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Riley watched them go, then turned to the Professor. "She doesn't like me." It wasn't a question, but it was tinged with confusion, asking for an explanation.
"Rogue is very protective of Logan," Xavier said slowly, eyes on Kitty as the sweet-natured girl scooted over to make room for Flash. "And of Logan's feelings," he added, hoping to gauge a reaction. The girl's mind was extremely hard to penetrate, past her surface thoughts.
But she simply looked thoughtful, watching a particularly witty comment from Jubilee earn a laugh from the red-head, and a smile appeared on her own lips.
"You care very much for her," he observed.
She shrugged. "She's young. She didn't deserve what she got handed to her. But she shouldered it nicely. Gotta admire that." She reached over and placed a hand over his, opening her thoughts to his in the same instant. Instantly he saw Flash as Riley saw her: a girl, powerful beyond words, opportunities limitless even though she didn't appreciate it. He saw the red-head breaking the sound barrier while running; screaming profanities he hadn't even known at that age at Stryker as two of his guards dragged her to a cell, despite their abrasive attempts to subdue her; swinging an ineffective punch through the bars as Riley was taken away for some kind of experiment; bruised and bloody from a punishment for attempted escape.
Riley drew her hand away, and her mind with it, and smiled fondly. "Okay, so she's not that smart sometimes, but she's got a lot of heart."
"Indeed." He hesitated, but had to ask. "What did Stryker do to you?"
She swept a handful of curls away from her face and sighed. "I don't even know half of it. Something that built up my mental shields, I think. An immune system booster. Some kind of gene therapy, very long, very painful. Lots of side effects I'm not sure if he was aiming for or not. I don't sleep much; I heal quick, though nothing like Logan; I have a problem with kidney stones... you get the picture."
He did. This woman had been through the mill, and in many ways was still in it. William Stryker's 'tinkering' might have killed her, and maybe she wasn't so lucky that it hadn't. The effects would plague her for the rest of her life. Not for the first time, or the last time, he wished Jean was still with them. She would know how to help Riley physically, while the most he could offer was mental help she probably wouldn't accept.
He wondered what she would have been like had she not run into Stryker. She was smart, she was strong, she could have been anything she wanted to be. Her life had been taken away from her, and he was determined to help her get as much of it as she could back.
She sighed again, this one wistful. He followed her gaze and saw Kurt hanging upside-down from a tree, chatting amicably with Storm, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground. Both of them were smiling broadly, taking genuine pleasure in the other's company, their body language revealing more than they realized, oblivious as they were to the world around them. He understood the reason behind the sigh, and silently added his own, also wishing for the simple peace of being with someone you loved, for the ability to shut out the rest of the world. Ever since he had come into his powers, he had never been alone, and he often wondered if that was a good thing.
Riley tore her eyes away from the two and walked briskly away. Xavier let her go. At that moment, he wanted to cry as well.
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Review, people.
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Riley watched them go, then turned to the Professor. "She doesn't like me." It wasn't a question, but it was tinged with confusion, asking for an explanation.
"Rogue is very protective of Logan," Xavier said slowly, eyes on Kitty as the sweet-natured girl scooted over to make room for Flash. "And of Logan's feelings," he added, hoping to gauge a reaction. The girl's mind was extremely hard to penetrate, past her surface thoughts.
But she simply looked thoughtful, watching a particularly witty comment from Jubilee earn a laugh from the red-head, and a smile appeared on her own lips.
"You care very much for her," he observed.
She shrugged. "She's young. She didn't deserve what she got handed to her. But she shouldered it nicely. Gotta admire that." She reached over and placed a hand over his, opening her thoughts to his in the same instant. Instantly he saw Flash as Riley saw her: a girl, powerful beyond words, opportunities limitless even though she didn't appreciate it. He saw the red-head breaking the sound barrier while running; screaming profanities he hadn't even known at that age at Stryker as two of his guards dragged her to a cell, despite their abrasive attempts to subdue her; swinging an ineffective punch through the bars as Riley was taken away for some kind of experiment; bruised and bloody from a punishment for attempted escape.
Riley drew her hand away, and her mind with it, and smiled fondly. "Okay, so she's not that smart sometimes, but she's got a lot of heart."
"Indeed." He hesitated, but had to ask. "What did Stryker do to you?"
She swept a handful of curls away from her face and sighed. "I don't even know half of it. Something that built up my mental shields, I think. An immune system booster. Some kind of gene therapy, very long, very painful. Lots of side effects I'm not sure if he was aiming for or not. I don't sleep much; I heal quick, though nothing like Logan; I have a problem with kidney stones... you get the picture."
He did. This woman had been through the mill, and in many ways was still in it. William Stryker's 'tinkering' might have killed her, and maybe she wasn't so lucky that it hadn't. The effects would plague her for the rest of her life. Not for the first time, or the last time, he wished Jean was still with them. She would know how to help Riley physically, while the most he could offer was mental help she probably wouldn't accept.
He wondered what she would have been like had she not run into Stryker. She was smart, she was strong, she could have been anything she wanted to be. Her life had been taken away from her, and he was determined to help her get as much of it as she could back.
She sighed again, this one wistful. He followed her gaze and saw Kurt hanging upside-down from a tree, chatting amicably with Storm, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground. Both of them were smiling broadly, taking genuine pleasure in the other's company, their body language revealing more than they realized, oblivious as they were to the world around them. He understood the reason behind the sigh, and silently added his own, also wishing for the simple peace of being with someone you loved, for the ability to shut out the rest of the world. Ever since he had come into his powers, he had never been alone, and he often wondered if that was a good thing.
Riley tore her eyes away from the two and walked briskly away. Xavier let her go. At that moment, he wanted to cry as well.
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Review, people.
