In the newly restored X-mansion, a somber group sat at the breakfast table. After six months with no clues or hope, they slowly realized that there friend and teammate was truly gone.
Even the usually upbeat Professor had a frown on his face. "We can't let the losing of a good friend and teammate affect us anymore. She'd want us to continue on with our lives…" stated the Professor.
"We know, Professor, but it's still frustrating. Even by working together with Mystique and her resources, we still haven't found any trace of her. And with all the trouble that the Acolytes and Brotherhood have been giving us, life hasn't been too glorious." stated Scott.
"True Scott, but we must focus on the greater good. If we continue on with all this mopping, it would seem as though her life was in vain." Everyone turned to look at Jean as she tried her hardest to build up their morale. But each person's sullen expressions returned as they stared at their plates of food, or bowls of soggy cereal.
Life for the kids at the institute had taken a turn for the worst; what with the outing of mutants, the disappearance of Rogue, and Bayville's new found hostility towards the mutant population.
The walls of the institute were covered in graffiti and trash- despite the fact that they had just rebuilt it. The school was also less than welcoming, having at first banned mutant students. When the school finally did allow them to return to school, however, they were all kept under constant supervision by the faculty. Any use of powers (even accidentally) on school grounds would lead to an immediate suspension or possible expulsion from the school. Tension was thusly high, both at home and school.
So the world just seemed to be against them....
"I know that it will be hard, but can you at least promise that you will try? I truly believe that Rogue would want us to continue onward." reinforced Xavier.
"We'll try Professor. We will do our best" stated the young valley girl-- Kitty.
"That's all that I can ask of all you. Now-- I think it's time for you all to leave for school." declared the bald telepath.
With a little groaning and a polite good bye, the students left the institute and went on their way to school. When they had all left the room, only four people remained at the table: Logan, Storm, Beast and Xavier.
"Tell me, Charles, what do you think are the chances of Rogue still being alive?" asked the usually calm and collected Ororo Monroe.
"Well, Ororo, I'll be honest. Rogue's chances are not good. We tapped all our resources and we still have nothing. I believe Rogue is truly gone. But I won't stop searching until we find out the truth. Now, if you will please excuse me, I need to use Cerebro." stated the Professor.
As Charles left the dinning room, the others worried about him. The only time he had left that room these past few months was to eat and sleep. His constant search for his lost student kept them all in awe. He was stubborn as they came. But then, loss of a student had hit them all hard--
Wolverine especially, it seemed. He had left for months, only to return empty handed with the stench of alcohol on his clothes. He would wander off for days –even weeks-- at a time. But he always returned same-- drunk and pissed off. When he was actually there, he'd spend hours in the danger room, burning off his rage. And lately with the Professor counciling, the Wolverine was starting to return to his old self.
Ororo, it seemed, was never much the same afterward, either. One could tell due to the constant gloom over head the mansion. Like Logan and the professor, she saw Rogue as a surrogate daughter, and her sense of loss was just as devastating.
And with Evan having left for the Morlocks only a few months ago, it seemed to only increase her depression. Though Storm could mask her feels with great ease, there were some days that her emotions would become too strong and a rain would come down-- revealing the true feelings that she tried to hide.
Beast, though only having lived at the Institute for a short time, could also feel the loss of Rogue. Through his experiences with the students, he could tell that with her missing, a certain part of the student body was also missing; it was like a lost piece of the puzzle, which would always prevent the perfect completion of the picture. With a sigh and deep breath of air, Mr. McCoy stood up and started gathering the left over dishes.
"You know, she's still alive," said Wolverine, as he shifted the cigar in his mouth. "All it would take is us to find her." And with that, he got himself up and left the room.
"By the Goddess, I hope he's right," Ororo murmured before hurrying to help Hank with the dishes in the kitchen.
The hiss of the metal doors opening was starting to get on the last nerve Xavier had. When one has spent so much time in one place, every little thing of it becomes bitterly hated.
As he wheeled toward the end of the ramp, he again though about the possibility that Rogue might not be dead, after all. The thought had, of course, passed through every so often, but it never felt so strong as it did as that exact moment.
Maybe all the work that he was doing, trying to search for his missing student that is, was all in vain. Perhaps that all this time had been wasted. He could have help trained another one of his students, or found another to teach and help in the learning of their powers.
A chill suddenly ran up his spine as he thought these awful things. True, it may have been a waste, but he felt like he owed it to the young girl. For in all the time that she had spent with him at his school, he could do nothing to help her.
All that he had been able to do was watch as the scared young girl that first came to his institute, grew more and more isolated all the time. He had been powerless.
In memory of his past failures, his devotion to the cause grew stronger. He wheeled the rest of the way to Cerebro, and placed the helmet on his head. He froze once more.
If they indeed found her to be alive, would she want to return the family she once knew? I hope to God that she does, Xavier thought to himself. I hope she does.