed under the strain of emotional torment and physical exertion. Emma had woken up a little while after she had been knocked out, and had tried to probe Rogues mind, but the girl had erected mental shields strong enough that Emma could not break through. And Emma was pissed. Rogue had redirected Emma's psychic attack back toward her, and then proceeded to knock her unconscious. Emma prided herself on being a powerful telepath, and to have a little girl that had just learned of her telepathy, throw her own attack back on her…it infuriated her.

Erik had gotten his neck slashed, but luckily the girl had not cut deeply enough to cause any permanent damage. He had been taken care of, and was alright now. Erik did not show much of his feelings, no one could tell whether he wanted the girl dead, or pat her on the back. Knowing Erik, it was probably both.

Now there was the matter of Selene. Out of every member, she was the most vengeful and cruel, she wanted to torture the girl, but never let her die. She said that death would be a release from the plans she had for her. She wanted the girl to be completely broken, physically and emotionally. She wanted to use the girl as her personal play toy for as long as she would last. Selene's body had returned to normal quickly enough. Rogue had broken almost every bone in her body with her vicious assault on the woman. Selene had grabbed one of the medical attendants and stole his life essence, returning her body to normal. It wasn't the damage that pissed Selene off, that was easily healed; it was the fact the little bitch had bested her at the moment.

Sebastian was worried Rogue was not going to wake up, and with no way of entering her mind, they couldn't know what was going on. Her power display was magnificent. The girl had called upon many powers, and had bested three of the members of The Inner Circle. She lived up to the expectations, and then some. Although, now she had to wake up. She was no use to them if she wasn't conscious.

-Rogues mind-

Rogue was not sure what had happened. The last thing she remembered was an image of Selene coming toward her with a knife. The next thing she knew, she had woken up on the banks of the Mississippi. She wasn't exactly sure how she had gotten here, but she decided to explore a little.

"It's such a nice day! The sun is shining, and the weather is perfect! It's a darned shame Ah don't have a bathin' suit to tan in!" Rogue said to herself.

Next thing she knew, she was wearing a dark brown bikini.

"What the hell? When did Ah change? Something's up…" Rogue thought aloud.

Deciding to not let the sun go wasted, Rogue made her way over to a sunny patch of grass over by the rivers edge. She spread herself out, and enjoyed the suns rays. It was so comforting to feel the warmth washing over her skin. Rogue thought of her surroundings, and what had happened.

'Alright, so Ah was chained up by Selene, and then she came toward me with a knife, and next thing Ah know, here Ah am enjoying the Mississippi sun. And, Ah wanted a bathin' suit, and next thing, Ah have one on. Ah must be dreaming. Or dead.' Rogue thought. 'Am Ah in heaven? Ah never thought heaven would be Mississippi.' Rogue laughed to herself.

'No, Ah'm not dead. Ah know Ah'm still alive. Ah must be in mah mind. Why does mah mind look like the Mississippi this time? Whenever Ah delved into mah mind before, it was just vast empty space. Time to look around, and figure things out.' Rogue thought, getting up from her spot.

"Alright, now Ah want some shorts to wear. And some shoes." Rogue said aloud.

Rogue looked down, and saw some black flip flops on her feet, and some jean cut off shorts. 'Ah said shoes, but this'll do.' She thought, with a smile.

Rogue walked away from the rivers banks, and made her way farther into her mind. She saw houses, with children playing and a mother hanging up laundry to dry. Rogue looked at the children, and they looked like Scott and Jean! And the mother was Ororo! Rogue shook her head, and looked again, but the children no longer looked like her old friends, and their mother was not Ororo. Rogue brushed it off, knowing she was in her mind, and she could shape her surroundings. She must have just slipped up, and accidentally put her traitorous friends in.

As Rogue walked further, the scenery began to change into woods. Walking further into the woods, they became thicker, the sun not shining through as brightly. She followed a clear path made through the dense trees. Rogue heard a rustle in the brush, and a wolverine came jumping out onto her path. Rogue looked around, then back toward the animal, and in its place was a squirrel. Rogue laughed to herself. There were no wolverines in Mississippi! Rogue smiled and continued on the path.

The sun came peeking through the tree tops, and Rogue looked up toward the sky. Something large was up in the trees. It looked….like a blue fury….BEAST! Rogues face twisted up in confusion, and lost sight of him. Shrugging her shoulders, Rogue continued on her path.

