A/N: Fairly important reality changes that I don't want to write out in great detail! With no Shadowcat around Nightcrawler and Wolverine are paired off alone during 'Rogue Recruit'. Kurt still attempts to talk to Rogue. He gets a fair bit farther into the conversation without Kitty around to try and jump Rogue but he still spooks her and they accidentally come into contact anyway. Poor little Fuzzy gets help much later than he originally did. With no immediate frame of reference for the X-men to find Rogue Mystique is able to direct her out of the area much faster with more 'damage' done to her possible trust in the X-men. I'm also assuming Rogue lives with the Brotherhood at this juncture (you don't really see in the cartoon, that I can remember anyway).

This chapter takes place just before and a little into 'Mutant Crush'. Fred is so the creepy stalker type...scary.

Ghost

Sunday night was fairly quiet after the ordeal in the schoolyard on Saturday. Kitty lounged on the couch one leg flung over the armrest and was staring aimlessly at the TV.

She was mostly alone, Todd was around somewhere climbing all over the house inspecting it for insect life. She shuddered. That boy and his eating habits were creepy, and his hygiene had something to be desired, not that she could really blame him.

Lance had said something about it last night and threatened to just throw the smaller Mutant into the shower. Todd had asked him quite seriously if he wanted to wait around for him to stop throwing up violently afterwards. Turns out soap soaked right through his skin along with everything else and made him act like a food poisoning victim for a few days.

She shifted a little uncomfortably trying to find a better position when the front door banged open. She sat up and put both feet on the floor to see who it was.

"Hey, is she okay?" She asked standing as Mystique half walked half dragged another girl into the house.

"Quickly, help me lay her down."

Kitty did as she was told and reached for the girls other arm.

"Don't touch her skin!"

She pulled away at the near scream. After a moment she reached in again and did her best to do as she was told. They eventually got the girl on the couch she looked terrible.

"Too much too soon." Was all the older woman said before stalking into the kitchen to make a cold compress.

Kitty turned back to the couch to get a better look at this other girl. She was obviously older than Kitty by maybe a year or two, her dark red hair marred by a white streak in her bangs. She was dressed in a lot of green and black in a much more gothic manner than Kitty had been able to manage just yet.

She smiled calmly when the new girl stirred and opened her eyes. "Hi." She said softly unsure if the girl had a headache or something.

Rogue sat up stiffly staring at Kitty in sheer terror. "Where am Ah? Who are you?"

"She is called Ghost." Mystique said arriving from the kitchen with a wet towel in hand.

Kitty backed up as she passed still a little weirded out by the woman.

"She's a friend Rogue." The blue woman held the folded cloth to Rogues forehead and used it to push her back into a laying position. "You should rest." She turned pale eyes on Kitty. "Where are the other two?"

"Uh, Toad's around somewhere and Lance went to the store up the block." She pointed vaguely in the direction he had gone.

Mystique narrowed her eyes a moment. "Toad!"

Something above them banged to the floor. A quick succession of thumps and Toad landed at the base of the stairs coming up in a crouched position. "What I do now?"

"Nothing, yet." The older woman said. "Rogue, these are some people like you. They are Mutants with their own extraordinary power."

The front door came open again.

"Ah, Avalanche, how good of you to join us."

Lance stared a little surprised to see her. He had a bag of some much-needed groceries in his hands. "Uh." He moved slowly unsure of what was going on.

"Now for introductions. Everyone, meet Rogue. Rogue, this is Ghost, Toad and Avalanche." She motioned to each as she introduced them. She stood to her full height and shifted into the form of Raven Darkholme. "Kitty, you will be rooming with Rogue until further notice. I have other business to attend to." She gave Rogue a last smile. "Don't worry my dear, they'll take good care of you." She stalked to the door, brushing Lance aside rather indifferently. "I will return by tomorrow, hopefully with another member. Don't cause any trouble." She directed the last comment to Todd and Lance before closing the door behind her.

Lance walked farther into the living room. "Man, that lady has issues." He said before looking at Rogue as she sat up again. "So what's your deal?"

Rogue crossed her arms and glared, old walls coming back up full force. "W'y you wanna know?"

Kitty grabbed Lance's arm. "Lance, don't those need to be, you know, put up?" She asked fluttering her eyes up at him.

"Uh yeah." He started for the kitchen. "You wanna help me?" He asked over his shoulder.

"Be there in a sec!" She waited until he disappeared through the dining room. Immediately after she spun to smile cheerily at Rogue. "So, hi." She said holding up her hand in greeting.

Rogue looked away.

"Like, I know you don't feel like talking. But Mystique is right you know, we'll help you." She sat on the other side of the couch from Rogue. "So, like, what's your real name?"

"Rogue." She said dully.

Kitty shrugged, okay maybe she'd get it out of her later. "Okay, then what's your power? Rogue doesn't really, like, tell you much you know?"

Rogue didn't respond but did give her a 'like-hell-I'm-gonna-tell-you' look.

"Okay, okay." Kitty stood up. "Fine, if it'll make you feel better I'll show you mine first." She walked over to the outside wall and waved at Rogue before slipping through.

