Flickering Souls

Chapter Eight: A Freak, Like The Rest Of You

"Ah don't rightly know Professor." Rogue sat before Xavier's desk. "Ah just haven't felt normal since we got back from saving Kurt and Jean."

Rogue shook her head.

"Not since I touched her, really." Rogue bit her lip. "I don't know if I told you or not, but when Ah touched her …" She looked Xavier in the eye. "Ah felt you Professor. In her head. And not her. I never felt anything like that before."

The Professor nodded slowly. "That's probably because I was so heavily invested in suppressing her powers." He grimaced slightly. "It may also explain a few … other .. things."

The Professor leaned forward. "What I'm about to say Rogue, it isn't to go beyond this room."

"Ah understand." She nodded.

"Jean is not well." He began. "I've kept her in isolation since she's regained consciousness for several reasons. Her powers have vanished, Rogue. She believes that you have … inherited them."

"She thinks Ah stole her powers." Rogue said softly, more to herself than to Xavier. "But Professor, Ah wouldn't …"

The Professor smiled kindly. "Of course you wouldn't Rogue." He sighed. "But Jean isn't being rational. Although … she may be at least partially correct."

"What?" Rogue asked him, shocked.

"And if that's true, it's as much my fault as anyone's." He sighed again. "I was suppressing her powers Rogue. A process that involves isolating the ability from the personality."

Rogue's eyes opened wide. "That's why ah tasted you in her head."

"Yes Rogue." He nodded. "I was pushing her powers away from her personality …"

"And Ah was pulling them … out?" She looked confused. "So does this mean I'm telekinetic?" She asked. "Because Ah sure haven't seen any sign of it." She shook her head.

"Nor have I." Xavier agreed. "And I've been watching you during your training sessions. That's where I expected it would begin to surface, during moments of stress."

"Is that why the danger room's had it in for me this week?"

The Professor smiled apologetically and shrugged.

"So what's going to happen to Jean now?" Rogue asked quietly.

"She's going home." Xavier breathed just as softly. "Her parents are quite insistent."

Rogue sat back in her chair and thought for a moment.

"Does Scott know?" She asked hesitantly.

Xavier looked her in the eye. "No." He said softly. "Not yet. I thought … since the two of you were so close that …"

Rogue smiled sweetly. "Ah'll be there for him Professor." Her eyes glazed over with tears. Poor Scott. This is so unfair…

"Thanks." Her voice began to fail her. "For the heads-up."

Xavier smiled at her from across the desk. "Anytime, Rogue." And Rogue knew it was true. Xavier was in this life for the long haul.

Upstairs, Jean was packing. She had filled her suitcases and taken everything of value that she could lay her hands on.

Scott appeared in her doorway behind her.

"Jean?" He asked hesitantly. "What are you doing?"

She pulled the zipper on her suitcase and hefted it off her bed. She shoved it in to Scott's arms.

"Packing." She said noncommittally. She turned back and grabbed her duffel bag and smaller suitcase. She pushed past Scott in to the hall and headed for the stairs.

"Are you going home to see your family? I know they were worried while you were missing." Scott prompted, following her as she walked.

"Something like that." She said, barely glancing over her shoulder.

Kitty was standing at the bottom of the stairs talking to someone just outside the front door.

"Jean?" Kitty looked up the stairs. "Your cab is here."

Jean didn't respond. She just kept trucking toward the door.

"Jean." Scott began. "I know this hasn't been easy …"

Jean whipped around to face him at the bottom of the stairs. "You know nothing!" She informed him.

"Jean, what's wrong with you?" He asked, searching her eyes for the woman he loved.

"Wrong? With me?" She smiled. "That's a laugh."

The argument was attracting attention from around the mansion. One by one, mutants were turning their eyes toward the front door.

"I'm NORMAL now. I can have a REAL life. There is nothing WRONG with me! BECAUSE I'M NOT A FREAK ANYMORE! LIKE THE REST OF YOU!"

Her words cut Scott deep and through the heart. He didn't see the other X-Men pulling back to respectful distances. He didn't see Rogue and Xavier standing together at the top of the stairs; Xavier with his eyes cast down to the floor and Rogue looking like she might dive down the from the second floor and belt Jean across the face.

Jean shoved her bags out the door in to the hands of the waiting driver and she snatched her large bag from Scott.

And with a slam of the door … she was gone.

Rogue was there before Scott could move.

"Come on Scott." She said softly, taking his arm and leading him away.

He let her lead him away from the door and towards the back of the mansion.

He stopped before they could make their way out the back doors.

"Rogue?" He smiled at her sadly.

"Yeah Scott?" She smiled at him and realized that he was crying behind his visor.

"Thank you." He whispered softly, patting her on the arm. Not the sleeve, but the arm, on her bare skin.

And nothing happened. Rogue stood in wide-eyed wonder. What just happened? She wondered. Was it just too quick?

Scott didn't seem to have noticed what he'd done.

"A lot of times Rogue, I don't know what I'd do without you." He swallowed and took a deep breath.

Rogue smiled slightly to herself and turned to look Scott in the face.

"Anytime." She told him softly, caressing his face with her gloved hand. "Anytime at all."

But in the back of her mind, hope was rising in a place it had never dared to rise before.

He touched me! She realized. He touched me … and nothing happened!

"Awww." Wanda chided The Author. "That's so sweet."

The Author would have shrugged, were he not wrapped in vines and unable to move.

"I have to pee." He told her bluntly.

"Go right ahead." She told him, tapping words out on the keyboard.

"What are you doing?" He asked her.

"I'm having Gambit kill my father." She smiled as she spoke.

"Yeah. About that …" He smiled half to himself. "That wont work."

Wanda hit the enter key and the words vanished off the screen. She could tell he was right, it had not worked.

"Why not?" She fumed, turning on him. "What's wrong now?"

"Well, for starters, I have to pee." He told her. "Secondly, Magneto turns up in my story, close to the end. And you can't kill him in Chapter Eight if he's scheduled to make an appearance in Chapter Seventeen."

Wanda pursed her lips. "You knew that was coming, didn't you?" She half smiled.

"I know that this story isn't the one you would like it to be." He agreed. "And I know that there is an easier way to get everyone what they want."

Wanda considered this for a moment. "How?" She asked finally.

"Let me go to the bathroom and we'll discuss it." He told her.

"Tell me first." She insisted.

"I could give you your own story." He told her. "Give you every opportunity to make good on your intentions without interruption."

Slowly the vines began to recede and release him.

"You would do that?" She asked slowly.

"As though I had a choice?" he asked quietly "Outside of soiling myself and pissing you off that is."

Wanda smiled slowly and cautiously. "Go to the bathroom." She told him as the vines turned him loose. "And then we'll talk."