Hmm, not so many reviews as last time, but hopefully I will be able to tempt you into voicing your opinion. I decided to do a longer version of Rogue's side of the story and then alternate with Pietro so hopefully you'll get more story. Enjoy!!!

Logan walked down the stairs, looking from Proteus' hulking form that stood a good two feet taller than him, to Bobby who was held in its thrall. Holding his hands up in a calming gesture with his palms out he said, "Come on now, David. Put Bobby down."

Proteus looked to the his right fist which was clenched around his prisoner, "WHERE"S MY DAD?!"

"He's in Washington," Logan said in a firmer voice, "David. Put Bobby down, he's a teacher remember."

Proteus dropped him to the lawn and turned towards the gate, "WHERE'S WASHINGTON!?"

Logan ran around him, putting himself in between the gate and Proteus. Rogue slowly slunk down the steps to not attract Proteus attention and grabbed Bobby. Picking him up by his shirt she dragged him back to the steps and shook him lightly, "Bobby, are you okay?"

Bobby lay limp in her hands. Turning back to the argument at hand Rogue saw that David was now standing in front of Logan who wasn't moving. Walking closer Rogue listened as Logan explained to Proteus, "Your dads only gone for a day alright? He said he was going to come back tomorrow afternoon."

Proteus turned from light orange to deep purple, "BUT I WANT HIM NOW!"

Logan put his hands on his hips, "More than you want to play Ski-ball?"

"SKI-BALL?"

"Remember, Bobby said he would take you to the arcade Saturday if you were good this week."

Proteus seemed to scratch his head as if trying to remember something before taking on the air of a child pretending to understand, "YOUR RIGHT, HE DID."

Logan pointed to Bobby on the steps, "Bobby may not want to go now that you hurt him."

Proteus turned in the direction of Bobby and ducked his head, "I'M SORRY!"

Logan nodded as if agreeing, "We all know you are thundercloud, now why don't you go back to your room and watch t.v."

Proteus turned and walked out of sight behind some tree's leaving a speechless Rogue and a beaming Logan standing on the lawn. Rogue looked to where Proteus had disappeared and back to Logan, "Ski-Ball? Logan, what in the world just happened?"

Logan kneeled down and picked a dandelion before putting it in his mouth, "David's prone to little rants like this when Chucks away. You just have to know how to handle the kid. Mention Ski-ball and he turns to butter."

"Did you say Professor Xavier was his dad?"

Logan looked at her a moment, "Sorry Rogue, I completely forgot that you've been gone. David was born when Chuck was married to Dr. Moira McTaggart, a scientist."

Rogue followed him as he walked towards a box mounted on the brick wall with the first aid cross on it, "How old is he?"

Logan removed a white case from the box, "About 14 or 15 I think."

"He sounds more like one of the 5th graders I teach."

At this Logan gave her a look, "Kids spent most of his life in labs Rogue, ain't his fault."

Rogue nodded, "Sorry."

Walking back to Bobby Logan pulled out a small smelling salt tablet and waved it under his nose. Bobby shot up yelling, "I swear I didn't do it!"

Logan stood up and offered him a hand, "Get up frosty, you ain't hurt."

Bobby rose and dusted himself off, "Geez, I tell the kids to get to class and then Proteus comes out of nowhere and clocks me!"

Walking into the house and the kitchen Bobby seemed perfectly fine as he put an arm around Rogue and asked in a playful voice, "So what, besides living with the son of Magneto, have you been up to Rogue?"

Rogue rolled her eyes and smiled, "I've been teaching snot nosed brats just like you!"

Bobby pretended to be shocked and clasped his hands to his chest, "Me? A snot nosed brat? Surely you jest?"

Rogue looked at him sideways before asking Logan, "When did he start talking like that?"

Logan chuckled while he poured a cup of coffee for himself, "I heard Hank say the exact same thing yesterday with Bobby standing nearby, makes it sound original doesn't he?"

Rogue nodded and sat down at the table as Bobby made a bowl of cereal and Logan read his paper. Taking her first real look at Bobby she noticed how he was taller than she remembered him, how he was exactly the same besides bangs that came down around his eyes like she remembered Scott's. Another thing she noticed was he had a small scar that ran down the side of his neck that was a little less tan than the rest of his skin.

