Chapter 1: Kitty's Concern

            Kitty Pryde awoke fresh and alert on a Saturday morning, on which the weather was perhaps a little less than perfect.  Fierce winds picking up outside indicated that fall was going to be ending soon, bringing in perhaps one of the harshest winters yet.  Kitty didn't care, she had a bright outlook and enthusiasm for most things, and never felt bitter about the summer ending.

            The first thing that Kitty noticed as she awoke, and headed to the closet to grab her bathrobe so she could go take a shower, was that Rogue's bed was made.  Rogue, being the untidiest of girls at the best of times rarely ever made her bed in the morning, especially not when it was 9.15am and was usually still sleeping at such a time.

            Kitty raised an eyebrow, but for now took no notice of it, didn't mean anything to her – yet.  After a shower, and carefully blow drying her hair, Kitty headed down to breakfast, most of the Mansion seemed to be still in bed, only Kurt was up, and he had a tendency to get up earlier.  Kurt was munching on cereal, whilst reading a newspaper, he had his long blue tail curled around a spoon, and he mastered moving his tail carefully to scoop up Coco Pops with the spoon held by the tail and used it to guide the spoon to his mouth.

            "That's rude," Kitty stated, she grabbed a bowl from a small cupboard and sat down opposite him at the large rectangular table, she grabbed the Coco Pops box and poured herself a bowl.

            "Its convenient," Kurt's catlike eyes glanced over the top of the Newspaper at her, and took another bite.

            Kitty smirked a little, "whatever," she poured some milk into the Coco Pops, "what's the news?"

"There was a fire in Bayville…suspicious, being blamed on mutants," he added.

            "Their versions of the story always seems to blame mutants, did you notice that?" Kitty asked.   "It was probably those troublemakers who said I had a big ass," Kitty grumbled.

            "You don't have a big ass," Kurt stated.

            "Yes, I do," Kitty said under her breath, "You were in late last night?" Kitty asked, "I went to bed at like eleven and you weren't even home then…"

            Kurt sighed, "Me and Amanda had a big fight, we…broke up," He looked upset, and glanced away, he put the newspaper down.

            "You did?" Kitty asked, "Why?" she began to make fast work of her breakfast.

            "Her parents are moving her out of Bayville within the next few days, don't want her having anything to do with me…y'know…"

            "Dude, that sucks," Kitty pouted, "god why can't NO ONE take our sides," she remarked bitterly.

            "No clue," Kurt tried to hide his upset, "Is Rogue up yet?" he asked, as if he were trying to change the subject by bringing up the girl who – in some ways – was related to him.

            "Must be, her bed was made," Kitty shrugged, eating a large Spoon of her cereal.

            "On a Saturday?" Kurt asked.

            "Yeah…" Kitty took another few bites, "doesn't seem like her."

            "No."

            "She went on a date with the Cajun last night," Kitty stated, "I wonder if she even came BACK," she added.

            "Surely she came back, she wouldn't stay out all night – certainly not with him."

            "I think she has a crush on him," Kitty stated, "But I dunno, I'm starting to understand what Rogue meant about Remy being untrustworthy, there's something about him I just…I can't figure out, he's so mysterious, nice looking, but mysterious…"

            "Don't tell me you have a crush on him now, too," Kurt rolled his eyes.

            "No way, he's too…old," Kitty stated, "guys like that are only into one thing anyway," she gave a shrug, "And…that's the one thing he's never gonna get from Rogue anyway, so I don't know why I should worry about him hurting her or something," Kitty finished the cereal and walked over to the sink and rinsed out her bowl quickly.

            "What do you have planned for today?" Kurt asked casually.

            "Reading," Kitty stated, "I'm gonna get some major studying out of the way, I put it off the last few nights because some really good movies were on TV, but I can't put it off any longer and I don't want to fall behind right now," Kitty stated.  "Crap, I left my books in the Library," Kitty sighed.

            "So…go get them," Kurt suggested.

            "I hate going down that wing of the Mansion," Kitty shuddered, "like, that suit of armour in the hallway gives me the creeps, I swear it's, like, watching me."

            Kurt laughed, "you're such a wimp."

            "Whateeeeeeever," Kitty giggled, and headed off towards the Library.

            The library was located furthest away from every other convenient room in the Mansion – which is why Professor Xavier had made it the Library in the first place, there was hardly any ever noise in that part of the Mansion, and it had a nice view of the gardens from the large square windows. Kitty walked with her hands deep in the pockets of her Capri pants, and avoided looking at the suit of armour that always gave her the creeps.  Telling herself she was just being silly.

