Author's note: *tries to post update without detection and fails* AHHHHH you got me lol! Okay, I haven't updated for like a year because I had LOTS going on…grandpa died…switched schools…fell in love with this sweet guy….lol….anyways check all my stories…I have updated…plus there's a new co-fic that I'm doing with my one and only boyfriend, Patch5129! :-D Keep checkin' back…I will update from now on.

You guys are *the* best!!!!!!

- 1LiLRoGuE / Kate -

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"Have you finished?"

Madelyn looked up from her cross-legged position on the floor.

"Not quite. I still have that idiot Xavier to cover. I hate to say it, but after spending so much energy on wiping Grey, I believe I will need a short recovery period."

The man standing in the shadows frowned.

"That won't do, Madelyn. Meanwhile you are resting, Xavier could resurrect his students' memories . No, it must be done all at once."

Madelyn glared at the man.

"It isn't possible, you idiot. Wiping mass memories, even those of regular humans, takes enormous power, strength, and concentration. The task doubles to the point of impossibility when you add telepaths like Charles Xavier and Jean Grey. You would almost need a joint connection between two psychics."

The man smirked.

"That was anticipated, my dear Miss Pryor. I believe you have met Miss Emma Frost, also known as the White Queen in the Hellfire club?"

Madelyn's jaw dropped as the said Emma Frost made her grand appearance, bursting open the doors with a wave of her hand in an impressive display of telekinetics.

"Her!" Madelyn shouted furiously, her hair bursting into a wave of fiery flames.

"Your face is nearly as red as your hair, Pryor," Emma Frost said coolly with a broad smirk.

"How could you go behind my back, Nathan? I trusted you!"

Madelyn looked furious, brandishing a large handful of flames in preparation to launch an attack.

The man in the shadows shifted uncomfortably, but the smile remained on his face.

"Now, now, girls. Do try to get along. I apologize for the lack of information, but it was vital to the success of the plan. I believed it best lest Xavier and his X-men should capture you and literally tear it out of your head."

Madelyn glared at Emma Frost angrily.

"Alright, but why her? Isn't there some other telepath available?"

The man shook his head.

"Miss Frost is the best around, Madelyn. You will have to set aside your differences and work together."

Emma tossed her hair, making the silky blond strands move in a long wave down her scantily clad back.

"Let's establish a connection, shall we?" She purred, putting her hands on her jutting hips.

Madelyn scowled but nodded.

"I may not like it, Frost, but Nathan has promised me enough out of this project to make me overlook his stupidity. So I will push aside my desire to destroy you and settle for crushing you afterwards."

Emma Frost chuckled.

"I'm sure," Was all she said.

+ + + + +

Xavier sat at his desk, peacefully reading a leather-bound volume with no title, a diary kept by a 18th-century scientist named Dr. Nathaniel Essex, quite unknown to most regular people.

He found the theories quite interesting---as did Dr. Hank McCoy, who had brought the book to his attention.

Nathaniel Essex was obviously a brilliant man---far brighter than most people Xavier had met, excluding Beast (McCoy) and Magneto (a long-time friend turned enemy).

In fact, Xavier suspected that the said Essex had been a mutant in his time.

A sudden 'ghost sensation' of intense pain suddenly filled the Professor's mind, alerting him of the possible injury of one of the students.

//// Scott? //// He asked mentally, setting down the book.

Cyclops was a moment answering.

:: Yes, Professor? ::

Xavier frowned in concern as the pain began to subside.

This was no normal 'power pain'. This was no 'physical injury'.

This was a high-powered psychic attack, a mind wipe to be precise, the action of entering a person's mind and ripping away memories of the attacker's selection.

//// Are the students alright? I sensed a feeling of extreme mental discomfort through my shields. ////

Xavier felt Scott's telepathic frown.

:: No, Professor, they're all fine. But Jean…::

The Professor raised his eyebrows.

