Carol was in a rush to get where she was going and knew thatthe fastest way to get there was by flying. However, not knowing her way there, nor feeling up to flying there herself, she found out when the next flight to Boston was and hitched a ride on a plane (making sure the coast was clear first, of course).

When the plane began its descent, Carol abandoned her ride towards Boston General Hospital, where her body lay lifeless. Upon her arrival, she got the information that she needed and proceeded to her room.

There in the room was Carol's body, lying unconscious on the bed, surrounded by three people who were very dear to her: her mother, her father, and her friend Jessica, all three of whom looked equally surprised to see the stranger. Breaking the silence, Carol spoke.

"Um…hello. I'm…Rogue."

After a short, awkward pause, Carol's mother replied, "Hello, Rogue. Come in. You're here to see Carol?"

"Uh, yeah, she was a friend of mine," Carol said, pausing for a moment before speaking again. "How is she doing? Has she made any progress?"

"No, she hasn't made any progress since they found her nearly dead on the stretcher. Doctors are saying it's hopeless and that it's silly to keep her on life support. What do they know, heartless fools? Do you know what may have happened to her?"

Carol shook her head. "But I know she'll make it," she said, trying hard to smile. "She's a fighter."

"Well, you do know our Carol after all," Carol's mother replied.


"How do you know Carol?" asked Jessica. "I don't remember her ever mentioning you. You do seem familiar, somehow."

"Jessica, please. You don't need to interrogate her."

"Well, I didn't know her for long, but I guess you can say we had a connection."

"Hey, how about we take a little walk, have some girl talk, get to know each other, share some memories of Carol? Whattya say?"

"Umm…sure. Sounds good."

Jessica and Carol walked out of the room together, closing the door after them. When they were a safe distance away from Carol's room, Jessica spoke once more.

"All right, now I get some answers. I only stopped the interrogation out of respect for her parents, but now I want the truth. Did you have something to do with what happened? I know I've seen you before and I don't think it's just a coincidence. Where have I seen you before?"

"Calm down, Drew, I can explain."

"What did you s-? You called me Drew. How did you-"

"I always called you Drew. You always called me 'Danvers'. It was our 'thing.'"

"How- it can't be. How do you-?"

"It's me, Carol."

"It can't be. It's not possible. What kind of sick person are you, playing games-?"

"Drew, believe me, I wish it weren't true but it is. Rogue was one of the women who came after me when I left the meeting that day. And yes, she did have something to do with what happened."

"That's how I know you…err…her. What…what happened?"

It took Carol a few minutes to explain everything that happened that night and in the months that followed, including her "resurrection" and about how Rogue had sacrificed her life for her.

"Well, I have a hard time feeling sorry for her, after what she's done."

"I used to feel the same way. I thought she got what she deserved. Her idea of a second chance wasn't exactly the greatest. I mean, I had to go back to high school. But, no, Drew, I was wrong. I was manipulated into believing they were the enemy, that they were coming after me. I only just found out how wrong I was. I attacked them first, Drew. Rogue was innocent."

"Oh Carol. I can't believe this. Of all the - who would do such a thing?"

"A very unstable person with a wicked heart."

"Well, I see you've finally learned the truth, Carol," said a voice from behind. She and Jessica turned around to find Professor Xavier.

"Professor, what are you doing here?"

"I've come here for you. We've had a deal, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, right. I just- "

"It's all right, Carol. I understand. No need to explain. I gather your friend knows the truth now?"

"Yes. This is my friend Jessica. Drew, this is Professor Xavier. He's the one who made this, well, possible."

"Wait, then, could you do something for Carol?!"

"I don't know if I can. The damage was extensive and I have tried before with no luck. However, using Carol's conscious mind, it may work. But even if I could revive her, there's no promise of a full recovery."

"It doesn't matter. Anything's better than this."

"All right then. Carol, I may need your help in the process."

"Ok, Professor. Drew, you need to get my parents out of there."

"Leave it to me. You guys just keep out of sight."

Jessica reentered the room and emerged moments later with Carol's parents. When they had finally gone in the elevator, Carol and Xavier went into the room to begin the procedure.

Xavier created a mental link with *Carol and looked around her conscious, looking for what he needed. He then linked both their minds with Carol's and did whatever he could. After several moments, he opened his eyes, indicating he had broken the link with both Carols.

"Well, what happens now?" Carol asked.

"I've done all I could. I'm afraid there's nothing else I can do" Xavier noticed the look of pain and desperation in *Carol's eyes. "I'll be waiting outside."

Carol looked down at her body and her eyes swelled up with tears. "Hey there, me. This is really weird, talking to myself outside my body, but you have to pull though We belong in our own body, living our own life. Come on, please, you have to do it; you have to make it. I wish I could do something to help. You don't know what it's like, not being in your own body, having to live through someone else's life. Please, please wake up." *Carol grabbed hold of her body's hand and squeezed it tight, looking hopefully at her body, as if she were expecting to see a change.

