Chapter Two

Sorry for the delay. I've had a horrid writer's block....so, here is the update, at last! Thanks everybody for the awesome reviews. I'll try my darndest to make this story worthwhile. But I also have another story that I have great ideas for, so please don't be upset if I don't update every week. I will try to be as fast as possible. Thanks again for the reviews! Read and be fed!

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Rogue groaned as she rolled over. Since when do mattresses feel like rocks?, she wondered. She felt a cool breeze rush over her, and she reached down to pull up her covers.

Wait a second.

Her covers were gone. And since when did she and her room mates sleep with the window open? It wasn't very safe, considering the hostility towards mutants nowadays. Rogue opened her eyes and was greeted with a bright blue sky and the tops of trees. What the.... She sat up, now realizing that she was lying on the hard ground, somwhere in the middle of a forest. She looked arounnd.

Where am I?, she thought. What happened?

Rogue climbed to her feet, wincing as the rocks cut into the soles of her feet. Brushing off her black, spagetti strap nightgown, she turned, taking in her surroundings. "Professor?," she yelled. "Jubilee? Kitty? Anyone?" Only silence greeted her. She sighed. "Great" she muttered. "Stuck in a forest, who knows where....alone." She looked up at the sky with her hands on her hips. "Some days you just shouldn't get out of bed."

Rogue froze when she heard a strange sound from behind her. What was that? It sounded like something was climbing....slowly crawling, joints creaking....softly hissing.

Slowly, Rogue turned around, and her eyes widened in fear at what stood behind her.

A huge spider.

Now, I'm not talking one of those little fat ones, but a HUGE spider--one that was even bigger than Rogue herself. Several blinking eyes stared back at her, while the creatures fangs moved. The way they nearly rubbed together reminded Rogue of a greedy child rubbing his hands together because he knew he was going to get a treat. She had seen the gesture several times at the school, especially when Storm was making some kind of treats.

The spider stared at Rogue as if SHE were a treat.

As Rogue stood there, her heart beating erratically, she did the first thing that came to mind: She screamed.

A blood curtling, terrified scream erupted from her mouth. The spider stumbled back a step, then stood up on its too back legs and opened its jaws, releasing an ear piercing shriek. Rogue turned and did the one thing she hoped to never do again:

She ran.

She didn't think--she just ran. Nothing registered in her mind--the hard ground cutting into her bare feet, the branches of trees and bushes catcher her hair and nightgown as she ran, the tiny scrapes it left. The only thing Rogue could think about was the fear that consumed her, the sound of the creature's eight legs as it chased her, and the need to escape it and survive.

"HELP ME!," she yelled, looking behind her and seeing that the spider was quickly gaining on her. "SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!"

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"She's gone," Logan announced as he rushed into the Professor's study.

The Professor looked up at him from his place across from Scott. "Who?," Scott asked, his hand frozen on the chess piece he had been in the process of moving.

Logan strod up to them. "Rogue. She's gone. Kitty said she wasn't in the room this morning and no one heard or saw her leave. I can't find her anywhere."

Storm entered at that moment, followed by Curt, his blue skin illuminated in the sun light, his black duster billowing behind him. "She's nowhere on the lower level," Storm said as she came to stand behind the Professor.

"Nor outside anywhere," Curt said.

Logan looked over at the Professor. "Chuck, do you know where she is?"

The bald man shook his head. "No...usually I can sense when a mutant leaves the Mansion, at any time of day or night, but I never sensed that Rogue had left."

Scott looked up at Logan. "Did you say anything to her that may have made her run off?" Logan glared at him. "I mean, it's happened before."

"Scott...," the Professor warned.

"Hey, look, One-eye, I don't need any of this from you," the mutant known as Wolverine snarled. "I just want to find her. And for your information, no, I didn't say anything to her that would make her take off."

Scott simply smirked at him.

