Attack

Rogue laid in the bed and Amy was lying beside her, curled up in a ball. She was breathing softly and now and again she looked up to watch her Mother. Rogue read some fairy tale book to her and hoped that she would fall asleep soon.

But Amy couldn't sleep. She'd never been sleeping before without her Daddy saying goodnight to her and giving her a goodnight kiss.

Nevertheless she fell asleep at some point at night. Rogue sighed and switched off the lights then she tried to rest a while herself. But in the middle of the night she awoke by strange noises.

Confused she sat up. She heard rumbling and footsteps. Quietly she stood up and crept to the door. She pressed her ear against the wood and waited. But it was silent again. She already began to turn around to go back to bed when she jerked. A shot

For a second panic froze every muscle in her body. Her heart hammered loudly in her chest but she forced herself to think calmly. In shock she heard how screams resounded through the hallways, they belonged to the children. Glass was breaking and she recognized Jeans panicked voice. Terror paralyzed her

"Run! Run away"! That was Scott, his voice was full of panic.

"Mommy?" The frightened cry from her daughter pulled her out of stiffness. Quickly she turned around to see in her face. Amy stared at her in fear.

The panic broke and instinct took over. She grabbed her daughter and picked her up. Amy slang her arms around her mothers neck. She didn't understand what happened. That was asking too much of her.

Rogue ran to the wall and pressed against it. Her heart was pounding so fast she thought it would explore. "Trapped", she muttered quietly. "We are trapped"! Amy whimpered by the words and began to cry.

Her mother ordered herself to take a deep breath and stroke her back. "Shh.. Sweetie it's okay. Nothing's gonna happen." She said but she knew it was a lie when she heard Bobby's scream next door.

But then she felt something on the wall and she felt a flash of hope. The hidden hallway. Of course! Quickly she let Amy down and groped for the lever who should set the door in motion. As soon as she felt it, she sighed relieved. But then Amy shook her. "Mom! Mom they're coming, they're coming for us", she yelled and she stared at her in pure fear.

Rogue pricked up but she couldn't hear a single thing. It was quiet. She turned to her daughter. "No, it's quiet. They aren't coming, at last not right now". Amy shook her head. "No.. no.. you have to believe me.. I.. I can hear them Mom! They're already at the door. Can't you hear them Mom? Can't you? ", she said.

Rogue looked up in surprise. This was it. The first sign of Amy's mutation. But why now? But then she remembered. Jean had talked about this sometime. Mutation often shown up in very stressful situations. And this one was more than stressful. It was almost unbearable. She gasped in terror. That meant that the men really were there. She whirled around frantically and pushed up the level. The door slide open and without hesitation she pushed Amy inside and then crawled behind her. Not a second to early the door slide shut again. The men stormed in.

Rogue gasped and pressed her hand on Amy's mouth. "Shh", she whispered. The men stormed through the room and destroyed everything. They threw the bed on the side, they yanked their wardrobes open and pulled out every single cloth. They tore Amy's self painted pictures off the wall and ripped them into pieces. Those she had made for her daddy last Christmas.

"Here's nobody guys! Next room"! One of them yelled and with loud trampling they were gone as soon as they had come.

Rogue and Amy in their small, narrow and dark hiding place sighed relieved. They were save at last for a while. Amy sniffed. "They are gone".

She smiled although if her daughter couldn't see it. Well, so she had thought. But then she felt Amy who took her hand. "Come on! We have to go that way", she said and pulled her with her.

"What.. what way? I'm not seeing a single thing Honey." Amy stopped and she turned around surprised. "Don't you see the arrow there. He's pointing in the right direction."

Rogue sighed and nodded. "I can't see it. But don't worry, that's okay. As long as you see where to go, it's alright. You can go straight ahead but be careful okay Honey!"

Her daughter watched her in wonder. That was really strange. She hadn't heard the men and she also hadn't seen the arrow. What was going on with her? Was she sick?

But Rogue smiled slightly. "I'm okay Honey. You don't have to worry. It's you who's changing. You've got better hearing, better seeing and maybe more. That's part of your mutation", she tried to explain all this to her confused daughter. And Amy understood. She already had talked about this with her parents and the word mutation wasn't new to her. It kinda scared her but that was all. So, she just nodded and began to walk straight ahead.