Bobby in turn admired Rogue from the corner of his eye, comparing her to the mental picture he had took the day she had hugged him good-bye. She still had the same lithe, muscular figure that she had in the old days, but she was shorter now. Her hair was the same if the stripe hadn't widened like he thought it did, dark red that brought to mind some foreign flower with a stripe of white as pure as the snow of the Himalayan's.

Logan looks the same as he did when I left, Rogue thought as he put the paper down and asked her a question.

"Pardon?" she said.

Logan snapped his fingers in her face, "I said, why don't you stay here tonight? Chucks going to be back in the morning and Kurt would be glad to see you."

"I forgot all about Kurt! Why didn't you call and tell me I had a niece?!"

Logan shrugged, "We tried everything short of using Cerebro, figured you would show up in a year or two anyway."

Bobby slurped some cereal down, "So Rogue, you decide to come back to the X mansion for good?"

Rogue shook her head, "I'm here to talk to Professor Xavier and then I'm hunting Pietro down."

Bobby frowned, "Why did he leave anyway?"

Rogue scowled and looked out the window, "They said that if him and Wanda didn't help hunt down Magneto they'd throw Todd, Fred, and Lance in prison."

Logan shook his head, "Heard about that, me and Chuck wanted to do something but Scott said they'd learn something from doing jail time."

"Scott?"

Bobby drained the bowl of cereal of milk, "Yeah, he's the one who caught them. Him and Jean."

Rogue was shocked, "What? Why?"

Logan put his paper down, "They were knocking over a diamond shop."

"No not that," Rogue looked at Bobby, "Why did he say you should let them do jail time?"

Logan looked at Bobby before saying to Rogue, "Look Rogue, a lot of stuff happened while you were gone-"

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?"

Bobby leaned back in his chair, "The Brotherhood's been up to some bad stuff lately; bombings, robbings, threatening human activist's, they've done it all."

Sweet Fred? Dopey Toad, Lance? Well Lance I could believe but everyone else?, Rogue thought to herself.

BAMF

"All right Talia, all right! We'll have pop tarts for breakfast, but if you tell your mother she'll kill me."

Rogue spun around to see a familiar blue figure perched on the counter with another lighter blue figure perched on his back. He was dressed in cargo pants, wife beater and a Hawaiian shirt that matched the little girl's green overalls exactly.

"Kurt?"

"Yeah Rogue? Do you want a pop tart to-?" Spinning around making the little girl on his back squeal with laughter Kurt looked at the woman sitting at the kitchen table.

"ROGUE!!!!"

Rogue jumped up as Kurt launched himself at her. Her arms pinned to her side Rogue looked into the curious face of the elfish girl who looked so much like her father and said, "Hi."

"Hi," the little girl replied, "I'm Talia, are you the great and magnificent Rogue Daddy tells me stories about?"

Rogue ducked out from under Kurt's bear hug, "Great and magnificent? Kurt what have you been telling her about me?"

Kurt grinned sheepishly, "It's all true! She thinks I made you up."

Rogue slowly turned in a circle before kneeling down to the Talia who had jumped down and asked her in a secretive voice, "Do I look made up?"

Talia giggled, "No."

Kurt picked up Talia in his arms who promptly slipped out and around to sit perched on his shoulder, "When did you get here?"

"Just a minute ago, your haircut looks good."

Kurt ran his hands through his now buzz cut hair, "You like? Wanda thought so too."

Talia tapped on her father's ear to get his attention, "When's mommy coming home?"

Rogue and Kurt shared a knowing glance before he replied, "When she's done with her secret business honey, why don't you go with Bobby to pick apples?"

"Okay," Talia leapt from Kurt to Bobby's shoulder, "Lets go."

Bobby looked at Kurt, "Apples? But we don't have any apple tr-OH!!! Yeah okay, I got you. Come on Talia those APPLES aren't going to pick themselves."

"Tell me when they get back would you Logan?" Kurt asked.

Logan sipped his coffee and nodded, "Sure."

Leading Rogue into the courtyard of the dormitories Kurt gestured to them, "We've had to expand in the last 2 years, for a little while we had kids sleeping in the danger room at night."

Rogue saw the students walking around the lawn and thought back on how she had once wandered the same lawn, "I remember when we were their age."

Kurt nodded gravely, "Things were simpler then. I'm guessing you're here for the Pietro."

"How did you know?"