The Professor sighed and looked at them. "Now is not the time to quarrel," he said. "We need to concentrate on finding Rogue. Scott, Logan, ask some of the students if they've seen her anywhere. Storm, Curt, check the campus again. But split up--you'll cover more ground. I'll attempt to locate Rogue using Cerebro. Report back if you find anything."

With the orders given, they all dispersed. Storm grabbed Logan's arm as they walked into the hallway. "Logan, we know Rogue was upset yesterday...do you think she was upset enough to take off?," she asked.

Logan shook his head. "I don't think she took off at all," he said. "Kitty said all of her stuff is still in the closet. Nothing was missing." He ran a hand through his thick hair. "I don't have a clue in Hell....I really don't."

Storm nodded. "We'll find her, Logan."

He nodded. "I hope so." With those words, he turned and headed towards a group of laughing students. Storm watched as their smiling faces fell when Logan approached them. Sighing, Storm headed for the door that led into the courtyard. As she opened the doors and the wind blew her stark white hair, she prayed she was right as well.

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The Professor stopped at the door that led to Cerebro. As he waited for the door to scan his identity, the mutant couldn't help but ponder about how Rogue left the Mansion without him knowing. He could always sense it when a mutant walked out, day or night. But what if she didn't walk out?, the Professor thought as the scan completed and the door slid open. He moved into Cerebro, wheeling himself down the long pathway. He stopped when he reached the small podieum at the end of the pathway. What if she was somehow teleported out? A picture of Curt appeared in the Professor's mind, but he quickly pushed it aside. The teleporter had proved that he was on their side at Alkaline Lake.

There only hope of finding Rogue as Cerebro. Reaching out, the Professor picked up the helmet that was laying on the podieum. He closed his eyes as he put it on his bare head and concentrated. He put all other thoughts out of his mind, focusing completely on Rogue.

He felt his mind branch out, stretching to every part of the globe. He searched through all the mutants that he connected with, focusing everything on finding Rogue's mind.

His eyes snapped open quickly.

He couldn't find her.

Concentrating again, he searched. Frantically, he searched every face and mind he could see.

Still, there was no trace of Rogue.

"Good Lord," he murmured. "She's gone."

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"What do you mean 'she's gone'?!," Logan yelled, glaring at the Professor.

The searches had turned up nothing and they had all returned to the Professor's study, hoping that he had had better luck. The wheel chair bound headmaster had been waiting for them, his expression troubled. As soon as they had all entered the room, he broke the news to them.

The Professor looked up at Logan. He could sense the mutant's frustration. HE had come to care for Rogue, like a brother would care for a sister.

They all had. He himself had come to love her as a daughter. And now, she was gone.

"I mean that I can't sense her anywhere, Logan," the Professor said. "She couldn't even be picked up by Cerebro."

Scott looked at him. "So what does that mean?," he asked. "I mean, she's not...." HE didn't finish. He didn't have to. The same thought was in everyone's mind.

The Professor sighed. "I don't know, Scott....I would think that I would be able to sense it if she was...It seems as if she's just vanished. Almost as if she was teleported out."

Logan's gaze snapped to Curt. The blue mutant had looked up at the word "teleported", and his gaze met Logan's angry one.

"Logan, don't," the Professor said, sensing Logan's hostility. "Curt had nothing to do with Rogue's disappearance."

Logan turned his gaze to the Professor. "How can you be sure?," he demanded. "YOu said it yourself, it's as if she was teleported somewhere."

The bald man nodded. "Yes, but Curt doesn't possess a mutation that could have teleported Rogue to wherever she is."

"Where is she exactly?," Logan demanded.

The Professor sighed. "Somewhere far from here. A place that not even Cerebro can detect."

Storm looked at him, frowing. "Another world?"

He nodded. "It's rare, but not unheard of."

Logan stared at them. "So you're saying that Roge was taken to another world? Like an alternate reality?" He laughed. "Are you shitting me?"

Scott shook his head. "It's happened, Logan. Some mutants can go between worlds. Professor, could Rogue's mutation have evolved?"