Rogue felt she was walking for hours! She was beginning to worry the path never ended, but just then, she saw a clearing in the thick woods. Rogue smiled and hurried her pace, tired of the scenery. She made her way out of the woods, feeling the sun shine and warm her skin again. Rogue closed her eyes and stretched, reaching for the sky. Then she felt something tickle her skin. Rogue looked around, startled, but she couldn't find anything. She didn't know how anything could hide; she was in flat plains of grass. There was no where to go! Rogue let it go, and decided to lie down again. Rogue closed her eyes and enjoyed the sun. It had been so long since she had been outside, it felt like an eternity!

"Lovely day, petit. Terrific view." A smooth voice said, next to her.

Rogue opened her eyes in surprise; she had heard that voice before! She looked over to where the voice had come from, but didn't see anything. Now Rogue felt she was going crazy…in her own mind! She didn't know what was going on, but she got up and quickly ran further into the plains. The scenery began to change again, the grass growing higher and thicker. The grass had to be at least six feet tall now!

'How am Ah ever gonna find mah way through this?' Rogue thought, still walking further. She decided to stay in a straight line, she had to end up somewhere that way.

As she continued on her way, she felt someone grab her from behind. Rogue was startled, but when she didn't feel herself getting dragged away, or being hurt, she calmed down. She was being held by strong arms, in a tight hug. The man holding her then placed his head in the crook of her neck and shoulder. Rogue couldn't see his face; it was covered by the shadow from his long bangs. But she could see glowing red eyes shining through. She knew him. He had saved her.

'Feels nice…' Rogue thought, closing her eyes. She wanted to remember this feeling. She felt safe, and warm.

"I'm here for you, chere." He whispered in her ear, and then disappeared.

Rogue was by herself again, she was no longer being held. She looked around her, and found no trace of the man that had held her. She didn't know what was going on, but she felt compelled to continue on her journey.

She walked deeper into the grass, and then suddenly the tall grass stopped. Rogue was in another field. But this one was different. It had what looked like prison cells spread throughout the field. Rogue walked up to one of the cells, but it was empty. She tried another, and it was empty also. She kept looking into the different cells, until she found one that was occupied. It was herself! Rogue backed away from the door, but then moved closer again. She looked inside, and saw a younger version of herself curled into the corner. Rogue placed her hand on the door, and it opened. She didn't know whether the go inside or not. The cell frightened her, but also drew her in.

Rogue decided to go inside, so she slowly made her way inside the cell. Her heart was racing, but she knew she couldn't turn back now. She kneeled a distance away from herself, and decided to say hello.

"Hey. Are you okay?" She asked softly.

The other girl didn't look up. She stayed still, almost like stone.

"Don't worry. Ah'm you. Or your meh, Ah haven't figured it out yet." Rogue said, laughing and confusing herself.

The other girl looked up at Rogue, and Rogue just smiled. Rogue reached out to place a comforting hand on the other girls shoulder, but she backed away and yelled at her.

"DON'T TOUCH MEH! No one can touch meh! If they touch meh, they hurt meh!" The younger girl screamed.

Rogue was taken aback. This was her. Rogue wasn't going to hurt her, she was going to help her. Rogue felt upset, and confused. Rogue moved a little closer to the girl, and sat down, leaning against the cell wall. The other girl just stayed in the corner, tears brimming her eyes.

"You're going to be okay. Ah'm going to help you. Not everyone wants to hurt you. Ah know that now. Some people want to help. Ah want to help." Rogue told the girl, comfortingly.

The other girl just looked at Rogue. She moved her mouth to speak, but then shut it.

"It's alright. Let's talk. Ah won't laugh or hurt ya in anyway. Promise." Rogue told her, smiling.

"Ah…Ah don't want anyone to touch meh. Everyone ends up hurting meh, so Ah want to hurt them! When they touch meh, Ah drain 'em." The other girl said bitterness thick in her voice.

"Ah know how you feel. But not everyone is out to hurt ya. Do you really want to go the rest of your life without feeling another persons touch?" Rogue asked. She wasn't sure where these words were coming from, but she couldn't stop them from coming out. She remembered the feeling of being held in strong arms, and felt compelled to help this girl more.

"Ah don't know. Ah just don't want to hurt anymore!" The young girl cried, tears falling from her eyes.

