Complicated
By: Kryptonite
*****
*Eleven Months Three Weeks Four Days After*
" Hey, anyone seen Rogue?" Kitty called frantically into the rec. room, panic in her voice.
" No, why?" Bobby asked, turning to face her. Kitty whirled from the room, a look of horror on her face as she continued to yell the girl's name.
" What's with her?" Logan asked, staring unabashedly at Jean. Scott stared after Kitty, true concern written on his features. Jean noticed Logan staring at her, picking up on his rather NC-17 thoughts before turning to get Scott's attention as well.
" Scott?" She asked, sounding concerned and afraid. Licking her lips she reached out tentatively with one hand and Scott turned back to her before she could touch him.
" Probably just Kitty over reacting." Scott dismissed it easily, turning back to the t.v.
*****
" Professor? Professor Xavier!" Kitty called out, tears clouding her voice.
" My dear, what's wrong?" He asked, wheeling out into the hallway where Kitty had collapsed into tears.
" Rogue *sob* She's *hiccup* missing." Kitty breathed deeply trying to get her tear ducts in control. Rogue may never have thought her a good friend and granted she wasn't there nearly as much as she should have been but she still cared.
" Come inside." Xavier motioned for Kitty to proceed him, the doors closing automatically behind his wheelchair. " Now do try to calm down a bit. Tea?" He asked politely, rolling around behind his desk. He pulled out a fresh box of tissues and handed them over. Xavier never liked to see any of his students in such sorry straits.
" She's been… different since Jean came back. Hasn't… been in class for over a week." Kitty took a deep breath, tears seeming to have stopped for the moment. " Scott doesn't pay any attention any more. I mean, I was at her room four days ago and she said she was sick." Kitty swallowed, eyes fluttering closed as she tried to control her voice. " Normally he would have gone in, trying to talk to her. But he just said if she was really sick she should go see Jean. Didn't… even… try to talk to her."
Xavier agreed, eyes narrowing in thought. " I have noticed a few things different. It wasn't so long ago that Scott never left Rogue's side."
" Now he won't leave Jean's. Rogue never thought that they compared. I'm afraid she's going to do something really stupid. You have to track her." Xavier quirked a small smile, suddenly realizing that Kitty was indeed old enough to be let in on the 'tricks of the trade' one could say.
" How do you propose I do that?" Kitty looked around hopelessly.
" How did you figure it out last time?"
" Last time didn't have a prominent part of her psyche blocking my telepathy. Let me show you just what I use to 'track' mutants, hmm?" Kitty nodded, trying to decide if the look on Xavier's face was one she liked there or not.
" Sure." She said slowly, still trying to gauge his reaction. Xavier smiled his secretive smile once more before leading Kitty down the hall to a concealed elevator. All the kids knew something was under the mansion and that there were secret corridors all along the mansion so that if they ever needed to they could get out to safety.
" Welcome to Cerebro." Xavier muttered, letting his retina get scanned so they could go into the actual dome. Kitty walked along the thin platform in awe, staring at the room around her.
" Very big… and round." She muttered. Xavier smiled, noting that the words were similar to what Logan had said the first time he'd seen the inside of Cerebro.
" Mutant brainwaves are different from humans and Cerebro allows me to amplify, or strengthen, my telepathy. Last time I managed to find Rogue, she was still going by her real name Marie. Now… Rogue has multiple personalities in her head. Magneto, Pyro, Cody, David, Logan and a few… unnamed people are in there, all remnants of people she has accidentally touched in the past. And then," Here is where Xavier paused as Kitty turned to look at him.
" And then what, Professor?"
" And then there is 'the boss lady'. She might be Rogue's conscious, she might be a fragment personality or Rogue might have a personality disorder such as Schizophrenia, I really can't tell you what it is. Rogue's mind has developed a barrier against the nightmares and personalities it is plagued with… along with my telepathy."
" But you've been helping her learn to control her powers." Kitty was confused, of course when it came to Rogue it wasn't the first time.
" And in the process, teaching either her or that split personality, how to block my mind. Rogue's power is… complicated, to say the least. I don't even fully understand it. All I can say is, that where ever Rogue is, she has to contact us before we can help her."
Most things in life are complicated, to say the least, and barely understood. That is when humanity has to sit back and pray to whatever they believe in for the best.
*****
A/N: Yeah, reviewing is harder than people seem to think, isn't it? Especially when the story goes on for as long as this one is and most likely will. Karma, I'm glad that you feel that way and I guess it's true that I can't :) But I can try (of course the minute I accept a challenge is when my muse decides he needs a vacation).
Star… I guess. Like I've said before, I am really not all that up with what happened in the comics and the cartoon but I do know that every time I try and write Jean she just comes out… evil *shrugs* I just can't explain it. Syd, this fast enough for you? SJ Smith, welcome, hope you stagger in more often ;) Yeah, Jubilee is probably based on a LOT of people I would rather not have come across and Logan is being… mean to say the least.
I'm sorry you don't like him though I am glad you liked *plug* Someday *end plug* And Fizzleup, was this what you expected? I know it was kind of a cliched idea but I have an idea for upcoming chapters to show Scott just how much Rogue loves him (despite his idiotic behavior). Please forgive *begs*
Have a good life everyone, catch ya on tha flipside.