Two years earlier

Rogue woke with a start as she felt something soft hit her head. She sat up & looked at her roommate.

"Get out of bed, Marie," Therese pulled at her covers, "We told the guys we'd train today!"

"I'm up, I'm up!" She pulled herself out and flung open her wardrobe door, "So where are we training anyway?"

"Well, I don't know about you & Bobby, but Scott has cleared the danger room for me & John for a while." Therese pulled on a vest top & lifted her bottle of water, "Hurry up…"

Rogue pulled on her trainers and ran after her.

"Hey!" Therese flashed a bright smile at John & Bobby, who were waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"What's happening today?" John asked.

Therese looked at Bobby & Rogue, "We are in the danger room for a while." She turned to go.

"What about them?" John asked.

Therese looked at them and smiled, "I think we should give them time alone." She grabbed his wrist and dragged him towards the lift.

"Scott, set up situation 12." Therese commanded. She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath as the world around her vanished. She opened them to a dark warehouse.

"What is this?" John whispered.

"I don't know…" she replied.

John flicked his lighter on and took the flame into his hand. They looked at one another in the flickering light and separated. Therese walked slowly around a large crate and peered around the corner. Closing her eyes, she counted; 1… 3… 4 obstacles.

'John… 4 laser guns just around the corner from you…' she spoke into his mind.

'Okay… you want to jump out first? Or you want to go together?' he thought.

'Together…' she took a deep breath, "Now!"

They rounded the corner and John knocked out the first gun, throwing a flame. Therese raised her hand, aimed at a gun and concentrated. It exploded.

"Therese!" John called out. She ducked and rolled, a laser narrowly missing her head. She jumped up and reflected the next laser back into the gun. John looked at her and she concentrated as he ran. He began to run up the wall towards the last gun, placed a small flame inside it and kick-flipped off the wall as the gun exploded.

He landed down beside her, "I am so amazing."

Therese laughed, "I did that & you know it!"

"Yeah, okay Therese."

"Oh my God! I raised you!"

"I could kick your ass right now!"

"Wanna bet?"

"C'mon then!"

Therese laughed, "Fine. Scott, hand-to-hand combat please."

"No powers?" John asked.

"Yeah, no powers."

"Fine."

Therese dropped into a defence stance, and winked at him, "Come and get me Tiger."

John shook his head and swung. Therese swung her arm up and blocked him. He twisted his arm and grabbed hers, swinging her round.

Therese back-flipped and twisted his arm up behind his back, precisely what he had been trying to do.

"Give?" Therese asked.

"Not a chance." John sneered.

Therese pushed him away and used the momentum to carry herself into a double back-flip.

"Hey! You said no powers!" John cried.

"That's not my power! I'm naturally acrobatic!" Therese said.

"Yeah right. No-one is that natural."

"Stop putting off getting whipped."

"Fine, I'm using powers." John flicked open the lighter and a ball of flames sprung up into his hand. He threw it at her, which she blocked and sent back to him. He caught it in his hand and threw it again. Therese jumped over it, towards him. It crashed into the wall behind her, distracting her. John ran at her, ramming her into the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the pain.

"How are they doing?" Rogue and Jean entered the command centre of the danger room.

"They're starting hand-to-hand combat." Scott told them.

Rogue leaned over to look out the window, and Jean followed her lead. They watched Therese back-flip and press up against John.
"Do you think they'll ever stop messing about and just get together?" Rogue asked.

"I don't think either is aware the other likes them." Jean replied, smiling.

"Then we'll have to sort something out."

"Is that a set-up I hear?"

"That may well be."

"I think they're going to sort themselves." Scott said, pointing out the window.

"Oh my God…" Jean murmured.

They looked down at Therese, who was now floating ten inches from the ground.

Therese felt herself land softly.

"Are you okay?" John said.

Therese opened her eyes and looked into the concern in his, "I'm fine." She propped herself up with her elbow.

John held his hand out and she took it. He pulled her up sharply, stopping her dead in front of his face.

Neither moved.

Jean, Scott and Rogue looked down into the danger room.

"C'mon, c'mon…" Rogue murmured.

They waited.

"Oh my God! Just kiss her!" Rogue yelled.

"Sshh…!" Jean put a finger to her lips, but it was too late. John and Therese had seen them, and quickly broke apart.

"Aaaaggghhh!" Rogue threw her hands up, exasperated and walked out.

"Where are you going?" Therese stood in the doorway of Jean and Scott's room, watching Jean throw her suit into a bag.

"Storm and I have to go out of town for a while." Jean replied.

"What for?"

"We're going to find that mutant that the FBI is looking for."

"What's going to happen to all the kids?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Scott and the Professor are going to see Magneto."

"What?" Jean's head shot up.

"Yeah, I overheard them talking."

"Damn! Um… could… no you're too young."

"Jean…" Therese said, indignantly, "I am not too young to protect them. I'm getting really powerful, and I'll have Rogue, Bobby and John."

"Therese, I'm not sure and I don't think Professor-" her words were cut short by the sound of an engine outside.

Therese ran to the window and spun round, "Logan!" She ran out of the room towards the stairs. Jean walked to the window and looked down at him. He looked up and caught her watching him. She pulled back from the window and turned to leave the room.