Rogue moved closer to her, and held her in a comforting embrace. She let the younger girl cry. Then the young girl wrapped her arms around Rogue, and returned the embrace. Rogue smiled and held her. Then the girl began to disappear, but not just disappear, she was becoming part of Rogue! Rogue wasn't sure what was going on, but she felt like everything was okay. Rogue got up and walked out of the cell, and when she did, it vanished behind her. The other cells didn't leave though, so Rogue took a look inside the one nearest her. It was dark, but she thought she saw a man in a wheelchair in there. Professor Xavier? Rogue backed away from the cell. She wasn't sure if she had seen correctly, but she didn't want to go find out. Rogue made her way around the different cells, and it seemed they weren't empty anymore. She saw images of people she had never seen before, and some of people she had. The whole thing was creeping Rogue out, so she ran away from the cells and back toward the tall grass.

She followed her path through the grass once more, and made her way into the clearing. The sun was still shining bright, so Rogue decided to lie down again. She was away from those creepy cells, and this is where that man showed up first. At least, she could have sworn it was his voice. Stretching out in the warm grass, Rogue closed her eyes again.

"That girl, she was meh. She was another part of meh. A part that has been holding on to the past and holding me back. Ah…Ah think Ah know now that Ah have to let go of certain parts of mah past to move forward in life." Rogue thought aloud.

"Nice philosophy, petit. But I must say dat I am enjoying dis view much more." The voice said slyly.

Rogue was startled again, and looked where the voice had come from, and this time, she could see that man! He looked very faint though, almost like a ghost. His face was mostly covered in shadow, his distinct eyes glowing through. His lips were curved into a sly smile, and he was looking…

Rogue realized she was still in just a bikini top! She covered herself with her hands and blushed furiously.

"Aww, come now, don't be shy, chere." He said, with a mock pout and laugh.

"What are you doing in mah head?" Rogue shouted, nervous and embarrassed from the mans stares.

"Dunno. It's your mind, petit. You tell me." He said, looking only slightly confused himself.

"Ah don't know! Ah've nevah even touched ya before!" Rogue said, her accent getting thicker with her frustration.

"Is dat how I got here? Well remind me to touch you for real next time. Dis place is fabulous! Sun always shining, nice Mississippi banks. I haven't figured out how to get to N'Orleans from here yet…"

"You touched meh? But wait, when did you do that? Wait, and you said 'touch for real'. What do you mean?" Rogue cut him off.

"I'm not sure. I r'member wanting to touch dat glorious skin o' yours, got real close, and next t'ing I know, here I am." He told her, his voice thick and flirtatious.

Rogue blushed again, but quickly put a frown on her face. "You can't touch mah skin without havin' some of your life essence drained into me. With that, Ah get your physical skills, memories, personality traits, and any powers ya got. It all stays with meh for only a while, depending on how long o' contact."

"Well, I didn't really touch you. Just got real close, got dat draining feelin, and den I was here." He explained.

"Ah dont even know why Ah'm arguing with you. You aint a full piece of psyche. Your not even solid." Roguesaid.

"Not solid, eh? I'll show you 'not solid', chere." He said with a grin.

He pounced on Rogue and began to relentlessly tickle her. Rogue tried to get away, but she was pinned under his body weight. The sudden contact scared her, but she soon was trying not to laugh, but he wouldn't stop tickling her. Her held in laughter ended up bursting out, and she couldn't stop laughing. Her attacker would not stop his assault either.

"please…..Stop!...please……." Rogue managed to get out between giggles and fits of laughter.

"Not till you tell me dat I'm the most handsome man you've ever seen and you've fallen desperately in love wit me." He said, not letting up with his tickling.

"NO!...Ah'm not…..gonna say…..THAT!" Rogue said between her laughter.

"Alright then, chere. You gonna die laughin" He said, a flirtatious smile on his face.

"Alright!...Alright…..your the most…..handsome….guy….Ah've evah seen….and…..Ah….almost….like ya." Rogue said between laughs.

He stopped his tickle assault for a moment, and Rogue was grateful.

"Tsk Tsk, petit. You didn't say de words right. You gotta get de words right, and say it louder. I didn't feel it in my soul." He told her, mock scolding.

"Damn….you…." Rogue got out. She was now struggling to get free from him, but he kept her pinned.

"Such ugly words comin out of such a pretty mouth. Shouldn't say dat, chere. Your at my mercy." He told her, his face moving closer to hers.

Rogue stopped squirming beneath him. His face kept getting closer to hers, until it stopped an inch away.

"Best say de words, petit." He said huskily.

Rogue just stared at his eyes. She felt flustered by his close proximity, and his flirtatious nature. Rogue closed her eyes for a moment to steady herself.

"Fine. You're the most handsome man Ah've ever seen and Ah've fallen desperately in love with you." Rogue said, her eyes still closed.

