When they opened their eyes, Kurt and Pietro were surprised to find themselves lost in an endless sea of warm mist. "Vas ist zis?" "Where are we?" "We are in Rogue's mind," Professor Xavier replied from behind them. They both turned to face him and their eyes widened. "Professor! You are standing!" "Of course Kurt. You forget that only my body is disabled. My mind is quite well as you can readily attest." Both boys simply gawked. "Come now," Xavier said, "We are wasting time." He began to walk through the mist and Kurt and Pietro had no choice but to follow.

They were both quite surprised when they came upon a large engraved wooden door. However, before either could comment a voice spoke. "Oh you came back." The Professor smiled as a young girl with white bangs came into view. "I did," he said, "And this time I've brought some friends of mine. Kurt and Pietro." The girl's face scrunched up for a moment before smiling at them. For their part they could only stare. "Kurt, Pietro, this is Maddie." She waved shyly. "Hi," she said. When neither responded she turned questioning eyes on the Professor. He smiled reassuringly. "You must excuse them. This is their first outing and they are somewhat awestruck." Pietro looked at the Professor. Was he crazy? The girl looked no older than three, maybe four, and he was using such intense language. Maddie however, seemed to understand, and nodded.

She closed the distance between them and firmly grasped Kurt and Pietro's hands. Looking up at them, she smiled warmly. "There's no need to be scared. Come on, I wanna show you something." Both of them let themselves be tugged along by the little girl. Her bangs always seemed to be in her face, and her bright green eyes sparkled with childish delight. Pietro looked back to find Professor Xavier following behind, although he seemed a bit preoccupied, as if searching for something. "Is this kid Rogue's inner child or something?" Pietro whispered. The Professor smiled at him. "That's an excellent observation Pietro. I suppose you could say she is something like an inner child, yes." Pietro snorted. The whole experience was making him uneasy. Rogue's mind seemed all too familiar, and he was way too comfortable for his own good. He did however, recognize the smell that seemed to be everywhere. It was the smell of Heather. Heather used to grow everywhere. The moors, the fields, they were always covered in them. It was always such a breathtaking sight. Pietro stopped abruptly. 'Heather? Moor?' Where had that come from? He was raised in New York! How could he possibly know all that?! And yet it felt right.

Professor Xavier noticed Pietro's sudden change and eyed him quizzically. Pietro closed his eyes, suddenly feeling dizzy. He began to sway as a bout of nausea hit him. Then he felt an arm encircle his shoulders, and a hand grip his arm firmly. He looked, only to find Kurt looking at him, confusion and concern mixed in his eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked. For a moment Pietro couldn't find his voice. Then he gulped, feeling the bile rising in his throat. He simply nodded. Kurt was about to say something when the mist began to swirl and sway. The darkness around them was rapidly receding, replaced by a bright golden light, like the sun. The smell of Heather increased, and soon all three found themselves in a field of it. Kurt and Pietro looked around in surprise, as the Professor merely reflected on how good an idea it had been to bring them with him.

The field went on forever, in every direction they turned. Maddie giggled. "You like it?" she asked. "D-did you do this?" Pietro stammered. Maddie only giggled more. "Of course not silly! I can't change things!" She began to laugh as if they were crazy for believing she could do anything that dramatic. Shaking her head, she strolled over to the door, and grasping the latch, opened it. It creaked open loudly, but there was no sound to accompany its collision with a wall.

They slowly looked into the room. It was a simple room, a baby's room. The only thing that really stood out from the shadows was a bold white crib. Pietro's eyes narrowed. Kurt paled. He stumbled into the room, leaning heavily against the doorframe, as a wave of sheer terror flowed through his body. Xavier and Pietro turned to look at Kurt, who was trembling. His head shook slowly from side to side and he kept repeating "no" softly. Maddie gasped and ran into the room, rushing over to the crib. She climbed the side and learned forward. Her short hair fell about her face as she reached an arm into the crib. She turned to them, a smile shinning brightly. "He's not crying! Come see! Come see! Isn't he perfect?" Kurt collapsed, colliding hard with the ground. He began to gasp for air as he choked on unspent sobs.

Pietro knelt beside Kurt, placing a hand firmly on Kurt's shoulder. Professor Xavier slowly walked across the room to the crib, and looked inside. His shock registered on his face and it was all the confirmation Kurt needed. He began to cry, until his body was heaving. Kurt gagged as he emptied his stomach.

Pietro was at a loss. Though, the exchange was clear, and he suddenly felt angry. It wasn't fair. How could they be kept apart like that?! No wonder Kurt and Rogue had always had an indescribable relationship. They were siblings! Pietro was starting to feel sick as well, as he suddenly realized this was only the beginning.

The End.