//// Is Jean alright? //// He asked after a moment's speculation.

Scott sighed.

:: Jean seems to be fine, but I think whatever hurt her was more powerful than she cares to let on. Do you think….? ::

Xavier picked up on Scott's thoughts.

//// I don't know, Scott. Perhaps we should conduct a team meeting. Call in the basics.////

The 'basics' where what Xavier called his ten original students----Cyclops, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Storm, Rogue, Beast, Gambit, Jubilee and Shadowcat.

These mutants where summoned for tasks in which the other X-men were sometimes too novice to attempt, or when the other 'seniors' where on vacation.

:: Alright, I will, Professor. But Wolverine and Rogue are on a leave of absence. ::

Xavier frowned again.

//// Oh, yes. I do recall now. That is very unfortunate. We need as many minds as possible if we are to outwit whatever enemy we are up against. ////

He sighed mentally.

//// Summon the others, then. We will have to make do. ////

:: Yes, Professor. :: Scott answered.

Xavier closed off the telepathic link and gazed with a vacant expression at the window.

"I only hope we can," He said aloud.

+ + + + +

The man in the shadows watched with narrowed eyes as the baby sat up in its pen.

"Displays advanced agility and intelligence for an infant of its age," He murmured before marking this down on the clipboard he had clutched to his chest.

"I do believe it is manifesting part of its mutation, Creed."

Creed sneered.

"You've gotta be kiddin'," He growled through gritted fangs.

"A fuckin 'shit like th' runt couldn't sire nothin' with even half wits."

The man in the shadows smiled.

"I find your biased opinion most amusing. However, I hold undeniable facts that this specimen shows more intelligence than normal for a mere infant. The child has already begun to speak rudimentary English!"

The statement was backed up as a small voice began to speak.

"…Mama…hung'wy…"

Creed snorted.

"Do I get yer permission t' go shut it up?" He asked, licking his fangs and flexing his claw-tipped fingers.

The man in the shadows smiled again.

"No, Creed. You must restrain yourself around such an important specimen as this."

Creed snarled.

"And remember, I have ways of knowing if you have been near the child, so I'd best not touch it if I were you lest you learn what means the word 'suffer'."

With that, he turned and exited the lab.

+ + + + +

Rogue leaned into Logan's solid back, still frustrated over the forgotten memory.

The gap in was much like a sore tooth that ached and ached, and yet she had to prod it for some strange reason---but try as she might, she couldn't recall what was missing.

It must have been important t' meh, She thought, drumming her fingers lightly on Logan's chest.

"Cut that out, darlin'," The said Logan rebuked gently.

"It tickles like hell."

Rogue shook her head and smiled.

"Sorrahy, shugah," She said softly, letting her hands slip lower as she rested her head between his shoulders.

Logan glanced down at her hands wrapped around his waist, resting slightly below his hipbones.

"Don't do that neither, unless yer tired o' travelin'…"

Rogue heard the suggestion in his voice and raised her head.

"Yah're perverted, shugah," She said, sounding as though she wanted to laugh.

"But, yah know, ah am tiahed ahv traveling. Could we stop foah ah whaile?"

Logan grinned.

"Yep," He said, steering the bike to the side of the desert highway and turning it off.

"Thanks," Rogue said, tumbling off of the bike onto her knees amidst a cloud of dust.

Logan raised an eyebrow.

"Need a lil help there, darlin'?" He asked, leaning on the handlebars of the bike with a broad smirk.

"Oh, stop gloating yah big goof," Rogue mumbled, sitting up and dusting herself off.

"Ah'm just ah little uncoordinated aftah about ah century ahv enduring yoah favorite method ahv transport."

Logan chuckled and took the keys out of the bike's ignition.

"Still…" He said, swinging one leg over the seat and landing squarely on his feet with an added flourish to drive his point home.

"When yah think 'bout it, it's pretty ironic. I'm th' one here that had his entire skeleton ripped out only two months ago, an' yet, somehow, I manage t' outdo you in balance."