They went through the darkness. Rogue was glad that Amy didn't speak too much. She had to arrange her thoughts at first. They whirled around in her head so fast she couldn't take hold of a single thought. What was happening? Who were this men? Where were Scott, Storm and the rest? Dead or alive? Kidnapped or free? She didn't know. There was so much she didn't understand.

And she just wished Logan would be there. He would know what to do right now. But she was alone. Alone with her six years old daughter who already began to show her mutation. Alone with these strange men. Alone in some hidden hallway under the mansion. It just scared her.

Suddenly Amy began to sing a song she taught her when she was tree. "Oho.. no matter what.. no matter how bad.. no matter how hopeless it seems... never, never, never give up. Because I'll be there.. oho.. I'll be there for you. Always", she sang in her soft angel like voice. Rogue smiled. That was her girl. Optimistic in every situation, full of hope and energy even at a time like this. And she was barely seven. That was really incredible. Then she stopped walking. "That's the end Mom!" "Look around for a lever Honey", she repeated and did so too.

Amy found it quickly and pushed it down. The door slide open. Rogue squinted when the light blinded her. She needed a few seconds till her eyes were ready to see again. Amy looked around and gasped. They were in the park, somewhere behind the garages. The sun shone brightly on the crystal blue sky. It was day again. And nothing seemed to remember at what had happened the night before. It was so quiet and peaceful.

Amy squealed when her bare felt touched the snow- covered ground. Rogue crawled out of the hallway as well. Quickly she picked her daughter up. No way they could stay outside with them only wearing their pyjamas. But where to go? Could she risk to go back inside? Where they really gone? But her feet that went numb by the coldness answered the question. She had to risk it, or she would freeze to death. So, she began to walk through the snow carefully.

Normally Rogue loved snow but not this time. It was so damn cold she couldn't even feel her feet anymore. The wind blew the snowflakes around and underneath their clothes. Soon they were soaked wet. "Almost there", she said when she arrived the garages and as soon as she felt the concrete she let her kid down.

Carefully she pressed her ear against the door. But Amy shook her head. "No one is there Mommy. We can go in", she stated and smiled with pride. Because she understand how much her mutation helped at the moment. Rogue nodded and opened.

It was warm inside and they sighed relieved. Amy ran to a motorbike and hopped on it. Usually her mother would forbid it but not today. She went to a wardrobe inside the wall and took out a few clothes. "Come here Amy. Take these on", she said.

Amy grumbled but she did it. Then she sat down on the ground and watched the car. "Mom"? She asked loudly.

Rogue was already looking for more things they could use and didn't really notice her. "What? Yeah.. I'm here Honey", she muttered and put her head back into the next closet.

"Why don't we take the car and drive to Daddy? And he'll save Scott and Strom and everybody", she wanted to know.

Her mother whirled around. "You are an real genius Amy! That's a great idea. Why didn't I think of it first"?

Amy stared at her in surprise. She hadn't except that to happen. And her eyes began to shine. "Really? We are going to get Daddy"? She asked and smiled brightly. But Rogue sighed and shook her head. "Not exactly Honey. We are going to Uncle Charles. He's in New York City and I know in which hotel. He has to know what happened."

Her daughters hope to see her daddy sank. "Why not Daddy"? Her mother picked her up and kissed her cheek. "Because I don't know where your Daddy is. LA is a huge town Amy and he could be everywhere. Plus he surely is already on his way back."

Amy nodded understanding. "I miss him". Rogue stroke her hair and looked out of the window. "Me too".

Los Angeles same time:

Logan sat in a pub and drank a beer. He was disappointed. He had found the damn factory and also a lot of files, he even had found things about himself but nothing that helped him a bit to discover his past. Now he really lost his hope to find what he was looking for since such a long time.

But then he remembered Rogue and how optimistic she always was. She would never give up hope and he knew she didn't want him to do that neither. He smiled slightly. It was true, without her by his side he would be some where all alone, driving around with a trailer, not knowing what love is or how it's like to feel save and comfy. And then there was his Amy. His little Baby. God he loved both so much and Amy was the reason he really felt at home finally. Becoming a farther was the most wonderful thing that could happen to a man.

He sighed and took his bag. Thinking about his beloved family he felt it was time to go back home.

New York:

Rogue wandered around, deep in thoughts when she heard Amy scream. Panic flooded through her, thinking it were the back coming men, she ran to her daughter quickly.

But there was no one. Amy stumbled back from the wardrobe and ran to her mother. "Mom"! Rogue grabbed her and held her close.