Rogue's eyes got a fair bit wider. "Hey, where'd'ja go?"

"Up here!" Kitty hung herself halfway into the ceiling upside down. "They call me Ghost 'cause I can, like, walk through walls." She tried to lower herself slowly to the floor but fell landing on her knees. "I uh, haven't got that part figured out yet." She stood up looking sheepish.

Rogue rubbed her hands together. "Mine's noth'n as good." She said getting up from the couch.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad. I mean, look at Toad, he's a frog-boy." She jerked a thumb at the stairs Todd had hopped back up when Mystique had left.

Rogue smirked. "Okay, so it's not THAT bad." She held her hands in front of her clasped to her chest and sighed. "If I touch someone, I absorb them, their memories, their thoughts and powers if they have them." She said it very slowly, as if she had to pull it out by force and was just barely doing it.

"Wow. That's pretty cool."

"No it's not." Rogue turned her back to Kitty. "Ah hurt them when Ah do it. Ah put one boy in a coma already." She turned back still holding her hands protectively to herself. "And it doesn't last that long, but some of the voices are still there." She gave a small amazed snort. "Ah can still remember just how Cody felt when broke his arm after he fell out'a tree."

Kitty reached out her hand stopping only momentarily when Rogue jerked back. She finally let it fall on the girls shoulder. "We won't fear you Rogue. You don't sound like the kind of person that would hurt anyone without a good reason."

Rogue didn't quite smile, but it was better than a scowl.

"C'mon, let's go see what kind of mess Lance made of the kitchen." She said leading the other girl out of the living room and into the rest of the house.

* * *

"Hey look, isn't that the Rogue?"

Kurt looked up from his lunch. "Ja, and Ghost too."

Scott blinked at the other Mutant's tone. He raised an eyebrow at the lovesick sound. "Kurt?"

"Uh." Kurt scratched the back of his head. "Vas? She's cute."

"Right." Scott said turning back to the two girls at a far table.

They seemed to be talking animatedly with each other, Kitty giggling profusely while Rogue simply looked amused.

"They seem to be getting along."

"Ja."

"I don't like it Scott, those two, infact all of them, they need something better than the Brotherhood." Jean said looking worried.

"Ja."

Scott looked at Kurt again, Jean did too, and then they looked at each other.

Jean leaned forward. "And I just heard they're giving away free food on the Main-line."

"Ja."

Scott almost burst out laughing.

"Kurt snap out of it!" She said giving him a playful push in the shoulder. "You're drooling a bit much there."

Kurt grinned. "Sorry." He said impishly, trying his hardest not to get lost in the sight of Ghost again.

"Ah, he's hopeless." Scott said. A commotion sprang up in another part of the cafeteria drawing their attention.

At the table Kitty and Rogue had staked out they too were distracted by the sound of a table full of jocks getting slimed by randomly flung food.

"Like, who's the big-boy?" Kitty asked pointing at the large new-transfer.

"Dunno, he don't look normal though. You think he's who Mystique went after last night?" Rogue asked. She jerked back when a blob of food landed between them.

"Oh man, I think we better get out of here." Kitty said getting up. "They're like throwing food like animals." She phased herself as an apple flew through her shoulder. "C'mon."

Rogue tried to pull her hand back but Kitty grabbed it anyway phaseing the other girl to make it easier to grab her. "Just run okay?"

They slipped through the wall into hallway bathroom. "Oh man, I got ketchup on my shirt."

"Ah don't think anyone'll notice." Rogue said pulling a paper towel from the dispenser. "Just rinse it quick, it'll dry."

Kitty cleaned off her shirt as best she could. Good thing she'd chosen the red tank top over the white one in her personal re-design.

"Hey." Rogue said leaning on a sink. "Did you see that table, with the guy in the red sunglasses?"

"Yeah." Kitty snorted trying to dry the spot on her shirt off without stretching it. "He's like, an X-man or something. They're creeps."

"You had a bad experience with 'em too?"

"Totally. The redhead like totally invaded my personal space. She read my mind." She shuddered.

Rogue smirked. "Did'ja also see the kid with the hair staring at you with those big moon-eyes?"

Kitty scrunched up her face. "Ew, like, he's totally freaky. He's totally not Human and all blue!" She looked around ducking down to check under the stalls. Satisfied no one was around she leaned in. "Don't tell anyone, but he is kinda cute." She straightened up. "And he's got this accent that is to die for."

Rogue quirked an eyebrow. "I thought you had it for Lance. That's how it looked last night."

Kitty blushed. "Yeah, of course I like Lance. He totally helped me back when I." She paused, her eyes unfocused. She turned back to her shirt. "When my powers started showing."

Rogue turned from the subject. Things like that hurt.

The bell rang telling the end of lunch.

"Ugh, back to class." Kitty said patting the damp spot on her shirt.

The bathroom door shut slowly. After the tardy bell sounded a far stall came open.

Amanda slipped out of the stall book back weighing heavily on her shoulder. She mulled over the confusing things she'd just heard before dashing off to class, late as she already was.