"Dat wasn't so hard now, was it?" He said, slowly moving closer.

Rogue opened her eyes, and saw him getting closer, and prepared herself for a kiss. But then he suddenly got off of her.

"Well, its time I left. You should wake up now." He told her, walking away.

Rogue got up, wondering what he meant, but he had disappeared again.

"Insufferable man." Rogue grumbled.

Rogue sat down again, and mumbled more insults directed toward that man. 'What's his deal makin meh say that? Jerk…" She thought, with a frown on her face. 'And what did he mean Ah should wake up now?'

Then it all donned on her. 'Of course! You're in your mind, stupid! Just wake yourself up!' Rogue thought, laughing at her stupidity.

"Alright, time to wake up and get outta here."

-Rogue Room-

Rogue opened her eyes, and found herself in her room. Rogue got up and made her way into the bathroom, she felt like she hadn't bathed in weeks! Rogue took a quick shower and then got dressed. She put on some black pants and a black tank top. While she was dressing, Rogue thought back to what had happened.

'There's no way in hell that Ah'm trainin with Selene again.' Rogue thought. She knew she had to go and talk to Sebastian to make sure she never trained with her again.

In her rush to talk to Sebastian, and her occupied thoughts, Rogue forgot to put on her gloves. She hurried out of her room and made her way to the Clubs meeting room. Rogue wanted to talk to Sebastian alone though, so she decided to ask telepathically for him to meet her there.

A few moments later, Rogue was in the Clubs meeting room waiting for Sebastian to enter. Minutes later, Sebastian walked through the large doors.

"Rogue, you're awake! I must say I was quite surprised when you used your telepathy to contact me. I'm glad you're okay. Your training session took a heavy toll on your body." He said, walking over to his seat.

"That's what Ah wanted to talk to you about. There is no way Ah will ever train with Selene again. Last thing Ah remember is her coming at meh with a knife. No way in hell will she ever come near meh with a knife again." Rogue said sternly.

"Rogue, you don't remember anything after that do you? You seemed to have snapped, because we got a telepathic S.O.S from Selene, and when we came into the room, you were standing over her, savagely beating her. When we tried to calm you down, there was no reaching you. The best thing we could do was try to stun you, and see if you would calm down then. But you took Emma out when she tried to telepathically stun you. You turned her attack back on her, and then threw her into the wall with some telekinesis. Erik tried to hold you with sheets of metal, but you slit his throat with a knife. Luckily, you did not cause any permanent damage." Sebastian told her.

Rogue couldn't believe she had done that! She looked up to Erik and Emma! Selene, not so much. She was glad she had given that woman a good beating.

"Is everyone actually okay?" Rogue asked.

Sebastian laughed. "It doesn't matter really, but yes. You're what matters, Rogue. We promised to protect and take care of you. You're power display was magnificent though. You called upon many different powers, and seemed to have complete control over them all. Your body gave out from under the strain. With how many power signatures you were using, it's no wonder."

"Is everyone terribly mad at meh?" Rogue asked, sheepishly.

Sebastian gave another hearty laugh. "Don't worry about anyone else. It doesn't matter if they are or not. I want you to focus on feeling better, and when you do, we can continue with training if you would like. Take this week off. The Club has some business to attend to. Oh, and I'll make sure Selene stays away from you with any sharp objects."

Rogue just smiled, not sure to take his last comment offensively or not. She then walked away, intent on finding Erik and Emma to apologize. Walking out of the room, Rogue decided to talk to Emma first. She then made her way to Emma's quarters in hopes the woman would be there. Making her way to Emma's room, Rogue stood outside and decided to use her telepathy again.

'Ms. Frost? May Ah come in?'

'No.' was the short reply.

'Ah wanted to apologize. Sebastian just filled meh in with what had happened. Ah'm sorry that Ah attacked you. Ah didn't know what was going on.' Rogue tried. No response. 'If Ah had known, Ah would have never attacked you or Erik! You have been nothing but kind to meh since Ah got here.'

'I noticed you left Selene out of your apology.' Emma said.

Rogue laughed. 'Ah have no apologies for that woman. In fact, Ah'd go back and do it again.'

'Come on in.' Emma told her.

Rogue walked into Emma's quarters. If Rogue thought that her room was big, Emma's was gigantic! Everything was elegantly decorated in white, and accented in silver. Emma was sitting on a large white couch in her living room when Rogue walked in.

