CHAPTER: 2

DISCLAIMER: Don't own any of the characters

SPOILERS: Episodes 'Mindbender' and 'Under Lock and Key'

AUTHOR'S THANX: Anyone who reviewed.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't know Mesmero's specific powers or if he can do anything that he does in this chap but I read it in another story so we'll just pretend that he has telekinesis.

He watched the interaction between Rogue and Gambit as he floated just outside the window. A feeling of disgust came over him as they stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like forever.

Damn teenagers and their stupid hormones. I was so close to controlling her mind and Gambit has to go in and interfere.

Mesmero had been trying for the past two weeks to gain control of the Southern Belle.

Who'd have thought a Goth would have such a will to live?

He really had no intentions of killing the girl. That is unless his master needed it done. If that were the case then she'd be as good as gone.

The plan was simple enough; target one of the less involved students and subtly begin to take control. So he observed, and he watched, and he planned. And then it all folded together.

Certain people in the mansion were immediately eliminated from his list of possible candidates. Anyone who had been used to steal the keys or had a team importance such as an adult would not due. Wolverine was gone on some trip so he wouldn't have to worry about being caught by the Canadian. Being the second strongest telepath made it far too easy to shield his mind from the Professor or Jean. All he had to worry about was not getting visually caught. And he never did.

It was on his second day of watching the X-men that she first caught his attention. She kept to her self and rarely interacted much with the other students. Half the time she was ignored or pitied and never attended the after-school activities like the rest of the teens. He then collected that she was the mutant who had the ability to steal other's powers and couldn't safely touch. Perfect. A powerful mutant that will not only be unnoticed but will also be easy to manipulate. Or that's what he thought.

The first step was when it started to complicate. All he had to do was scan her mind to see her schedule. Unfortunately her mind blocks were so strong that even this was impossible to do. But as they say, the greater the challenge the greater the reward. He followed her the next day and became even more delighted about his little find.

All though she appeared not to care what people thought of her he was able to see that she was really self-conscious. She wasn't Ms. Sunshine but didn't seem like the type who would end her life with her own hands either. Unless she had some help.

Using his powers he began to peel off the fog surrounding her emotions. He was pleased again to find an unordinary amount of depression at the root of her feelings. This made it all the more easier. So he began to work. Each day peeling away more of the mind blocks and locking her in to her subconscious. At first she never even noticed. After a while she began to pick up on what was happening but it was too late. She was already locked so deep into the caverns of her mind there was no escaping.

So today was the final day, the day where all his hard work became worth it. All he needed to do was put her into a great state of fear. With Jean he had used the classic carnival nightmare, with Remy it was an instance from his past, with Rogue it had to be different.

He stood outside her bedroom window and waited. He listened in on her thoughts of Jean and Kitty. He viewed one of her few memories as a child. But most of all he focused on her reflection. And then he went to work. Forcing her mind's eye to distort the image in the mirror. Forcing her to believe that this was the end and that God was abruptly ending her life. She was at such a panicked state that it would be easy for him to turn these panicky feelings to fear.

Perhaps this was the point in time where he slipped. Where he became too confident in his work. She was pleading to God and he almost found this funny. The fact that millions would be doing this when his master rose and all calls would still remain unanswered. He began to feed more images into her mind. She truly thought that the Grim Reaper was coming for her, that there was a presence of death in the room. Little did she know it was all just a mental illusion. And then he came.

That damn Cajun. Ruined all my plans.

The one point where Rogue had a free will during the past two weeks. The one moment where something could go wrong. And it did.

That stupid stupid thief has to come and reassure her.

The minute her fears started to go away her mind blocks instantly rebuilt and all his progress was gone. The perfect weapon.

And now she's recovered.

But this didn't slow him down much.

If those weaker mutants think that joining teams will help stop me they truly must be more pathetic than I first thought them to be.

The wind picked up and snow began to gracefully fall to the ground. Mesmero floated back into the trees and began to re-plan. Soon enough Apocalypse would be free and Mesmero would be paid for his loyalty. It was just a matter of time.

THE END

I know that was extremely crappy but I threw it together in less than 20 minutes just to answer some peoples questions. Hopefully that helped a little. I want to yell at Lady Trunks and MB Lite for getting me interested in Rietro once again. I figure Romy has and will be around forever but by the fourth season, if there even is one, Rietro will start to die out (and I am so damn sick of Kitty or Jean romances) So now I'm working on something pointed more towards Rogue/Pietro instead of Rogue/Gambit.