Notes: This might be the last chapter for a while-I've been having serious problems with my laptop and am going to send it off to get fixed, which means no internet for me, but please be patient :)

Chapter Three

Kar coughed quietly and tugged on Rogue's sleeve. She turned to look at him, but then noticed Ivy, who was standing near the living room door and staring at the man with a hungry gaze. Her breath was quick and shallow, not from trying to keep the smell out, but from trying to restrain herself.

"Shit," Rogue muttered angrily. "Kar, Ivy, search the outside. Selene, Alistor, Envee, you've got the inside."

Kar nodded and tugged on Ivy's arm, pulling her away from the body. She growled a little, but allowed herself to be led, and Rogue sighed in relief that she hadn't put up a fight. They were in a room full of cops, on edge because of a messy murder, who didn't like having a bunch of mutants come in and steal their jobs; the last thing they needed was for Ivy to shift into her animal state and try to eat the corpse.

A hand descended on her shoulder and she jerked away, stepping forward and turning around, hand going for her gun before she realised that it was the captain, still glowering at her.

"Look, missy, I don't know who you are or-"

"I've just told you," Rogue interrupted, feeling her rather tentative control over her emotions fray like a rope that's being slowly burnt up by a flame. "We are with the Mutant Control and Defence Agency-we have the authority to investigate any crime that involves mutants, and we have the authority to take over any investigation we see fit. If you don't like it, call the President, because he's the one that put us in charge. Now back off and let me do my job or I swear to God I will knock you out."

"Perhaps not the best thing to say right now, Rogue," Michelle said wearily, stepping past the captain and glancing down at the body. She swayed a little, raising one hand to press against her forehead, and Rogue was instantly by her side, steadying her.

"You alright?" she asked quietly, and Michelle nodded.

"Yeah," she whispered. "It's just… so much emotion right now. So much hate and fear… it's overwhelming."

"Maybe you should wait in the car."

Michelle shook her head and grimaced, swallowing thickly and instantly regretting it as the foul stench stuck to the back of her mouth and throat. "No," she muttered, "I'm part of this team, too. I won't let this stop me from doing my job. God, he was so scared."

"Can you sense anything else?"

Michelle frowned, stepping away from Rogue so that she could wander around the hall, gloved hands brushing against the walls. She walked slowly, not really looking at anything, moving as if she were half asleep. The cops automatically stepped out of her way, watching her curiously, and Rogue was thankful for that.

"There were lots of people here," Michelle murmured after a while. "Four or five, maybe. And they all… hurt. They've been hurt. They felt… what is that? What were you feeling?" She frowned harder, staring blankly at a wall. "Talk to me," she whispered, and then grimaced, shutting her eyes and jerking back a step. A hissing sound of pain escaped her and Rogue waited tensely as Michelle struggled to regain her control.

"They felt justified," she said, taking a deep breath and opening her eyes again. "This was… justice. God, they enjoyed doing this." A small sobbing sound escaped her and she shook her head, walking into the living room to sit down heavily on the sofa. Rogue looked at her for a moment, noting the tension in her body and the frown of pain creasing her brow, before turning back to Jamie. Apparently one of the police officers had brought her her kit, because she was busy taking various samples from the body and speaking quietly into a handheld recorder, detailing her findings as she went.

"What have you got so far?" Rogue asked, kneeling down and watching Jamie's small hands as they wandered over the body.

"Not much, I might've found a couple of bits of fingernail or claws in the chest cavity, I've done under his fingernails but I don't think he had the chance to fight back; I'll know more after I've done the autopsy."

"Did he have a name?"

"I didn't find a wallet on him, you'll have to ask the cops, they should know."

Rogue rolled her eyes and stood up, turning to the police officer behind her. "D'ya know his name?"

"Steve Vanderwelk, 38, divorced, no kids."

"Who called it in?"

"Next-door neighbour, Sarah Parker, she's outside. It was… quite a shock for her."

Rogue smiled mirthlessly. "Yeah, it would be. Thanks."

Walking outside, Rogue paused long enough to take a deep breath of clean, fresh air, before walking over to the ambulance. A woman was sitting in the back, a blanket thrown haphazardly around her shoulders. She was staring blankly at the ground and didn't look up when Rogue crouched down in front of her.

"Miss? Sarah? My name's Rogue, I'm sorry but I need to ask you a few questions."

Still no reaction and Rogue sighed. She was never good at this bit, it required a soft touch and gentle understanding that she just did not posses. Interrogate a suspect, sure, she was great at that, but interviewing a shocked and terrified witness… that was Michelle's territory.

"He's good at cars," Sarah mumbled suddenly, and Rogue looked at her with a frown. "He's… good. Car broke, wouldn't start. Wanted his help. Walked in and… and… oh God."

Sarah started crying then, wet, heavy tears splashing onto her pale cheeks, and Rogue stood up, deciding that she wasn't going to get anything good out of the woman for now. Looking around, she saw all the cops milling around, some of them talking quietly, some of them looking to her. They couldn't handle this, couldn't even begin to sort this mess out. It was all up to her, again. And she didn't know if she was capable. This wasn't what she did, she didn't solve crimes and decipher clues; she just found the bad guy and killed them. That's all she was good for, and now, standing in the middle of one of the most messy and sensational crimes of recent history, she didn't have a clue where to begin.

Rogue closed her eyes and quietly prayed for guidance. Because she knew, deep in her heart, that the trouble was only just beginning. She just hoped she could handle it, diffuse it, before something really bad happened.