"Wanda called me. I-"

Rogue shook her head and took his hand with a smile, "Show me the campus first, I want to see everything you've done."

Looking down at the gloved hand wrapped around his Kurt held it up and pressed the back of her hand to his cheek, "Its good to see you again Rogue, even if it is for just a little while."

Rogue smiled at her brother and pulled him along down the path, "So where are classes held?"

Kurt pointed to a gazebo that the floor of was descending into the earth, "Most of the classes are held underground, we found it was cheaper than buying more property and out of the public eye."

Rogue looked at the students who all seemed well tanned and happy, "It isn't cramped down there?"

Kurt shook his head, "We use holograms to project pictures of the out doors, they even change with the season."

Walking along Rogue saw students of what appeared every race, country, and power talking or walking to class. The age range seemed to begin around 12 and topped off at 18, which seemed strange. Rogue guessed what seemed different and asked, "Where are the teachers?"

At this Kurt smiled before yelling to a group, "Jacob! Could you come here a minute?"

A young man with flames instead of hair ran over with a pile of books under his arm, "Yes Sir?"

Kurt put a hand on Rogue shoulder, "could you please tell my guest what you do for 5th and 6th period?"

Jacob nodded to Kurt and held up a book marked MOTORCYCLES, "I teach mechanics to sophomores."

Kurt then asked as if making a point, "And where did you learn it?"

Jacob shrugged, "When I was a sophomore, is she a new student?"

Kurt looked at Rogue who elbowed him in the ribs. Kurt waved Jacob off before saying to Rogue, "It was Jean's idea. Since we didn't have enough mutants with a teaching degree she decided to use the student body. It's proven to be a very productive, the students learn and remember more than five weeks after their last exam."

Rogue raised an eyebrow, "Jean decided?"

Kurt stopped walking and faced her, "What? She's the principal of sorts here."

"What about the Professor?"

Kurt continued walking towards the bluff that over looked the ocean, "The Professor is busy enough in Washington or designing suits for mutants with dangerous powers or any number of things."

"Oh, so Jean and Scott make the big decisions around here?"

Kurt stopped and looked at the ocean for a second thinking about what he was about to say, "Rogue, that was a long time ago and things have changed a lot since then."

Rogue wrapped her arms around herself and shut her eyes listening to the ocean roar much like the memories inside her, "Not for some people."

Kurt opened his arms offering a hug, which Rogue accepted. Noticing that both of them were exactly the same height she giggled, "Forget that stuff, tell me about you and Wanda."

At this Kurt seemed to shine, "We got together right after you left, and I think in a weird way you're the reason we got together."

Rogue cocked an eyebrow as if to say, "Oh Really?"

Kurt laughed, "When you left there was this empty spot in my life, I didn't have a brooding teenage sister with a power that could destroy me hanging around. So I found another, and it became something more over time."

"Wanda lost a brother and you lost a sister, I guess it was meant to happen."

Kurt got a far away look as if it was now his turn to remember something, "That and something else."

Getting a hint that this was something important to her brother Rogue asked, "What?"

"Did Pietro ever say anything about Tabby?"

"Tabby as in Boom Boom?"

Kurt rolled his eyes, "Is there any other?"

Rogue cocked her head, "No."

"Oh well," Kurt quickly changed the subject, "So you've been teaching?"

"Yeah elementary school mostly," Rogue sat down on a rock, "I looked too young to be a high school teacher they told me."

Perching on a tree branch at eye level with her Kurt stretched and yawned, "I had the same problem too for a little while there, one of the reasons I got my hair cut."

Hearing a rustling in the bushes behind them Rogue rose and gestured to Kurt to follow. Entering the clearing they found Hank McCoy wandering around carrying a box with sensors poking out of them looking at the ground. Waiting till he wandered in their direction and stopped with the sensor right over Rogue's shoes Kurt said, "Dr. McCoy, What are you doing?"

Hank McCoy looked up to find them standing their, "It appears there is a small energy leak in the classroom below which I'm trying to locate. That and getting out of cafeteria monitoring duty."

When he went back to looking at the ground Kurt shrugged at Rogue before saying, "Hank, we have a visitor."

Hank didn't look up, "I am quiet aware that Rogue is standing only a few feet away and I'm absolutely ecstatic, but I've been wandering around this clearing for 40 minutes now."