"What is it?" Amy hide behind her and pointed on the open closet. "I saw someone in it. There is a man or someone", she stuttered.

Rogue picked her up and carried her away. A few metres away from the closet she let her down again. She turned around. "Stay here Honey."

Then she stepped closer, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. This was strange, why should one of this man hide in a small wardrobe? She tried to recognize something but she couldn't.

"Hello? Who is there? Come out!" She yelled but inside she hoped he wouldn't come out. She already wanted to add: Forget it, stay in that damn closet, when a head appeared.

She watched in surprise how a little boy, maybe 9 or 10 crawled out of it. She sighed relieved and even Amy came closer again. The boy was shaking and on his face were dried tears. He really seemed to be scared to death. Rogue stepped closer, noticing she already saw him before. He was one of the new students that came from New Jersey a few days ago.

"Hey! I'm sorry I didn't want to scare you. Are you okay"? She grabbed his hand and he nodded slightly.

"What are you doing here", she asked and he looked up. "I was hiding and hoped they wouldn't find me in there", he stuttered and she sighed. Seeing him still having a shock she pulled him closer and hugged him tightly.

"No worry. You are safe now", she said and stroke his back. He began to cry and she held him a while till his sobs subsided. He whipped away his tears and looked at her.

"You're one of the teachers, right"? She nodded again and smiled. "Yes. I'm teaching English Poetry. You are from New Jersey, right? What's your name"?

"I'm Jack", he mumbled. She stroke his hair. "You'll stay with me and Amy okay? We want to drive to New York City, to contact the professor. He'll know what to do."

Amy appeared by her side and looked at him. "Have you seen the bad men?" Jack looked up and nodded. "Yeah I did. What about you"?

She shook her head. "I didn't. But I heard them, they stormed into our room and destroyed all my things. I honestly wanted to cry when they ripped my Daddy's pictures into pieces. I painted them for him last Christmas. He was really happy", she told him and he stared at her confused.

"You heard what they did? How?"

Amy sat on the floor and grinned with pride. "I am a mutant. That's how I did it. And I saw things my mother couldn't see. And that's special because my Mom is a superwoman".

Rogue laughed and Jack did too. "I'm a mutant too little Amy", he said and grinned. Amy crossed her arms in front of her chest. She seemed to be disappointed. So she wasn't that special after all. She turned to her mother.

"Mom! That's unfair. I thought we would be the only mutant on the whole earth. You, Daddy and me. But Jack is also a mutant, how is this possible"?

Rogue smiled and kissed her head. "Oh Honey. But there are thousand of mutants in the world. And everyone in our home is a mutant, don't you know that?"

Amy stared at her in shock. "Uncle Chuck too?" Rogue nodded. "And Storm and Scott and Bobby. Everyone."

Her daughter nodded and thought about what her mother had said. Jack turned to Rogue. "So, when do we drive to NYC? Because I really want to leave this place as soon as possible. I mean maybe they come back. And I don't want to be here if they do."

Rogue nodded and suddenly Amy looked up. "Is that why the bad men came into our mansion Mom? Because we're mutants?"

"Yes Honey. I think that's the reason", she answered truthfully "But why? Are they jealously because they haven't got gifts?"

Jack snorted. "No. Because we are different. And human wants to kill everyone who is not like them. They hate us, they fear us. That's why they came to destroy this mansion. Cause this is a house full of people who are different."

Amy stared at him. She didn't understand all of this. But she felt as much as Rogue, how hurt and despaired Jack was. His voice was shaking, he trembled and he was so damn angry.

Rogue laid her arm around him and held him tight. She understood what he was feeling. Probably he'd already expired what it was like to be different. And she remembered how much it hurt when her own parents chased her away just because she was like this. She had hated them for doing this but she also knew that not every human was acting that way. There were always some who protected the mutants and tried to defend them, cause they understood that they were humans after all, with humans rights and a human dignity

Jack took a deep breath. "I like Professor Xavier. I really do. But I don't understand why he wants us to protect humans. The world is full of people who hate us, I think we are on the wrong side", he stated.

Rogue sighed. She was a model and that meant that she had to explain him why Charles was right. "I'll explain you why. But I do that while driving, okay?"

He nodded and Amy already ran to a car. She looked at her mother and her new friend and yelled loudly: " Let's go. New York City is waiting for us".

They smiled and Rogue pushed Jack into the vehicle. "I hope so, Honey. I really do"!