Flood and Rogue Talk

The X-Men were gathered in the professor's study. All of the adults stood before the students with their arms crossed and inquiring looks on their faces. The students were all looking down at the floor too ashamed to meet the adult's eyes, aside from Rogue and Serena who merely stood at the side of the room separate from the group, waiting to be released.

The Professor Xavier reproached them. "I must say that I'm disappointed in all of you. Never have I seen such irresponsible behavior. Though I am fully aware that the Brotherhood can be a nuisance, it does not give you the permission to confront them, especially not with the use of your powers and especially not out in the open. It's a miracle no one saw you. I also understand it was Miss Hallow that discontinued this outlandish result of behavior. I am glad that some of you were sensible enough not to be so reckless." Nobody said anything. "With the exception of Rogue and Serena, you will all be given a set of chores to do and an extra training session a day with Logan for one week. I do not want a repetition of this performance, understand?" They all nodded. "Good. You are all dismissed."

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"AUGH!" A strangled yell and the sound of a blast shattered the midnight silence waking everyone in the mansion. Everyone rushed over to Scott's room, where the scream came from.

"Scott, are you alright?" Jean asked him worriedly.

Scott was sitting up in his bed eyes closed, clutching his throat, breathing heavily. "Someone… tried to kill me."

"What?" She said in surprise.

"Someone tried to kill me," Scott repeated," while I was sleeping. Someone came in here and…"

"Calm down Scott." The professor said. "It was probably just a nightmare."

"I don't think so." Scott said frowning. "It was way too real."

"Most dreams are." Kurt said.

"I'm telling you guys it was real." Scott said insistently. "I almost died."

"Scott, are you sure it wasn't just a dream?" Jean asked him tenderly.

"Yes! Well… maybe." He sighed. "I don't know."

"Just take a deep breath and tell us what you remember." Professor Xavier told him.

"I was lying in bed and then someone just started choking me. Their hands were so cold. I opened my eyes and saw them, but I couldn't see their face. I couldn't breath. I somehow managed to scream and then they suddenly they were gone." They all looked up to see a hole blasted into the ceiling.

"What's going here?" Everyone turned to see Serena looking half awake.

"It's nothing Serena." The professor told her. "Scott merely had a nightmare."

"Oh." She said in response. "Well in that case I'm going back to bed."

"I'm with you girl." Rogue agreed.

"Like, me too." Kitty yawned.

"Try to get some rest Scott." The professor told him. "Remember you have a training session early in the morning."

"Don't remind me." Scott groaned.

In the late morning while everyone else was serving time in a gruesome training session, Rogue had just woken up. She was glad she didn't have to go through punishment with the rest of the team. Especially not in one of Logan's training sessions. But that's what they get for starting trouble. Rogue was searching through her wardrobe looking for something to wear when her eyes fell on one particular outfit.

"Wait a minute." She pulled out the same dress wear she had worn the day before. "These are my clothes that were stolen yesterday. So what are they doing back here?" Her face darkened.

Rogue quickly got dressed and headed over to Serena's room. She knocked on the door but didn't bother waiting for an answer. Upon opening it she thought at first no one was in their. But she soon spotted her sitting outside on the balcony. Rouge brashly approached the girl who did not move. In fact she might as well have not noticed the girl who was standing right behind her.

"Hello Rogue." She said in an endearing voice

"Flood." Rogue said it as if it were more of a statement than a greeting.

Flood turned her head slightly. "So, you can tell the difference between us?"

Rogue wanted to state the fact that the difference was extremely evident but she merely answered, "Yes."

"Come sit with me." Flood motioned to her. Rogue hesitated before walking over and leaning against the balcony's edge next to Flood.

"I'm glad you came." Flood told her. "There is something important I need to talk to you about."

"And what would that be?" Rogue asked.

"I know this is going to sound abrupt but..." she sighed. "You need to tell the others about Todd and Serena."

"W-What?" Rogue gasped. Then she shook her head vigorously. "No I can't do that."

"Hear me out." Flood said imploringly. "Serena has been growing extremely attached to Todd, indulging herself in her devotion for him. And it's becoming an obsession which may cause spontaneous aggression towards anyone who would threaten their relationship."

"What do you mean?" Rogue asked her dubiously.

"I mean she'll do anything to stay with him. There is no measure she won't take."

"You're exaggerating, Serena wouldn't do anything bad."

