A/N:  ::sighs happily:: I love my reviews.  Anywho, just a few questions to answer.  Oh yes, most definitely there will be more X-Men, and more Cyclops.  Just gotta set it up, dontcha know.  Ummm…oh yeah, Rogue does have her powers in this.  I mean, come on, we all know she's gonna get them back.  Duh.

Disclaimer:

Jean: "I must confess, infuriating and arrogant as Gambit can be... those eyes,

that grin, the body-- it takes a girl's breath away."

Scott: "Oh, really? When next the opportunity presents itself...remind me to drop

a truck on him."

Xavier: "Cyclops."

Scott: "A big truck."

 Xavier: "Cyclops!"

Scott: "A really big truck."

Xavier: "CYCLOPS!"     X-Men 1

            …tick, tock, tick, tock…

            Leslie stared at the clock, willing it to move.  Damn, guess I'm not telekinetic.

            "We can talk, if you'd like," Jean suggested.

            "No thanks."

            …tick, tock, tick, tock…

            "Why'd you skip classes?"

            "I thought we weren't talking.'

            "Sorry."

            …tick, tock…

            4:00.  Leslie stood up and stretched.  "So, see you tomorrow, I guess."

            Jean smiled.  "Of course."

            Rolling her eyes, Leslie left. 

            Bobby was waiting for her outside the door.

            "Oh, God, not YOU!"

            He gave her a hurt expression.  "Leslie, I'm cut to the quick."

            "Uh-huh.  Right.  What'd ya want?"

            He became serious.  "Look, about that thing we discussed…"

            "Yeah?"

            "…You wouldn't know a way to stop it, would you?"

            Leslie shook her head.  "Sorry.  Why?"

            He scratched the back of his neck.  "It's getting worse."

            "Oh, man, I'm sorry, Bobby."

            He shrugged. "Not your fault."  He left quickly, hoping to avoid being detected by Jean.

            Sighing, Leslie headed the opposite way, irritably shoving her sunglasses up her nose as she did so.  Already, her eyes could tolerate sunlight at dusk, but the bright light of day was still too much.

            Shifting uncomfortably from one foot to another, she waited for the crowd to move before heading up the stairs.  She paused at the landing, though, seeing a group of students marking on something.  "What's that?"

            Paige turned around—Dammit, can't I get away from her?—and answered her.  "Sign up fer going into town this weekend.  If you're planning on going, sign up now."

            Shrugging, Leslie did so, noticing the time for Mass listed on the paper.  9:30, huh?  Not too bad…at least it isn't 8:00.

            She continued to her room, grabbing her copy of Pride and Prejudice as she entered, ignoring the light switch.  "Emma really needs a new favorite author," she grumbled before settling onto her bed.

            Despite the multiple bottles of Dr. Pepper she'd downed, she quickly fell asleep.

            It scares me worse than ever, the blackness, because now it's familiar.  I want it to be unknown again, a stranger.  I hate that I recognize it…

            It ripped into me worse than ever, tearing way parts of me.  I screamed, desperately begging for help, and then…

            It wasn't light, nor sound, nor scent, nor touch, not taste, but all of those, and something else.  Suddenly, I felt others, and I wondered…

            …so cute so cute like him, like me?...

            …idiot, stupid, go away…

            …love you, fear, hate me…

            …love…

           

            …fear…

            …hate…

           

            …hope…

            Tearing me, not like the blackness, but different…not from without, but within…

            And I screamed…       

            Jean breathlessly ran up the stairs to the girls' corridor, nearly knocking Charles over.   "Charles, what happened, I was in my office…"

            He held up a hand.  "I know.  The whole school's having a panic attack!  Where's Emma?"

            "Calming Terrance Jong and Kaylee Smith.  They seem to have been hit the worst so far."

            Xavier suddenly stopped before a door.   Jean looked at him, nodding.  They entered and stopped in there tracks.

            There lay Leslie, asleep, but writhing as if in pain.  The vague feelings they could pick up from her were horrifying and conflicting.  Hurriedly, Charles moved over and began to shake her.  "Leslie, come on, wake up."

            Suddenly, a feeling of desperation, of pure terror, washed over them both.  Charles was reminded of the death of his son, Jean of Scott's death.

            Gasping, Jean reached over and shook Leslie violently.  With a sudden motion, she snapped her eyes open, sitting bolt upright.  Shaking violently, she didn't seem to focus on anything.

            Jean gently touched the side of her face and was startled when Leslie recoiled away from her.  Realizing who it was, Leslie suddenly burst into tears and threw herself into Jean's arms.  Jean hesitantly put her arms around her and began to rock her back and forth, trying to calm her.

            Scott burst through the door, taking the scene in.  He glanced at Xavier with a questioning look, inclining his head toward the women on the bed. 

            Xavier shook his head.  We don't know.  She was asleep when we came in. 

            Telepathy?

            No, Hank tested her for that recently.  My guess?  Empathy.

            Meggan never did anything like this.

            Megans a receptive empath.  I suspect that Leslie's manipulative.

            Hmmm…oh, shit!  I forgot!  Prof, Kurt was in the middle of a training session when the wave hit.  It hit him badly, and he fell.  He's in the infirmary.

            Xavier's head snapped up.  He quickly followed Scott out of the room, leaving Jean behind to comfort the sobbing Leslie.