I'm suffering from Review deprivation, people!! I'm starting to get desperate for reviews.

Elfchick: More Rahm is in the works, expect the next four or five chapters to be fluffier than a fluffy-bunny-convention, and almost entirely pointless besides to satisfy my own fluff-tooth.

Animeluver: D'OH!! I knew I had said he was rooming with someone, but I couldn't remember  who I had said it was.  Therefore, let us just put the blind man with the prankster... Aught to be good fun.

Chapter 17:  Tying up Loose Ends, and Creating New Ones.

The Institute was a solemn place for several days after the Mystique incident.  While Jean and Scott were soon moving about, even if it was in a pained manner, and Evan was soon back to his usual routine, although his ribs would hurt for some time, Storm was nearly comatose in the med lab.

The day after the battle at the Monastery, while he was checking Mystique's vitals, the blue-skinned metamorph grabbed his arm.

"Please, Dr. McCoy, let's be honest. You and I both know that I'm not going to survive the injuries I received."

Dr. McCoy started to say something, before Mystique cut him off.

"And don't even think of lying to me.  When you change shapes as often as I do, you become very aware of how your body is supposed to feel."

Dr. McCoy shut his mouth, and simply nodded, both acknowledging her declaration, and confirming her hypothesis.

"I would like to ask for one last request."

Dr. McCoy simply gestured for her to continue.

"Would you have both Rogue and Kurt come here?"

The blue-furred mutant known as Beast nodded, and, pushing a button on the intercom, called them.

Within seconds, there was a bamf in the hallway, followed quickly by Kurt and Rogue.  Both stopped just inside the doorway, and glared at the woman who had so grievously injured half of their team. Beast leaned over and quickly explained the situation.  Nodding, both mutant teenagers walked in, and Beast walked out.

Mystique looked at the two young teenagers, whom were both hovering at a distance from the bed.  She motioned them over to her, and began to speak to Kurt.

"Kurt, I do not have much time left in this world.  I would like to say something, I am sorry about having to abandon you so long ago.  I wish that things had turned out different, but they didn't, and I cannot change the past."

She then turned to Rogue and began talking.

"Rogue, I don't know how to put this gently, so I'll just say it.  I'm your adopted mother.  If you want proof, search the memories you absorbed from me in the ice cave long ago.  I adopted you at the age of four.  Your real name is Rebecca Darkholme. I left you with Irene because, well, you know what kind of life I live.  I'm a terrorist! If I were to have raised you… then you would have turned out like me to, and I wanted a better life for you than that.  Also, I was your friend Risty…"

She shook her head; she could feel herself quickly losing her strength.

"Rogue, Kurt.  Give the other X-Men this warning, Magneto has come into possession of a machine that will allow him to take control of any mutant he pleases."  She pointed weakly towards a bag lying on top of her normal clothing. (AN: She's wearing a hospital gown, sickos.) "In that bag is a disk with the schematics.  I lured you to the Monastery… because I had to be… sure th…that you would be… able to… handle ……Magneto."

And with that, Mystique, one of the most feared mutant terrorists on Earth, began to transform rapidly.  First she became Professor Xavier, then Rogue, then Kurt, then Dr. McCoy, Scott, Jean, the rest of the X-Men.  Then, finally, she became Risty, and her body stopped, cold.

All of this was too much for Rogue.  Her mother was a mutant terrorist, her best friend, and had just died in front of her.  While Kurt watched, Rogue turned, and left the room, her demeanor enough to make even Iceman shiver.  The look in her eyes would have frozen Magma to a block of ice.

Kurt shook his head, and, grabbing the bag, teleported away from his mother, as Beast walked through the door, casting glances towards where Rogue had stormed off.  Seeing the body on the table, he shook his head, and began to prepare the body for an on-site autopsy.

Kyle was standing outside, simply reveling in the feeling of the soft breeze on his face, when suddenly; a very cold feeling began migrating down his spine.  He spun, grabbing up a handful of snow off of a tree branch. He then unleashed the snow at the perpetrator of the cold back.  The indignant squeal quickly informed him of the perp., and he grinned.

"Well, that'll teach you not to dump snow down my back."  In response to this, Amara simply gave a playful, "hmph," a slightly flirting pout on her face.  She remembered that he wouldn't be able to see the pout, and felt the warm rushing to the face that was blood turning her cheeks red.  Except that the rush didn't slow, and began to spread across her forehead, and the rest of her face.  She knew that something was wrong when it reached her neck without a single intent of stopping.

To further complicate things, Bobby, in a pranking mood, decided the best thing to do was to create a large amount of snow over the two of them. The results of this action were immediately apparent, as Amara dropped to the ground, shivering badly.