            She had only just reached the large mahogany panelled door of the Library – which hung slightly open – when she heard the sobbing coming from within, and she recognised it as Rogue straight away.  She pushed the door open and stepped in, Rogue was on the floor in a corner by the corner shelf unit, she seemed in complete hysterics of tears, and seemed to have been for a while judging by the stains on her cheeks and the puffiness of her eyes.

            "Rogue?" Kitty knelt by the crying girl and put her hand on her shoulder, "Rogue, what is it?"

            But Rogue was too choked up to even answer, in tears that would not stop, and words would not come out.  Laying there on the floor and trembling like a child

            "C'mon, Rogue…" Kitty's concern grew, and she put her hands under Rogue's arms and tried to pull Rogue up a bit, into a sitting position, Rogue just fell onto Kitty in a limp way as if she were nothing more than a rag doll, more tears coming, she felt not even the strength to pull herself together in front of Kitty.  Rogue never got this emotional in front of Kitty.  Never.  But now, she simply couldn't stop the tears.

            Kitty moved Rogue's hair back from her face in a careful manner, making sure to make no skin contact, and she used a soothing caring voice, "Rogue…what's wrong…?"

            Rogue could not answer.  Still overwhelmed with emotion and love over the man she'd forced to leave her – even when she'd known how he felt.  Knowing now what she knew, she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to live.  ****Authors note: You REALLY need to read Dismal Angel Episode 6 as this is a direct continuation of the last scene really.****

            Kitty rubbed Rogue's back, "what's going on…" she asked, "did Remy hurt you last night?" Kitty wondered maybe if Remy had been one of those guys who got easily violent and abusive towards women – but even then, Rogue wasn't the type of girl to withstand ever being hit.  And especially now with being in possession of Carol Danvers powers, it left her near invulnerable, she'd have never felt any hit Remy could throw at her.

            "He's gone…" Rogue sobbed, her voice barely pieced together between the cries, tears still steaming down her face, her eyes felt like miniature waterfalls, the tears seemed to have not stopped for hours.  Her sobs became wails.

            Kitty was confused, "who's gone…?" she asked nervously, but only more tears and wailing came.  Kitty's concern begin to grew more and more, this didn't seem like just a little tear outburst, this seemed so…serious.  The girl seemed practically inundated and unable to cope with it.  It was as if the only strength she had left was to force the tears out and no more.

            Kitty patted Rogue's back, she could get nothing else out of Rogue, she tried but only got more sobs, more tears, and more of Rogue's collapsing, and it lasted for half an hour before Kitty realised there was going to be no way she could help.

"Rogue, wait here okay?"

            Kitty pulled herself up from under Rogue, who's head had been on her lap, there were already tearstains on Kitty's Capri pants.   Rogue curled on the floor hands over her tear-stained face. 

Kitty left the Library in a run – phasing through the wall rather than opening the door, she rushed to Professor Xavier's office, phasing through the door without knocking.   "Professor!!" she gasped.

            Professor Xavier raised his head, looking at Kitty questioningly, "you know why a door is there, don't you?" he asked, "and that you always knock before entering my private office?" he added.

            "Yes but—" Kitty tried, her eyes wide with panic.

            "Is something wrong?" Professor Xavier suddenly sensed Kitty's concern

"Professor, I think Rogue is taking a nervous breakdown…" Kitty was gasping for breath after having run from one end of the Mansion to the other.

            "What?" Professor Xavier looked at Kitty in complete surprise.

            "I'm like, serious, she's on the floor in the library and can't pull herself together…I've just spent half an hour trying to help her," Kitty motioned to the pants she was wearing, by now splattered with tears.  "I asked her what was wrong, she said that 'he's gone', I don't know what she's talking about though," Kitty walked over to the desk, waiting for Professor Xavier to do something to fix the mess, hoping that he could.

            Professor Xavier put a hand to his temple, as if he were searching for some thoughts, it was obvious he was trying to see through Rogue's mind.  "I…feared this…" Professor Xavier sighed.

            "What's going on?" Kitty demanded concernedly.

            "Kitty…will you do me a favour and go to the Hospital Wing…" Xavier began, he scribbled something on piece of paper and handed it to Kitty, "give this to Hank – he'll give you some pills, meet me in the library."

            "Fine…" Kitty took the piece of paper and headed off, as she left she glanced at the piece of paper, she recognised the prescription drug listed on the paper as a well known sedative.  Kitty winced as she walked.

            Kitty thought of how Rogue had looked, so pale, with her face twisted in despair, Kitty thought at herself, She needs more than sedatives