She then held her hand to *her face, forgetting about Rogue's powers, as tears flowed down her cheeks. An onlooker would have expected a transference to take place, but nothing happened. Finally, she lowered her head, gave a sigh of despair and began to sob, holding *Carol's hand to her chest with both hands. Suddenly, she heard a loud beep followed by another, and another. She immediately looked up, her eyes so watery she could barely see. After wiping her tears away, she saw the brain wave screen and couldn't believe her eyes. The brainwaves had changed markedly; almost double! Unable to contain herself she cried once more, but this time, tears of immense joy. She bent down and hugged her body, not knowing what else she could do to release the happiness she was feeling.

Carol ran out of the room to find Professor Xavier to tell him the good news, when she saw Jessica and her parents coming out of the elevator. She hid from view quickly, waiting until they were inside the room before coming out. She was about to go find Xavier again when she heard shouting coming from the room. Moving towards the door, she heard what it was.

"It's a miracle! A miracle! She's going to make it! I knew it! I knew she would! Our Carol's going to make it! Call the doctor! Call the nurse!"

Carol walked towards the room and stood in the doorway. She saw Jessica's face light up and fill with tears as she smiled to Carol and mouthed "It worked!" Carol just nodded and smiled. By her mother's orders, she entered the room and celebrated with them with many hugs and smiles. Carol's mother told her that she had a lucky star, since the change came only moments after she showed up. Carol smiled, happy to hear her mother's kind words to her. After saying her goodbyes (which was much harder for her than for them, except for Jessica), Carol and Xavier left for the X-jet (where Wolverine was waiting), but not before asking Professor Xavier for a favor.

When they finally arrived at the mansion, they found everyone waiting at the hangar, anxious for their return. They ran eagerly towards them, asking questions like "Where have you been?" and "What happened?"

"Wow, now this is what Ah call a warm welcome. Nice to know ya'll care."

"Hey, you got your accent down pretty good."

"Well, Ah'd sure hope so, being that Ah've talked like this all mah life. Ah am from Mississippi after all."

Everyone's face was blank, not knowing if she was being in character or playing tricks.

"Do Ah have to spell it out for ya guys?"

"R-Rogue?" Kurt asked.

Responding only with a smile, she found herself attacked by everyone in a group hug accompanied by faces that were full of elation. "Whoa, easy, guys, will ya? Don't get all mushy on me now."

"But, I don't understand. What happened to Carol?" Scott asked.

"We'll answer all your questions later," answered Xavier. "Right now, I think we should focus on having our Rogue back."

Everyone nodded in agreement and began walking away with Rogue, busily telling her how much they missed her, what life was like with Carol and and how glad they were to have her back.

"Rogue, one moment, before you go."

"Ah'll see you guys in a bit," she said to the others as they left, turning her attention to the professor. "What is it, Professor?"

"Carol wanted me to give you this. She wrote it before the 'operation' and said it was for you, and you alone," he said as he handed her a folded piece of paper. Rogue took the paper from his hand and opened it as Xavier wheeled himself out of the room.

"It's good to have you back," he said, before wheeling himself out the door.

Rogue smiled and proceeded to read her letter.

Dear Rogue,
Well, looks like the tables have turned and now I'm the one writing to apologize to you. I'm sorry, Rogue. I'm sorry all this happened to you, to us. I'm sorry for not believing you and never giving you or anyone a chance to show me the truth. Please tell everyone I'm sorry for being so rude and unsympathetic. I'm very sorry.
But, as sorry as I am, I cannot forgive you. I cannot forgive you because you have done nothing wrong. Do you hear me? You have done NOTHING wrong. I was fooled by a manipulative, conniving witch into believing you were the enemy. How wrong I was. How ignorant I was for believing her, a complete stranger.
I have to say, living your life wasn't easy, but I thank you for what you did. It takes a brave and pure-hearted person to sacrifice their own life to give life to another. You are one of a kind, Rogue. Life is precious and you need to start living it more fully. Your friends care about you dearly. Take the time to show them how much you care. Spend time with them Rogue. They're good people.
There is something else I want to tell you, but I don't know if I should. You've been through so much already, I wouldn't want to add more. I will tell you one thing, and you can decide for yourself if you want to know more. Make sure you know who those you trust really are. People are not who they appear to be.
All my best,
Carol A. Danvers

Rogue folded the letter and wiped the tears from her eyes before going to join her fellow X-Men. "Thank you, Carol. Now, we are both free."

The End

* * * * * *

So, what did you think.  Please, be honest.  Criticism IS welcome as long as it's constructive (tell me why it stinks).  Please Review, I would love to know if anyone's reading and what you think.  Thank youuuuuuuuuu!