Flood raised an eyebrow. "No? Who do you think caused all that trouble?"

"What trouble?"

"Scott's car, Kurt's project, Evan's skateboard, Kitty's cooking, the bricks dropped on Jean…" she looked at Rogue. "…your clothes…"

Rogue was taken aback. "But I thought…"

"You thought it was me." Flood said perceptively. "That's why you came to see me, right?"

"And it was it?" Rogue asked her.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well how else would you know about it?"

Flood looked slightly irritated. "I told you this before. I can see things through her eyes. I know what she does."

"At first I thought it was the Brotherhood but…"

"Yes, that's what she wanted all of you to think, and it worked."

"Why would she do something like that?" Rogue asked.

"To start trouble." Flood said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"But why?"

"So they wouldn't find out her secret." Flood explained. "They were getting far too suspicious, so she thought she could distract them by causing a fight between them and the Brotherhood, and her secret would be kept safe."

"I don't believe you." Rogue said.

"What's not to believe? Especially after last night's incident."

"Last night?"

"Yes, last night." She said slyly. "When Scott claimed someone had tried to kill him."

"Are you saying it was Serena that did that?" Flood said nothing, merely looked at her. "Why would she do that?"

"Weren't you paying attention during the fight? Scott's the one who blasted Todd right when she step out and realized what was going on. Of course she would want to hurt him for hurting Todd."

Rogue shook her head. "No, it can't be true."

"Rogue you know as well as I do that this attachment she has to him is not healthy. She thinks about him incessantly, spends every second with him she possibly can. He has become her addiction, and it's creating a severe imbalance." She said in a judicious tone of voice. "If you don't tell everyone soon, so that they can be prepared for the worst, she might end up hurting someone. She won't let anything interfere with her and Todd."

"There is nothing wrong with her loving him." Rogue said definite.

Flood's eyes began to burn with impatience. "So I suppose there is nothing wrong if she was to kill someone, start a fight, cause an accident, just so she could stay with him?"

"I really don't think the others would care if they found out she and Toad are dating." Rogue said though her voice was unsure. "I mean, just look at Kitty and Lance."

"Yes, but Kitty doesn't let that interfere with her missions; of course Serena never really wanted to join the X-Men in the first place."

"She didn't?"

"Not really." Flood said jaded. "Sure she sees all of you as her friends, she doesn't mind living in a mansion, and she enjoys the training sessions. But for some reason, it just never felt like home to her."

"If that's the case then why doesn't she just leave the X-Men?"

"Where would she go? The Brotherhood won't take her back, and her mother disowned her."

"She did?"

"She even said it herself," Flood repeated her mother's cruel words, "you're not my daughter, I don't even know why you exist."

"How horrible." Rogue said sadly.

Flood nodded. "So as you can see, she has no choice but to stay here. She can't hide her secret forever, but she will by any means try. It is a dangerous secret that needs to be revealed."

"But I... promised her I wouldn't tell."

"Some secrets weren't ment to be kept." Flood said darkly.

"Well if it's so important why don't you just tell them?" Rogue asked her still not convinced.

Flood gave a sardonic smile. "Because she won't let me."

Rogue tilted her head slightly. "What do you mean she won't let you?"

"Just as I said." Flood said simply. "She and I are tied together. We can tell each other our secrets, but I cannot tell anyone else unless she allowed it. Unfortunately her mind is too clouded to see how dangerous the situation has become."

Rogue was silent for a few moments before asking her, "Why should I believe you? I barely know you."

"That may be true, but the same goes for Serena as well."

"That's not true." Rogue argued.

"Isn't it?" Flood crossed her arms. "Can you really say you know more about her than you do about me?" Rogue didn't say anything.

"I thought not." She said in an elated tone. "There are so many things I could tell you about her that you don't know, but she would never let me."

"Still," Rogue said apprehensively, "what you're asking, I'm not sure if…"

"Think about it." Flood said before Rogue could finish her sentence.

Without another word, she let herself fall backwards over the edge of the balcony. Rogue gave a startle cry and almost jumped down after her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Flood splash onto the ground and reform almost instantly. Flood glanced back up at Rogue clearly amused by her reaction. She gave a small wave of departure and headed off, no doubt to meet her counterpart's boyfriend. Rogue watched her go as a sinking feeling settled itself in the pit of her stomach.

You think this chapter is edgy? Wait till you see what happens next!