Rogue pulled a face.

"Ah think ahwl mah balance an grace ahre going inta making yoah child, shugah," She drawled, accepting the hand that Logan offered to help pull her to her feet.

"Aw, c'mon, it can't be that hard. 'S barely th' size o' yer thumb."

Rogue rolled her eyes and snorted.

"Saize ahv mah thumb. Right. It's moah laike blowing a watahmelon out ahv yoah ass."

Logan frowned.

"How would you know?" He asked, his grip on her wrist tightening.

"Yeh've never had a kid before."

Rogue parted her lips, but said nothing, her eyes glazing over.

There was a long, loud silence.

Finally, Logan cleared his throat and tugged on her hand.

"Yeh wanna walk fer a bit?" He asked, nodding towards the open expanse of desert around them.

Rogue nodded and followed him as he began to pick his way through the hot, sandy ground, avoiding the occasional plant as he navigated.

They held hands, remaining quiet as they gazed out over the horizon, each of them wondering the same thing.

What was that all about?

+ + + + +

They traveled late into the dark night, reaching the metropolis of Chicago before they became too tired and distracted to endure driving any longer.

So Logan pulled into a hotel's parking lot and switched off the bike.

"Rogue," He said gently, nudging her face with his shoulder.

"Get off an we'll go get a room."

Rogue straightened.

"Ah just had th' weirdest dream in mah laife," She declared, rubbing her eyes.

Logan turned to look at her over his shoulder.

"I had a nightmare that I've been drivin' for the past 24 hours, an when I finally stopped, a time warp swallowed me up an made me start all over again…"

Rogue punched him in the shoulder.

"Ah'm serious, shugah.

Logan sighed.

"Darlin', I'll listen to yeh once I kin lay down an get my head off my feet fer a couple o' minutes…"

Rogue folded her arms.

"But ah won't remembah it baih then," She said in a sulky tone.

Logan snarled.

"Bloody hell, just get off th' fuckin' bike," He snapped.

Rogue's eyes widened and she slipped off, landing noiselessly on the ground.

Logan closed his eyes and rubbed his face.

"Sorry, darlin'," He mumbled from between his fingers.

"I dunno what's gotten inta me. Must be damned tired from all this drivin'."

Rogue licked her lips.

"I-it's okay," She said shakily.

"A-ah was just afraid that yah were gonna go all AWOL on meh."

Logan sighed and looked at her, his face twisted into a small frown.

"Yeh'd be better off with Gumbo, y' know," He said quietly, resting his elbows on the handlebars of the bike.

Rogue put a hand on his back.

"You'd be bettah off with someone moah mature, shugah," She answered in a whisper, moving her hand in circular motions.

"Gumbo wouldn't make yeh afraid o' bein' yerself, 'fraid o' sayin' th' wrong thing an unleashing th' holy terror."

Logan looked down at the bike's controls, his expression sorrowful.

Rogue frowned.

"But ah don't want Gumbo," She said, lifting his chin with a finger until his eyes met hers.

"Ah want you. Ah love yah, Logan. Ah think that's enough t' make things okay."

"Is it?" Logan asked, his eyes now locked steadily on her face.

"Is it really worth all th' risk?"

Rogue felt a sting of panic at the doubting expression Logan wore.

"Ahre yah having second thoughts, shugah?" She asked, her chin trembling.

Logan's lips formed the words 'No'.

That's why he was so surprised to hear his voice say 'yes'.

Rogue stood still, scanning his face in the hopes of finding even the slightest thread of evidence proving that he still loved her, that he wasn't changing his mind.

But he was changing his mind. Or something was changing it for him.

"I…" He said, his tone wavering as a struggle presented itself, forced itself into his brain, overriding his Weapon X training and rearranging his thoughts and emotions.

Rogue turned away, her shoulders shaking as she began to cry.

And Logan could only sit and watch.

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