Notes: This is just a little chapter to reacquaint myself with the characters, which I will continue to do in the next chapters because they've evolved quite a bit since I first began this fic.

Chapter Thirty Four

They boarded the plane in silence, gripping their bags tightly in their hands. There was no flight attendant to help them and show them to their seats, just a pilot waiting patiently in the cockpit. Chalice had said it was easier to have the jets waiting for them in Australia, and they agreed as they didn't want to attract any unwanted attention, so they were using Cathryn's private jet.

Rogue walked straight to the back end and flopped down in one of the nice, comfy chairs, dropping her bag in the chair next to her. She didn't bother to check things out with the pilot, leaving that to Michelle and Jamie. She was tired, not physically but mentally. Ever since she'd met with Chalice, she couldn't think of anything else. She knew that she should be more focused, that they were going into a dangerous situation and that she shouldn't be thinking of such trivial things except… it wasn't trivial. Her relationship with Cathryn, or lack thereof, was nearly as important to her as stopping the Agency.

Rogue sighed and leaned her head back against the headrest, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She had to be more focused, more alert. Really, it was beyond stupid that she was just so… relaxed when she was going into enemy territory for the biggest fight of her life to date. She shouldn't have just left things to Michelle and Jamie, she should have talked things out with the pilot herself, personally checked the safety of the plane, ascertained that things were safe for her team.

A touch on her shoulder startled her and she automatically drew and aimed her gun, instincts kicking in. She instantly bereted herself for the move, not that she had drawn her gun on Jamie but that her instincts had been required to kick in. She really was too distracted.

She sighed again and holstered her gun. "What is it, Jamie?"

"Everything's green with the pilot, do you want us to take off?"

Something inside her wanted to say no, that she wasn't ready, and she frowned at that for a moment. She shoved the voice to the back of her mind and nodded silently. Jamie hesitated but then walked back towards the cockpit, leaving Rogue to sort out her thoughts.

The problem was, she realised after a moment's thinking, that her mind was too cluttered. She had too many thoughts and ideas bouncing around inside her skull and that was something she had learned was easily fixed. With a small smile curling her lips, she dug around in her bag until she found her journal. She sat with her legs tucked underneath her, not caring that she should be sitting normally and seat-belted because they were about to take off, and started scribbling down whatever thoughts crossed her mind.

She ended up covering three and a half pages with her messy scrawl. She didn't know what she wrote and knew that if she read it now, it would defeat the whole purpose of clearing her mind. Maybe later, when she'd finished her mission, she'd read it and find out what her subconscious had written, but she doubted it. she hadn't read half of what she wrote and knew that it wasn't important if she did. The point of the journal was to get the thoughts out of her mind, that was all.

By the time she put the journal back in her bag, they were high in the air and on their way to Australia. The tension hadn't eased, though, and nobody was really talking, but that wasn't surprising. Envee was trying to start a game of poker but it was a half-hearted attempt and she soon gave up, slumping down in her seat and tugging at the edges of her fingerless gloves. She hated the heavy feel of the air, hated the quiet and the worry, but for once, she was at a lost as to how to lighten the mood. She really, really hated that.

Michelle was sitting towards the back, eyes closed and hands resting lightly on her knees. All the Roses knew that she was meditating, strengthening her mental defences, and so left her alone. They knew how hard she worked at keeping her sanity, how difficult it was to keep other people's emotions out of her heart and didn't envy her power. Migraines, nightmares, mood swings that weren't her own, empathy was one of the mutant powers that came with an unending stream of fine print. Back at their house, she had an entire drawer filled with tablets and pills, bags of herbal tea and smelling salts, soft music and scented candles, anything to help combat the negative emotions that bombarded her senses almost constantly.

Ivy was sitting by herself, one hand rubbing at her stomach, fingers tracing the scars that marred her skin. They were old scars, she'd made them when she was thirteen and upset. Though, upset was rather a bold understatement as she'd just attacked her family after morphing for the first time. Consumed by guilt and despair and anger and disgust, she had turned on herself, slicing up her stomach and legs. She'd healed, but the scars remained and she found that she was oddly fond of them. They were marks of how far she had come, how much control she had gained over herself, and her mutation. She wasn't that crazy young girl any more, wasn't ruled by the beast within her, and though she did have moments where she reverted to her old self, she always came back to who she was now.

She jumped when Kar suddenly threw himself into the seat next to her, flicking his hair out of his eyes so that he could look at her. She raised an eyebrow, fighting the urge to lean backwards. He was invading her personal space in a serious way and they both knew it, but she wouldn't be the one to give in. It was a battle of wills, albeit a small one, and she was determined to win. It took a few more seconds than she would have liked but Kar did lean backwards, resting his elbow on the arm rest and grinning at her.

"Did you want something?" she asked, and he shrugged.

"Not really."

Ivy frowned, debating whether or not to push the issue, but eventually decided it wasn't worth it and just stared out the window. Kar smiled.

Rogue studied each of her Roses for a few moments before she had to admit that she was stalling. There was one thing she had to do before they landed but she really didn't want to do it. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and walked to where Remy was sitting. He appeared to be sleeping but she knew better and just stood there until he opened his eyes and smiled lazily at her.

"Did you require something, ma cherie?"

Rogue ignored the nickname and the honeyed tones, crossing her arms over her stomach and schooling her expression into blank seriousness. "Yeah, to talk. This mission is important and I don't want to have to worry about you. I want you to promise me to behave, none of your tricks or jokes, none of your bullshit and arrogance, just complete your assignment and get out, quick. Got it?"

Remy just looked at her for a moment and she could see the thought lurking in his onyx eyes to disagree, to ignore her words and be his usual, reckless self, and she worried for a moment that she'd made a mistake in including him. But then the thought disappeared from his eyes and he smiled, not one of his usual suggestive smirks or wicked grins but a real, genuine smile, and he bowed his head.

"As my lady commands."

Rogue rolled her eyes at that and returned to her seat, unable to stop the small smile that toyed with the edges of her lips.