The Professor shook his head. "Even if it did, Rogue wouldn't have that kind of mutation."

Logan sighed in frustration. "Alright, so how do we find her?"

"I don't know," the Professor answered honestly. "I have a few acquantances here in Manchester who may know more about this. I can get in touch with them. Meanwhile, dont' worry. ROgue is a strong, capable young woman. I'm sure that wherever she is, she's safe."

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"HELP!!"

Rogue raced through the forest, her heart pounding and her breathing erratic with the knowledge that the eight legged creature was quickly gaining on her. "SOMEBODY! HELP ME, PLEASE!"

No one can hear me, she thought, panicked. Oh, God, please let someone hear me.

She yelped as her foot caught on the root of a tree, sending her sprawling face first on the ground. She pushed herself up quickly, wincing at the scraped that were on her arms and legs. Looking up, she screamed as the spider leaped in front of her, screeching as it reared on it's two back legs.

Rogue felt something whiz past her head and imbed itself in the spider's body. It screeched again, lowering it's legs. Rogue pushed herself onto her knees as the spider was hit again. She saw that it was an arrow that was imbedded in the creature. It staggered back and Rogue climbed to her feet. She attempted to race past the creature, but one of its legs slinked out, shoving her back.

She was thrown to the ground a few feet away, and her vision blurred when her head connected with a large rock. She reached up and touched the back of her head. Her hand came back bloody, and she felt her surroundings spin. She cringed when the spider screeched again, and she watched as three riders on white horses rode up, shooting numerous arrows rapidly at the creature. It staggered bakc with each hit, howling in pain. Her vision darkened slightly as she watched the spider fall to the ground, still screeching. One of the riders leaped off his horse and stode up to it cautiously. He watched as it twitched on the ground, then strung three arrows, releasing them at the same time. They imbeded the spider in its head, and it jerked, then moved no more.

Rogue watched dizzily as the rider rushed over to her, kneeling down next to her. "Milady, are you injured?"

His words were muffled as Rogue drifted in and out of conciousness. Her eyes looked up into the man's face and she was pierced with the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. They stared down at her in concern. She saw that he had long blonde hair that was partially tied back, a small braid on each side of his head. As his hands lifted her head gently, she frowned.

The man also had pointed ears.

"Milady?," his soothing voice asked again.

"What kind of mutant are you?," Rogue murmured. The man stared down at her, somewhat confused.

"Milord," she heard one of the other riders ask. "Is she alright?"

The blonde man reached up to touch Rogue's cheek, and her eyes widened. No, he can't touch me!, she thought. She stared at him when she felt his cool flesh against her face. He was fine. Nothing happened. She didn't feel the usual pain, feel the man's essence enter her as it was ripped from his body....she just felt his flesh against her cheek.

He turned his head and looked at his companions. "She is injured," he said. "We need to get her to Rivendell."

Rogue was vagually aware of the man taking off his cloak and wrapping it around her, lifting her gently into his arms. She groaned as pain shot through her head and she closed her eyes. How did he touch me and not be hurt?, she wondered. "Wait..."

The man lifted her up on his horse, cradling her against him. "Don't fear, milady," he said softly. "I swear to you, you will be alright."

Those were the last words Rogue heard before she fell unconcious, the darkness taking over her as she slumped against the man's chest.

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Ta da!! Chapter two is done...Hmm...who could this mystery man be? (A.N. If you don't know, then you should probably brush up on your Lord of the Rings knowledge.lol) How is it that he can touch Rogue and not be harmed by her deadly mutation? Questions, questions, questions....well, if you want them answered, the review and tell me what you think!! Also....I've heard that a Beta is very very helpful when writing fanfiction. So, please, if anyone is even remotely interested in being my Beta for this story, please email me at heyheycowboyhotmail.com.(hey underscore hey underscore cowboy at hotmail.com) I don't use the email that is on my ID page on here. So please!! Review!!!