Finding what he was looking for Hank stood and turned off the machine, "Its good to see you Rogue."

"You too Dr. McCoy," Rogue replied as she noticed the slightly graying hair that extended from his temples.

Hugging her in a way one would a very old acquaintance that is unsure of who you are Hank smiled, "It's been entirely too long my dear."

Walking back with them to the Mansion Hank answered Rogues questions, many times going over Rogues head in the process. Rogue didn't mind she planned on having a very long talk with the good doctor anyway, and it was not going to be about the school.

Back at the mansion Bobby and Talia sat on the pool deck eating apples and peanut butter. Seeing her aunt Talia leapt from her seat to bounce off a tree and right on Rogue's shoulder careful to not touch her skin, "Hi aunt Rogue."

"Hi Talia, where did you get those apples?"

Talia smiled and looked at Bobby who was holding a finger to his lips, "I'm not suppose to tell, but we went to the market."

Rogue pretended to be shocked, "YOU DIDN'T!"

Talia nodded her head proud of herself, "Uncle Bobby was walking with me through the woods and he said "Screw it, lets go to the Food King!" I'm not suppose to tell you that either."

Rogue smiled and ruffled Talia's long individually braided hair, "You're a wild girl just like your aunt."

Talia leaned close to Rogue and whispered in her ear, "Sometimes when I go to get a drink of water from the bathroom at night I hear daddy yelling that mommy is a wild girl in their room."

Trying not to laugh but not able to keep from blushing Rogue asked Talia, "Where's Logan?"

Talia pointed down, "He's teaching a karate class. Want to see me do it?"

Dropping from her shoulder to the ground Talia took a fighting stance, "Logan says it's never to early to start."

Kurt and Bobby walked back over and watched as Talia went through a series of kicks and punches. Bobby smiled and offered Rogue an apple, "Best produce I ever picked."

Rogue took the apple and bit into it. Wiping juice off her chin Rogue tossed it back, "You're the King of Food, you know that Bobby?"

Bobby blinked a couple of times before saying to Talia in a voice of fake contempt, "Turncoat."

Talia beamed at him, "There are no sides, only points of view."

All three grown-ups stared down at her. Kurt turned around and asked Hank who was putting the device back in its case, "Has she been sitting in on your Philosophy classes again?"

Hank's eyes shifted back and forth as if caught in a lie, "Kurt how am I to keep track of all the students that are in my classes? Even if they do sit in the front row and answer more questions than the teenagers."

After dinner that night Rogue took the lift in the mansion down to one of the sublevels. Finding her way surprisingly well Rogue entered the lab that had been marked "Dr. McCoy's". Finding the blue furred doctor sitting at a lab table looking into a microscope she took a seat in a swivel chair next to him and asked, "What'cha working on?"

Hank turned the dial on the microscope, "A strain of bacteria in chickens that increases the speed in which the human body heals. I began researching it during my time with Ultimates."

Spinning in the chair Rogue asked, "Why did you join the Ultimates?"

"It was an exchange program of sorts. They needed an experienced research scientist since three of there's were, indisposed. I'm guessing you're here to talk about Wanda and Pietro."

Rogue stopped spinning, "Yes."

Hank leaned back in his chair and sighed before he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I thought it was a good idea at the time. Unfortunately my plan went awry of sorts when they decided they wanted them with or without their consent."

"Why didn't you come see us first?"

Hank turned to her, "I didn't know they were black mailing them until Wanda came and told me. I swear Rogue, I had no idea."

Rogue bit her lip.

Hank rubbed his forehead, "If there is anything I can do I assure you that I will. Besides, the Ultimates are well prepared to handle Magneto."

"Its not them fighting Magneto that I'm worried about Hank, its about after. And when did Magneto stop being our problem?"

"The Ultimates need this Rogue, without it they are likely to lose their funding."

"Wouldn't that be a shame." Rogue said rising and walking out of the lab.

Hank shook his head in exasperation before slamming his fist down on the table, breaking vials and tubes.



Upstairs in Talia's room across the hall from her parents Kurt was tucking his daughter in for the night. Fluffing her pillow Kurt asked, "Have fun today?"

"Yeah," Talia yawned, "Aunt Rogue's fun. Is she staying for a little while?"

Kurt smiled as he slipped the pillow behind her head and kissed her cheek, "Maybe princess, maybe. Good night."