"Follow me Rogue. I want your opinion on something. The Club is going to have a formal ball this weekend, and I haven't chosen an outfit yet." Emma told her, moving to her walk-in closet. She brought out two absolutely gorgeous white gowns. One was a form fitting silk, with a low cut front and almost no back. It was long and spooled out onto the floor. The other almost looked like a wedding gown. A white dress with a corset top, with beautiful lace detail, and the bottom puffed out just above the hips.

"They're both so beautiful. Ah don't know which one you should wear." Rogue said. She wasn't used to giving fashion advice, this was her first time!

Emma looked at both dresses for a while, and then threw them both back into the closet. "Never mind, I'll wear my Club attire."

"What's this ball for?" Rogue asked.

"It's just a get together between us and our business associates. We also meet new people who would like to do business with us. Quite boring, but you'll get to come when you're older." Emma told her, walking back into the living room.

Rogue stopped in her tracks. 'When Ah'm older?'

"Ms. Frost….how old am Ah?" Rogue asked quietly.

Emma stopped and turned around. 'The girl doesn't know how old she is?'

"Rogue, you're almost fifteen. We discovered a log at the facility. You were taken before you turned twelve, and then they began…the experiments. We saved you two and a half years later." Emma told her, her voice soft.

"Oh." Was all Rogue said. She started to walk out of Emma's room, she didn't want her to see the tears beginning in her eyes. Not trusting her own voice, Rogue used her telepathy to tell Emma goodbye.

'Ah'm going to go lie down, then find Erik. Again, Ah'm sorry.' Rogue said, closing the doors behind her.

Emma just stood there, not liking her feelings of guilt overthis girls torment.

Rogue ran back to her room and jumped on her bed, burying her head in her pillows. She couldn't stop crying. She felt stupid to have gotten so emotional. It was only a number after all. But it wasn't the number she was crying about, it was the fact she had had no idea how old she was. Parts of her memory were completely blank. Large parts of her life, she did not know what had happened. Rogue sat up, and tried to dry her tears. She knew she could not change the past. She could only live for the present, and become strong enough to exact her revenge on who had caused her so much misery.

Rogue stood up, knowing she should find Erik now. She had apparently done the most damage to him. Rogue was scared, but knew that she had to at least try to make amends. Rogue made her way out her door, and toward Erik's room. She walked toward the elevator, and saw Erik stepping out it and heading in her direction. He had planned to check on Rogue, to see if she had awakened yet, but she was walking toward him. Rogue stopped in her tracks when she saw bandages on his neck, and she couldn't help but feel some tears swell. Erik walked straight towards her, closing the gap between them. Rogue tried to say something, but nothing would come out. Erik gave the girl a hug, and Rogue began to sob. She couldn't get any words out, and Erik continued to hold her. When she was done crying, Erik let her go and walked away.

Rogue stood there for a while. No words had been exchanged, but she knew that things between herself and Erik were okay.

Alright, that's it for now. Everyone's favorite Ragin' Cajun made an appearance! I guess I missed that swamp rat myself, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to write in a little romy fluff. It may be a bit before his handsome butt comes back, but I hope this little scene may tide you romy fans over for a little.

Ishandahalf: I guess we authors have a problem with torturing the characters, but where would some plots be without? Haha, my story for example. Rogue's training will continue, and lets just say, its not going to get much easier for a while. I brought that Cajun back to appease all romy fans, including myself. Thank you for your reviews!

Yayabitchyfish: Just wait, Rogue gets to kick more ass later on!

Chris: Thank you, I was a little worried over my fight scenes. It seems like some members of Hellfire actually care for Rogue. And some are trying their damnedest not to. Then there's always Selene. If y'all thought she was bad before, now she's got a grudge against Rogue. Thank you for your review!

Chained2aMask: I don't plan to downplay Rogue's abilities in the least. She is a magnificent character with the potential of such amazing power. I'm not even going to get started on the X-Men movies…there are SO many things wrong with Rogue's background. But I suppose that I am also playing around with Rogues history for the sake of art. But anyways, Rem's made an appearance, and ol' bucket head aint dead. Thank you so much for your reviews!

Rogue31: Thank you so much for reading! I put a little romy in this chapter for everyone and of course, I can't go too long without some also. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

A.M.bookworm247: Yes, of course I have somewhere I'm going with this. I would never want Rogue to go through so much, without some sort of outcome. You always have to have a few cards up your sleeve. wink Thank you for reviews!

Enchantedlight: Thank you!

Alright everyone, I'm off. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing!

-Razor