Author's Notes: Thanks to those who reviewed.

Rogue awoke in the middle of the night. The other three X-Men were asleep in the hidden clearing that Robert and his brothers brought them to.

Rogue tried to shake the feeling of the nightmare she just had off. She then noticed that Robert was not in the clearing with them. She saw Troy and Phil sleeping next to Kitty and Evan. Kurt was sleeping against a tree, and John was limped over a large rock, but there was no Robert.

She sat up and called for him. "Robert, Robert where are you?"

Then Robert entered the clearing. Rogue gave a sigh of relief and said, "where were you?"

Robert said, "I was just making a perimeter check. Just to make sure that none of Morganist's men are near by Why are you up?"

Rogue put her back up against a tree. "I just had a nightmare that's all."

"Ah, nightmares, those little images of terror that come while you sleep," said Robert as he knelt down by John.

"Tell me about it," said Rogue. "What's worse is it's not even my dream."

Robert stood back up. "Oh yeah that memory absorption thing." He walked over and sat next to her. "You want to talk about it?"

Rogue really didn't feel like talking right now. "No Robert, not tonight."

Robert sighed. He then smiled and said, "I'll tell you what Rogue, if you talk to me about it right now I'll stop doing this," and he started poking Rogue's shoulder.

This made her laugh a little but she soon said, "all right I'll talk, just cut it out."

Robert stopped poking and said, "that's more like it. Now come on, tell me about your troubles."

Rogue began. "It's just so hard not being able to touch anybody. Every day I wake up and worry that I'm gonna hurt some one. And all those memories I absorbed; it's just really hard on me. I got some one else's bad memories in my brain and I just can't stand it."

Robert listened to every word of this. He looked towards the ground as if he were recalling his own bad memories. Then he said, "well Rogue, in a way we all absorb memories."

Rogue looked at Robert, "what do you mean by that?"

Robert said, "well you know Rogue when something happens to you it can leave a trace of itself behind. For example when you cut your hand it leaves a scar. So maybe some things leave different kinds of traces behind. And that's all a memory really is. Something that happens to you that leaves a trace of itself behind in your brain. People absorb these things that happen to them and those things become memories. Now with you Rogue, you absorb not only your own memories, but also the memories of other people when you touch them. You think it's hard for you to have other people's bad memories, but think of how hard it must be for the people who actually have those memories of those bad things that happened to them."

Rogue was silent for a while. She finally spoke after a minute or two, "wow, I never thought about that. But I bet those people don't know what it's like not to be able to touch anyone."

"Yeah well some people have problems that are just as bad as yours," said Robert.

"Like what," said Rogue, a little angry at Robert's remark.

Robert knew she was angry by what he said. "I'm sorry Rogue, but it's true. Look you can't touch people, but at least you can hear and see. You know deaf and blind people have it pretty hard to. And there are also people who can't walk. Now compared to them your life is pretty easy."

Rogue stopped to think about this. Soon her thoughts went back to when she lived with Irene. She thought of her old foster mother sitting alone in her house. Sure she could see the future, but that doesn't help you see what's around you.

"Yeah," she said after a little while, "maybe you're right Robert."

Robert spoke again as if he hadn't made his point yet. "And also there are a lot of people out there who have problems and they don't have any where to go. You have the Xavier Institute. There you can learn to use your powers and remain safe from humans, but a lot of people have no place to get help."

Rogue said, "I see what you're saying, and you're right. I'm not the only person with a huge problem. But it's still hard to live with it."

Robert said, "I never said it wasn't hard."

Rogue moved a little closer to Robert and said, "can I tell you something as long as you promise not to tell any one else."

Robert said, "sure. Trust me Rogue, once something enters my head it dies."

Rogue smiled for about two seconds and then said sadly, "some times when I just can't stand my powers any more I go some place where I know I'm alone and I cry. I just start crying and crying like there's no tomorrow. I don't want the other X-men to see me cry cause I don't want them feeling sorry for me."

"You're not the only one who cries Rogue," Robert said.

Rogue said, "oh yeah, when's the last time you felt like crying"

Robert's head sank as he said, "almost every day."

"Why," Rogue asked, shocked by his response, but then she said, "oh yeah, because of your madness."

Robert looked up at her. He had the same hollow and piercing look that he had the day they met in his eyes. "That's not the only reason."

Rogue didn't even have to ask what the other reasons were. Robert could tell she wanted to know. "We're like those many people who can't get help in the world. Oh, sure there's the mental institutions, but those places are no help."

"How do you know," Rogue said, "it could be the help you need,"

Robert then said gently, "have you ever seen one those places. Every where you look there's a crazy face staring at you. And the doctors are even worse. If you shake some bodies hand they're afraid that you'll hurt the person you're touching. If I hug one of my brothers they'll wonder why."

Robert put his face in his hands. Rogue could tell he was upset now. She put her hand on his shoulder. Then Robert said, "we have a sister in our home town. We loved her dearly and she loved us. When we left, she was devastated. She believed she was to blame for our leaving. We'd love to go back there and tell her it wasn't her fault but we can't."

"Why not?" Rogue asked softly.

Robert swallowed hard and said, "we were hated in that town. If we go back there who knows what those people will do to us."

Rogue looked at Robert's face. She saw a single tear run down his cheek. She asked, "are you gonna be alright?"

Robert didn't answer her question. He just looked up at the night sky and said, "it's beautiful ain't it."

Rogue looked up trying to see what he saw, "what's beautiful?"

"The night sky, I all ways love just sitting and looking at the stars and the moon."

Rogue looked at the night sky with Robert. He was right it was very beautiful. She said, "you know for once in a long time, I actually feel a little better about my problem."

Robert looked back at the ground and said, "I tell you Rogue, I do miss my life."

Then they both heard John, who was listening to the entire conversation, say, "so do I Robert, so do I."

Robert looked over to his brother and smiled. Soon the two of them began to sing. Robert song alone at first, but John soon joined in.

Show me the way to go home,

I'm tired and I wanna go to bed.

I had a little drink about an hour ago and it gone right to my head.

Where ever I may roam.

By land or sea or foam

You can always hear me sing'n a song, show me the way to go home.

They song through the night. Rogue smiled at Robert as he sung. She never had a friend like Robert before, and she was really happy he was around. As Robert sang Rogue put her head on his shoulder and soon went into a deep and untroubled sleep.