Bobby, realizing that something was wrong, immediately rushed over.  He watched as Kyle bent down, and picked up Amara. He turned to Bobby, and, instead of the fury he had expected, saw concern.

"She's burning up.  We had best get her to Dr. McCoy."

Bobby nodded, and the two mutant teenagers began to walk towards the mansion.  As they passed Rahne, Sam and Jubilee, the three of them began to follow Bobby and Kyle, concerned over their friend.

The group quickly reached the elevator to the sub-basements, and entered.  Their hurried footsteps echoed through the halls.

As Professor Xavier came out of Storms room, he saw the five teenagers bearing down on him, and he quickly reversed the wheelchair, just evading the rush of teenagers with a mission.

He came out of the room, and turned to follow the five mutant teens.  The five of them stopped outside of Mystique's room.

" 'e's in thare." Said Rahne, nodding to the door.

Bobby opened the door, and, as the teenagers entered the room, they saw Beast cutting open…

"Mr. McCoy, what are you doing with Risty?"

The Beast turned to Bobby, and said quickly.  "This is Mystique, she passed away about half an hour ago. Her body went into a sequence of shape-changes before she stopped at Risty." At that point, he noticed Kyle carrying Amara.  "Kyle, might I enquire why you're carrying Amara?"

Bobby answered for Kyle, explaining what happened Beast.

"We were outside, when I formed a big pile of snow over their heads.  She dropped to the ground and started shivering really bad."

Beast nodded, and said, "Take her next door, and set her on one of the tables.  I will be in as soon as possible."

Kyle nodded to the blue-furred mutant, and carried the girl into the next room, the rest of the mutant teenagers following.

Xavier was not fast enough to get out of the way, and was run over by the swarm of young Mutant flesh.  After the dust settled, Beast exited the room, and saw that the Professor had ended up with a black eye, and his suit torn up.  Deciding it the better part of valor not to comment, Beast walked next door.

He entered the room, and quickly began to run a check-up on Amara.  When he checked her temperature on a thermometer, he nearly dropped it from shock.

"Her temperature is 118 degrees!"

Before Beast could begin to apply something to cool the overheating mutant, she awoke.

"Why am I in the infirmary?" was the first question out of her mouth.

Beast looked at her, his eyes practically the size of plates.  She was sitting in front of him, with a body temperature that should have instantly baked her brain, and asking why she was in the infirmary.

Beast turned to look at the rest of the New Mutants.  Bobby spoke up.

"Remember when we broke you out of the Monastery? She hadn't intended to melt the door out of the frame; she just wanted to put a hole in it.  I think her powers may have done the same thing Jean's did, except less violently."

Beast nodded, thanking multiple deities for that.  He then shooed the mutant teens out of the door while he gave Amara a thorough physical.

The teenage mutants sat in a waiting room just off the infirmary.  Bobby was flipping through a comic someone had left there. Jubilee and Rahne were talking under their breath, their faces creased with worry.  Kyle sat against the far wall, meditating, while Sam sat next to him.

Finally, Sam spoke up quietly to his meditating teammate. "Kyle, how 're yah sa calm?"

The only way you could tell Kyle heard was that his head turned slightly to Sam, as he began to contemplate his answer. Finally, he spoke.

"Because, I am a good actor when I need to be."

Sam turned to look at Kyle, "Waht"

"To tell the truth, I presently feel like standing up, then start to run around in circles, screaming and shouting.  But, I know that doing that won't help, and all it will do is annoy the Professor, Amara, and Beast."

Sam nodded, "So, you like Amara?"

Kyle nodded, "A little, but she's a princess, what would she see in a blind mutant who's best quality is his ability to take down five full grown men in ten seconds."

Sam looked at his blind friend, and shook his head.  At that moment, Beast walked through the door, Amara next to him.  The four mutants who could see looked at her, amazed in the changes in her.  The colored part of her eyes had turned a slightly glowing, orangey-yellow color, the same as lava.  Her pupils were still black, but seemed much more intense due to the new color surrounding them.  Her hair was now streaked with red, similar to the shade present when she transformed to her Magma form.

"Well, as far as I can tell, there's not a thing wrong with Amara. I think that the increased body temperature and physical changes are side effects of the increase in her mutation's power."  He turned to look at her, and continued "but I would like you to come in for a check-up every other day, or if you feel unwell, until we can figure out what your new health standards are."

Amara nodded, and the six mutants left the room.

Post Chapter AN: This chapter is mostly just to tie up all the little threads hanging around from the Saga, as well as to get us intro'ed into the next major plot... Magneto can control other mutants! That... Is not good! Also, how will Rogue take finding out about Risty and Mystique? You'll find out.