She fell straight on her back and let out a grunt. She ignored the twinges of pain as she rolled onto all fours and pushed herself up. She heard him as he came running up behind her. She ducked, sliding her leg out and turned in a circle, trying to catch him behind his legs. He jumped, dodging the blow, before raising his hand to his visor. She heard the second it powered up before the red beam shot out and in that moment she closed her eyes. She opened the door to Cyclops' powers and pulled them out. She opened them again when she felt the pain behind her lids and then red beams clashed together, exploding.

She flew back and hit the metal wall hard. She let out a groan and held up her hands, keeping her eyes closed. She opened Cyclops' door, pushing his power in there before she shut it tightly. she reached behind her neck, massaging the spot before she opened her eyes again. "Could you have hit any harder?" Rogue asked, eying Cyclops warily. He shrugged, walking over to her. He held out his hand, and she curled hers around it, allowing him to hoist her up. She bit back a groan when her leg screamed in protest, and punched Cyclops lightly on the arm. "You said 'light' sparring, jerk."

"That was light sparring."

"Remind me never to ask you to do 'heavy' sparring." she murmured, looking down at the cut in her arm. "You said you wanted to learn to control it. That's what we're doing." he told her, grabbing her arm lightly and turning it so he could see the wound. "Yeah, but Scott, come on. Most people get a day to get back in the swing of things." she slapped at his hand when he pressed too hard, sending pain receptors up her arm singing. He sent her a bland look before he bent his head, kissing the wound lightly. The move brought butterflies into her stomach and had her tugging her arm gently away. "Focus." she told him, her eyes sardonic. He flashed her a smile. "sorry, couldn't help myself."

"How can I learn to control it if you're kicking my ass constantly? It's been 3 days and I am sore in places I didn't even know existed."

"You're getting better at the optic blasts." As if her body wanted to prove him wrong, her knees gave out and he dived to catch her. "Or not."

"I'm just tired." she told him, attempting to straighten her legs. "Maybe we should take a break." she shook her head. "I need to get this 'tired' thing under control. The more I use it, the more my body is used to it."

"So, what do you suggest we do?" Cyclops asked. Rogue looked down at her arm. "We can try Wolverine."

"You sure you're up to it?" She shrugged. "Why not? It hurts like a mofo anyways."

"Have you ever tapped his powers before?" he asked and her mind flashed to the day they had saved Mark. "Once. It didn't end so well..." Cyclops glanced at her. "I was out for 3 days." she muttered, not breaking eye contact. His eyes widened. "Mark?" She nodded. "In all fairness, I didn't know about it much then. I just thought it was a freak accident brought on by Mark's mutation." She glanced back down at the cut, bending over her arm. Cyclops did the same while saying, "The Professor thought the same thing."

"I mean, it didn't start happening until i touched the kid and absorbed his power-" She cut off, her head snapping up. It hit Cyclops' chin and sent him into a frenzy of muttered oaths and curses. She stifled a laugh and leaned towards him, grabbing his head with her gloved hands. "oh gosh! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." he muttered, swatting her hands away playfully as he palpated his chin. She didn't successfully stifle the next laugh and instead turned it into a full belly laugh. She clutched her stomach and said in-between gasps, "Cyclops...so...composed...so in...control...cussing because...he got hit on...the head! Oh...gosh!" it was so strange to see Scott dazzled and to watch his strong control slip every once in a while. "yeah yeah, ok." he muttered, grabbing her mouth, his glove stopping her mutation from taking effect. She stopped laughing, but her hazel eyes still sparkled.

He found himself smiling, the move so easy in her presence he couldn't ever remember a time where he didn't smile. He liked the way her eyes were now. They weren't haunted or lost. They were bright, laughing, and so full of life. He liked that he could bring the light into her eyes and he found himself wanting to keep it that way. He felt something slam him in the gut, the feeling overwhelming his senses.

He was in love.

It seemed so simple. He was in love. It was different than what he had felt for Jean. With Jean it had been lust, a primal instinct they had had since they were kids. Everyone said they were perfect together, so they had been together. He felt as if he was convinced to be in love with Jean. With Rogue…his heart beat faster every time he saw her. Being around her made him want to smile and never stop. He wanted to touch her, to hold her, to chase away the darkness in her eyes and to never leave her. He needed her. She made him feel again when the last year and a half had seemed like he could never feel again. Whenever she got hurt, he felt as if he had lost his life. Every time she cried, he wanted to be there to save her. He wanted to be her prince, her knight in shining armor. Her Protector.

He smiled, the small realization lifting his heart. His hands slid from it's place over her mouth to cup the side of her head. He leaned in, wanting to taste her, every muscle in his body on edge. A white strand fell lose and his other hand reached out to tuck it behind her ear. It was her gasp that stopped him.

She had been watching him since he had placed his hand over her mouth. Her heart had stopped beating and she was terrified to move. He was touching her and the feel of his hand on her mouth was the most…amazing thing. She never thought it would be romantic…but she felt her heart swell as he smiled. It was a small smile, but it seemed to her that he held his whole world was in it.

Then he had began to lean in and she thought her heart would actually burst. She wanted him to kiss her. She had almost closed her eyes and shorten the gap between their lips until her hair fell, the white reminding her of her power. She let out a gasp and wanted to cry when she felt him stop and pull away. "I'm sorry." he whispered, his voice so weak and dejected that she wanted to cry. She shook her head and tried to smile. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…it was my fault." she stood and Scott did the same. She turned and looked at him and was struck with a feeling. A feeling she couldn't describe. It was something like…hope. She hadn't mistaken the look on Scott's face, and if she could see his eyes, she was sure it would've confirmed it. He began talking, but she drowned him out, remembering what had made her head snap up before.

She had absorbed Mark's powers. If she could access them…

She could touch.

She reached out and placed his hand over Scott's mouth and he stopped. She smiled before closing her eyes. The hallway of rooms was small, only containing about 4 or 5 wooden doors. She walked down them, the names scrawled on top useless until she came to Mark's. Well, in here she called him Leech. She reached out and pushed it open and she watched as the power seeped out and through her. Without opening her eyes, she moved her hand away from Scott's mouth and pulled off a glove. She opened her eyes, the hazel swirls mesmerizing Scott, and lifted her bare hand. "Rogue…" he murmured and she watched his body tense as she drew near. "Trust me." she whispered and closed her bare hand over his cheek.