A/N: sorry I haven't updated for ages, I've been really tied up. Please visit my new DBZ fic: once again with an audience.

"Has anyone seen Scout? She wasn't in her room last night and I haven't seen her all mornin'" Rouge asked at breakfast that morning. The rest of the X-men shook their heads.

"You're telling me she's not here?" Wolverine asked jumping up.

"Don't worry Logan, I'm sure she's fine. I'll go take a look for her on Cerebro." The Professor said soothingly.

"Well I'm gonna go look for her the old-fashioned way." Wolverine growled walking outside.

"Man, where do you think she would have gone?" Scott asked out loud. Rouge bit her lip, she couldn't break her promise to Scout.

"Hey everyone what's up?" Kitty asked walking in the room with a yawn.

"Scout's gone missing." Jean sighed.

"Missing? You mean she isn't back from Pietro's yet?" Kitty asked.

"The brotherhood! I told you guys that we couldn't trust them! Now they've gone and kidnapped Scout!" Scott shouted jumping up and running for the door.

"Hey moron! Didn't you think that she might have gone there of her own free will? She does have a life you know." Rouge snapped blocking the door.

"Either way we're getting her back." Scott frowned.

"No you're not, if she doesn't want to leave the brotherhood then I won't let you take her." Rouge stated standing her ground.

"Just try and stop us." Scott growled.

"Oh trust me you don't want me to." Rouge snarled. Scott shook his head and strode past her to get through the door shoving her out the way to do so. Rouge spun around and slapped him on the face knocking him unconscious, she turned on the other X-men.

"Now, is anyone else going to try and get her?" Rouge asked ready to zap anyone with Scott's power. The rest of the X-men looked at each other and shook their heads.

The doorbell of the brotherhood rang again and Lance opened the door to see a weary-looking Rouge with glowing red eyes.

"Whoa Rouge, what's with the bad make up?" he asked pointing to her eyes.

"I slapped Scott to stop him getting Scout back." Rouge sighed.

"Whoa, good on you I hated shades." Lance smirked.

"Is Scout here?" Rouge asked.

"Yeah, she's in the kitchen scaring Toad." Lance laughed moving out of the way so she could come inside. Rouge walked inside to catch Scout talking to Toad who looked terrified.

"I mean it don't touch my toast!" Scout snapped.

"What are you gonna do if I don't, yo?" Toad smirked keeping his trademark "Yo" at the end of every sentence. His tongue snapped out to grab Scout's breakfast but she grabbed his tongue first.

"Did you know that if I shocked your tongue this toast would look raw compared to you?" Scout growled letting a little static shock slip so she illustrated her point.

"I'm out of here, yo!" Toad stuttered hopping off.

"Eww, slime." Scout shuddered looking down at her now slightly green toast and matching slimy hand.

"Nice." Pietro grinned.

"I'll have that if you're not gonna eat it." Fred grinned eyeing the toast.

"Uh, sure." Scout frowned; Fred took the toast hungrily and began wolfing it down. Scout shuddered again.

"That can't be healthy." Scout sighed shaking her head.

"Yeah well most food here gets covered in slime." Pietro shrugged.

"Tell me you don't eat that." Scout asked feeling slightly nauseous.

"Hell no! I have my standards, I go out and get a Mexican." Pietro shrugged, "from Mexico." He added with a smile.

"Cool. Rouge!" Scout smiled jumping up to give Rouge a hug and luckily not touching any skin.

"Everyone went ballistic this morning trying to get to you, I even hand to slap Scott to stop him coming here." Rouge sighed; Scout looked at her in disbelief.

"Don't give me that look I didn't tell him; Kitty told them! Anyway, he's unconscious at the moment and before I slapped him he was going on about how we shouldn't trust the brotherhood and stuff like that." Rouge shrugged.

"That can't be good for me." Lance sighed knowing this meant he couldn't see Kitty for a while.

"I guess so, does anyone mind if I stay here? I don't think I'll be welcome at the institute anymore." Rouge asked biting her lip.

"Course not Rouge!" Lance smiled, after all Rouge had lived here before.