Kurt walked downstairs to find Rogue sitting in front of the television watching a thing on the Ultimates. Sitting down next to her Kurt watched it for a little while before asking, "Miss him don't you?"

Rogue watched the t.v. for a second before answering, "Yeah. Do you miss Wanda?"

"Yes, but I have Talia to keep me busy so its not that bad."

Rogue turned the t.v. off and looked at her brother, "It wasn't so bad you know."

"What?"

"Being a normal person for a change."

Using his tail Kurt poked Rogue, "Easy for you to say."

Rogue threw a pillow at him which he deflected. Hugging another one to her chest Rogue confessed, "It was nice though. A good job, a man I love, and a little house we both live in."

"So you do love him." Kurt didn't know why, but the idea seemed strange to him.

Rogue thought for a second, "Yes I do."

"Get some sleep Rogue, were picking up the Professor tomorrow." With that he teleported with a BAMF and was gone.



The next day Rogue and Kurt drove to the airport to pick up Professor Xavier. Standing in front of the terminal Rogue wore her winter coat since it was crowded while Kurt wore his image-inducer and a black leather jacket with yellow X's on it. Eating popcorn from one box and spitting the kernels in the other Kurt watched the passengers disembark, "So did you ever miss it?"

Looking around and trying not to bump into anybody Rogue replied, "Missions? No not really, it was hard enough getting the kids not to chase each other with scissors."

Kurt continued eating a handful of popcorn in then spitting a couple of kernels out, "I tried that once. I went back to Germany and was bored to death."

Rogue shrugged, "I guess all you need is love."

Kurt grunted, "I wish. Ah here he comes."

Rogue looked up expecting to see the Professor to come rolling towards them in his chair, but instead she saw something she couldn't believe. "No way!" Rogue said to herself.

Professor Xavier walked up to them and smiled in greeting, "Rogue, how nice so see you. Kurt why didn't you tell me that she was visiting?"

Kurt laughed, "I wanted to see who was more surprised, looks like she is."

"Professor," Rogue stammered, "You're walking."

Professor Xavier looked down at his Armani clad legs, "It seems to be the fashionable form of transportation these days Rogue."

Walking to the car Professor Xavier explained to Rogue about some kind of secondary mutation that happened as he got older and how he was able to control his legs remotely. Amazed at this Rogue asked, "What was the first thing you did when you learned to walk again?"

Professor Xavier thought for a second, "I believe it was when I danced with Jean at her wedding."

"Scott and Jean are married?" Rogue leaned forward and asked Kurt who was driving.

"Right now there are their honeymoon in Alaska," Kurt replied as he made a turn.

Rogue sat back in her seat, "That's it, you guys are going to have to tell me everything that happened while I was away."

Professor Xavier laughed and asked, "So what brings you back?"

"It's about Pietro."

"Pietro I thought he was involved with the Ultimates?"

"That's the problem." Kurt interjected.

Rogue nodded, "He's right, were living together and I don't appreciate them blackmailing him into joining their operation."

Professor Xavier frowned, "Yes, I was disappointed with their methods myself. Especially since someone of my own staff came up with the idea. If I may ask why were you two living together?"

Kurt looked in the rearview mirror at his sister, "He can touch her."

Rogue looked at her brother shocked, while Professor Xavier seemed glad to hear this, "is this true Rogue?"

"Yes."

"Rogue this could be a major break through for you," Professor Xavier turned in his seat, "We might be able to find a way for you to touch without setting off your powers."

"I'm all right Professor, I don't need too learn to control me powers. I just want to get Pietro back home."

"Forgive me for saying so, but what makes you sure he wants to come home?"

Rogue looked out of the window without answering. Kurt looked at the Professor and thought, bad question Professor.

"I apologize Rogue. I'm just excited about you being able to touch. Seriously though I believe we could build on this."

Rogue turned to answer before seeing a plume of black smoke that seemed to float over the Institute, "Professor!!!"

Pulling into the turn around all three jumped out of the car and ran around back to where the smoke seemed to be originating. Finding Bobby fighting a blaze and Logan escorting the students away from the fire the Professor asked, "What happened?"

Bobby turned and looked in disgust at the wave of destruction that came from the woods, "David decided to go to Washington to play Ski-ball and he took Talia with him."



Next chapter: Pietro's first mission with the Ultimates!