Quick Note: I keep forgetting to say this, but to all readers kinda new to reading my fictions, whenever you see something in ~~ ~~ and italicized know that that is a telepathically spoken thought. If it's something just plain italicized that's usually a thought or something italicized to emphasize the meaning of the word or phrase chosen. You'll see the method to my madness pretty easily, though, so just enjoy. :-)

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A Few Problems to Work Out

"I think we, like, have a problem," Kitty declared during one of their planning sessions.

"What is it, luv?" Betsy looked up to ask.

"Rogue's skin. She's totally terrified of having a relationship because of it. Just last night when we were all watching that movie she got all upset and left the room when the couple kissed at the end because she thinks she can never have that."

Betsy frowned as Kitty's words reminded her of how she'd had to go comfort her friend after watching that romantic video.

"Bloody 'ell, you're right, Kit."

At the realization, everyone in the room started thinking on the issue.

Brian, Betsy, Jean, Kitty, Kurt and Tabitha were all honestly trying to think of a way to help their friend Rogue get around her mutation so she could have a 'normal' relationship with Logan.

Scott's thoughts were being projected to the two mind readers in the room and those thoughts were far from helpful.

Why should she control her skin just so he can touch her?

I've never minded her touching me with that skin.

(Memories of the times Rogue had touched him flashed through Scott's mind and he fondly thought of how soft her hands had been and how gently they'd stroked his face even through the draining pain as she absorbed his powers.)

What's so special about Logan anyway?

She wanted me first. Heck, she still wants me.

No one ever tried to hook us up, though, did they?

She'd probably be pretty darn happy with me, too.

Those were Scott's thoughts and they were so obvious to the telepaths that they could no longer concentrate on their own thoughts of trying to help Rogue.

While Jean just started to pout at her boyfriend's mental ramblings, Betsy got bloody furious.

She jumped to her feet and moved to tower over the young man lying casually on the couch.

~~ Shut up, you moron! ~~

"Whaa - " Scott sat up abruptly to stare confused at Betsy.

Without speaking, she grabbed his arm and drug him from the rec. room where they were having their meeting.

~~ Bloody 'ell, Scott, I never would have thought you could be as dumb as you look. Is it that you forget that your girlfriend and I can read your bloody mind or do you just not care?! ~~

He opened his mouth to self-righteously defend himself and condemn Betsy for prying into his mind, but she knew it was coming and stopped him.

~~ I wasn't prying, you ass, you were projecting! What bloody right have you to start thinking about Rogue that way now? She's finally over her stupid, and crickey was it stupid, crush on you to find someone who can actually make her happy and you want to spoil it? What about Jean, Einstein?! Your girlfriend?! You've supposedly loved old Red since you met her and now you finally have her loving you back and you're projecting all these hurtful thoughts to her about another girl? Get your bloody head out of your bum, Summers! ~~

During her passionate lecture, he'd begun sinking away from her guiltily.

Betsy could sense that she'd made her point and the young man was feeling pretty small right then.

~~ Is she very angry? ~~

He voiced the question about his girlfriend to Betsy telepathically.

~~ I don't know, luv, but she's awful hurt. Your thoughts may be relatively harmless, but you have to remember that she can see them all out of context. Perfect as she may seem, Jean's pretty insecure with love and she needs you to be as focused on her and her alone as you always were before you started dating. ~~

He nodded shamefully and began thinking of how he loved his Jean and ways to make this up to her.

Betsy felt those thoughts to be a little much and shut them out while she left him to return to the group in the rec. room.

Upon re-entering the room, she saw Jean huddled off to herself staring out a window at nothing and started to go to her.

Scott charged into the room, spotted Jean's new location, pushed past Betsy, grabbed his girlfriend and pulled her from the room without a word before Betsy even reached the other girl.

She huffed at the abruptness of his actions.

All eyes in the room widened in shock as they gazed at the door the couple had left through and then turned their attention to Betsy for an explanation.

"I haven't a clue, luvs," she answered honestly to the question in their eyes.

She truly had no idea what Scott was up to and something told her she didn't want to know, but she sure hoped it worked.

Shaking off thoughts of that couple she focused on the couple this meeting was about.

"So what kind of ideas have we come up with for Rogue's mutation," Betsy asked she sat down on the floor again.

"Ve've got nozhing," Kurt sighed.

"Come on now, surely there must be a way? Brian, Kitty, you're the smart ones…think!"

Brian and Kitty glared at Betsy for the order, but did just as she demanded.

"I think we should bring the Professor and Hank in on this," Brian concluded.

Everyone looked at him like he was crazy.

"Not the matchmaking stuff, luvs, just trying to help Rogue with her mutation. They've been trying to figure something out for that since she came here, so they've got to have some ideas," he reasoned.

The others absorbed his wise words and nodded.

With that it was decided they'd divide and conquer.

Betsy and Brian would work on the Professor.

Kitty, Kurt and Tabitha would get to Hank.

Jean and Scott remained off somewhere making up.

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Author's Note: I apologize for focusing so much on the 'perfect' couple that in Jean and Scott in these last two chappies, but I totally love throwing obstacles in their path to trip them up in my fictions. They're just….too….UGH….perfect….and goodie goodie, especially in the Evolution cartoon. Hope y'all didn't mind the little detour into their relationship and I promise I'm back to all attention on Logan & Rogue.