"Hey Logan…" Therese jumped over the banister into the hall below, where Logan stood with Rogue & Bobby.

"Logan…" Jean followed.

"Uh… come on guys…" Rogue turned to leave.

"Show off." Bobby muttered.

"You just wish you could do it." Therese elbowed him & ran off into the TV room.

Bobby glared at her retreating back and called out, "Oh my god! I so-"

"Ssshhh!" Rogue cut him off, "It doesn't matter…"

"What's going on out there?" John asked as Therese dropped down onto the sofa beside him.

"Oh, nothing. Logan's back. I think he's going to 'watch us' while they're all away."

"Oh my God! We can take care of ourselves! We're not children!" John cried, exasperated.

Therese placed a hand on his chest, "I know, but we've got to live with it."

"Yeah, well I hate it."

"I know Tiger, you've told me a thousand times." Therese snatched the remote control out of his hand and changed the channel.

"HEY! I was watching that!" John cried.

"Yeah, well I'm here now."

"And that's that, is it?"

"Yep."

"I don't think so."

"And what are you going to do about it?" Therese jumped up so she was kneeling on the sofa.

"This…" John rammed into her, his arms around her waist, pulling her to the floor. She struggled out of his grasp and ran off, the remote
still in her hands. John sent a spark at her, causing her to drop the remote. John dived for it and changed the channel.

"That's cheating!" Therese cried.

"Meh, whatcha gonna do?" John shrugged.

Therese smirked and focused.

"HEY!" John tightened his grip.

"You use your powers, I'll use mine." Therese pulled harder.

John got up and started towards her, pulling hard, "Seriously… stop."

"If you let go, you won't be dragged along."

John held fast.

"Fine." Therese pulled again, but misjudged her strength. John crashed into her, knocking over a lamp and slamming against her, both hitting a wall. John opened one eye and looked at Therese's outstretched hand, holding the lamp inches from the ground.

"Tell me again, you don't fancy the hell out of each other." Bobby called from the pool table.

Therese pushed John away and ran out of the room, the lamp hitting the ground.

"Therese!" John called out, "Thanks Bobby…"

"What?" Bobby watched John leave and turned to Rogue, "What did I do?"

"You're going?" Therese stood in the hanger, "Now?"

"Yeah, the Professor's got a lock on this guy… we need to catch him before he goes again." Jean pushed her bag on board the jet,
"Logan will watch you guys while we're gone; don't mess him about."

"Jean, we can watch ourselves."

"I know you can, & I know John, Bobby and Rogue can, but while your watching yourselves who's watching the others?" Jean hugged her, "See you in a couple of days."

Therese squeezed her tight, "Jean?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Please be careful…"

Jean pulled back, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Therese paused at the sight of Jean's sceptical face, "It's just…"

"Tell me, it's what I'm here for."

"I've been having these… these feelings. That something bad is about to happen. I don't know- maybe they're nothing."

"I wouldn't worry about it." Jean hugged her again, "I've got to go, take care of everyone until I get back."

She ran up into the jet and sat down beside Storm.

"Everything okay?" Storm asked.

Jean smiled, "Everything's fine."

Therese jumped awake, still shaking from another bad dream. She slipped out of bed and walked out into the hall. She has just reached the stairs when she felt it. A tremor running through her. Suddenly the door down the hall burst open and armed soldiers poured through. She felt herself being yanked back. John pressed a finger to his lips, looking down into her eyes.

Soldiers ran passed and John pressed into her, pushing her into the wall. Suddenly Clara's ear-shattering scream echoed down the halls. They slapped their hands to the ears and tumbled out into the hallway. The noise stopped and Therese felt herself being pulled up roughly.
"C'mon," John grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the hall.

They skidded to a halt when they saw more soldiers pour through a door. Younger mutants turned and fled towards the hall to their side.

"C'mon…" John turned, but Therese pulled her wrist out of his grip.

"No…"

"Therese, come on!"

"We won't all make it."

"Therese…"

She raised a hand and placed a barrier between the soldiers and the mutants.

"Therese, no!" John tried to pull her.

"John, go. Find Bobby and Rogue, get everyone out."

"Therese…"

"Go Tiger."

John looked at her, amazed by the power running through her. He turned on his heel and ran.

Therese heard the sound and ran to the window, watching the jet land. She ran excited to the main hall, and waited for them to come in.
Logan and Storm entered first, helping a mutant Therese didn't know. Rogue and Bobby followed.

"Where's John?" she asked, feeling pain within them.

Rogue looked at her, "He left… he joined Magneto…"

Therese pulled back in shock, "How could he…? Why?"

Suddenly she felt it. A pain that ran deeper than the loss of a friend to an enemy. She felt the pain of the loss of a friend, a lover, to death. She looked up at the remaining team, entering; Professor Xavier and Scott.

"Where's Jean?" she asked quietly.

"Therese, I am so sorry…" Storm placed her hands on Therese's shoulders.

"Where's Jean!" Therese cried, panicking.

"Therese," Scott pulled her into a hug, "She's gone."

Therese broke down & cried.